Ephesians 3:3

“how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as. wrote before in few words”

“By revelation”: “Modern theologians have argued much over whether Paul derived his thinking from Greek philosophers or Jewish rabbis, but Paul clearly states that it came from God” (Boles p. 243). Various truths about the Bible are learned from the word "revelation": It is understandable. It was designed (by divine wisdom) to be understood by all. It infers that unaided human wisdom is bankrupt (1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 1:21). It means that God's truth cannot be learned by "feelings" or intuition (Proverbs 16:25). “Paul had not discovered God's mystery by natural means. He had not reasoned to it. Man had not whispered it into his ear” (Caldwell p. 108). Compare with Galatians 1:11. “Paul always emphasized that the wonderful truth he brought to men was from God, not of himself, that it was given to him by Christ, disclaiming any credit whatever as belonging to himself” (Coffman p. 166). Therefore Paul's letters are not "Paul's Theology". It is God's point of view and in God's own selected words (1 Corinthians 2:13). “Was made known to me”: Again, Paul had not reasoned it out or stumbled upon it. Everyone on the face of this planet would be completely ignorant of the gospel message and God's will for mankind, if God had not spoken (1 Corinthians 2:9 “and which entered not into the heart of man”; Jeremiah 2:23). The gospel is not. product of the elite or super-smart. It had to be "made known" to Paul. This phrase contradicts the idea that Paul "invented" the gospel he preached or parts of it. “The mystery”: “Three times in this short paragraph Paul uses the word mystery (Ephesians 3:3). In English. mystery is something dark, obscure, secret, and puzzling. What is mysterious is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek word mysterion is different. Although still. secret, it is no longer closely guarded, but open. In Christianity there are no esoteric mysteries reserved for. spiritual elite. On the contrary the Christian mysteries are truths which, although beyond human discovery, have been revealed by God and so now belong openly to the whole church” (Stott p. 116). This mystery includes Christ and His new people, which would include both Jewish and Gentile believers (Ephesians 3:6; Colossians 4:3).

“As. wrote before in few words”: “As. have already shortly written to you” (Con). “As. have already briefly told you” (TCNT). “I have already written. brief account of this” (NEB). This statement probably refers back to verses Ephesians 1:9-10 or Ephesians 2:14-16, in which Paul had briefly mentioned or explained this mystery.