And this is the plan of God: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:6
God kept His plan of salvation for all people a mystery throughout the Old Testament. Jesus, however, understood it, and He revealed it to the Apostle Paul.
After Paul’s salvation, God gave him insight into His plan regarding Christ. Because it reached beyond the Jews, God gave Paul the responsibility of extending His grace to the Gentiles.
By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Ephesians 3:7
God’s promise began with Abraham and continued through his seed. First to Isaac and then to his grandson Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel. The name of God’s chosen people.
Isaiah wrote that the Lord called Israel in the Old Testament to shine His light into the world.
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I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. Isaiah 42:6
In the Old Testament, Israel failed to guide the nations. Then, in the New Testament, they rejected Jesus. But because of God’s promise to Abraham, He hasn’t disowned them.
Instead, He put His plan into action through the death and resurrection of Jesus, which includes salvation for everyone.
God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. Ephesians 3:5
God Announced His Plan but didn’t Reveal it
Even though God hadn’t revealed His plan, He did openly announce it. Many Old Testament writers wrote about it, including these verses from the Psalms and one from Isaiah.
- The Lord has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation! Psalm 98:2
- May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Psalm 67:2-3
- Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. Isaiah 45:22
Paul counted it an honor that God graciously gave him the privilege of telling the Gentiles about Christ. With as much zeal as he used to try to stop the church, he now used for God’s kingdom.
I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. Ephesians 3:9
When the apostle wrote to the Galatians, he referred to the fact that Abraham believed God. And because of that, God counted him as righteous because of his faith.
He said, in the same way, anyone who puts their faith in God is a real child of Abraham. He continued by saying that the scriptures looked forward to when that would happen.
What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you. Galatians 3:8
We are a Vital Part the Plan of God
In other words, God didn’t receive us Gentiles as guests or foster children. No! He made us a part of the body of Christ and vital members of His church.
God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:10
This was the eternal plan of God, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s make another reference to the Old Testament.
Think about when the high priest entered God’s presence in the Holy of Holies. He needed to have properly purified himself first, or he would have died. Not so for those in Christ.
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Ephesians 3:12
The writer of the Book of Hebrews elaborated on why we can enter into the presence of God. It has to do with the fact that Jesus, who didn’t need purification, became our High Priest.
Since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. Hebrews 4:14
Be assured that Jesus had every opportunity to sin just as you and I do daily. The difference between Him and us is He didn’t sin but we do.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15
I Hope This Makes Your Day!
If nothing else makes your day today, hopefully this will. God understands you, and He loves you, and He put His plan together with you in mind. So, go ahead and enter into His presence boldly!
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16
Oh God, thank you for making your plan of salvation available to all who call upon Jesus. Give us the zeal that Paul had to tell others about your wonderful plan.
