If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, (3) how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, (4) by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), (5) which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: (6) that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel

The letter to the Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome for preaching the gospel. The dispensation of the grace of God given to Paul was the commission of his office as apostle to the Gentiles. This office was an inward grace, including infallible and plenary knowledge. Apostolic knowledge must be direct and not founded by hearsay – the mystery of which he writes in our verses is the union of the Jews and the Gentiles. This is something undiscoverable by human reason and an indication of Paul’s knowledge of the whole plan of salvation.

The apostles and the prophets were the only recipients of direct revelation – the apostles were permanent agents and the prophets were occasional organs of the Spirit. In chapter 2 of Ephesians Paul outlined the unprecedented blessings God has now poured out on the Gentiles. The Old Testament predicted the calling of the Gentiles and led to the general impression that they were to partake of the blessings of the Messiah by becoming Jews – the continuation of a theocracy thought to remain. It seems never to have entered the human mind that the old theocracy itself was to be abolished and a new form of religion, introduced and adapted equally for all mankind and under which distinction between Jew and Gentile was to be done away.

The Gentiles are now partakers of God’s promises – the only essential and indispensible condition of participation in redemption is union with Christ. Redemption is brought about by the gospel; not by birth nor by outward rite nor by union with any external body but by the gospel received and the union affected by faith. No one has ever come to Christ by his/her own intelligence, will power or good works.