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Notes on Ephesians Chapter One
AUTHOR: | Oliphant, James H. |
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9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself;
10. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in him. In writing to the Gentile churches, Paul dwelt with an evident delight upon the enlargement of the gospel and the extension of its privileges to other nations than the Jews, and especially in this letter to the Saints at Ephesus, he treats the subject as of the first importance. That the heathen (a common name for all who were not Jewish lineage), should be fellow-heirs and partakers of the gospel blessings with the house of Israel, Paul happily shows, was not an after-thought with God. He here calls this grand design a "mystery" in the sense of a secret; "having made known," he says "unto us the mystery of his will." In another part of this letter he says that in other ages it was not made known to the sons of men, but was hid in God from the beginning of the world. The same thought is in Romans, where he calls it "the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began." This heirship and mercy to the Gentiles was long concealed in the purpose of God as gold is hid in the earth and might not be revealed until the "dispensation of the fullness of times." This fullness of times took place when the incarnate Lord blessed the earth with his presence made known by the gospel of his manifold wisdom, and eternal purpose of gathering together in one, "all things in Christ." It is not the fullness of time, but of "times," in the plural. To the Jew first and also to the Gentile---a time set for each one of his people. There is a set time for the installation of men into high office, and much is made of it among men, but how trivial and unimportant is such an event compared to the time when a ruined sinner is given to possess eternal life. When the Lord opens the heart of a man, a revolution takes place in his whole being. When the time came to gather "Saul of Tarsus," his enmity gave way, and instead of longer "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," he gave his life to their service, and blessed the church with such epistles of divine truth and love as only the grace of God could inspire. Thus it is, by the secret working of God’s mighty power that his kingdom is sustained, and not by those agencies that are essential to the perpetuity of earthly governments. The Savior’s kingdom is not of this world, nor dependent upon visible things for its success. It is more reasonable for men to think of adding to the stars of heaven, than of adding to the family of God, ---the election of grace. Human enterprises fail for a thousand reasons, but the salvation that is accomplished by the precious blood of the Redeemer, cannot be retarded by human indifference nor advanced by human help.
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