A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MYSTERY OF EPHESIANS 3:6 Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama) March 4, 2014 In Ephesians 3:3-6 Paul wrote: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: The mystery of Ephesians 3:6 declares that gentiles are now fellowheirs with the Jews. We are fellowheirs to the PROMISES God made to them. In time past God made all the promises to Israel and the Jews according to Romans 9:5-6. At that time Gentiles like us were strangers from the covenants of promise according to Ephesians 2:12. But now, we are fellowheirs of their promises. These promises are spiritual according to Romans 15:27. They are many in number and they include such promises as: the gospel, justification by faith, the imputed righteousness of God, inheritance in the kingdom of God, the indwelling Spirit, forgiveness of sin by one sacrifice for sin, eternal salvation and redemption and hope of resurrection. All these promises and many more were originally made to Israel or the Jews, but now we are fellowheirs with the Jews to the promises. The mystery of Ephesians 3:6 declares that gentiles are members of the same body or church with the Jews. In time past the Church of God was composed of Jews and Jewish proselytes only. But now, the church of God is composed of Jews and gentiles including those who are not proselytes to Judaism. In time past the law stood as a middle wall of partition in the Church of God to separate Jews from uncircumcised gentiles. Today that wall is abolished thus uniting Jews and gentiles. In time past the Church of God was the commonwealth of Israel, but today it is Christ’s body. It became Christ’s body when God made him the head. He made him the head of the church when he raised him from the dead and set him at his right hand in heavenly places. (Eph. 1:19-23) At the same time he made Christ the head he also sent the Spirit of Christ into the hearts of all believers so that all believers become one body in Christ and members one of another. (Gal. 4:6, John 14:16-20) In the Church of God, which is Christ’s body today, there is no longer an advantage in being a Jew or disadvantage in being a gentile. There is total equality in the body. According to the mystery of Ephesians 3:6 gentiles have become partakers of his promise. His promise is the promise God made to Abraham concerning us gentiles. In Genesis 22:18 God made this promise: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. In Galatians 3 Paul interprets this promise. He says the seed is Christ (16), the nations are heathen gentiles (8) and the blessing is justification by faith (8) and the indwelling Spirit (14). But how did gentiles become fellowheirs to the promises of the Jews? How did gentiles become members of the same body or church with the Jews? How did gentiles become partakers of the promise God made to Abraham concerning justification and the Spirit? Paul gives the answer as: IN CHRIST BY THE GOSPEL When Paul said in Christ he was referring to the fact that Christ is the seed of Abraham through whom gentiles are blessed, saved and partake of the PROMISES and the PROMISE of Ephesians 3:6. (See Gal. 3:16) Also, being in Christ and being Christ’s we are counted as the seed of Abraham and heirs according to the PROMISE and PROMISES God made to his seed. (See Gal. 3:29) When Paul said by the gospel this means by faith alone in the gospel without becoming Jewish proselytes, circumcision, keeping the law or works of any kind. In time past the only gentiles God promised to save or bless were those who became circumcised Jewish proselytes and kept the law like a Jew. But Paul says God is saving and blessing them by faith alone in the gospel without works. The great mystery of Ephesians 3:6 is a mystery about how God is now saving gentiles and how they become fellowheirs to the promises God made to the Jews and how they become members of the same body and church with the Jews and how they become partakers of the promise God made to Abraham to justify heathen gentiles and put his Spirit in them. Paul tells us how: IN CHRIST BY THE GOSPEL. Not by becoming Jewish proselytes, not by circumcision, not by becoming a part of the common wealth of Israel, not by blessing the seed of Abraham, not by works of any kind. But in Christ by faith alone in the gospel that declares he died and shed his blood for our sins and was raised again from the dead. Paul said the same in Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.