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For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles\\u2014 Surely you have heard about the administration of God\\u2019s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God\\u2019s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:1-6).

Most Bible scholars believe that, with verse 1, Paul intended to begin his prayer which concludes the chapter. But he interrupts himself to write about the role he has been given in the grand narrative of the work of God in Christ Jesus, the vast cosmic redemptive story, with the church as its focus. Because of his part, he has become a prisoner in a Roman jail. Imprisonment is no big deal for him, it simply offers a different venue by which to carry out the mission he has been given.

And this undertaking is his concern in these verses. He calls it \\u201cthe mystery of Christ\\u201d (4). Mystery here, is not something that is still hidden. Rather, it was hidden but has now been revealed by God himself. It is something that could not have been known if God had not told someone about it, and in this case, that someone, is Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.

This \\u2018mystery of Christ\\u2019 has to do with these Gentiles (non-Israelites). What God has revealed is that in Christ these Gentiles are now included in the great work that God was doing in and through Israel as recorded in the Old Testament. For those of you who struggle to find value in the Old Testament, let this mystery focus your reading and study of it, \\u201cWhat was God up to?\\u201d \\u201cWhat promises did he make to Israel?\\u201d To know what God is doing in Christ, we need to be familiar with that story.

But, of course, the fact that the Gentiles were going to benefit was already known long ago. God had promised Abraham, \\u201call peoples on earth will be blessed through you\\u201d (Genesis 12:3). So, what is it that Paul learned?

Two things, that, through faith, the Gentiles would be joined to Christ. And, that through faith in Christ, and because they are now united with Christ, they are united with the Israelites as well. They are not second-class citizens, like the god-fearers, but first-class citizens with Abraham\\u2019s descendants. Since Abraham\\u2019s time, Israel had recognized only two people groups in the world: his descendants and those who were not.

When Christ tore down the \\u2018dividing wall of hostility\\u2019 with his blood, he was overcoming that great division. The mystery now revealed is that this \\u2018new Israel\\u2019, composed of both Abraham\\u2019s descendants and those others, would come to be known by a new name, \\u2018the church\\u2019. Within the church, all are saved by grace, all our children of God. Everything God promised to Israel is now given to all Christians.

In an age in which division perforates the church, it is so important for us to hear this message of the gospel. Our divisions are not between Jew and Greek, but both our divisions and our individualism are challenged by the gospel of grace. To be in Christ is to be made one with all who are in him.

The gospel is not merely about getting to heaven; it is about life now as well. It is as much about discipleship as about initial conversion, as much about unity as about individual faith, and as much about new life as about forgiveness from God.

We are to live unity. We are not asked to like other Christians, to be like them, or agree with them, but to recognize that we are one with them and share the same Lord and the same benefits. We may not write people off any more than one part of the body can dismiss another part. Unity is not some nonessential, some afterthought, or some by-product of the faith, but it is at the heart of Christianity. The revelation that came in Christ was a revelation about unity. If we do not proclaim unity, we have not proclaimed the gospel. If we do not live unity, we have missed the gospel\\u2019s impact.

With that challenge, we declare with all those in Christ,

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:17-21).