Ephesians 3:2
ESV
assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God 's grace that was given to me for you,
NIV
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
NASB
if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you;
CSB
you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you?
NLT
assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.
KJV
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
NKJV
if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
What does Ephesians 3:2 mean?
In this verse Paul chooses not to retell his account of coming to faith in Christ and his call to ministry. Instead, he assumes that the Ephesian Christians are already aware of his testimony. He had ministered among this congregation for three years. They knew his story well. When Paul talks about stewardship, he is conveying the idea that he was entrusted with a responsibility to share the gospel.After Paul was called by Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), God told Ananias in a vision, "Go, for [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name" (Acts 9:15–16). Paul would minister to Gentiles, Jews, common men, and political leaders. He would also endure severe trials on behalf of Christ. While under house arrest at Rome, writing to his friends at Ephesus, all of these predictions had already been fulfilled, and were continuing to be fulfilled.
