Ephesians 3:4-7, NASB
By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel, 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 Spirit has made known to Paul, and so to us, that we are all fellow heirs with Israel, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise- everlasting life. All who are in Christ, Jew or Gentile, are heaven-bound. Pretty radical thinking for the time and it stirred up a lot of trouble for Paul. In today's language, "That's crazy talk!" The Jews were a people set apart as holy to the LORD, how can Paul say that the Gentiles are now fellow heirs, they are the same, a holy people set apart? As a Gentile, all I know is that I am so glad that this was part of God's plan- that I am part of God's plan.
Paul ends these verses acknowledging that it is not by anything he has done, but rather all because of God's mighty power at work in him that he has received grace to be a minister of the Gospel. Likewise, everything I have, everything, is a gift from God and comes to me out of the wonderful gift of His grace. How then should I live? In a manner worthy. That is a manner that I work out daily with God as I read and study His word. 2 Peter 1:3 states that (God's) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. (NIV) I firmly believe that a large part of that knowledge is revealed to us in the Scriptures and that we would do well to spend time reading and meditating upon them.
Be Blessed,
Deb
By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel, 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 Spirit has made known to Paul, and so to us, that we are all fellow heirs with Israel, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise- everlasting life. All who are in Christ, Jew or Gentile, are heaven-bound. Pretty radical thinking for the time and it stirred up a lot of trouble for Paul. In today's language, "That's crazy talk!" The Jews were a people set apart as holy to the LORD, how can Paul say that the Gentiles are now fellow heirs, they are the same, a holy people set apart? As a Gentile, all I know is that I am so glad that this was part of God's plan- that I am part of God's plan.
Paul ends these verses acknowledging that it is not by anything he has done, but rather all because of God's mighty power at work in him that he has received grace to be a minister of the Gospel. Likewise, everything I have, everything, is a gift from God and comes to me out of the wonderful gift of His grace. How then should I live? In a manner worthy. That is a manner that I work out daily with God as I read and study His word. 2 Peter 1:3 states that (God's) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. (NIV) I firmly believe that a large part of that knowledge is revealed to us in the Scriptures and that we would do well to spend time reading and meditating upon them.
Be Blessed,
Deb
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