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stewards of the mysteries of God. When Paul became the prisoner of Christ, after the
crisis of Acts 28:, he was given the dispensation of the grace of God to the Gentiles.
The character of this dispensation is twofold:--
1. It is pure grace.
2. It is for Gentiles.
Grace threads its way throughout this epistle as woven in the very texture of the
theme. We quote from an earlier article. Speaking of the structure of the occurrences of
"Grace" in Ephesians (Volume VI, page 19) we read:--
"How truly does the divine arrangement of this word emphasize its place and
importance. No salvation is complete without it, and the parting benediction is enriched
by it. It runs through the whole fabric of redemption, covering the ages past and to come
with its unction. It gives its name to the special dispensation committed to the Apostle
Paul, marking it off as pre-eminently one of grace. It vitalizes the outcome of
redemption, namely service, being as much a necessity for the inspired and gifted Apostle
while preaching the Word, as for the individual believer in his everyday conversation."
God had already shown grace to Israel and to the Gentiles, but never before so fully,
and so richly, and never before in such a fashion.
The title of the dispensation given in Eph. 3: 2 is not complete without verse 9.
Reading oikonomia (as in the R.V.) instead of koinōnia, we have the full rounding out of
the title--"And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery". The grace
of God which flows to the Gentiles under the stewardship of Paul has not to do with the
promises made to Abraham or to David, but with a dispensation hidden by God from the
ages.
One further item is gathered from Col. 1: 24-26. There we find the dispensation
committed to Paul is associated on the one hand with the "church which is His body"
(24), and on the other hand with that mystery which had been hidden from the ages and
generations (26).
The dispensation given to Paul therefore may be said to be:--
As to Subject, Gospel, Attitude and Basis
The Grace of God.
As to Form, Limits, Manifestations
The Church of the One Body.
As to Nationality
The Gentiles.
As to Distinctive Character
The Mystery never before made known.
We must turn our attention in the next article to the claim which the apostle makes to
the "revelation of the mystery", and to the parenthesis of verses 4 & 5, wherein we must
try the things that differ and so approve of those which are more excellent.