■BUSINESS / . 621 God which was feiven me to you-ward.” His using the words “if so be” /does not imply any doubt that they had heard: the mood of the verb in the Greek shows this. It is practically equivalent to saying (and a modest way o f saying) “ seeing that ye have heard.” The arguments that some have built upon this verse to prove that the epistle was not written to the Ephesians, for they certainly had heard, (and also the arguments o f some that Paul did not write the epistle), are all founded upon a misconstruing of the verse, and they con tradict other plain facts. Paul speaks o f ‘•‘the grace o f God which was given” him. This favor that was bestowed upon him, and of which he was all unworthy, was the great favor o f preaching the gospel to the Gentiles (v. 8 ). A “ dispensation” (or to translate more accurately, “ stewardship”— cf. 1 Peter 4:10) of, this grace had been bestowed upon him “to you-ward,” i, e., unto the Gentiles (cf. Acts 22:21; 26:17, 18; Rom. 1:5; 11:13; Gal. 2:2, 9, R. V .). A “mystery” had been made known to Paul (v. 3). A “mystery” does not mean some thing perplexing and bewildering, as in our modern usage, but something formerly kept - secret, but now made known. What this newly revealed secret was is told in verse 6 , R. V. This mystery was made known to Paul “by revelation,” i. e., by direct super natural revelation from God. He had not been taught it by man, it had been revealed to him by God (cf. Gal. 1:11, 12; Gal. 2 :2 ; 2 Cor. 12:1, 7). It is an illustration o f how different God’s ways are from ours that He should choose the bitterest o f the Phari saic anti-Gentiles to be the one to whom He should reveal His wonderful purpose regarding the Gentiles, and to be the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul adds in a parenthesis, “ as I wrote, before in few words.” This does not refer to a former epistle, but to a former part o f this epistle (ch. 1:9, 10; , ch. 2:19). Wednesday, July 10 .r - , " , Eph. 3 : 4 , 5 . By reading what Paul had written earlier in the epistle, Paul tells them that* they might perceive his Divinely-given “under- ,
" THE - KING’S Spirit’s agency and in the sphere of -His presence and power. W e cannot build men' into this glorious structure, the Holy Spirit must do it,' though He may use us as His ' instruments in doing it. As in verse 18 we ' had the three persons o f the Trinity in our access to God, here we have them again in God’s access to us ¿rnd our .becoming His -abode. This sanctuary is built on and in the Son, by the Spirit, for the Father, to' be the medium of the full manifestation of His infinite glory (cf. ch. 3:10). This is - very wonderful. Monday, July 8 . _ Eph. 3 : 1 . ..Haul begins in verse one a statement whichj fhe breaks off and does not resume until verse fourteen. The mention of his relation to the Gentiles brings before his mind the glorious truth o f God’s purpose in Christ regarding the Gentiles, and this leads to the long digression in which these pur poses are unfolded. The words, “ for this cause,” with which verse one begins points ' back to the preceding chapter (ch. 2 : 11 - 22). The thought is, because o f what the Ephesians had formerly been out o f Christ 1 (ch. 2 : 11 , 12 ) and o f what they had now become in Christ (ch. 2:13-22), Paul was making them, an object o f prayer (ch. 3:1, 14). What the prayer was that he was making for them we will see when we come to verses 14 to 19. Paul, in verse one, lays great emphasis upon his personal in terest in them: he s,ays, “ I Paul.” He describes himself as “the prisoner of Jesus Christ” (cf. 1 :9 ;'2 Tim. 1:8; Eph. 14:1). He was a prisoner at Rome at the time, but he was a prisoner who belonged to Jesus Christ and was imprisoned for Christ’s sake. But he adds, “in behalf of you Gen tiles.” It was because o f his devotion to the Gentiles That the Jews hated him and arrested him in Jerusalem (Acts 22:21, 22), and that had led to his present imprison ment in Rome. - Tuesday, July 9 . Eph. 3 : 2 , 3 , Paul now begins his digression. He begins by saying, “I f so be that ye have' heard o f the dispensation o f that grace of
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