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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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July 8, 2012
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Contents:
1) Ephesians 3:7-11 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
Ephesians 3:7-11
by Tom Edwards
Paul declares in Ephesians 3:7, "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." The "of which" that Paul was
made a minister of refers back to the gospel (v. 6). Perhaps
it is verses like this that cause some people to think of the term
"minister" as being reserved or used exclusively for just certain
Christians. For after all, Paul was an apostle. He was
empowered by the Holy Spirit and could work miracles. He
preached God's message. But the word "minister," from the
Greek word "diakonos," simply means "one who executes the commands
of another, especially of a master...." Thayer then also shows
it denotes a "servant" or "attendant," and it is translated as
"servant" in Ephesians 3:7 of some Bible versions. Notice,
too, how Paul refers to himself and Apollos: "What then is
Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants [diakonos] through
whom you believed..." (1 Cor. 3:5). In Romans 13:4, even the
civil authority is referred to as a "minister [diakonos] of God" in
various translations. Does this mean that the civil authority
is a preacher of the gospel? Of course not. But the civil
authority can still function as a servant unto the Lord, even
unknowingly. Various other translations actually render this
as "servant of God"; and in the context, we can see why this is
so. For the civil authority is "a minister of God to you for
good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not
bear the sword for nothing [which refers to the death penalty]; for
it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who
practices evil" (v. 4). In speaking of the civil authority as
being God's minister or servant is similar to what the Lord says
about the heathen nation of Assyria, in being "the rod of My anger
and the staff in whose hands is My indignation" (Isa. 10:5), whom
God used -- even without their awareness -- against His ungodly
people (vv. 6-7,12,15).
Paul shows that his ministry was truly because of the Lord.
For it was "according to the gift of God's grace," which was given
to Paul, "according to the working of" God's "power" (Eph.
3:7). Paul's calling and acceptance of that call came many
years after his birth, but the Lord knew even when Paul was an
infant -- and before -- that he would become one of the apostles
(cf. Gal. 1:15,16). This, of course, did not assure Paul of
eternal security. For he knew that he still had the
responsibility to persevere in the faith in order to not fall from
grace and make heaven his home (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25-27). So that
is what he did. For instance, in his last New Testament
epistle, shortly before his death, he declares, "For I am already
being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure
has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me
the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all
who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
It's interesting to realize of the great change that came over the
apostles after they had seen the resurrected Christ. Shortly
prior, they had fallen into disbelief, despondency, and perhaps fear
for their own lives; but after having seen the Lord, they were
willing to take a courageous stand for the cause of Christ -- and
even if it would result in their own deaths. That change in
them, in itself, also testifies to the reality of the Lord's
resurrection and the truthfulness of His word. But even more
so is the change we see in the apostle Paul, who, prior to his
conversion, had been zealously hostile toward the church in his
persecution of it. He would track down Christians to have them
arrested, force them to blaspheme, and consent to their deaths (Acts
26:9-11). But what a major turn-around he made after having
met the Lord on the road to Damascus. Paul was now willing to
sacrificially pour out his own life, like a type of drink offering,
for the sake of the Christians, that they be built up in the faith
and eventually receive heaven as their home. This is certainly one
of the things that makes Paul such an interesting apostle -- his
major change from being Paul the persecutor to Paul the persecuted
and willing to be so because of his love for the Lord.
Because of what Paul turned out to be, we think of him as being one
of the greatest Christians who ever lived; but notice how he viewed
himself, according to Ephesians 3:8: "To me, the very least of all
saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the
unfathomable riches of Christ...." Why would Paul say this
about himself? Surely no one else would view Paul in that way;
but consider the following: In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul
declares, "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." In
the context, it is clear that Paul is not referring to himself as
the least, based on the amount of service he rendered to God.
For look what he then acknowledges in the very next verse: "But by
the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not
prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but
the grace of God with me" (v. 10). That is certainly a humble
attitude Paul had about his servitude. He viewed everything he
did for the Lord as being God's grace working with him.
Consider also 1 Timothy 1:12-16, in which Paul makes mention of his
former life and speaks of himself as having been "the chief of
sinners"; but also as an example that as the Lord was able to save
him, the foremost of transgressors, the Lord is also able to save
anyone!
So there is no contradiction between what Paul says in Ephesians
3:8, of being "the very least of all saints," and 2 Corinthians
11:5, where he declares, "For I consider myself not in the least
inferior to the most eminent apostles." Though many people
might view these passages as a glaring discrepancy, these
individuals simply fail to realize that Paul is basing his
statements on two different involvements in his life. For in
saying he is the "very least of all saints," Paul is considering his
former life as a persecutor of the church, a chief of sinners, a
blasphemer, a murderer, as we noted in the previous verses.
The remembrance of these former sinful deeds was probably a
sorrowful and shameful thing to the apostle Paul -- and that which
made him feel as the "very least of all saints." But when he
says in 2 Corinthians 11:5 that "...I consider myself not in the
least inferior to the most eminent apostles," he has his service to
the Lord in mind. No one could outdo Paul when it came to
that. For he was zealously devoted to Christ and traveled
extensively in preaching the gospel, going great distances and
risking his life for the cause of the Lord. Truly, Paul did
not shun from preaching the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts
20:26,27); and, as a result, converted many to Jesus and helped
establish many congregations in various places. In addition,
Paul was clearly willing to suffer much for the gospel -- even to
the extent of wearing the "brand-marks of Christ," which were the
scars of lacerations from having been torturously scourged for his
being a servant of the Lord. Paul was also highly educated in
Judaism and things of the world, but even more important than that
was the revelation he had received from God Himself. And, as
we saw Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 15:10, in comparing himself to
the other apostles, "...I labored even more than all of
them...." So these are some of the reasons why Paul could say
that he was "...not in the least inferior to the most eminent
apostles." Therefore, these two passages are not a
contradiction. They are simply Paul's evaluations of himself
with regard to two different things in his life: his former
unworthiness as a persecutor, and now his diligent service to the
Lord. But, again, it is to God that Paul credits even his
service unto the Lord. For as we had seen, Paul testified that
it was "by the grace of God I am what I am"; and by that grace, Paul
also did what he did -- he "labored" for God (1 Cor. 15:10).
So Paul fully gave the Lord the credit. This we also see in
Galatians 2:20, where Paul declares, "I have been crucified with
Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me."
According to Ephesians 3:8, Paul was called to preach to the
Gentiles "the unfathomable riches of Christ." The only other
place the Greek word for "unfathomable" is used in the Scriptures is
Romans 11:33, where Paul states, "Oh, the depth of the riches both
of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His
judgments and unfathomable His ways!" In speaking of the
superiority of God, the great patriarch Job declares, "Who does
great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number" (Job
9:10). Though the "riches of Christ" is unfathomable, yet a
person can know the way to those riches through the gospel; and in
God's word, we begin to also realize the beauty and glory of heaven
-- though what we know of it is but a very small realization,
compared to all that heaven truly is.
After saying he was to "preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable
riches of Christ," Paul then includes, "and to bring to light what
is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden
in God who created all things" (Eph. 3:9). Paul shows this is
what he was to "bring to light" or "make all men see," as the KJV
renders it; and "the administration of the mystery," is referring to
the union of Jews and Gentiles in the Lord. So, not only would
Gentiles be saved in Christ, they would also be one with the Jews,
being joint-heirs, of the same body, and partakers of the same
promises in Christ.
At the end of Ephesians 3:9, some translations include the phrase
"through Jesus Christ," while others do not, in pertaining to God
having "created all things" through Him. This is because the
phrase is missing in the Vulgate, the Syriac, the Coptic, and in
several ancient manuscripts. But even if it is not there in
this verse, we can clearly see in several other passages that Jesus
was involved in the great work of Creation, such as in John 1:3:
"All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing
came into being that has come into being." John 1:10: "He was
in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did
not know Him." Colossians 1:16: "For by Him all things were created,
both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been
created through Him and for Him." Hebrews 1:2: "in these last
days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all
things, through whom also He made the world." And Hebrews
1:10: "And, 'YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE
EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS.'"
Perhaps, too, the reason why the verse mentions God who created all
things is to remind us of His supreme greatness and to realize that
He certainly has the right to keep mysteries hidden for as long as
He would choose. But now the mystery was to be brought to
light "so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known
through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly
places" (Eph. 3:10).
According to this verse, who has the responsibility toward making
known the wisdom of God? The church -- so each individual
member! Corresponding to this is what the Hebrew writer says
in Hebrews 5:12: "For though by this time you ought to be teachers,
you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary
principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and
not solid food." Unfortunately, these had become "dull of hearing,"
as the writer shows in verse 5; but they all should have been
teachers by that time.
Ephesians 3:10 also answers the question as to why God kept the
"administration of the mystery" hidden for "ages." As the
verse begins, "so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made
known through the church...." Note that Paul refers to it as
"manifold wisdom." We think of "manifold" as being "varied" or
"numerous" or "having numerous different parts, features, or
forms." God's wisdom, therefore, does not consist of merely
one wise saying; rather, His word is filled with numerous nuggets of
wisdom, various doctrines to live by, and many different promises to
believe in. All of this needs to be taught, and it is the
church's responsibility to do so.
Also in Ephesians 3:10, the church is to make known God's wisdom to
"the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places."
Notice that these are not civil or earthly rulers and authorities
because the verse shows they are rulers and authorities "in the
heavenly places." But who in the heavenly places would not
know all of God's wisdom? Concerning the prophecies that the
prophets were proclaiming by the Spirit of Christ within them, 1
Peter 1:12 shows that what was being declared was also "things into
which angels long to look." Therefore, there were things of
the gospel that angels did not know. Though we probably think
of angels as being in heaven, notice Hebrews 1:14, which speaks of
them as "...ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the
sake of those who will inherit salvation." Though this is not
explained for us, we can note that the angels are "sent out."
In Luke 1:19, for instance, an angel said to Zacharias who was to
become the father of John the Baptist, "I am Gabriel, who stands in
the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to
bring you this good news." Gabriel had also visited Mary to
inform her of the Christ child that she would conceive (Luke
1:26-38). This is not to say, however, that angels speak to us
in the same way today; but, apparently, they are very much aware of
what's going on here on earth and can see the Father's will
unfolding. For the Bible says that "...there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke
15:10). So not even one person can come to Christ without the
angels knowing about it. In 1 Corinthians 4:9, Paul declares,
"For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men
condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world,
both to angels and to men." From this passage, it is obvious
that angels can behold men. And for the sinner who comes to
Jesus Christ, look at Hebrews 12:22: "But you have come to Mount
Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
to myriads of angels...." Since angels have been sent out "for
the sake of those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14),
isn't it great to know that there are "myriads" of them? As
J.W. Shepherd writes, "The angels are, therefore, represented to us
as not only ministering to the church of Christ, but learning from
its existence and fortune more and more of the wisdom of God.
Hence we gain a glimpse of a more than world-wide purpose in the
supreme manifestation of God's mercy in Christ fulfilled towards
higher orders of God's rational creatures, aiding even them in
progress towards the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus, which is life
eternal." We will ever cease to marvel at God's greatness --
even throughout eternity?!
Paul then says in Ephesians 3:11, "This was in accordance with the
eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our
Lord...." The "This" is referring to the church proclaiming
God's wisdom. Therefore, this verse serves as an excellent
passage to help the premillennialist see that the church is not just
a "substitute" or an "afterthought" in the mind of God. For
many premillennialists believe that the Lord had originally planned
to establish His kingdom, but because of the Jew's rejection of
Jesus, that plan was hindered; and, therefore, God then had to set
up the church instead, as a temporary substitute. However,
Ephesians 3:11 indicates that the church had been part of God's
"eternal purpose." So, it was part of His plan before the
world even began. And, in addition, the terms "church" and
"kingdom" are sometimes used synonymously; so God's kingdom did come
when the church was established. Therefore, Christians whom
God has put in the church (Acts 2:47) are also said to be in the
kingdom (cf. Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:6,9), which will be delivered up to
God when Jesus comes again (1 Cor. 15:23,24).
Notice, too, how important Jesus is for the fulfilling of this
eternal purpose -- for it would be carried out "in Him" (Eph.
3:11). And even way back in the Patriarchal Age, God was
making that known. For to Abraham, the Lord states, "In your
seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have
obeyed My voice" (Gen. 22:18). Commenting on this, Paul says
by the Holy Spirit, "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to
his seed. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as referring to many, but
rather to one, 'And to your seed,' that is, Christ" (Gal.
3:16). Throughout the New Testament, we see of many spiritual
blessings that the Christian has for being in Christ. But,
also, all those who are baptized into Christ are also added to the
church; and as we just saw, this was part of God's eternal
plan. In addition, everything that we do, including teaching
the gospel, is to be done "in Christ," which implies, by His
authority, according to His word.
In knowing that the Lord has an eternal purpose or eternal plan, we
should better understand verses such as 2 Timothy 1:9, where Paul
shows that God "...has saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and
grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all
eternity...." What was granted from all eternity was God's
plan of salvation. And all who meet the conditions of that
plan will be those who will benefit from it and be blessed in Jesus.
Paul also speaks of this in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15, by showing that
"...God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this
He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to
the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by
letter from us." In this we see not only of God's involvement
in our salvation, but also the need for our own involvement by
hearing the gospel, acquiring faith, and submitting to that gospel
so that we can be sanctified (or made holy) by the Spirit and have
salvation from our sins. So how about you? Have you met
those conditions? If not, then why not set your course to do
so that you will also be able to benefit from Christ's sacrifice,
having your sins forgiven, becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus
(2 Cor. 5:17), and being in that right relationship with God that
will help you now and lead to even greater blessings in the world to
come. It will truly change your eternal destiny!
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News & Notes
We extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Mike DuBose, a gospel preacher
from Cy Fair, Texas, who passed away July 9. He was 64 and had
preached in the Houston area for about 25-30 years. May we who
are Christians be remembering his family and friends in our prayers.
Let us also be praying for Clyde
Jackson who has been having some health problems. And
also for Curtis Gautreau
who had a bone marrow transplant July 6 and is not feeling well.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in
Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet.
2:20-22).
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Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)