Day 329.
so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (EPH 3:10 ESV)
In Ephesians Paul writes about the gospel, emphasizing a number of its aspects, all of which point is back to seeing the glory of God in a richer and grander way. He emphasizes the love, power, and wisdom of God, all of which are on display in the Gentiles place among God’s people. His love is on display by showing that it is grace rather than goodness or pedigree that brings salvation. This is evident most clearly when the Gentiles are considered, as they had no goodness or pedigree to offer. His power is on display by bringing together two people groups (Gentiles and Jews) that were at enmity with each other. His wisdom is on display as far as seeing this accomplished now, after Jesus has finished the work needed to make all of this happen. And it is the church that is the display case for these great things. It is the evidence to “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” This audience sees the fallenness of man and so they see clearly the power, love, and wisdom of God. People don’t always see this, because our own fallenness is hidden by our pride and idolatrous desires.
This helps us to see another reason why we must commit ourselves to each other as the church. It is hard because people are sinful and consequently hurtful, especially people who come from such different places. And yet, it is this very difficulty that shows God’s power and love as He holds us together.
