1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles (non-Jews/unlearned in God),
2 If you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given to me for you:
He just said, ‘My name is Paul, I am a slave to the Love and Workings of Christ, and it’s all for your benefit.
I have been sent to you all, the non-Jews and unlearned in ‘the ways of God,’ – to INFORM YOU that GOD HIMSELF WOULD LIKE YOU TO BE ‘partakers of,’ THIS GRACE extended.
HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE DISPENSATION OF THE OF THE GRACE OF GOD !?’
[DISPENSATION– exemption from a rule or usual requirement, a SYSTEM of ORDER, government or organization of a nation, community, etc., especially as existing at a particular time, a DIVINELY ORDAINED ORDER, prevailing at a particular period of history, an ACT of DIVINE PROVIDENCE, the action of distributing or *SUPPLYING SOMETHING.
GRACE– the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings, a period officially allowed for payment of a sum due or for compliance with a law or condition, Middle English: via Old French from Latin gratia, from gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’; related to grateful.]
Essentially…
“HAVE YOU HEARD of the EXEMPTION from the REQUIREMENT of ‘the second death penalty?!’”
“HAVE YOU HEARD of the GODLY SYSTEM of GOVERNMENT ORDER
(Christ-Shalom)
during this particular time
that is DIVINELY ORDAINED,
and DIVINELY ORDERED to PREVAIL?!”
“...YES, as an act of
DIVINE PROVIDENCE
that will SUPPLY
the PROPITIATION for
the SIN PENALTY?!?”
“The SIN PENALTY and CONVICTION
‘OVER-TURN’
that SETS US FREE
by the UNMERITED FAVOR of God,
‘through his Salvation’
by his Son
and his
‘bestowing of Blessings’
upon us.”
And ALL of it for
the
‘’ SUM DUE, PAYMENT RENDERED
and RECEIVED,’
(potentially)
and with our
COMPLIANCE
“to/with”
the *CONDITIONS of SALVATION.
And ALL THIS is
‘PLEASING’ to the Lord;
and
‘I AM VERY GRATEFUL.”
(paraphrase of Verses 1 & 2)
Okay, okay, so Paul used less words, but I love to speak-a-brother-up in detailing his vocabulary choices, when he says such wonderful words about our Savior and How INCREDIBLY, AUDACIOUS Christ’s LOVE FOR US truly is; Paul UNDERSTANDS the HEIGHT and DEPTH of ‘the Love of God toward us!’
3 “How, by revelation, he made known to me the mystery;
(as) I wrote before in (a) few words, 4 where, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in, the mystery of Christ.)”
How delightfully lovely; Paul is expressing just how excited he is to reveal to them what the Lord has been delivering to him, in ‘mysteries’ from and of God.
Most of these ‘mysteries’ are the ‘why’ questions humans have, and Paul is delighted to oblige them in sharing what ‘freely he received, and freely he’d like to give;’ that is ‘sacrificial,’ the opposite of ‘stingy’ or ‘self-serving.’
I love Paul.
5 “Which in other ages (time frames & peoples) was not made known to the sons of men, but it is now revealed to his *holy* Apostles and Prophets– by the Spirit;”
I love how Paul is stating that ‘“you all have NO IDEA HOW INCREDIBLY AMAZING THE TIME PERIOD YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO LIVE IN ‘really is;’
BECAUSE BEFORE…
people didn’t have the luxury of KNOWING GOD’S MYSTERIOUS SIDE of his KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, WISDOM, and ‘WHY’ he did and does, what he did and does…
BUT NOW WE DO; HE HAS REVEALED HIMSELF, in these ways now, TO APOSTLES and PROPHETS, for the ‘body, the church.’
THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD IS THE ONE DOING THE ‘revealing;’ HE’S THE GREAT REVELATOR UNTO HUMANITY!”
How incredibly cool!!!
As well, it explains the role of the APOSTLE and that of the PROPHET and that their office/position is for the EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS/church/body, in the role of the REVELATIONS ‘of God’ for the rest of the sheep/flock/body-of-Christ/church…
and for/to EQUIPPING THEM to come into VICTORY with God for themselves, here in this realm.
As well, just WHY we ‘cannot’ DO AWAY WITH THEM FROM THE CHURCHES, God has ‘written a purpose into their calling and office’ and that is – REVELATOR, ‘with’ Holy Spirit, to HUMANITY– to the revealing of MYSTERIES of the HEART and MIND of God.
6 “That the Gentiles (non-Jew) should (could) be (with them, and) FELLOW HEIRS, and (part) of the SAME ‘body’ (of disciples) and (as well) ‘partakers of his promise in Christ,’ by the gospel:”
7 “Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God, given to me by the *effective working of his power.”
Paul lets us all know right here, in verse 7, that God is the one that ‘made’ Paul a ‘minister’ (servant in this area), by HIS HOLY SPIRIT, ‘to serve the unsaved/unredeemed of the world’ by…
SHARING THE GOSPEL–to the whole unsaved World, via the ‘office of’ –Apostle and Prophet so the ‘effective working power of’ his Holy Spirit and his Love (–his gift of ‘grace’) will be victorious unto the Lost, in bringing his Redemptive Solution and Salvation to them, the ‘lost’ people of the World:
The Gospel– the Good News.
8 “To me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given to, that I should preach among the Gentiles the *UNSEARCHABLE RICHES of Christ;”
He is explaining here, that it is ‘his duty,’ and his ‘instruction of the Lord,’ that he is called to, and BY DESIGN, PREACH ‘among the Lost’ …
THE UNSEARCHABLE, AMAZING RICHES–
found in Christ Jesus, our Lord…
THAT REMAIN *UNSEARCHABLE to the average man– ‘WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT of God,’ and the ‘mind of Christ Jesus,’ to know the HEART and DEPTH of God.
9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which, from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things–by Jesus Christ:”
Wow, the callings that God has given to each one of us!
For Paul, he is called up and out by God– as a Prophetic Apostle (super close with Holy Spirit), which from THE BEGINNING of the WORLD’S creation… has been called to REVEAL THE MYSTERIES of God that have been HIDDEN ‘in God’
(which tells you IN-TO-ME-SEE– Intimacy– IS *KEY),
SINCE BEFORE THE WORLD (in Father) and was CREATED–by Jesus (the Words of God).
10 “To the intent that now, the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church –in the manifold WISDOM of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”
His intent now is that PRINCIPALITIES and POWERS of God, in heavenly places (spirit realm) WILL BE KNOWN TO THE CHURCH
(body of Christ–discipled ones, experienced/understood) “within” the WISDOM OF GOD, according to ‘an ETERNAL PURPOSE’ Father ‘purposed’ in the Person of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
(Lord– master, leader, example, representative of Father God–unto us)
He just said, his goal is that we know and experience his spirit realm, through intimacy with him; but folks, did you hear that?
He said, ‘HIS INTENTION TO US, IS TO MAKE HIS ‘SPIRIT REALM,’ KNOWN TO US, and not only that, but…
That the ‘Principalities and Powers’ (of God’s) SHALL BE KNOWN to the World ‘BY US;’ that means…
’as WE WALK OUT, ‘signs, miracles and wonder.’
Yep, twas his plan…ALLLLLL…..ALOOOOONG;
to know the Truth, and to KNOW HIM, intimately.
We are spirit beings first and foremost, and it’s the first thing (the knowledge and memories of it) that fell ‘off of us’ after the ‘fall’ took place; we are now called to ‘remember,’ and ‘come back’ into *RECONCILIATION in REMEMBRANCE of our ‘spirit nature’ with God now, via the Holy Spirit of God.
We got ‘stupid’ all over us, and we are really shiny underneath it all; we just have to get ‘cleaned up’ (sanctify the soul-man, onboard with Holy Spirit).
12 “In whom (Christ Jesus) we have boldness and access with confidence (to approach God, his throne, intimacy) by the faith of him.” (Christ Jesus)
We have BOLDNESS and ACCESS to–Father, his throne, his heart, his mind, his plans, purposes and reasons ‘why’…
by TRUST IN– ‘him,’ Christ Jesus–his ONLY BEGOTTEN Son, the first of many brethren, to follow after him.
13 “Wherefore (because of this) I desire that you faint not at ‘my’ tribulations for you, which is your glory.”
He’s saying, ‘FRET NOT’ OVER THE TROUBLES I ENDURE ‘for you,’ IT’S TO YOUR GLORY
(shine, prosperity, health, edification).
14 “For this cause I bow my knees –to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in –
‘the inner man;’
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 and to know the love of Christ, which SURPASSES *knowledge (entirely), that you *might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
The Tree of *Knowledge…is SURPASSED– ‘in Christ,’ when you leave it and enter the TREE of LIFE.
(He is that tree which surpasses all other forms of knowledge and understanding, and DEFINITELY–Wisdom.)
20 “Now, to him that is able to do *EXCEEDINGLY, *ABUNDANTLY, *ABOVE ALL that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (Holy Spirit)
21 ‘Unto him –be glory in the church’ –by Christ Jesus– throughout all ages of the world without end. Amen.”
Paul, always so gracious to revert all glorying, all celebration for the Life of Christ Jesus–back to Christ Jesus.
Paul is reminding us all that it is GOD that WORKS THE POWER in us, ‘to do’ WONDERFULLY, BRILLIANTLY, ABUNDANTLY…
which is ‘shine’ or ‘glory.’
It is God that does ‘high above all we can ask or think up, that is LOVE and LOVELY,’ in this world, in our lives…and it’s because he LOVES US and WE ARE HIS DELIGHT.
We should recall that, and that ALL ADORATION and THANKSGIVING, GRATITUDE and AWE, should be shined back upon THE LORD GOD.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY, forever and ever, AMEN!
*EXCEEDINGLY, *ABUNDANTLY, ‘above all’ YOU CAN
‘dream of’
Is HOW MUCH HE LOVES and PLANS for YOU.
I pray this reminds us all, that God really does SEE, KNOW and CARE ABOUT it all, us all.
And our Lights shine best, when we SHINE THEM–back upon our Lord, where our Light comes.
James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from The Father of (little) Lights, within whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
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