Ephesians 3:2

Surely you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you.

On a first reading, it may appear that this is is saying that Paul is in some privileged position in which he manages (or administers, as the NIV puts it) God's grace. This seems to give Paul an almost God- like status, if this is what he is saying.

While it should be acknowledged that apostles have great spiritual authority in their area of responsibility (or perhaps a greater sense of spiritual authority than most believers), it would be wrong to say that they have a particular administration of God's grace to dispense it where and how they see fit.

it should also be acknowledged that the original Greek text of this verse is also very ambiguous. Perhaps the New Living Translation puts this verse as well as any: “assuming, by the way, that God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.”

stewardship, or administration, here is seen as a responsibility or a calling. Paul seems to have felt his his particular role in the Body was to take the message of salvation to the Gentiles.

the cross had opened up the way of salvation to all people, not just those who were Jews by birth or by choice. The early, mainly Jewish, church was slow to see this. When we read Acts it is almost as if God had to shout this truth into people's ears. Even when the early Christian leaders acknowledged this, they was slow to actually take the gospel to the Gentiles .

Paul feels that his ministry is to the Gentiles, even though he is a Jew of the highest qualifications. God has laid on him this burden of responsibility to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

His “stewardship of God's grace” then is to take the message to as many Gentiles as possible.

so Paul is saying here “surely you have heard of this responsibility that I have for you to preach the gospel and take God's grace to you.”

Paul says this stewardship was given to him. It is a gift that God placed on him. He didn't claim it for himself. He did not earn it, or even seek it. This stewardship of God's grace is itself a grace- an undeserved gift from god.

paul started his ministry by going to the Jews in each town, but despite his studies as a Rabbi, he had much more success with the Gentiles than with the Jews. He did not choose this ministry or stewardship, but God placed is upon him, or released it through him .

the result was a tremendous extension of the gospel right through the Roman Empire, indeed today, right through the whole world .

key points in this verse

• paul's stewardship of grace was about the responsibility he felt to take the gospel to all the world

• Paul's ministry to the Gentiles was both a responsibility and a grace

• though Paul preached to the Jews as well as the Gentiles, his responsibility or calling, was to the Gentiles