St. Paul's view of His ministry.
In these verses we have a comprehensive view of the ministry of the apostle, which suggests truths respecting the nature, subject, and object of every ministry that claims to be apostolic in its spirit. He teaches us the following truths:—
I. THAT HIS:MINISTRY WAS A STEWARDSHIP OF THE WORD OF GOD. Twice we find the personal claim, "I" "I Paul was made a minister." But far from the spiral of egotism, we hear in these words the echo of such expressions of grateful humility as we find in 1 Corinthians 15:8.-10; Ephesians 3:7, Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:12-14. For his ministry was a "stewardship." He was entirely dependent for it on another. He went forth, not to publish the thoughts excogitated in his own mind, but to "deliver" testimonies and doctrines which he had received (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The "mysteries" he had to deal with were not sacraments, but truths; and he was not a priest, but a preacher "of the gospel, whereof I Paul was made a minister" (verse 23). The stewardship was entrusted to him at his conversion (Acts 26:17, Acts 26:18). From it he could not escape (1 Corinthians 9:17). But he gloried in it (1 Corinthians 4:1, 1 Corinthians 4:2; Ephesians 3:8). Being a minister of Christ, he was a minister for the whole Church; "whereof," i.e. of which Church, "I was made a minister." And as such he willingly recognized himself even as a bondservant of the Church as well as of Christ ( δούλος) "for Jesus' sake"(2 Corinthians 4:5; see also 1 Corinthians 9:19-23). His one aim was to be faithful, "to fulfil the Word of God" (Romans 15:19; 2 Timothy 4:17).
II. THAT THE WORD ENTRUSTED TO HIM WAS A MYSTERY. A mystery, according to St. Paul, is a truth which was once hidden but is now revealed. It is not discovered by men, but revealed to men. This applies:
1. To the whole gospel (Ephesians 6:20). Who could have discovered or even conceived God's "way of salvation"? It was a mystery of mercy. But it is now an open secret, revealed by Christ's own lips and through his apostles and committed to our trust (1 Timothy 1:11; Jud 1 Timothy 1:3).
2. To the precious truth that was especially entrusted to St. Paul as the apostle of the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1-7). The admission of us Gentiles to all the blessings of the gospel on terms of perfect equality with the Jews was a truth which, in spite of such predictions as Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 56:1-12., 60., etc., was "hid from all ages and generations," even from the apostles of Christ during his earthly life (Matthew 10:5; Matthew 15:24). Before his conversion Paul would have been shocked at it as a blasphemous heresy. But God had revealed his Son in him (Galatians 1:15, Galatians 1:16).
III. THAT THIS MYSTERY FOUND ITS SOLUTION IN CHRIST.
1. When in the fulness of time God, transcending the hopes of the most sanguine anticipants of a glorious future, "sent forth his Son," "his unspeakable gift," it would have been unlike God to confine so great a blessing to such a fraction of humanity as the Jews.
2. The appearing of Christ was the greatest vindication of God's dealings with the heathen nations which in time past were suffered "to walk in their own ways" (Acts 14:16).
3. The atonement of Christ explained the forgiveness of sins among Gentiles as well as Jews in all ages (Romans 3:25, Romans 3:26).
4. The resurrection of Christ brought life and immortality to light in a world which sorrowed over its dead as having "no hope."
5. The ideal humanity of Christ (" the Son of man") pointed him out as "the Way to the Father" for all men apart from the hedges and barriers of the Jewish fold (John 10:16).
6. The reception of Christ in any soul brings a new life and love and a new "hope of glory." No wonder, then, that here and elsewhere the apostle adds term to term ("riches of his glory," "exceeding riches of his grace," etc.) to describe God's mystery of mercy for us Gentiles, "which is Christ in you the Hope of glory."
IV. THAT THE PREACHING OF CHRIST AIMS AT THE PERFECTION OF MEN. (Verses 28, 29.) We set before ourselves the highest standards. We aim to present men "perfect," in the manifold senses in which that word is used in the New Testament—perfect in condition (Hebrews 5:9), in knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:12), in character (Jud Isaiah 1:24), because perfect "in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:30). But for this end:
1. We must preach "Christ" in all his fulness, as our Immanuel, our atoning Priest, our Divine Head, our perfect Pattern, our final Judge, as "the Way and the Truth and the Life," as "all and in all."
2. We must be discriminative in our preaching—"warning" "teaching," "every man" "in all wisdom."
3. We must be earnest and "labour," "striving," etc.
4. We must be dependent, trusting to Christ's "working which worketh in me mightily."—E.S.P.
HOMILIES BY W.F. ADNENEY