THE KING’S BUSINESS
625
God’s “purpose o f the ages.” The expres sion that we" have rendered “purpose of the ages,” in both the Authorized and Revised Versions is translated “eternal purpose,” but the margin o f the Revised Version prop erly gives the Greek rendering as we have given it here. As that is the correct ren dering would it not have been better to have put it in the text, and especially as the same Greek word which we here rènder “ages” is rendered “ages” back in the ninth verse? The purpose o f God according to which God planned to make known to the angels by means o f the church, His mani fold wisdom, was a purpose which He entertained throughout all ages back o f us, throughout all eternity, and it was also a purpose which concerned the ages. God from all eternity purposed to make it known in just this way. The church is no after thought o f God’s, it is the final end toward which God has been working in His intri cate plan (intricate to us) that He has been working out through the ages. God’s ever-changing methods were the working out o f one unchangeable purpose. This “eternal purpose” (or, “purpose o f the ages” ) o f God was purposed “in Christ Jesus our Lord” : God has no purpose of wisdom and love except in Him (cf. Col. 1 :20). How much loftier is the place Jesus Christ our Lord occupies in the thought of God than in the thought ó f modern philos ophy, and even the thought o f “modern Christianity.” In this same “Jesus our Lord” in whom God purposed all this “pur pose o f the ages,” “ we have our boldness.” Boldness means fearless frankness o f utter ance. Literally, it means “all-spokenness.” God is holy and we are sinners, God is infinite in majesty and we are worms o f the dust, but in vital union with our glorious Lord Jesus, who is so much to God, we do not hesitate to tell God all that is in our hearts, to “come boldly,” (literally, “ come with freedom o f utterance”—cf. Heb. 4:16). In Heb. 10:19 the same word occurs again in a similar connection. Beside “boldness” we have in Jesus Christ our Lord “ access in confidence.” The word here translated
“confidence” means “ full assurance.” Both the “ boldness” and “access in ,confidence” is “through our faith in Him.”; It is by simple faith that we enter into oneness with Christ (ch. 2:28), and it is by faith in Him that we have freedom o f utterance in opr approach to God (Heb. 10:19), and full assurance when led into His presence by the Spirit (cf. ch. 2:18, R. V .). In view o f God’s wonderful purpose in the church, and our privileges as members o f it, Paul asks the Ephesians not to become dispirited over his tribulations in their behalf (v. 13). Paul was at this 'time in prison on their account, and they might stagger at this out come o f his labors, but he assures them that these very tribulations are their glory. How could his tribulations be their glory? Another has answered the question in these words: “ These sufferings, far from indi cating defeat or failure, even ‘their glory,’ proves that the Lord thought their incor poration into Himself worth the severest conflicts and sorrows o f an apostle.” Monday, July 15 . Eph. 3 : 14 - 16 . Paul here again takes up what he started to say in verse one when he was swept away by the Spirit in contemplation o f the won derful mystery hidden through the ages in the depths o f God’s own being, but now revealed here. The passage that follows is one o f the most remarkable o f the many remarkable passages in this remarkable book. Paul graphically pictures himself iti the attitude o f prayer with knees bowed unto the Father (cf. Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36 ; 21:5; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10). Bishop H. C. G. Moule has said of the words, “ I bow my knees unto the Father,” “ T h e . words doubtless do not impose a special bodily posture as a neces sity in spiritual worship; physical condi tions may make kneeling impossible, or undesirable, on occasion. But they do impose the spiritual attitude o f which the bodily is type and expression; profound and submissive reverence, perfectly har monious with the ‘boldness’ and ‘confidence’ o f v. 12. And so far as body and spirit work
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