EPHESIANS 3v1-7

The principles of the day of grace

Grace is the translation of the word "charis", which is understood to mean "unmerited favour", in this context the unmerited favour of God to a world which merited the very opposite.   There was nothing in us that brought this grace, we could not buy it, we could not earn it, we had no status that could claim it, it is the gift of God.   This fact alone should regulate our attitude and our actions, in the words of Paul in Titus 3v11 "....the grace of  God which bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age..."    The same grace that saved us should regulate us in relation to ourselves, our fellow man, and our God, because this is the day of grace.   Grace reigns and it should be seen to reign in all these three spheres.   Before Paul will present the practical outworking of this in chapters 4-6 he will lay the doctrinal basis, showing us the supernatural resources available to us.

• The first principle is that nothing like this was known before       This is a new revelation given to the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit of God.   Generations past were in the dark about this, they knew that God would bring blessing to the Gentiles, but they neither knew the scale nor the scope of it.   Paul defines it as "the mystery", the secret of the ages.   This secret was "hid in God from all ages" (chapter 3v9).   There has never been a period in all of human history more enlightened as the present time, the dispensation of the grace of God.
• Secondly it involves a breath taking revelation       "..that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and fellow members of the same body, and fellow partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel".. chapter 3v6.   This astonishing statement is an exposition of the phrase in verse 4 "the mystery of Christ".   The title "Christ" in the chapter refers not only to the person of Christ, but to His indivisible union with the church as per chapter1v23.   It could be translated "the Christ" meaning the union of the person of Christ and His church.   It is in this way the new entity should be understood.   The extent of this is awesome..... Gentiles who were far from God, having no part with God, not even any ceremonial privileges, are now fellows in this new spiritual creation!   Note the progression of thought.....fellow heirs.....that is they have the same legal status as the people of true Israel, written into the title deeds of the universe, by judicial acceptance in the beloved (chapter 1v6), by eternal predestination to sonship ( chapter 1v5), and consequent beneficiaries of the future new world (chapter 1v11-14).   Next we are...fellow members of the body of Christ...that is we share the same life status.... like individual cells in a body, vitally and indivisibly united, interdependent on each other, receiving control only from the head, our lives bound up in each other and in Him.   No union of man could achieve anything like this, but it is a fact now as Paul will expound in chapter 4.   People, hitherto separated from God and each other, now forged together in an unbreakable union, so closely, it can only be described in terms of a body.   In the language of Paul to the Corinthians "Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular."   Thirdly, he says "...fellow partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel."   Now it is difficult to understand exactly what he means by this, although it is something truly wonderful.   It may be the promise of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3v15, the identity of the seed not being known until Christ came; it may be the promise to Abraham as per Galatians 3v16-18, interpreting Abraham's seed as Christ; it could also be the promise of the Holy Spirit by Christ Himself as per Acts 2v33.   I lean towards the third of these, because this is a more contemporary view as expounded by Paul in chapter1v13 where the Spirit is said to be "the Spirit of promise", as being the "earnest", the down payment, the guarantee, of our inheritance in a glorified state.   In any case the truth is that we have the same loyalty status as the saints of old, from the covenant honouring God who will keep His promises to both them and us......as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1v20 "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen...".

The third principle is that this was brought to the world by Divinely appointed men       Paul was one of those men and he keeps reminding us that it was through himself and the apostles and prophets the gospel was revealed, this to safeguard the truth from change in successive generations.   He viewed it as a sacred deposit, and he wanted all future servants to preserve it's integrity.   In chapter3v7 he said "....the gospel whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me, according to the effectual working of His power".   He says a similar thing in chapter 3v8, chapter 6v20, 1 Timothy 1v1, 1v11, 2v7, and many other new testament passages.   It was to Paul, exclusively, that the truth of the church as the body of Christ was revealed, and it will forever remain the greatest concept of the redeemed and unified people of God.   As is stated in verse 7, the propagation of this message requires the grace of God and the power of God.