UNITED, YET DIVIDED
22
`If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation
He made known unto me the mystery;
(as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of
Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto His holy
apostles and prophets),
that the Gentiles, in spirit, should be fellow-heirs (fellow-members) of the same body, and fellow-partakers of
His promise in Christ, by the gospel whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God
given unto me by the effectual working of His power. Unto me, the less than the least of all saints, has this grace
been given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the untraceable riches of Christ, and to enlighten all as to
what is the dispensation of the mystery which has been hidden away from (or since) the ages by God, Who did
all things create, in order that now, unto the principalities and powers in the heavenlies might be made known,
by the church, the exceeding complex wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages which He made in
Christ Jesus our Lord' (Author's translation).
Here are riches that are
Unsearchable
Here is a dispensation of the
Mystery (Secret)
This mystery was effectually
Hidden
The wisdom unfolded is
Very complex
The whole was discovered by
Revelation
Paul was commissioned to
Enlighten all
The secret character of this dispensation, and Paul's special trust regarding it, we have seen already in Colossians
1:25-28.
Chapter 18
THE THREE SPHERES OF BLESSING
It will not be irrelevant to call attention to the three spheres of blessing which may be seen in the Word.
The earthly
Israel's destiny is that of a great nation, a kingdom of priests, with Jerusalem the centre of earth's administration.
`The meek shall inherit the earth' awaits fulfilment. In the new creation, too, the earth is not forgotten - `I saw a
new heaven and a new earth' (Rev. 21:1). The figure used in this sphere is that of `the Wife'.
The heavenly
Although Abraham received the land of promise and became heir of the world, he looked for a heavenly country
(Heb. 11:16). Verses 10 and 16 speak also of a `city', and 12:22 of the heavenly Jerusalem. John tells us that he
saw `the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband' (Rev. 21:2). The Hebrews were addressed as `partakers of the heavenly calling' (Heb. 3:1). The figure
used in this sphere is `the Bride'.
The super-heavenly
The reader may wonder how this expression `superheavenly' is justified. It is an attempt to reverence the
accuracy of Scripture. The epistle to the Ephesians tells us that when Christ ascended He went up `far above all
heavens, that He might fill all things' (Eph. 4:10).
This passage alone would indicate the third sphere, but it does not stand alone. The epistle to the Ephesians
contains one expression that is found nowhere else, viz., `in heavenly places'.