Nuggets
- God adopts people who ABCD into His family.
- God gives us grace to perform the tasks to which He has called us.
- We are called to be ministers for Christ.
- Unsearchable riches does not mean this is a prosperity gospel.
- The Plan of Salvation is finished but not totally completed.
- The Church is the body of believers in Christ.
- It was always God’s plan to reveal Himself to mankind.
- God will reveal His Plan of Salvation to the angels.
- The goal of the Plan of Salvation has always been to restore our relationships with God to ensure we gain eternal life.
We can have trouble understanding God. Sometimes, it is because we have something so ingrained in us that it is hard to give up that tradition or belief.
The Jews were like that. They had been identified as God’s chosen people for over a thousand years. They felt they had exclusive right to this title.
God, though Paul, was telling them differently. Gentiles were free to come to the table if they were willing to believe in Jesus and submit to God.
“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3: 6 ESV).
Paul called it a mystery. Let’s see if we can break it down.
Let's Put It into Context
To read devotions in the On the Day of the Lord theme, click the button below.
Devotions in the The Love of Christ in Redemption series
The foundation of this series is Witherspoon’s sermon The Love of Christ in Redemption.
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We the People
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3: 8 ESV)
God adopts people who ABCD into His family.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites were called God’s people. They thought it was because they were from the nation of Israel. They thought they had exclusive rights to God.
They didn’t. We are called children of God.
The Very Least of All the Saints
We have to talk about who saints are before we can figure out what being the least of them means. Saint means holy one who has been set apart.
Glossary
After we have given our hearts and lives to Jesus, we become saints. It is a designation to separate us from those in the world.
At times, we may feel Paul was the most arrogant man to ever live. Then we read the verses where he put himself into perspective.
- “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (I Cor. 15: 9 ESV).
- “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints …” (Eph. 3: 8 ESV).
- “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (I Tim. 1: 15 ESV).
Paul knew what he had done in the past. Knowing him, he remembered every Christian that he had tried to arrest and/or have killed.
While Paul was very confident in himself, he was very humble. God expects us to be humble.
- “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (Jas. 4: 10 ESV).
- “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col. 3: 12 ESV)
Patterson cautioned us to not think that Paul was advocating we should be weak of character or poor ministers. We have to be counted among the righteous, not the unrighteous.
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We are saints because God has changed us to be so.
Grace Was Given
God gives us grace to perform the tasks to which He has called us.
There are so many times that we feel inadequate to do what God has called us to do. (Case in point, me studying Revelation!).
God loves us so much that, when He calls us to do something, He doesn’t just throw us out there. He will equip us with all that we need to accomplish His purpose.
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus … equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13: 20-21 ESV).
We can gloss over the fact that there are times when God calls the most unqualified servants to showcase Him rather than our skills. God uses us — and doesn’t misuse us — to show what He can do.
To complete the missions He gives us, God must equip us through His grace.
To Preach to the Gentiles
We are called to be ministers for Christ.
It is in our marching orders. We are to tell about God’s saving grace.
- “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’” (Mk. 16: 15 ESV).
- “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28: 19-20 ESV).
Paul’s ministry was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Specifically, He was sent to the gentiles — a mission he totally understood. “But the Lord said to him [Ananias], “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Ac. 9: 15 ESV).
While the Jews never caught this, it does have a foundation in God’s Word.
• “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations” (Gen. 17: 4 ESV).
• “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn. 10: 16 ESV).
I can see why God chose Paul. While Paul benefited from studying under one of the great teachers of his time, Gamaliel, he had the intellect with which to put it to great use.
Let’s face it. There is a lot to learn about God — some of which would seem dry to others.
Paul saw the loving Man in Scripture. To him, God was a living Being, not just words on a scroll.
Most of all, Paul was willing to change his mind about Who God is. He didn’t say, “This is what I have been taught, and this is what I know, so anything different is wrong.” He allowed himself to grow and follow the God he said he was.
Paul felt that it was a privilege and an honor to spread the gospel of Christ.
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
Unsearchable riches does not mean this is a prosperity gospel.
We can’t understand unsearchable until we understand what the riches of Christ means.
Ryle helped us understand the unsearchable part. He wrote, “That miraculous union of perfect man and perfect God in our Lord Jesus Christ is a great mystery, no doubt, which we have no line to fathom.”
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- How can we understand Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection?
- How can we understand that He is the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life, the Fountain of Living Waters, the Light of the World — and all the rest — at the same time and to everyone exactly what we need at the time?
But aren’t we supposed to search. We are directed to seek God.
- “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt. 6: 33 ESV).
- “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29: 13).
Patterson, Tucker, Benson, and Stratton listed elements that make up what the riches are.
- Divinely supreme
- Excellent
- Perfect
- The atoning sacrifice
- Both on the cross and on the throne
- Ascended from the heavens
- Everlasting
- Powerful
- Comprehensive
- Infinite love
- Unwearied patience
- Wisdom
- Knowledge
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These riches can only be explained through Jesus’ authority. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Mt. 28: 18 ESV).
God needs to have an element of the unsearchable. He needs to be more than we can understand so we don’t think we have figured Him out — and therefore, put us on equal footing with Him.
It is unsearchable because it radiates a feel of abundance. A more biblical way of saying this is it denotes fullness.
Christ is complete. We need nothing more than Him.
The Hidden Mystery
“and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things” (Eph. 3: 9 ESV)
The Plan of Salvation is finished but not totally completed.
As Paul said, our ministry is to bring to light the gospel message, which is the Plan of Salvation. Jesus is our Savior and Lord, the only way the penalty for our sins could be paid.
The Plan of Salvation is a mystery but not.
When we look at the Old Testament, Jesus’ name is never mentioned even once. However, Jesus is throughout the Old Testament. “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7: 12-13 ESV).
It was kind of like He was hiding in plain sight.
That being said, the Israelites and the Jews didn’t know about Jesus. It wasn’t even that He wasn’t mentioned by name.
All they knew was a Messiah was coming, and they were going to be freed. They missed that He wasn’t going to be a social savior. He was going to be a spiritual Savior.
God made the Plan of Salvation a little confusing on purpose. “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (I Cor. 1: 27 ESV).
Why would God do that? He didn’t want us making our decision to follow Him based on our intellect.
God wants us to take it on faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11: 1 ESV).
We know that God’s Word is just an introduction to Who He is. We learn more by God’s revealing to us what He wants us to know.
God will reveal to us what to say to others.
But the mystery is still going on today. Jesus may have said “… ‘It is finished’ …” (Jn. 19: 30 ESV), He was only talking the Plan of Salvation. Full restoration has yet to come.
God will not be satisfied until all His children are home. Only then will the “… craving of infinite love …:, as Pulsford said, be complete.
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God wants to have us with Him for eternity.
Manifold Wisdom
“so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3: 10-11 ESV)
The Church is the body of believers in Christ.
The Church
Emmons described how Paul used the term church. He wrote, “Paul sometimes uses this appellation to denote a single society of Christians; but he more commonly uses the term to denote the whole number of the elect, or all who shall finally be sanctified and saved.”
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In today’s vernacular, we would say that there is a local church and a universal Church.
The local congregations are formed so that believers have a place to go to learn and be supported as we navigate the Sanctification Road.
Unfortunately, the local church is fractured. Globally, there are, according to the Orange County Register, more than 45,000 denominations that follow Christ. Two hundred of those are located within the United States.
It was always in the plan to create the Church – a body of believers with Jesus as the Head. “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1: 22 ESV).
We know this happened before the foundation of the world.
God chose us before the world was created.
- “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you” (I Pet. 1: 20 ESV)
- “And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 13: 8 ESV).
Manifold Wisdom of God
It was always God’s plan to reveal Himself to mankind. By redeeming us, God could show us that He is perfect.
God can only reveal things to us as we become more like Him. That is where sanctification comes into play.
What is God showing us? His diverse wisdom.
Spurgeon described this as being the work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus. He reminded us of the diverse ways mankind is called to the same salvation.
God, in His infinite wisdom, has a plan for this world to have everything work together to sustain it.
Now be Known to the Rulers and Authorities in the Heavenly Places
God will reveal His Plan of Salvation to the angels.
Who are the rulers and authorities in heavenly places? That would be the angels.
Spurgeon explained what is meant here. He wrote, “They are appointed to exercise some sort of power over various parts of God’s creation, hence they are called ‘principalities and powers.’ They are never represented as indifferent spectators of anything which our mortal race can do or suffer, but their sympathy with men is constant.”
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The angels don’t need the Plan of Salvation. They remain faithful to God.
Satan and his demons won’t be offered salvation. They made their choice; now, they have to live with it.
But think how much the angels are losing out by not being grown as we are. God proves to us that He will never leave us. He shows us His everlasting love time and time again.
Think of how much angels are learning by witnessing God’s interaction with us. They are seeing His love and forgiveness played out daily. Even seeing the way in which we change by navigating the Sanctification Road should be illuminating to the angels. They see His wisdom as it is revealed to us.
The Eternal Purpose
I wonder if the angels are looking forward to the day that they get to greet us as we enter Heaven. Really, that is what the Plan of Salvation is all about.
Yes, it is about preparing us now for our heavenly home.
But that is all it is about in this world. God’s priority is our spiritual condition, not our physical life in this world. He provides what we need to prepare us for who we will be.
One day, those of us who have truly submitted our lives to God will be traversing the golden streets with the angels, on our way to the worship service honoring God the Father and God the Son.
How Do We Apply This?
- Access the valuable unsearchable riches of Christ, which are abundant and readily available.
- Remember we are forever in Christ’s debt.
- Contrast Christ’s unsearchable riches with our sinfulness.
- Interpret what God’s Word is telling us and make it our own.
- Don’t worry about naysayers.
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Father God. We are humbled by Your immense love for us. Even though we disobeyed You, You chose to restore our relationships with You. The Plan of Salvation is all Your design. Thank You. Amen.
What do you think?
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