(3:5). Here the word “ages” suggests the idea of generations, so that Paul is emphasizing the fact that the mys tery was given to him by revelation and was not the subject of any of God’s AGAINST A THORN Once I heard a song of sweetness, As it cleft the morning air, Sounding in its blest completeness, Like a tender, pleasing prayer; And I sought to find the singer, Whence the wondrous song was borne; And I found a bird, sore wounded, Pinioned by a cruel thorn. I have seen a soul in sadness, While its wings with pain were furl'd, Giving hope, and cheer and gladness That should bless a weeping world; And I knew that life of sweetness, Was of pain and sorrow borne, And a stricken soul was singing, With its heart against a thorn. Ye are told of One who loved you, Of a Saviour Crucified, Ye are told of nails that pinioned, And a spear that pierced His side; Ye are told of cruel scourging. Of a Saviour bearing scorn. And He died for your salvation, With His brow against a thorn. Ye are not above the Master, Will you breathe a sweet refrain? And His grace will be sufficient When your heart is pierced with pain. Will you live to bless His loved ones, Tho your life be bruised and tom, Like the bird that sang so sweetly. With its heart against a thorn? “And he said unto me, M y grace is sufficient for thee; for m y strength is made perfect in weakness. Most glad ly therefore will 1 rather glory in m y infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” ( II Cor. 12:9). previous servants. One searches in vain in the early Scriptures to find this dis tinctive truth“ that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel” (3:6). From Moses to
Malachi there is nothing to be found on the subject. It was “hid in God,” to be passed on through the New Testa ment apostles and prophets, Paul hav ing himself received it “by the Spirit.” In this mystery there are no vagaries which savor of the mysterious, but the glorious revelation that in Christ both Jew and Gentile “should be fellow- heirs.” God had said to Abraham: “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Before Christ came, the Gentile depended on the Jew for his spiritual blessing. Now that Christ has come, who is Abra ham’s Seed (Gal. 3:16), the believing Gentile becomes a fellow-heir with the Jew. It probably would have astounded any Old Testament prophet were 'he told that there would be one day a special dispensation of grace in which the Jew and Gentile would be fellow- heirs, and of the same body and par takers of the promises of God. And yet this is the mystery. Certainly Abra ham, who believed God, knew that in his Seed all families of the earth would receive the blessing of the promise; but what he and the rest of the Old Testa ment saints did not know was that God purposed and planned to create this “new man” out of Jew and Gen tile, thus constituting them one body, the Gentile being co-equal with the Jew in every respect. Certainly God must despise with holy hatred not only t h e anti-Semitism among Gentile- Christians but also the Hebrew-Chris- tian cliques which shut out the Gentile believer. The distinctive feature of the gospel in this dispensation is found in the words of the angel of the Lord, who announced: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10). Gentiles as well as Jews are to receive this good news. Remember, the mystery is not that Gentiles should be saved. Rather it is that a thorough and en tire change wrought by the creating of a new entity would make the believ ing Gentiles co-heirs and co-sharers with the Jews. Such is the power of “the Gospel.”
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