From Ephesians: Paul's Ministry and the Mystery of the Church
Orientation
Many assume God's primary purpose is tied to Israel's earthly program, leaving the Church as a temporary parenthesis or secondary plan.
- This view can obscure the believer's identity and inheritance.
- It may create uncertainty about our place in God's eternal plan.
- It misses the central display of God's wisdom to all creation.
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9)
— Ephesians 3:9
Clarification
The Church is not an afterthought or a mere extension of Israel, but the primary vehicle of God's eternal purpose, revealed as a mystery.
- The 'mystery' was hidden in God from eternity, not revealed through Old Testament prophecy.
- Gentiles are fellow heirs and of the same Body, not guests in a Jewish program.
- This purpose centers on displaying God's manifold wisdom to heavenly powers.
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:6)
— Ephesians 3:6
Structure
God's eternal purpose unfolds through a divine economy, dispensing the unsearchable riches of Christ to build the Church as His masterpiece.
- Paul's unique ministry stewards the 'dispensation of grace' for the Gentiles.
- This builds the Church, the Body of Christ, which displays God's wisdom to principalities and powers.
- Believers are predestined as sons and joint-heirs, sharing in Christ's heavenly status.
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:10-11)
— Ephesians 3:10-11
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core theological assertion from Ephesians 3 is that God’s eternal purpose, predestined before creation, centers on the Church as the primary vehicle for displaying His manifold wisdom to all creation, including heavenly powers. This is administered through the ‘dispensation of the grace of God’ entrusted to Paul, whereby the mystery—hidden from eternity—is revealed: Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same Body, and partakers of the promise in Christ. This Body, the Church, is a new creation, the ’one new man,’ reconciled through Christ’s blood and built up through the distribution of His unsearchable riches. It is not a parenthesis or an ethnic extension but God’s eternal masterpiece. Pauline categories are essential here: the mystery, the dispensation (oikonomia) of grace, the Body of Christ, and the heavenly places. Objections that relegate the Church to a secondary status or blend it with Israel’s covenantal program fail to grasp this revealed economy and thus obscure the believer’s full inheritance and co-regency with Christ.
Integration
Your place in God’s plan is secure and glorious, anchored in Christ alone. You are not in a secondary program or a temporary detour. You are a member of the Body of Christ, the very focus of God’s eternal purpose. This standing is not something you earn or progress into; it is your portion in Christ, given by grace. The pressure to ‘see’ this or ‘advance’ to grasp it is removed. Christ is your inheritance, your life, and your righteousness. Rest in the assurance that God is displaying His wisdom through the Church—and you are in it. This is your landing place: seated with Christ, a son and heir, by God’s sovereign will and eternal counsel.