The apostle Paul wrote the book of Ephesians in a very meaningful way. In chapter one he shows us how the Body of Christ is produced and exists out of the dispensing of the Triune God. Then, in chapter two he begins from another angle to show us the history of those who have been worked on by God’s dispensing to become the Body of Christ. With that as the background, he shows us that the church, a precious thing that was produced out of God’s dispensing, is a masterpiece, a most beautiful poem in the universe that the angels love to sing. Whenever the angels see a sinner saved, they sing. When they see the church, they will surely sing all the more. Then Paul shows us that in Christ’s death and resurrection, He used His divine element as the material to produce a universal new man. Finally, this masterpiece, this new man that can accomplish God’s eternal economy, is brought to God in one Spirit, having drawn near to God, without any barrier whatsoever, and remains in the presence of God to receive God’s continual and eternal dispensing. Like a steady stream, God dispenses Himself little by little into those who have a part in this new man. It is this continual, steady, eternal dispensing that coordinates them together, constitutes them together, and builds them up together. This built-up church is God’s kingdom on earth for the executing of His administration. It is also the household for the dispensing of His love, and as such, it becomes His eternal habitation in our spirit. After reading the first two chapters we should have a clear view concerning the church.
In chapter three Paul goes on to show us from another angle how God’s dispensing is executed and carried out. He speaks of God’s mystery in eternity, and this mystery is His economy. God’s dispensing is fully something that is in His economy, something in His plan, something in His purpose and arrangement. In order to carry out this dispensing and for the execution of this dispensing, the Triune God selected some with whom He was pleased, and whom He could use, and made them His dispensers, richly bestowing upon them His grace. Through God’s rich grace, there was an operation of God’s power within these people. These apostles and prophets then fulfilled their ministry according to the operation of God. Under such circumstances, the ministry of these ones is called the stewardship. They are the stewards because they are there to execute God’s dispensing.
In Greek the word for economy (oikonomia) denotes a household law, a household administration. The function of such a household administration is to manage all the riches of the household so that these riches will be distributed to the family members and that the lord of the house would be satisfied and have his desires fulfilled. In order to accomplish this, God has arranged to have many apostles and prophets to be stewards in His household management to manage the distribution of the riches of His great family, so that all the members of His family, that is, those who have a part in this family, will be able to share in the riches of God’s great household and thus satisfy His desire.
The apostle Paul was indeed such a steward. He exercised his stewardship to dispense God’s rich grace, that is, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to others. Hence, Paul’s stewardship is the execution of God’s economy. In 3:9 the word oikonomia is translated dispensation (economy), whereas in 3:2 it is translated stewardship. It is the same word, oikonomia. But it is translated differently. God’s economy, God’s universal household administration, is to distribute God’s unlimited riches in Christ. Paul said that he received a special commission, a special grace, and a special operation to transmit the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles chosen by God. This was his stewardship. Hence, the stewardship is God’s economy. The execution of God’s economy depends on the stewardship. Without the stewardship God has no way to execute His economy. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. This means that it is built on the revelation and the vision that they saw. This is similar to what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:18. He would build His church upon “this rock.” That rock is not mainly the rock itself, but the revelation concerning the rock. Peter told the Lord, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That revelation became the foundation of the building up of the church. The revelation and vision that the apostles saw is the foundation for the building up of the church. Upon this foundation are built all the riches of Christ. These are the unsearchable riches of Christ. The unsearchable riches of Christ are the unlimited grace of God. However, these riches, that is this grace, are not the direct material for the building; it must first be embodied in the individual believers, making these improper and useless believers the materials for the building up of the church.
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