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concerning the rejected yet glorified Head, and the members of His body. There are four
references to a gospel in Ephesians:--
"The gospel of your salvation" (1: 13).
"The gospel whereof Paul was made a minister" (3: 6, 7).
"The preparation of the gospel of peace" (6: 15, which echoes 2: 17).
"The mystery of the gospel" (6: 19, which echoes the gospel of the unsearchable
riches of 3: 8).
The subject of this gospel as we have already seen is the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The word translated "unsearchable" occurs elsewhere in the N.T. only once. In
Rom. 11: 33 it is rendered "past finding out". The LXX uses the word three times in
Job:--
"Which doeth great things and unsearchable" (5: 9*)
"Who doeth mighty works, past finding out,
And wondrous things, in number infinite.
Behold! He passeth, but I see Him not;
He sweepeth by, but is invisible" (9: 10, 11*).
"He breaks the strong in ways we cannot trace;
And others, in their stead, He setteth up" (34: 24*).
[* - Metrical Version, see The Companion Bible.]
The important part of anexichniastos is ichnos = "a step" (see Rom. 4: 12;
II Cor. 12: 18, and I Pet. 2: 21). The idea of the word is expressed by "untraceable", no
footmark being found. The main features of Messianic prophecy are plainly marked
upon the page of Scripture. The "mystery of Christ", the "mysteries of the Kingdom of
Heaven", were not so plainly understood. The special phase of the mystery of Christ
which is related to the Church of the One Body was untrackable--no trace being found.
The apostle Paul preached Christ in a manner impossible to others before him. Who,
before the preaching of Paul, knew that the rejected Christ had been raised far above all
principality and power, and had been made Head over all things to the Church which is
His body, during the very time when He had been rejected as Head over all things in the
wider sphere of God's purposes? Christ is essential to the Church, and it is not possible
to speak of the constitution of the Church until the position of Christ is first realized. Is
he severed for the time from Israel and earthly things? then I can understand the status of
the Church of the One Body, and its political seat in heaven. Is He nevertheless raised to
the very right hand of God in the super-heavenlies? then I can appreciate the revelation of
that blessed sphere as being that of the Church's blessing. The order of verse 8 and 9 is
inspired and logical. First the unsearchable riches of Christ, then the dispensation of the
mystery. Let us not pass over the fact that we are dealing with "riches".
The tragedy of Israel's fall became "the riches of the Gentiles" (Rom. 11: 12), and the
rejection of their Messiah did not rob Him, it but revealed His boundless reserves of
wealth. Old Testament prophecy, type and ritual is full of the riches of Christ, riches of
the majesty of His kingship, riches of the fullness of His one offering, riches of the
plenitude of His doctrine, but these by no means exhausted the statement of His wealth.
He had riches in glory, that had never been made known, and they are revealed in the