The topic for this week’s Bible study is “Mystery Revealed and the Dispensation of Grace”. We’ll be continuing in our study of the Letter to the Ephesians, looking at chapter 3 verses 1 through 13. We have broken down the study into two sections, verse one through seven and verses eight through 13. Let’s start first with the examination of the introduction of the main topic, the Dispensation of Grace. In verses 1 through 7, Paul states the following:
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the [a]dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Dispensationalism is defined as belief in a system of historical progression, as revealed in the Bible, consisting of a series of stages in God’s self-revelation and plan of salvation. Simply put, dispensationalism in theology is a divinely appointed age. Now, classical dispensationalism consists of seven dispensations: Dispensation of Innocence, Dispensation of Conscience, Dispensation of Human Government, Dispensation of Promise, Dispensation of Grace and Dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Today’s study is the introduction of the Dispensation of Grace as God has revealed it to Paul and why we have titled this study as the mystery revealed and the dispensation of grace. God has designated Paul as the apostle responsible for this new stage in the relationship between God and man.
Dispensation of Grace (mystery revealed) is the period of time ushered in through Jesus Christ and the resolution of sin which was the cross. Through the works of the cross, Jesus has accepted all of humanity’s sins and as the sacrificial lamb, He has once and for all been slain for the forgiveness of our sins. It is precisely in this age that God, through the blood of Jesus has given mankind the opportunity to be redeemed of their sins and to have access to the Kingdom of Heaven, into the family of God. There are numerous examples in scripture that attest to this fact, however, we thought that Matthew 26:26-28 and John 1:29 do a phenomenal job in outlining this fact.
Matthew 26:26-28
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, [a]blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the [b]new covenant, which is shed for many for the [c]remission of sins.
John 1:29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Prior to this dispensation, only Jews had access to God which is outline by Paul to the Gentiles in Ephesians 2: 12-13:
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Paul reinforces his teaching and reaffirms the key point that in prior ages, this was not revealed to the Gentiles, and it was in God’s plan to unify both Gentile and Jew with the advent of Christ and his ultimate mission which was to be the sacrificial lamb of God. Now, both Jew and Gentile have access to the Father which was demonstrated by the tearing of the veil by God in the temple (Matthew 27:51 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split). No longer do we need priests to intercede or to be the intermediaries between God and man. We have direct access to our Lord. In Ephesians 3:8-13, Paul states the following:
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the [b]fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things [c]through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the [d]manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the [e]principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Basically, Paul establishes three primary facts. First, what God has done through Jesus has given us boldness and access through faith to the Father, secondly, this has spiritual implications as evil understands that the time clock towards their imminent destruction is near, and thirdly, the Ephesians should not be grieved about his persecution due to his mission to preach the Gospel of Salvation to the Gentiles.
Lastly, the ultimate access card has been granted by God to us sinners. We know that salvation is not contingent on works, rather it is through grace that we are saved. The Lord will accept us in His family, through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you don’t yet know the Lord and are not sure where you will spend eternity, consider accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The access to the Father and eternal life is only through Jesus. If you are ready to make that decision to free yourself of sin and receive life everlasting, please pray this prayer: Lord Jesus I know that I am sinner and I ask you forgive me of my sins. I believe that you were crucified for my sins and through your blood I have redemption and salvation. Please come into my heart and I receive you as my God. I pray in Jesus name. AMEN
