Ephesians 3:7

King James Version (KJV)

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Translations

Ephesians 3:7 - Amplified Bible

Of this [Gospel] I was made a minister according to the gift of God's free grace (undeserved favor) which was bestowed on me by the exercise (the working in all its effectiveness) of His power.

Ephesians 3:7 - American Standard Version

whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

Ephesians 3:7 - Bible in Basic English

Of which I was made a preacher, through that grace of God which was given to me in the measure of the working of his power.

Ephesians 3:7 - Darby Bible

of which I am become minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me, according to the working of his power.

Ephesians 3:7 - English Standard Version

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

Ephesians 3:7 - King James Version

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Ephesians 3:7 - La Biblia de las Americas

del cual fui hecho ministro, conforme al don de la gracia de Dios que se me ha concedido segùn la eficacia de su poder.

Ephesians 3:7 - The Message

This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

Ephesians 3:7 - New American Standard Bible

of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.

Ephesians 3:7 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Es de este evangelio que fui hecho ministro, conforme al don de la gracia de Dios que se me ha concedido segùn la eficacia (la energìa) de Su poder.

Ephesians 3:7 - World English Bible

whereof I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

Ephesians 3:7 - Young's Living Translation

of which I became a ministrant, according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me, according to the working of His power;

Ephesians 3:7 - Additional Comments

The term "minister" or "servant" is a word derived from a term that refers to someone who waits on others at a table. Truly it can be translated either way, for each person as a minister should have the attitude and focus of a servant.
It was not Paul's choice to become a minister. It was not something he earned. This was given to him as a gift from God. What this means is it is not just conversion where we get God's grace, but then we get His grace in everything we do for Him. Grace is an active part of our ongoing relationship with Him.
Note that we are ministers for Him only by His grace, His gift. And we can perform the work only through His power. Without His grace and power, we cannot do it.
His power is fully enough to accomplish the task, whatever it may be. So, we can't do it on our own, but with God, we can do anything.
This means that in what He calls us to do He will be assisting us. Similar to when we ask our child to perform a task, but tell them that we will be helping them with it. What comfort that we don't have to do these things on our own strength, wisdom, and skill.
Note that God chooses us for service not based on what we can offer to His kingdom, but on what He can do through us for His glory.
What an honor to be the recipient of God's grace in such a special way as Paul was. Yet, we may not realize it, but much in the same way we are, too. We are each recipients of immeasurable grace from God to minister for Him.

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