“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Ephesians 3:10-11
(Hey, wrong image! Not those rulers!)
God is smart. This isn’t controversial. (It shouldn’t be!) No one can predict His plans or figure out His reasoning. And let’s be honest. Even after He reveals His will, it’s not easy to understand what He explained.
But the situation isn’t hopeless! God is so good He lets us in on what He’s doing and why He’s doing it.
As a result, Christians get the privilege of communicating the wisdom of Jesus Christ. And while many will reject the gospel, everyone needs to hear it.
And by everyone I mean everyone!
Every human being.
Every heavenly being, too.
Heavenly beings?
That’s what Paul says in the passage above.
The apostle doesn’t claim that angels need to get saved. Justification by faith in Christ is a gift God offers the lost human race.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” – John 3:16-17
Jesus fulfilled God’s plan by becoming one of us and dying in our place. Through His perfect sacrifice, we can receive forgiveness and eternal life. That’s God’s grace!
Of course, we have to spread this news. After all, someone told us about the Lord and we have to return the favor. As each Christian shares the gospel with someone else, word gets out. Not only around the world, but across the generations, too. For 2000 years, people have gotten the chance to find freedom from sin. They’ve encountered the living God and He’s transformed them. This is the church’s job!
But remember, God intended heavenly beings to learn about His saving plan, too. Who are these beings and why do they need to know about the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Let’s dismiss the notion that Paul’s talking about government officials. Mayor’s offices, governor’s mansions, and royal palaces aren’t in heaven; they’re down here! It’s spiritual “officials” who are now privy to the evangelical announcement. They get to hear what Jesus did.
They don’t need to know who He is. Spiritual beings have no difficulty identifying Jesus. They recognize Him! Even when He walked in the limitations of human flesh, they knew who He was. Neither angels nor demons were uncertain.
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” – Luke 2:10-12
“Whenever the impure spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’” – Mark 3:11
Who does Paul have in mind when he refers to these beings? Chapter 6 discusses spiritual warfare and connects it to evangelism (Ephesians 6:10-20). So it stands to reason that he refers to the same beings in chapter 3.
Again, evil spirits knew who Jesus was, but they didn’t discern God’s plan. By killing Him, they thought they’d prevented the Son of God from taking over the world. Their world. The one they’d been governing for millennia.
But the resurrection of Jesus threw everything out of kilter! Jesus–human and divine–redeemed humanity from sin and separation from God. We too, could join the family of God by trusting in the Son of God.
“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God– 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” – John 1:12-13
Paul declares that Jesus Christ is Lord. He’s the ruler of everything–heaven, earth, you name it! If we’re members of His family, we get to work in the family business. Through God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, we bring the kingdom of God to every corner of the globe.
Every day, evil spirits lose ground to Jesus Christ in the world they once ruled. The more the church spreads the gospel, the more souls escape the grip of these beings. They’re mad because they’re out of a job! We point the lost to Jesus and strive to win people to His authority.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” – Matthew 28:18-20
We’ll face resistance; the devil won’t give up without a fight, but Jesus has already won. He’s not becoming Lord; He is Lord!
So let’s serve Jesus with our whole hearts. He gave us everything He had; let’s do the same. He conquered our spiritual enemies; let’s spread the good news to free others.
Amen!
Recent Comments