It is suggested in this article that more is meant by the use of the term οἰκονομία in Ephesians than simply an administrative office or activity. A ‘slight semantic shift’ (Hendrickson 1967:44) in the meaning of οἰκονομία in Ephesians takes place (cf. Hendrickson 1967:44). There is a shift in meaning of οἰκονομία from Ephesians 1:10 to Ephesians 3:2 and 9 which is a change in nuance rather than a change of meaning². The term has been assigned different meanings by various authors in Ephesians 1:10 of ‘effectuation’ or ‘the carrying into effect of the plan’ (cf. Hendrickson 1967:44) and ‘administration’, ‘management of a household’ (cf. Plato Apologia 36b; Respublica 6.11; Xenophon Oeconomicus 1.1), or ‘of an estate’ (cf. Josephus 2.5.7:89) as a specific use in Ephesians has been suggested. The conceptualisation of the term as ‘God’s ordering of history’ (Lincoln 1981:143) conveys the nuance of missions. The missional sense is that of the ‘ordering, arranging, or implementing’ (Kuhli 1981:2:500 EDNT) or arrangement (Robinson 1761:145) of God’s plan by Christ in Ephesians 1:10 and the missions activity of Christ is his activity of fulfilling the task of ‘carrying into effect the plan or purpose’ of God (Eph 1:10; 3:9) (cf. Hendrickson 1967:44). In this sense Jesus brings to completion the mission of God. The idea of the execution of a special task or assignment is also the basic idea of the use of the word οἰκονομία in its occurrence in Ephesians 3:2. The special role or function given to Paul is that of ‘the stewardship of the grace of God’ (Eph 3:2) as part of the execution of the divine plan. The role of Paul can be characterised as missionary rather than as an administrative officer in Ephesians 3:2. Paul saw the execution of the τὴν  οἰκονομίαν (Eph 3:2) given to him as serving the εἰς  οἰκονομίαν … τῷ Χριστῷ, (belonging) to Christ (Eph 1:10). He was a missionary in the progressive movement of the missio Dei to its climax in πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν, ‘the fullness of the times’ (Eph 1:10). ‘It is related to the implementation (emphasis added) of the decision made by God’ (Eph 1:10) (Kuhli 1981:500 EDNT). Hoehner (2002:455) argues that οἰκονομία in Ephesians has two different nuances, that of an officer or administrator and that of the activity of administration. He argues that these nuances ‘are intertwined and both may be in view’ in 3:9 (Hoehner 2002:455). However, in the rest of this article, I will demonstrate that a single nuance is intended, namely missions, which brings together the commission and the task. In Ephesians 3:2 Paul’s commission is to make known the mystery of the gospel to Gentiles; his missionary calling is that of ‘the stewardship of the gospel’ (Eph 3:2) which is the carrying out of the activity of missions. We do not find a missionary office in the context, but διάκονος is used for the ministry office of Paul (Eph 3:7).³ The task of τὴν διακονίαν (Act 20:24) overlaps with τὴν οἰκονομίαν (Eph 3:2), but it differs in that οἰκονομίαν is used of Paul’s proclamation of the gospel of God’s grace to those outside the Body of Christ and διακονίαν for the proclamation of God’s grace to those in the Body of Christ, to the church (Eph 3:7).⁴ ‘The majority of interpreters assume for οἰκονομία in Ephesians 3:2 the meaning of “office,” “administration”’ (Kuhli 1981:500 EDNT) and equivalent to the office of διάκονος, but this would make the term redundant.

The use of οἰκονομία in Ephesians 3:2 is not identical to the use in Colossians 1:25. The author of Ephesians is less concerned with Paul’s office of apostle than with God’s plan of salvation (cf. Kuhli 1981:500 EDNT). In Ephesians we do not have to do with multiple meanings of the term, but an integrated meaning and relationship of the terms. The phrase ‘the stewardship of the grace’ indicates the missionary commission of Paul’s apostolic office. Paul is not defending his apostolic mandate to the Ephesians⁵ nor does he assert his credentials over those of others as in Galatians and Philippians (cf. Fowl 2012:108). The core of Paul’s assertion is that his stewardship activity is missionary in nature and part of the unfolding of the plan of salvation initiated and sustained by God (cf. Fowl 2012:107).⁶ ‘The missio Dei which has been identified with the self-revelation of the Trinity in Ephesians can be concretely [identified] with the task οἰκονομία’ (Van Aarde 2015:47).⁷ ‘Paul elaborates on the content of the stewardship or mission given to him by God for the sake of the Gentiles’ (Fowl 2012:107). The gospel and the task of the stewardship of the grace were given to him by God and through Paul God was at work carrying out His plans and purposes. In Ephesians 3:2 the term οἰκονομία does not simply mean ‘plan of salvation’ but the carrying out of the plan of salvation. It corresponds to Ephesians 1:10 where οἰκονομία has in mind the divine execution of the plan of salvation instead of the plan of salvation itself. Oἰκονομία is translated ‘commission’ in Ephesians 3:2 in the NRSV and NIV to indicate Paul’s missionary task. The task of οἰκονομία in Ephesians (Eph 1:10, 3:2 & 9) is more than a position or office of administration. It is part of the unifying work of Christ (Eph 1:10) that Paul is involved in that will climax in the unification of the cosmos (Eph 1:20–23). For this reason οἰκονομία is not to be identified with an administration in the sense of a business concept⁸, but it has the sense of missions. Paul uses the term οἰκονομία not to mandate his high standing but to indicate his low servanthood stance in the proclamation of the gospel.⁹ The church also takes part in the activity of οἰκονομία (Eph 3:9).

In the letter to the Ephesians a disproportional amount of attention has been given to the precise meaning of the verb ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι as the central concept of Ephesians 1:10. The Greek expression in the immediate context of Ephesians 1:10 and its significance within the wider context of the letter has not received adequate consideration. The phrase εἰς οἰκονομίαν corresponds with the purpose expressed by the verb προέθετο (v. 9) and ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι (v. 10) which is a complementary infinitive and explains the preceding aorist, προέθετο (v. 9). The aorist infinitive verb points to a specific act, to ‘the purpose’ and ‘semantically encode perfect aspect’ (Campbell 2008:95).¹⁰ The action of the aorist infinitive in Ephesians 1:10 ‘does not mean that the action is once occurring just because it is conveyed with perfect aspect’ (Campbell 2008:36). It is an ongoing activity that will climax with the return of Christ. The preposition εἰς in Ephesians 1:10 is used with οἰκονομίαν to indicate a significant double re-enforcement of the idea of purpose, the verb προέθετο and ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι re-enforces the idea of purpose,¹¹ ‘a purpose destined to be put into effect’ when the times will have reached their fulfilment (cf. Harris 1991:101). ‘It is best to see it as temporal, a use of εἰς that is not common in the NT’ (Hoehner 2002:217) which ‘corresponds with the purpose of the verb (v. 9)’ (Hoehner 2002:217).¹² Peter O’Brien (2004:219) has demonstrated that the statement of Ephesians 1:9–10, which proclaims that God has made known the mystery of his will, the content of which is that it is his intention to ‘sum up all things in Christ’,¹³ is the key text of the letter. The plan of God is realised in human history through a progression of successive ages as the plan of God is put into effect. The plan and οἰκονομία in Ephesians 1:9–10 is presented from the perspective of the climax, the point at which all of history reaches its full realisation ‘in Christ’. The idea of the summing up of all things taken by itself, and separated from οἰκονομία and the idea of the plan of God in Ephesians, does not reflect the main idea of the letter. O’Brien (1999:111–115; 2004:206–219) focuses almost exclusively on the verb ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι and does so without discussing it in relation to the term οἰκονομία as a key concept in the letter. O’Brien (2004:213) determines the meaning of the verb ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι first within the immediate context before turning to the rest of Ephesians. He, however, overlooks that the verb used in Ephesians 1:9–10 is linked to the concept of οἰκονομία and that it is specifically οἰκονομία that is developed in the rest of the letter (Eph 3:2 & 9). It is by means of the activity of οἰκονομία, of Christ, that the plan of God is put into effect ‘in Christ’ and the summing up of all things takes place. The plan will be fulfilled in ‘the fulfilment of the times’ (Eph 1:10).¹⁴ It can be paraphrased as ‘what has been realised will be fully realised in the fulfilment of the times’ (van Aarde 2015:50).¹⁵ In the execution of the plan of God, the summing up all things, it is Christ who is central and the agent of unification who fills all (Eph 1:22–23).¹⁶ O’Brien (2004:212) connects the verb to the notion of unity which ‘may not be part of the semantic range of the term’, but ‘an implication that Paul himself draws from the word in its sentence’ (Eph1:9, 10). He acknowledges that ‘now in vv. 9and 10 the stress is placed onthe one in whom God’s overarching purposes for the whole of the created order are included’ (O’Brien 1999:112). The stress is placed on Christ who carries out the plan of God, the task of οἰκονομία, and brings the salvation historical plan of God to fulfilment andaccomplishes the unity. O’Brien (2004:213) writes, ‘it is certainly appropriate to place the thought of 1:10 within the context of the letter as a whole, and this will involve linking it with passages that point to Christ’s relation to the cosmos (such as 1:22)’ (O’Brien 2004:213). The exaltation of Christ is to be understood as the final step, the climactic point, in the summing up of all things in the grand plan of God. Unity stands in a relation to οἰκονομία and the plan of God (1:10;3:2& 9). The unity is secondary; it is the result of the plan of God which is primary in Ephesians. The full realisation of God’s plan is‘the subordination of all things toChrist’ (Eph1:22–23). The infinitive ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι, ‘to bring all things together’, points to the goal to be achieved; perfect unity not as the end result but the goal of the fulfilment of God’s plan.

It has been argued that although the Messiah may be the means (or instrument) through whom God sums up the universe, it is better to take the phrase as referring to him as the sphere, in line with earlier instances of this phrase within the paragraph (vv. 3–8, 9) (cf. O’Brien 2004:214–215). Christ is the one in whom God chooses to bring all things together, thereby restoring harmony to the universe (O’Brien 2004:215; cf. Lincoln 1981:143). He himself is the unity. He is the one who accomplishes the goal, the summing up of all things and unity is found in him. The term οἰκονομία refers to God’s plan and purposes, the making known of the ‘mystery of his will having been made known to us’ (Jew and Gentile) (Eph 1:9). It implies an involvement in God’s purposes. The dynamic work of Christ culminates in the summing up of all things. The end result is that all of creation will be restored in its relation to Christ, ‘in him’. It is by means of the agency of Christ that the plan of God, missio Dei, is continued from heaven until all things are reconciled ‘in Him’ (cf. van Aarde 2015:50). The term οἰκονομία in Ephesians 1:10 indicates ‘the plan of salvation’¹⁷ which pertains to the effective execution or ‘effectuation’ (Hendrickson 1967:84) of the mission of God. It is ‘a plan for the fullness of time’ (ESV), which means that the plan will be fully accomplished when the times will have reached the point of completeness.¹⁸ The meaning of οἰκονομία in Ephesians 1:10 has a missional nuance and what is in view is a commission rather than an office¹⁹ as it indicates the dynamic activity of Christ in the execution of the task of οἰκονομία and so it implies an office of administration. But it is not an office that is in view in Ephesians 1:10. In Ephesians 1:10 the term οἰκονομία has a missional nuance of the activity of administration and thus may be understood as ‘arrangement, order, plan, strategy’. The activity of administration of Christ in the context is the fulfilment of the plan of God for the cosmos (Eph 1:22) and stands in relation to the work of the Spirit and the Father. Christ fulfils the predetermined plan of the Father (Eph 1:9), implying that the execution of the task is missional. ‘The mission of Jesus and the Gospels is part of the execution of the missio Dei and οἰκονομία [sic] in Ephesians 1:10 stand in a continuum with Jesus [sic] earthly ministry’ (Van Aarde 2015:56; cf. Green 1997:125). The earthly and heavenly ministry of Jesus are unified in the role of Christ within the missio Dei and grounded in the Trinity (Eph 1). He is the person through whom this will be accomplished (Eph 1:10) and the focal point in whom all of creation will converge, which the ‘in him’ has in view.

The term οἰκονομία is a key concept to unlock the letter to the Ephesians. It is the main term in Ephesians 1 and 3 and is related to God having made known to us (Jew and Gentile) the μυστήριον of his will. The μυστήριον springs from the will and eternal purpose of God which was to bring the whole created universe under the lordship of Christ (cf. Kirby 1968:14). The word οἰκονομία in Ephesians 1:10 is related to the ‘making known to us the μυστήριον of his will’²⁰ (Eph 1:9). It is through the οἰκονομία work of Christ that the μυστήριον was made known to us.²¹ The mystery and purpose go together: ‘the effectuation of the purpose is the revelation of the mystery’ (Hendrickson 1967:86). The use of μυστήριον has in view the οἰκονομίαν work of Christ in ‘making known the mystery of his will’ (Hoehner 2002:214). ‘The μυστήριον in Ephesians is the once secret now open plan of God that has been revealed. The content of the μυστήριον is to “sum up all things in Christ”’ (O’Brien 2004:219; cf. Lincoln 1981:143). ‘The mystery is his eternal purpose’ (Hendrickson 1967:85), ‘to sum up all things’. The οἰκονομία and μυστήριον are connected to ‘the summing up of all things’, the bringing together of everything under one head in Christ, ‘the things in the heavens and the things on the earth’ (Eph 1:20–23). O’Brien (2004:219) declares that ‘the statement of Eph 1:9–10, which proclaims that God has made known to us the mystery of his will, the content of which is that it is his intention to “sum up all things in Christ,” is the key text of the letter’. The verb ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι (Eph 1:10) expresses a key idea of the letter not only in relation to μυστήριον but specifically in relation to οἰκονομία. In Ephesians 3, to which we now turn, the implementation of the plan of God is worked out.

The term μυστήριον is used in Ephesians 1:9, 3:3 & 4 not with a change of meaning, but with a change of nuance. It is the gospel that is the μυστήριον in Ephesians 3:3 that Paul has been given insight and understanding into. The ‘mystery of Christ (τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ)’ is the content of the gospel which has been made known to Paul by revelation (Eph 3:3).²⁵ In Ephesians 3:6 the mystery of Christ is the multinational and ethnic character of the church as the result of the gospel message. The reconciliation of Jew and Gentile, Israel and the nations, has taken place ‘through the gospel (διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου)’.²⁶ The church came into existence through the gospel. In Ephesians 1:13 it is through the gospel that the Gentiles came to share in salvation and in Ephesians 3:6 the idea is developed further so that it is ‘through the gospel’ that the Gentiles share in all the benefits and responsibilities. The church is ‘proof that God’s ultimate purpose, to unite all things in Christ, will be accomplished’ (Kirby 1968:54–55). The μυστήριον (Eph 3:3), taken together with οἰκονομία (Eph 3:2), is part of the working out of the salvation plan of God (Eph 1:9–10). The mystery of Christ ‘is the truth that people from all the nations of the world would be full and complete partners with the chosen people of God’ (Eph 3:6) (Piper 1993:149).

The revelation of the μυστήριον to the Gentiles and the Jews (Eph 3:2, 4–5) is the inclusion of the Gentiles as equal heirs, equal members of the same body, and equal partakers of the promise in Jesus Christ (Eph 3:6). The mystery is more than:

The revelation is specifically that ‘through the gospel’ the Gentiles are included in an equal status and position, into the same relationship to God as the Jews, and therefore have the same responsibility for missions. It is only together as equal recipients of the promise of the heavenly inheritance or land (cf. Wright 1990:111) that they demonstrate the power of the gospel message. The inclusion of the Gentiles means that they have equal authority and responsibility for the purpose of the transmission of the gospel. It is the revelation that ‘through the gospel’ the Gentiles are included which ‘in other generations was not made known to the sons of men’ (Eph 3:5–6).

In Ephesians 1:9 the verb γνωρίζω, ‘having made known’ (γνωρίσας) is related to the μυστήριον, the previously unknown plan or will of him. These terms stand in relation to εἰς οἰκονομίαν (1:10) and can be explained as ‘the carrying into effect of the plan’ (Hendrickson 1967:44). In Ephesians 3 the revelation that ‘was made known’ (ἐγνωρίσθη) is ‘the mystery of Christ’ (3:3–4) and what ‘was not made known’ (οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη) has ‘now been revealed’ (νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη) (3:5–6). The revelation implies ‘the stewardship of the mystery’ that Paul received (Eph 3:2) is the stewardship intended for the church that ‘might now be made known’ (γνωρισθῇ νῦν) to the angelic beings (3:10). The aorist subjunctive γνωρισθῇ (v. 10) implies that the church may or may not fulfil its stewardship role. The verb is in the passive which means that it is God who is doing the revealing ‘through the church’, and the church is the instrument. ‘Most interpreters believe that Paul has in mind neither evangelism, social action, nor any other additional activity’ (O’Brien 1999:246). Wink (1992:93, 95–96) interprets the preaching as directed at the powers but what Paul has in mind is the missionary role of the church that the powers observe (Table 1).

One of the reasons that Paul explains that he has received the task of οἰκονομία and that he has been made a servant of the gospel, not through any qualification or ambition of his own, was to enlighten all men as to their task (Eph 3:9). The οἰκονομία of the grace of God is given ‘to me for you’ occurs only in Ephesians 3:2, and in 7–8 it is implied by the personal pronoun ‘me’ that it is also intended for the Ephesians. It is the activity of οἰκονομία that Paul commits to the church (Eph 3:9). In Ephesians 3:9 neither an office nor the activity of administration fits the context but a commission. The suggestion by Hoehner (2002:455) that two ‘nuances are intertwined and both may be in view’ fits the context if it is seen as a commission. The idea by Hoehner (2002:456) that ‘here it could have the idea of strategy’ is not that of further nuance but a practical outworking of a missional nuance. The idea that οἰκονομία involves ‘the strategy of God’ or ‘the implementation of the strategy’ fits the immediate context and accords with the idea of ‘the realisation of the purpose’ (Eph 1:9–10) (cf. Gaebelein 1978:47). Paul’s strategy is to enlighten all, not about what is the importance of his role but why ‘the unsearchable wealth of Christ’ (Eph 3:8) has been intended for them, what elsewhere is referred to as ‘the surpassing wealth of the grace of Him towards us in Christ’ (Eph 2:7). The surpassing wealth of the grace of him (Eph 2:7) that the Ephesians had received in their salvation and that Paul had received (Eph 3:8) was intended for a purpose, which Paul enlightens them about (Eph 3:9). The Ephesians have the privileged position that ‘the stewardship of the mystery (οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου)’, ‘having been hidden from the previous ages’ has been made known to them so that they can participate in the missio Dei. God’s strategy for re-creation has been made known to the church. It is to restore all of creation, beginning with the church as the community of the new creation. And it is through the church that the carrying into effect of the mystery is revealed and made known to all of creation and ‘ripples across boundless space and echoes throughout the world of angels and spirits’ (Grizzle 2013:83). The church then does not exist for itself but for Christ and for the sake of the world.

The phrase οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου (Eph 3:9) indicates that the church participates in making the μυστήριον known.³⁴ The οἰκονομία given to Paul is committed to the church. Paul and the Church participate in God’s mission. ‘Missions were not made for the church; the church was made for missions – God’s mission’ (Wright 2006:62). Missions are fundamentally and primarily not something we do – a human task of the church. God committed to Paul the gospel and he in turn made it known to the church. Paul revealed to the church the plan of God that was being carried out in Christ in which the church has a central role. ‘Whatever God does in the world, he does primarily through the church’ (Grizzle 2013:82).

The verse is a crux interpretum and it has been said that ‘it is hardly an exaggeration to say that any interpretation of Ephesians stands or falls with this verse’ (Caird 1976:660). The relation of Paul’s ministry to the church begins in Ephesians 3:9 and is linked to verse 10 by means of a purpose clause.³⁵ There is uncertainty as to whether the purpose clause is connected with the previous v. 9 or v. 8 (cf. Hoehner 2002:459).³⁶ There is good reason to take it as belonging to verse 9.³⁷ The verb γνωρισθῇ, ‘might be made known’ (Eph 3:10) is related to the phrase ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου, ‘the stewardship of the mystery’, so that it is the stewardship of the mystery given to the church that might be made known to the angelic beings rather than the gospel itself. In the past age the revelation was made known at first to Paul (Eph 3:2), then to a limited group of individuals, ‘the holy apostles and prophets’ (Eph 3:5), and finally to the church (Eph 3:9).³⁸ The intention of the author is to show the progressive development of the task of the stewardship. The responsibility is first given to Paul, the prophets and apostles and finally to the church.

It has been suggested that the content of the disclosure to the powers is ‘that their malign regime, particularly over that part of humanity, the Gentile world; thought to be especially under their sway, has come to an end’ (Lincoln 1990:187). This necessitates a certain knowledge and proclamation by the church. It certainly is not a deduction that the spiritual powers make themselves by observing the existence of the church. The designation ‘principalities and powers’ could ‘refer to angels in general, as in 1:21, to evil angels, as in 6:12, or good angels’ and is determined by the context (Hendrickson 1967:158). ‘I see no reason for disagreeing with Calvin, Bavinck, Grosheide, Hodge, Lenski, and a host of other leading theologians and commentators in believing that 3:10 refers to the good and not evil angels’ (Hendrickson 1967:158). If it refers to the good angels, then the οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου, ‘carrying out of the mystery’, engenders a response of amazement and wonder as the good angels observe the plan of God as it unfolds and that God would use the church. Paul uses himself to demonstrate that God can use the most unlikely person in his plan. He reinforces the primacy of the church in connection with the preaching of the gospel and missions. In Ephesians 3:11 κατὰ πρόθεσιν serves to clarify that it is the plan of God unfolding through the ages that the angelic beings observe. The purpose Paul has in mind in proclaiming to the Gentiles the good news of the unfathomable riches of Christ is not to be limited in v. 10 to the witness of the church to angelic beings. The intention of the verse is to communicate the cosmic scope of the message of salvation, that the angelic beings are observing and paying close attention to the unfolding of God’s plan. The angelic beings are not the final intended recipients of the mystery. The purpose involves more than the enlightenment of the angelic beings as to the lordship of Christ.³⁹ It involves the active participation of the church in the revealing or unveiling of the manifold wisdom of God to all of creation.

The manifold wisdom of God is revealed ‘through the church’ in that diverse peoples from different social, economic, cultural, ethnic, racial, and national backgrounds are brought together into one community of the Spirit. It is the church unified in its diversity that makes known the mystery of the gospel. The multifaceted wisdom is revealed in that a Church of Jew and Gentile, which in the previous age was unimaginable, has come into existence. The ‘grace of God’ and the ‘working of the power of Him’ are evident in Paul’s life (Eph 3:8). The church is unified for a purpose, to proclaim the gospel. The unification of diverse ethnicities is not only part of the end goal and purpose of God’s plan of salvation; it is part of the process and means by which God works out his plan (Eph 3:6). The church stands at the very centre of God’s plan and plays an essential part in the execution of God’s plan. It does not exist for itself but to fulfil and carry out God’s purpose in the world. The church is both an end in itself and a means to an end. The tendency is to separate the existence or being of the church and its function which naturally belong together and are inseparable. It is apparent in views that emphasise the one aspect at the expense of the other such as, ‘the church is but a means to an end, not an end in itself’ (Greenwood 2002:86). Wallace (1996:434) suggests a balanced approach when he writes, ‘God’s wisdom should be displayed by what the church collectively does, rather than via its mere existence’. It is a tired debate in Ephesians 3:9–10 that separates being and doing. In Ephesians 3:9–10 the church is at the same time the realisation of the kingdom of God and the instrument by which the kingdom is realised.

It was a revolutionary concept that the angelic beings take interest in the proclamation of the gospel. The revolutionary concept is that the church exists by and for the proclamation of the gospel. It is the gospel that provides the connection between Paul’s own activity and that of the church (cf. O’Brien 1993:55). Paul commits to the Ephesians ‘the stewardship of the mystery (οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου)’. The prepositional phrase ‘through the church’ shows that the church is the agent of proclaiming the gospel.⁴⁰ The use of διά with the genitive τῆς ἐκκλησίας is ‘a marker of intermediate agent, with implicit or explicit causative agent – “through, by”’ (Louw & Nida 1996:797). ‘It is because the church alone is Christ’s body and fullness that only through the church can the principalities and authorities be shown with clarity the claims of Christ’s lordship’ (Lincoln 1972–1973:188–189). The mission’s agency of the church in this verse is evidenced by the fact that ‘the church in this verse is not only the universal church but also the local visible church’ (Hoehner 2002:461). There is no indication in this verse that the church is to proclaim or that it proclaims the gospel to the spiritual authorities, powers and beings as suggested by Wink (1984:89, 95–96).

The divine purpose of God in Ephesians 3:11 is presented from the perspective of having been accomplished in Christ, ‘that he realised in Christ’ (cf. Eph 3:11 ESV). It has in view the certain full realisation of ‘the plan of the ages’ (Eph 3:11). The plan is explained in relation to Christ in Ephesians 1:10 and it is worked out in Ephesians 3:1–10 through the involvement of Paul and the church.

The eternal purpose and plan of God in which the church has a participatory role was realised (ESV) in Jesus Christ (Eph 3:11). Verse 12 closes with a phrase which can be taken as an objective or subjective genitive. The use as a subjective genitive places the emphasis on Christ’s faithfulness rather than the believer’s faith in Christ. In the execution of the plan of God it is Christ’s faithfulness, rather than faith in Christ that accomplishes God’s mission. ‘Christ’s faithfulness in accomplishing the eternal purposes of God enables believers to have bold, confident access to the Father’ (Fowl 2012:113). ‘Here in 3:12 the issue is not who has access to God’ (Fowl 2012:113) but it is ‘in whom’, in relation to Jesus Christ that the eternal purposes of God are accomplished.⁴¹ The task of οἰκονομία can be fulfilled by the church only through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Paul exhibited boldness and confidence or courage in proclaiming the gospel and he wants to impart this to the church. He brings to a close the digression through linking it to Ephesians 3:1, he is a prisoner for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, and conceives of his situation as being ‘the prisoner of Christ’ (Eph 3:1). ‘Missionally, it is both the mark and price for reaching the Gentiles with the gospel’ (Grizzle 2013:80). Wallace (2000:47) argues that the two genitives ‘prisoner of Christ’ and ‘apostle of Christ Jesus’ can both generally be labelled genitives of possession, but more closely should be genitives of relationship. The second one indicates that ‘Christ sent out Paul’ (apostle of Christ), the first indicates that Paul is ‘a prisoner for the sake of Christ’, that is for the sake of the cause (mission) of Christ (NRSV).⁴² The afflictions of Paul are ‘for you’ (Eph 3:13) and is a link to ‘the stewardship of the mystery’ – the gospel which was given ‘for you’ (Eph 3:2). Paul is in prison for having been sent out as a representative of Jesus Christ. The Ephesians may have been discouraged by Paul’s imprisonment and so not take up the responsibility to be stewards of the grace of God. He encourages them that his afflictions are for their glory, and the implication is that the afflictions that the Ephesians may experience will be for the glory of those to whom they preach and proclaim the gospel.