DAILY DEVOTION: EPHESIANS 3:11

By Stan Brown

Ephesians 3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

God was not taken by surprise when the Messiah was rejected by the Jews.  He did not have to scramble in order to put a plan in place to deal with it.  It was His eternal purpose to bring about the mystery of uniting both Jew and Gentile together as one body in Christ Jesus.  It was a shock to the Jews and Gentiles who had been at odds for centuries.  It was even a surprise to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.  But God had this splendid plan in place before time began.  It is the mystery of the church as it unites all believers of whatever stripe into one body that causes the angelic beings to see God’s variegated or multicolored wisdom.    

This unity occurred in the only way possible; that is through the death of Christ Jesus our Lord.  This is the most remarkable plan ever conceived as the One who is Lord, (the One who is God) became man and died in our place on the cross.  When we believe in Him, we are part of His body whether we like it or not.  Salvation has always been through faith (For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”(Rom. 4:3)).  Yet the body becomes united as one when Jesus Christ our Lord became sin for us. (He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Cor. 5:21))
 
The following are my thoughts brought to mind after reading this verse.  So, we are placed together in one body to bring God’s message to the world.  This is God’s plan and it works amazingly well given that He has chosen sinful humanity as an essential element in that plan.  In the Old Testament, God chose a people to be united in Him and be a light to the world that would draw the world to Him.  Although there were always individuals who loved Him and lived for Him, yet the nation as a whole succumbed to the sins of the surrounding nations rather than be a light to them.  Today, we are as believers, part of that magnificent dwelling place that is in the process of being built for God.  As I look at that building, I see building blocks trying to jump out from where God has placed them.  To me, this may be the most amazing part of God’s plan as He has chosen imperfect humanity as His message to the world.  And God’s plan will succeed because He is God and He knows exactly what He is doing in every way and every time.  (“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)).   Therefore, we must praise God for the way in which He has uniquely gifted each of us to be part of that ever expanding building.  We must live in obedience to Him as we seek to fulfill our responsibility of being His message to the world.