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365 Graça & Adoração Da Criação ao Apocalipse
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Ephesians — Chapter 3

The Mystery of Christ and the Prayer for Fullness

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love..."

— Eph 3:17

Ephesians 3 reveals the 'mystery' of Christ — the inclusion of the Gentiles as co-heirs — and contains Paul's second great prayer: for the fullness of God.

🔮 The Revealed Mystery (3:1-13)

Eph 3:4-6
"When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
The mysterion of Christ: not that the Gentiles would be saved (this was already announced in the OT), but that they would be fellow heirs, fellow members, fellow partakers — equal to the Jews in Christ. This radical equality was the scandal of the Gospel to first-century Jews.

🙏 The Prayer for Fullness (3:14-21)

Eph 3:17-19
"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
The most comprehensive prayer in the NT. Paul asks for: (1) inner strengthening by the Spirit; (2) Christ’s dwelling in the heart; (3) understanding the dimensions of Christ’s love; (4) to be filled with all the fullness of God (pleroma tou theou). The final doxology (3:20-21) is the peak of the letter: 'To him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.'