SATURDAY May 22, 2021

The Manifold Wisdom of God

...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord....
Ephesians 3:10-11

Paul established that God’s manifold wisdom, His purposes, had become openly known to the Jews and Gentiles. They had the knowledge of His eternal purposes revealed to them within the message of the Gospel.

Salvation was God’s plan for all people, accomplished through Christ: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). God had a plan for mankind’s salvation before the beginning of the world; before we even existed, God had us already in His thoughts:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.... (Ephesians 1:3-4).

Imagine, in eternity in the heavenly places, when a sinner is saved, the angels watch from heaven and rejoice. Jesus said: “...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Every time a person comes to Christ, even though angels do not fully understand salvation as 1 Peter 1:10,12 states, they rejoice:

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you ... To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

Salvation is only for mankind––not angels. Every person has a will, a choice to say yes or no to God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.

It was the knowledge that they [Christians] were a part of an eternal plan that imparted unquenchable enthusiasm to the early Christians. They burned with holy zeal for Christ...over all the powers of darkness.
~A.W. Tozer~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!