The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 130

given them the opportunity, when they should" read," of perceiving his understanding of the mystery. And thus, through his communication to them of what he had got immediately from Gou, they would have the satisfaction of seeing for them.selves wbao the truth was. 3.. It was a time when others were fccvoured with revelation of t!,e mystery as well as he. "Which in other generations was not made kcown unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit." "Sons of men" has a certain association of incapacity. Being only sons of men, they could not be ~xpected to know the mystery of themselves. And tl,e former generations of them had stood at a disadvantage. They had not been absolutely excluded from the benefit of revelation. Ilut still, in all that they bad been favoured with, in promises connected with the admission of the Gentilcs;it had remained very much of a mystery, until the then Christian period. And the Apostle Panl, with an evident enthusiasm, thinks of himself as in the company of apostles and prophets, upon whom in that age the inflatus of the Spirit hnd come, and who were pririleged to make com- munications of blessed import to the Gentiles. 4. What the contents of the mystery were. "To wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, aud fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." There is a catch- ing up of a previous thread here, for which we were prernrcd by his reference to what he had written before. "They were made a heritage." They had the "earnest" of au "inheritance." 'l'hey were "God's own possession." There was something new (or matter. for revelation) in their thus being fellow-heirs. For this was something beyon,I the extension of grace to them. It indicated their relation to ancient Israel. The Jews (or believers among them) were not the only.-successors of Israel. But the Gentile believers were served heirs as well. They were in the true theocratic line. 'The pres- tige of that people, the great things the Lord had done for them, were theirs. Aud theirs, too, were even the lessons o(their npostasies. Theirs were their Scriptures. "Fellow-members of the body" is also a catching up of a previous thread. For he bas before written of the "one body" (eh. ii. 16). This had not been clear to the former generations. They had not contemplated such a close commingling of Gentile and Jewish elements. • Was there to be 110 partition wall whatever? Was their identity as Jews completely to be lost? Yes,tho.t was the/orm that. mercy to the Gentiles wa~ to take. And there were they in the Ephesian Church, some of them Jews and some of them Gentiles, but all members:of the body of Christ. "And fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." "Fellow-partakers of the promise" is properly the parallel phrase. But there is a reason for connecting the remaining words specially, if not exclusively, with this. For the promise (that is, to former generations) refers to the same blessings offered (since the coming of Christ) in t,1e gospel. Thern is thus a catching up of a previous threo.d from the second chapter, where it is said that Christ came and preached the gospel (of peace) to Gentiles as well as to Jews. And there was much for apostles and prophets to reveal of the mystery here. For it was by so completely "filling up" the types, and presenting the real all- sufficient sacrifice for sin, tbat all former restrictions could be done away. Meu no longer needed to be circumcised or to go up to Jerusalem, but could freely participate in the blessings of salvation simply as believing on Christ. III. Hie BEING A.. MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL ·To THE GENTILES FILLED HIM WITH A.. BENSE OF HIB OWN UNWORTHINESS. "Whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach untn the Gentiles." Paul takes the lowly title of" minister" (literally, "one who runs at the call of another," but used generally of a servant). He was a servant in a particulu1 o,·der. Grace was given him to preach unto the Gentiles. That wa.s where he found his work, where he was appointed to follow the Master. And tlie gift of this gracd (thus defined) was given him in a particular way-" according to the working of bis power." "The mention of the power of God is founded on the circumstance that Paul sees in hie change of heart, from a foe to a friend of Christ, an act of omnipotence." It is an exercise of power that calls for our adoration. Grander than the flash of the lightning, the roll of the thunder, was the power which turned Saul into Paul, the persecutor into the preacher. It is power which has been oxercised after tho same ex11mple, notably in the case of Bunyan. It is power to which the Church can con-  128 THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE EPHESIANS. [ OH, In. 1-21.