Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com

 

 

 

The Manifold Wisdom of God”

The Wisdom and Prudence of Grace

Ephesians 1:8-9

 

Oh, how I want you to know, enjoy, and confidently walk in the blessed light of “the manifold wisdom of God!

The opening word of our text, “Wherein,” refers us back to verse 7 and the riches of God’s boundless free grace in Christ in performing redemption and the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Christ, “according to the riches of his grace!” “Wisdom” refers to God’s infinite knowledge. “Prudence” refers to the great, infinitely great skill by which our God accomplishes his wise and good purpose of grace in making “known unto us the mystery of his will.”

Ephesians 1:8-9 tell us that our great God has, by his Spirit, abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, in all knowledge and insight, in all the wisdom and skill of his infinite being, in revealing to us “the mystery of his will.

The mystery of his will,” which God the Holy Spirit has made known to us in the revelation and experience of grace, giving us faith in Christ, is our eternal election in and redemption by Christ, “which he hath purposed in himself” (Romans 8:28-30). “The mystery of his will” is all that Paul has declared in Ephesians 1:3-7.

            By indescribable brilliance and skill, the Lord God, the God of all grace, makes known to sinners the mystery of his will in the blessed experience of his saving grace in Christ Jesus!

 

Secrets Revealed

Our Lord Jesus says, in John 15:15, “I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” God’s everlasting love for us, his eternal purpose of grace toward us, even the redemption of our souls by Christ are secret things, known only to God, until they are revealed to us and in us by the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith in Christ. — “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). When faith is given, the mystery is revealed (2 Corinthians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:9-10).

 

Conversion

That is what happens in conversion. We have a beautiful picture of it in the opening verses of the Bible (Genesis 1:1-3). Paul told the Thessalonian saints that he knew their election because God had given them faith in Christ by the power and grace of God the Holy Ghost (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5); and we know our own election by our God given faith in Christ.

      The sovereign work of God in redemption and grace is the exercise of infinite wisdom and prudence, infinite knowledge and insight, infinite brilliance and skill. — God’s grace abounds toward us “in all wisdom and prudence.

      In a word, our God not only saves his elect in the only way we could be saved, but in the very best way. As is always the case, God’s way is the best way. We will spend eternity diving into the depths and soaring into the heights of all the divine “wisdom and prudence” of God’s infinite, boundless grace toward us in Christ.

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor Fortner’s

 

Audio Sermons

Video Sermons

Books

Itinerary