The mystery of Christ is to make the multifarious wisdom of God known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies (Eph. 3:10). There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is both higher and deeper than knowledge. Wisdom is seen in the initiation of something, for example, in the formulation of a new invention, and knowledge is seen in the practical application. God is the unique initiator. He has initiated many things, not by His knowledge but by His wisdom. When He comes in to apply what He has initiated, He displays His knowledge.
Ephesians 3:10 speaks of God’s multifarious wisdom. The Greek word translated “multifarious” indicates that God’s wisdom has many sides, aspects, and directions. God’s wisdom is manifold, and it has many significances.
The multifarious wisdom of God is to be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies. These rulers and authorities are the angelic rulers and authorities, both good and evil. Ephesians 3:10 especially refers to the evil ones-Satan and his angels. According to the New Testament, Satan has his kingdom, his angels, and his sphere of rule. Satan’s sphere of rule is in the air and on the earth. The book of Daniel indicates that all nations on earth are under the rule of Satan in the air. God desires to demonstrate to the powers of Satan how wise He is. Therefore, through the church God makes His wisdom known not mainly to human beings but to those rebellious angels who are the followers of God’s enemy.
Even the rebellion of Satan is within the realm of God’s wisdom. If it were not for Satan’s rebellion, God’s wisdom could not be made known in a full way. Satan has created many opportunities for God’s wisdom to be manifested in a multifarious way, that is, in various ways and aspects and from many angles.
God’s wisdom is manifested in creation. God created all things with man as the center to express God and represent Him. As we consider creation we realize how much of God’s wisdom is exhibited in it. “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all” (Psa. 104:24). How great was God’s wisdom in designing the galaxies, the planets, the earth, the flowers, the birds, the animals, and man!
God’s wisdom is also exhibited in His redemption of fallen man. God foreknew that His enemy would rebel against Him, and God was prepared to face that situation. God also foreknew that the man created in His image for His purpose would be induced by Satan to sin, and He was also prepared to face that situation. Seemingly, the fall of man presented a great problem to God. However, this simply afforded Him an opportunity to express His wisdom in His redemption.
Because man was poisoned by Satan and corrupted by sin, God not only redeemed him but also regenerated him with His life. God redeemed man so that He could regenerate him with the divine life. Now God is working continually to sanctify His regenerated people with His holy nature and to transform them with His element. The divine life is for regeneration, the holy nature is for sanctification, and the divine element is for transformation. Furthermore, God will conform His regenerated, sanctified, and transformed people to the image of His Son. Eventually, He will glorify them with Himself. Therefore, the divine life, the divine nature, the divine element, the divine being, and the divine glory will all be used to form fallen and corrupted man into a Body to express Christ, the embodiment of the Triune God. How much wisdom is required for this!
No human word can tell the greatness of God’s wisdom in redemption, regeneration, sanctification, transformation, conformation, and glorification. Nevertheless, by His mercy and grace, in our spirit we can apprehend with all the saints such a marvelous wisdom. In our spirit we can realize that God uses all He is and has to produce His family so that He may have a Body prepared and formed for His Son to express the Son as the embodiment of the Triune God. Such a Body is prepared and formed through regeneration by the divine life, sanctification by the divine nature, transformation by the divine element, conformation by the divine being, and glorification by the divine glory.
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