In the opening verses of his letter to the Ephesians, after the short introductory greeting, Paul piles up statement after statement in an almost bewildering way. The reflective mind is staggered by the immensity of the arguments as feature after feature is brought to view. This succession of amazing arguments presents, in the realm of religious thought, an appearance like a series of mighty mountain peaks towering up into heaven one up against the other, and stretching as far as the eye can see. So closely do the sentences run into each other, it is not easy to separate them one from another in order to take them each singly to analyse and explain them in turn, or in detail. By very careful differentiation, it is possible to divide the section (vs.3 14) into three smaller sections, each of which seems to have its own outstanding particulars of teaching to impart. These three subsections are verses 3-6, verses 7 12, and verses 13 14. The first begins with ascription of praise to God for all His favours in general to the believer through Christ; the second with "In whom WE have" with a part in those favours; the third with "ln whom YE ALSO" have come to receive a share with those who first hoped (or trusted) in Christ. The first one deals with God's fore-ordination to take to himself a family of heavenly sons; the second shows them as a first instalment resulting from the operation of a plan of reconciliation embracing both heavenly and earthly things; the third places on record the bestowment of a token or pledge of Divine assurance that the full and complete inheritance for these sons of God is sure without fail. Towering high above all these assurances is the assertion that everything forms part of God's unchanging purpose—"according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed...of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (vs .9 and 11). In the words of a later section (Eph.3.11) they were "According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord".

Three times the Apostle makes reference to varying aspects of God's Will. First (in v.5), he speaks of the process of adoption as being "according to the good pleasure of his will", and lastly (v.11) he asserts that the whole scheme of reconciliation is "according to...the counsel of his will". Thus the outworking of God's Will is seen to be in absolute accordance with the counsel given by unerring Wisdom, and though at its first inception it was in the nature of a God-kept mystery, known only to himself, it has now been revealed, and shown to be in full conformity with God's unfathomed appreciation of all that is holy and true and good. The prompting motive throughout, at every stage, is God's free and unmerited grace—(v.6) "to the glory of his grace" (v.7)—"according to the riches of his grace". Wisdom, Love and Power are thus set forth by the Apostle as the attributes behind the whole design, and as operating from before the foundation of the world towards the completion of the universal Plan. At the centre of the whole plan God has set "One" upon whom He has placed his own gracious Spirit, and from which "act of placement" that One has taken his title and his Name. That honoured "One" is called "The Christ". "The Christ" is rightly, depicted as the recipient of an "outpouring". In Mosaic times this "out-pouring" was represented in the anointing oil of the "chosen" person as God's High Priest. Hence the Apostle can speak of privileges embodied and residing in Christ as from distant days, but which became available to the follower of the Lord in these special days of grace. Thus we read of spiritual blessings in the heavenlies "in Christ", of God having fore-ordained us unto adoption as sons "through Jesus Christ"; of the grace, which He freely bestowed on us "in the Beloved"; of God's purpose to sum up all things "in Christ"; and that those "should be unto the praise of his glory" who had first hoped "in Christ". Thus, in far distant times, God had issued from his own possession and by his own sole authority, a whole galaxy of honours and preferments to and for his Chosen One when time and circumstances should cause that Chosen One to appear. "ln Christ" the fulness ("pleroma") of Divinity was appointed to dwell (Col.2.9).

But more than this, all other beings in heaven and earth, all things visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities or powers, were created in relationship to him, for it was God's will for him to hold them together, as a sovereign prince might coordinate and hold together many subordinate thrones. (Col.1.17). Their honours and stations were created and conferred to be ready for them to bear subordinate relationship to more exalted authority when He should reach his lofty throne. All this exalted superiority was vested "in Christ" before the world began and forms part of God's primordial out-pouring for his coming "Chosen One".

Twice the Apostle refers to an enabling power bestowed by God, the possession of which would activate and empower the members of the "Chosen One" to achieve the destiny to which they had been called. "Blessed us with all spiritual blessings . . . ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (v.3 and 13). The Holy Spirit is God's creative instrument, which can bestow blessing upon such as are in Christ—(spiritual light, spiritual food, and intense spiritual desire)—and at the same time mark or seal them as God's own. This is an outflow of Divine energy from the throne of God, in order to produce in his elect a disposition and character like his own—Divine power creating in the object of his choice a character that can contain and retain for ever attributes of Divinity.

But all save one of this elect company have been subject to the power of sin. Twice Paul speaks of redemption for all such. First, such redemption as is represented by the "forgiveness of sin". But that is not the full measure of redemption contemplated. Full redemption belongs to a later day, and will imply much more than forgiveness of sin. There is a Day of redemption provided for—"the year of my redeemed". To redeem them from sin was ordained to cost their Lord and Leader his life. That Leader had to die for them, to procure cleansing for them from their sins, and further to enfold them about with his own spotless righteousness. To each forgiven follower the privilege was ordained for him to win his place in Christ, and be found in him. by partaking of Christ's sufferings—being conformed to Jesus' death. It was thus necessary for the Chosen One—the Logos of creative days—to whom it pleased God to ordain pre-eminence in everything, to stoop down from his lofty place and be found in fashion as a man, and become humbled unto death so that He might redeem the intended sons from sin and death, and then when himself raised from the dead, become their leader—as well as shepherd and bishop of their souls—to lead these many sons up to the ordained heights of glory, honour and immortality.

These, then, are the high peak points of Paul's opening argument in this great letter from a prison cell. Are all these points of doctrine new items of revelation never before enunciated till his prison days? Did Paul say nothing on these great themes in Corinthians, Galatians and Romans? And had Jesus nothing to say on any of these doctrines?

TH