(2) 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

(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 to encourage and strengthen a congregation and/or planted churches.  The intention was that the audience would understand the underlying concept of “spiritual reality” behind the numerous groups that met all over Asia.  Paul did not deal with particular issues in Ephesians but he taught doctrine in terms of the fellowship of Christians in Christ’s church.  In today’s verses Paul reminds us that he was ordained an apostle by Jesus Christ.  He talks of dispensation or stewardship – God entrusted Paul with great truths and Paul was obliged to communicate these with others.

Paul writes here that the Gentiles are fellow heirs in the kingdom of God with the Jews – fellow members of one body, fellow partakers of the promise of Christ in the gospel – that’s the relationship that did not exist in the Old Testament – that’s the mystery.  In Paul’s writing alone we find this doctrine of the Church.  This was a difficult truth for the Jews to accept.

The Apostle Paul taught that the Jews and the Gentiles are co-heirs solely by the grace of God with the focus on this as an unearned gift.  This new equality of the Gentiles was a bitter pill for the Jews to swallow –  the differences which had seemed so large are reduced to nothing.