Ephesians 3.8c-The Unfathomable Wealth of the Church Age Believer
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday May 4, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 3:8c-The Unfathomable Wealth of the Church Age Believer
Lesson # 154
Ephesians 3:1 For this reason, I myself, Paul, the prisoner owned by and under the authority of the one and only Christ who is Jesus for the benefit of each and every one of you as a corporate unit, who are Gentiles—2 if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that each and every one of you as a corporate unit have surely heard about the stewardship, which is unique to the grace, which originates from the one and only God, which was given to me for the benefit of all of you as a corporate unit without exception. (Of course, every one of you have in fact heard about it.) 3 Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner. 4 Concerning which, that is, by each one of you making it your habit of hearing read publicly, all of you will for your own benefit become able to comprehend my insight into this incomparable mystery, which is produced by your unique union and identification with Christ. 5 This mystery was by no means made known to members of the human race in previous generations as it has now been revealed through the personal agency of His holy apostles as well as prophets by means of the omnipotence of the Spirit. 6 Namely, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs as well as fellow members of the body likewise fellow partakers of the promise because of justification by faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus by means of the proclamation of the gospel. 7 I assumed the position and responsibility of serving this gospel according to the gift originating from the one and only God’s grace, which was given to me according to the activity produced by the exercise of His power. 8 To me, the less than least of all the saints, this grace was given in order to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable wealth brought about by this justification by faith in and union and identification with Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 3:8 is composed of the following:
(1) relative pronoun clause: Emoi tō elachistoterō pantōn hagiōn edothē hē charis hautē (Ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη), “To me, the less than least of all the saints, this grace was given.”
(2) infinitival purpose clause: tois ethnesin euangelisasthai to anexichniaston ploutos tou Christou (τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “in order to proclaim for my benefit to the Gentiles the unfathomable wealth brought about by this justification by faith in and union and identification with Christ.”
Now, in Ephesians 3:8, the noun ploutos (πλοῦτος), “wealth” which appears here in the infinitival purpose clause here in Ephesians 3:8 also appeared in Ephesians 1:7, 18 and 2:7.
Now, as was the case in Ephesians 1:7, the noun ploutos (πλοῦτος), “wealth” here in Ephesians 3:8 refers to the infinite or unmeasurable unmerited spiritual benefits that Paul received as a result of the Father declaring him justified based upon the merits of object his faith, Jesus Christ as well as his union and identification with Him.
This word is modified by the articular accusative neuter singular form of the adjective anexichniastos (ἀνεξιχνίαστος), “unfathomable” which emphasizes the unfathomable nature of the infinite or unmeasurable unmerited spiritual benefits that Paul received as a result of the Father declaring him justified based upon the merits of object his faith, Jesus Christ as well as his union and identification with Him.
The proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” contains the figure of metonymy, which means that the Christ is put for the church age believer’s faith in Him at justification as well as their union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification.
Specifically, it means that the Christ is put for Paul’s faith in Him at justification as well as his union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at his justification.
This word functions as a genitive of production, which expresses the idea that this unfathomable wealth, which Paul was proclaiming to the Gentile Christian community was “produced by” or “brought about by” their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at justification.
In other words, this unfathomable wealth is “the product” of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at justification.
Now, this unfathomable wealth that Paul mentions here in Ephesians 3:8 is directly to the fact that the church age believer, both Jew and Gentile is a joint heir with Christ and has received an inheritance at the moment of justification because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 3:6, being a fellow or joint heir with Jesus Christ means that Gentile and Jewish church age believers possess a share in the spiritual and temporal blessings, which the Father bestowed on His Son, Jesus Christ as a result of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
These events in the life of our Lord provided salvation or deliverance for unregenerate humanity from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death, the consequences of personal sins, and enslavement to the sin nature and Satan and his cosmic system.
Jewish and Gentile church age believers appropriated this great deliverance when the Father declared them justified because of the merits of the object of their faith, Jesus Christ.
Simultaneously, the Father placed them in union with Christ and identified them with Him in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father through the baptism of the Spirit.
Being a joint or fellow heir is related to the church age believer’s inheritance.
If you recall that in Ephesians 1:13-14 Paul asserts that the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit is the down payment of the church age believer’s inheritance.
Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until He redeems His possession for the praise of His glory. (Lecturer’s translation)
The noun klēronomia (κληρονομία), “inheritance” refers to the church age believer not only receiving a resurrection body at the rapture or resurrection of the church but also rewards for faithful service at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church, which immediately follows the resurrection or rapture of the church.
With regards to rewards for faithful service, this word also speaks of the church age believer acquiring valuable possessions, property and exalted position of authority from the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat as a reward because of faithful service on earth.
This exalted position of authority would refer of course to being a member of Jesus Christ’s millennial government.
The apostle Paul not only speaks of the church age believer’s inheritance in Ephesians but also in Colossians.
Colossians 3:23 Whenever any of you, at any time, should do something, each of you from your entire being, for your own benefit, must continue making it your habit of working hard as for your one and only true Lord, indeed, never for people 24 The reason for this command is that each of you know without a doubt that each of you will certainly receive for your own benefit your reward, which is your inheritance. Each of you continue making it your habit of serving the Lord, who is the Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)
Paul mentions this inheritance in Colossians 1:12.
Colossians 1:12 All the while, all of you making it your habit of giving thanks to the Father who has qualified each and every one of you with regards to sharing in the saints’ inheritance residing in that which is characterized by light. (Lecturer’s translation)
So, the inheritance mentioned in Colossians 1:12 and 3:24 is a reference to the rewards that will be given to a believer at the Bema Seat for being a faithful steward with the time, talent, treasure and truth that God bestowed upon them as trusts.
Paul not only mentions the church age believer’s inheritance in Ephesians 1:14 but also in Ephesians 1:18 when he presents the first of two intercessory prayers on behalf of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia.
Ephesians 1:17 I make it a habit of occupying myself with praying that God, that is, the glorious Father of the one and only Lord ruling over each and every one of us as a corporate unit, who is Jesus Christ, would cause each and every one of you to receive divine wisdom, specifically, divine revelatory wisdom provided by the one and only Spirit with respect to an experiential knowledge of Himself. 18 Namely, that the eyes of your heart are enlightened in order that each and every one of you would possess the conviction of what constitutes being the confident expectation of blessing produced by His effectual call, what constitutes His glorious, rich inheritance residing in the person of the saints. (Lecturer’s translation)
The noun klēronomia (κληρονομία), “inheritance” is two-fold: (1) The church age believer being in the presence of the Lord at physical death or in a resurrection body at the rapture of the church (2) The church age believer receiving rewards for faithful service at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church, which immediately follows the resurrection or rapture of the church.