Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Ephesians 1:10

to manage when the time was fulfilled, to bring everyone in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, in him;
- Ephesians 1:10

to manage - "To manage" refers to the responsibility believers in Christ have to steward the "riches of favor" mentioned in Ephesians 1:7. The word for "manage" in the Greek is a word used to describe those who manage a rich man's wealth (Luke 16).

when the time was fulfilled - "Time was fulfilled" is a reference to the "End of the Age" at which time the Jews expected God to destroy the Gentile nations, but instead of wrath, Paul says God's favor is for both Jews and Gentiles and He offers salvation to both through Christ.

to bring everyone in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, in him - "Those in heaven" are those who had died and gone to heaven. "Those on earth" are those who were still alive on earth. Paul mentions that those two categories of people are in Christ to correct the false teachings in Ephesus that only those who had died and gone to heaven are in Christ and that those Gentiles who did not observe the Jewish Law had God's wrath against them while they were on earth.