Word@Work Eph28 - Ephesians 3:4-5
Published: Tue, 11/04/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
REVELATION FOR DISTRIBUTION
Read Ephesians 3:4-5 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.(NIV)
Reading is generally informative, sometimes inspirational and on rare occasions, life-changing. But Paul's statement, that he is presenting the truth about Christ, that God had not fully unpacked previously, is a seriously unique claim. What he writes is not 'automatic writing', but a reasoned explanation of what Jesus Christ has done. However his wisdom is not through any superior intellect but by revelation (cf v.3). The Holy Spirit had told him how to understand the Old Testament, and how it is fulfilled in Jesus.
Paul knew that the Holy Spirit was at work in his mind. Previously he made such little sense of Jesus that the Christians were considered to be a dangerous and subversive sect. Now he had joined them. God had changed his mind. Before, he could do no better than his academic thoughts would allow; now he was crystal clear about the Divinity of Jesus and the nature of His sacrifice.
Paul, rightly, did not then shrug his shoulders and assume that the Holy Spirit would speak directly to everybody else. He knew that his role was foundational for the church. The role of the church leaders (like those in Ephesus) was to read what Paul had written, in order that others might also understand what God had said. That remains the task of the church, and all of us who are a part of it, wherever we may live or work.
Prayer: Gracious Father. Thank you for giving the apostle Paul the insight to understand your purposes in Christ. Help me to read in order to learn, and then to pass on what You have said. Please give me some opportunity today to do both. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
Reading is generally informative, sometimes inspirational and on rare occasions, life-changing. But Paul's statement, that he is presenting the truth about Christ, that God had not fully unpacked previously, is a seriously unique claim. What he writes is not 'automatic writing', but a reasoned explanation of what Jesus Christ has done. However his wisdom is not through any superior intellect but by revelation (cf v.3). The Holy Spirit had told him how to understand the Old Testament, and how it is fulfilled in Jesus.
Paul knew that the Holy Spirit was at work in his mind. Previously he made such little sense of Jesus that the Christians were considered to be a dangerous and subversive sect. Now he had joined them. God had changed his mind. Before, he could do no better than his academic thoughts would allow; now he was crystal clear about the Divinity of Jesus and the nature of His sacrifice.
Paul, rightly, did not then shrug his shoulders and assume that the Holy Spirit would speak directly to everybody else. He knew that his role was foundational for the church. The role of the church leaders (like those in Ephesus) was to read what Paul had written, in order that others might also understand what God had said. That remains the task of the church, and all of us who are a part of it, wherever we may live or work.
Prayer: Gracious Father. Thank you for giving the apostle Paul the insight to understand your purposes in Christ. Help me to read in order to learn, and then to pass on what You have said. Please give me some opportunity today to do both. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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