May 15, 2014
No.3. Love that exceeds Knowledge.
Before turning to Eph. iii., where we read of the Love of Christ that “passeth knowledge”, a word or two may be necessary to show the link that exists between this love, and the great act of Redemption which this love exhibits. In previous articles we were pondering the abounding grace manifested in Redemption “Wherein He hath abounded toward us” (Eph. i. 8), and the grace that “superabounds” (Rom. v. 20).
The particle that indicates the superlative quality of this grace is found in the following passages, and the translation given by the Authorized Version will be quite sufficient to justify the translation of Rom. v. 20 by “superabound”.
“Exalted above measure” (II Cor. xii. 7).
“Groweth exceedingly” (II Thess. i. 3).
“Go beyond” (I Thess. iv. 6).
“The glory that excelleth” (II Cor. iii. 10).
“A more excellent way” (I Cor. xii. 31).
“Running over” (Luke vi. 38).
We can therefore use the language of Psa. xxiii. and say “my cup runneth over” when we speak of redeeming grace.
In the first of Ephesians the object of the apostle is not so much to magnify redemption, which he has already done in Romans, but to lead on the mystery, which is the distinctive theme of Ephesians. Readers of both the Authorized and the Revised Versions may miss the apostle’s argument unless they realize that the punctuation of Eph. i. 7-9 is of human origin and allow the sense of the passage full scope, the passage as it stands in the A.V. reads:
“Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (i. 8).
The word “abounded” suggests the prodigality of an over-running cup, “wisdom and prudence” suggest the care of stewardship for a priceless trust. If we will but ignore the verses and the punctuation of the versions, we shall get the apostle’s meaning and be able to rejoice in the lavish outpouring of redeeming grace, together with the wise and prudent unfolding of the mystery as we are able to bear it.
Redemption. “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, wherein He hath abounded toward us” (i. 7, 8).
Mystery. “In all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself” (i. 8-9).
Here the subject is complete and one feature is intentionally compared with the other. This evident correspondence may be set out thus:
A | Redemption. | a The forgiveness of sins.
b According to riches of grace.
B | He abounded.
C | Us.
B | Wisdom and prudence.
A | Mystery. | a The mystery of His will.
b According to His good pleasure.
C | Himself.
Teaching may necessitate “here a little and there a little, line upon line and precept upon precept”, but redeeming grace overflows and knows no reservation; “My cup runneth over”.
(From The Berean Expositor volume 37, page 122).
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Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 14, 2014
#9. “There’s a War On.”
The legitimate use of the Scriptures in a day of darkness and strife.Among the conditions of life imposed by the Great War was one which was called “The black-out”. Like Israel, the believer can have “light” in his dwelling, but the outside world will be found covered with a darkness that may be felt. It is the characteristic of our spiritual foe to work in darkness; our enemies, said the Apostle, are “The rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. vi... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 14, 2014
No.2 Grace that Superabounds.At first thought one might say when dealing with such solemn truth as that which pertains to sin and salvation, no flights of fancy can be tolerated, nothing but the plainest of statements can be permissible. Yet experience will prove otherwise.
The very immensity of the subject, either of human guilt or of Divine grace, makes such demands upon the resources and powers of language that one has to adopt the words of Scripture and confess:
“Eye hath not seen, nor ea... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 13, 2014
No.1 The Superlatives of Grace.We are allowing ourselves a certain amount of liberty in the application of the wording of Scripture in this series of articles, our primary object being to minister some word of comfort and strength rather than give a straight exposition of any particular passage.
The Psalmist’s words, “My cup runneth over”, make us think of some of the superlatives that are associated with grace in the New Testament, and to the passages which thus speak we would turn the ... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 13, 2014
#8. “There’s a War On.”
Its effect upon the liberty of the subject.Having reviewed the teaching of the Scriptures regarding the existence and character of the conflict of the ages, we now apply the lessons we may learn to the affairs of daily Christian life and experience.
A skeptical objection, which we occasionally met, to the belief that a wise and beneficent Deity still holds sway over this world, may be illustrated by the following conversation, which has been recorded elsewhere. The... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 12, 2014
#9. The Directed Way (Prov. iii. 5, 6).We have considered together a series of experiences that the Scriptures associate with a trust that clings to the Lord, and it is fitting that the last of the series should relate to the leading of the Lord. This need of leading is recognized by all who seek to walk worthy in a world so far removed from the ways and will of God as it is to-day.
The passage that provides us with a message concerning the leading of the Lord and its relation to whole hearted... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 12, 2014
#7. Underlying Principles.It is impossible to read the Old Testament Scriptures without becoming acquainted with war from a great variety of angles. We read of the conquest of Canaan, of civil war, and of war inflicted as a Divine scourge. Under the old dispensation God does not stand aloof from war. Indeed Moses, in Exod. xv. 3, speaks of Him as “a man of war”. We shall, therefore, expect to find that there will be some passages of Scripture, dealing with Israel, and with some particular... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 11, 2014
#8. The Fixed Heart (Psa. cxii. 7).Among the blessings consequent upon trust in the Lord is confidence or, in the language of the Psalmist, a “fixed heart” (Psa. cxii. 7). Of the wicked it is written, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” (Prov. xxviii. 1). “There were they in great fear, where no fear was” (Psa. liii. 5).
The Psalm that supplies us with our text is Psalm cxii., which, by reason of its alphabetical structure, is bound together with Psalm cxi., with which it should... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 11, 2014
#6. The Conquest of Canaan.In our last article we devoted most of our space to consideration of the typical character of the Canaanite, and saw that in the Canaanite we have an example of Satan’s method of attempting to forestall the purposes of God, and supplant the true heirs of promise.
It will, however, be observed that, as always, the aggressor is first in the field and, for a time, apparently successful, but it is of the very essence of final victory that it shall be based upon truth a... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
May 10, 2014
#5. The typical character of the Canaanite.While nothing short of a survey of the whole Bible would be necessary to set out full details of the conflict of the ages, we believe that were it undertaken the essential features already adduced would remain unchanged, though they might be more clearly seen in the light of the fuller study. As however we cannot contemplate so exhaustive a study in this series, we pass to others aspects of the subject, and in this article would look rather to the ul... Continue reading...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan.
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About Me
I am a 66-year-old former political activist who became a Christian in 1991. I did not write these articles ( I am not academically qualified to be a writer or bible teacher ), I just gathered them from various sources and re-posted them here "to enlighten all as to what is the stewardship (committed to the Apostle Paul) of the mystery that hath been hidden from the ages in God" - Ephesians 3:9.
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