Глава 3

Eph.3:1. For this reason I, Paul, became a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Eph.3:2. As you have heard about the dispensation of the grace of God given to me for you. Eph.3:3. Because the mystery was announced to me through revelation (which I wrote about briefly above). Eph.3:4. Then, as you read, you can discern my understanding of the mystery of Christ. “For this reason I Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, spoke of you among the nations.” “If you have heard the sight of the grace of God given to me in you,” “as if by revelation a mystery was revealed to me, as in the written inscriptions in the past”: “about him you can more reverently understand my mind in the mystery of Christ.” The Apostle wants to say: “Having been informed of this calling of yours, knowing exactly who you are, and how, and for what you are called, I ask and beseech God of all to confirm you in the faith and grant you the salvation that flows from faith.” But he inserted quite a lot into this thought, again signifying the greatness of the good deed. He retells how he himself was called, how he was granted Divine grace and appointed a preacher to the pagans, letting them know that it is very fitting for him to preach and that he is not appropriating someone else’s work for himself, but fulfilling what is commanded. And this: “pre-written in the middle” does not mean, as others have suggested, that he wrote a different message. He said: “prescripts”, not about what concerned himself, but about the secret. For he expressed this in the words: “as the mystery was told to me by revelation: as it was written beforehand,” that is, what I wrote about now; since he discussed this from the very beginning to this place. He talks about this in what follows. Eph.3:5. Which was not announced to previous generations of the sons of men, as it is now revealed to His holy Apostles and Prophets by the Holy Spirit. “But I was not revealed in any other way to be the son of man, as I have now been revealed by His holy Apostle and Prophet Spirit. Although the secret was known to the ancient prophets, but not as it is now. For they did not see the deeds themselves, but they wrote down what was said about them. So the Lord said in the Holy Gospel: “many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see” (Luke 10:24). But now God revealed it first to the apostles, then to the prophets. For during the time of the apostles many had prophetic grace. What did he discover? Eph.3:6. That the Gentiles also may be fellow heirs, being one body, and partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Eph.3:7. Of whom I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace, given to me by the operation of His power. “To be a heir and a sharer of the tongue and a partaker of His promise in Christ Jesus, the gospel,” “to be a minister of Him according to the gift of the grace of God, which was given to me according to the working of His power.” since he called the faithful a single body, he says that the pagans became “stealers.” And since the inheritance was considered to belong to the Jews, he also called the pagans “heirs.” And just as the Jews thought that they alone were given the promises, as the Apostle said in the Epistle to the Romans: “whose... are the promises” (Rom. 9:4), he also called the pagans “partakers of the promise.” Yet all this was given to them by the “gospel” of which, says Paul, I am a preacher and minister, according to the ineffable bounty of Him who called, and according to His ineffable power. He says why he mentioned strength. Eph.3:8. To me, the least of all saints, this grace was given - to preach to the pagans the unsearchable riches of Christ. “To me, the least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the nations the unexplored riches of Christ.” He showed me the effectiveness of His own power, calling me, unworthy, and entrusting me with the teaching of the pagans. At the same time, the Apostle blocked the shameless lips of Eunomius, calling the riches of Christ unsearchable. For Eunomius, calling the Father the creator of Christ, asserted to himself that he had comprehended the essence of the Father Himself. The Divine Apostle not only called the Divine nature of Christ, but also wealth unexplored. How do you preach “if” wealth is unexplored? This very thing, says the Apostle, I preach, that it is unexplored. For this is what it adds. Eph.3:9. And to reveal to everyone what is the economy of the mystery that has been hidden from eternity in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. “And to enlighten everyone that there is an insight into the secrets hidden for centuries in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ.” I do not explore the unexplored, but I teach the ignorant the now revealed mystery. For before it was hidden and known to God alone, who created everything, having the Son as his helper. Eph.3:10. So that now through the Church the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the principalities and powers in heaven. Eph.3:11. According to the eternal purpose, which He fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes, “the manifold wisdom of God will now appear as the beginning and power on the heavenly Church,” “according to the proposal of the ages, which you have made in Christ Jesus our Lord.” For the invisible powers did not know this secret, but through the dispensation of the Church they learned the ineffable wisdom of God. The Apostle says: “at the suggestion of the ages,” that is, he suggested this before the ages, and created it by the Economy of the Lord Christ. Eph.3:12. In whom we have confidence and secure access through faith in Him. About “The Imams have boldness and hope through His faith.” For having believed in Him, we were brought to God and the Father by Him. Eph.3:13. Therefore, I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations for your sake, which are your glory. “The same I pray that you will not be disappointed in my sorrows for you, which is your glory.” Therefore, I ask you to take advantage of God’s help and, for the sake of your salvation, courageously endure the sorrows you encounter. For my patience in this is your glory. All this was inserted by the Apostle in the middle of his speech; then he turns to the word about prayer and says: Eph.3:14. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph.3:15. From whom is every fatherland in heaven and on earth named. “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” “from the Unworthy is every fatherland in heaven and on earth called.” God is in the proper and true sense the Father. For he was not first a son, and then became a Father, but He is always a Father, and a Father by nature. Other fathers, both carnal and spiritual, borrowed this name from above. The Apostle calls the natural fathers “on earth” fathers, and the spiritual fathers “in heaven.” Such was the divine Apostle himself. And he made it clear to see this, writing to the Corinthians, for he says: “Although many were teachers of Christ, but not many were the fathers: for in Christ Jesus I gave birth to the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Therefore he says: “By asking and pleading, I bow my knees and pray to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who truly is the Father, did not borrow the fatherland from another, but Himself communicated it to others.” What are you praying for? Eph.3:16. May He grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened powerfully by His Spirit in the inner man. Eph.3:17. By faith let Christ dwell in your hearts. “May He grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man”, “to dwell in Christ.” And He has unspeakable wealth and immeasurable strength. Therefore, I pray that you too may achieve this, so that your souls, by the grace of the Spirit, may become the abode of Christ who saved you. Then he teaches what they should bring from themselves to build this church. “By faith in your hearts: rooted and founded in love.” You need faith and love so that you can flourish with them, as if having some kind of foundation and root that is inviolable. Eph.3:18. So that you, being rooted and established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is breadth and length and depth and height. Eph.3:19. And understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. “May you be able to understand with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,” “may you understand the love of Christ that overcomes understanding, so that you may be filled with all the fulfillment of God.” Through faith and love it is possible for us to achieve spiritual grace, and through it to recognize the greatness of the completed Economy. For the Apostle depicted greatness by breadth, length, depth and height, because by these measurements magnitude is signified. And this: “that you may be filled with all the fulfillment of God,” means: that you may have Him completely dwelling in you. Then the Apostle concludes this dogmatic word with a doxology. Eph.3:20. But to Him who, by the power that works within us, is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Eph.3:21. To him be glory in the Church in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, from age to age. Amen. “To him who is able to do all things, according to the abundance of what we ask or understand, according to the power that works in us,” “To him be glory in the Church in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations of ages, amen.” I will praise Him, because He is able, and He wills, and He gives more than we ask. But everyone should sing songs to Him both in the present and in the future life. Thus, by showing them the richness of God’s good deeds, he encourages them to different types of virtue. You might be interested in: