Wisdom Wednesday: Paul’s Teaching on Wisdom
Part 5 – Wisdom for the church at Ephesus
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him” Eph 1:7–9a (NASB 95)
As we continue to study the development of the wisdom theme in Paul’s teaching, we look at the epistle to the Ephesians as the next in the chronological sequence of Paull’s writings. We already looked at his messages to the churches at Thessalonica while on his second missionary journey, and his two letters to Corinth and his letter to the believers at Rome on his third missionary journey. Then we looked at his message to the Galatian believers, where he contrasted the walk of the flesh with the walk of wisdom as believers walk by means of the Spirit.
We now move forward in time after his three missionary journeys to his arrest and trial in Jerusalem, then to his journey to Rome where he was under house arrest (Acts 28:16-30). In these years, he wrote pastoral epistles including Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians.
Paul had a major ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19-20) and the book of Ephesians to the believers further developed the themes of the life of wisdom by knowing the Lord and walking daily with Him. Paul developed an exposition of the believer’s position in Christ and the walk’ that is the result in this book. The first chapter – and extended theology of God’s purpose – shows the work of the trinity:
- God the Father in the past has adopted believers to be His children (vv. 4-6a)
- God the Son in the present has provided redemption (vv. 6b-11)
- God the Spirit has sealed our inheritance so that in the future we are redeemed to eternal life for God’s praise and glory (vv. 12-14)
The structure of this first chapter is provided in the following graphic, pointing out how by His grace God shares His wisdom with the believer to know His will, so we may glorify Him and walk wisely. (Eph. 5:15) In this way, God imputes wisdom to the believer to walk worthy of being called His inheritance.
Consider Paul’s use of wisdom in this extended passage:
- God’s Plan – In Ephesians 1:8 Paul explains that God devised His plan of salvation “In all wisdom and insight..” Here, wisdom ( Greek σοφία, sophia) is God’s ability to choose the optimum means to save (redeem) hopeless sinners, and insight (Greek φρόνησις phronesis) is God’s practical knowledge of how to sacrifice His Son as a substitute for our sins.
- God’s Gift – In Ephesians 1:17, Paul prayed that the believers would receive, “…a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” He wanted the believers to receive a sprit of wisdom and revelation (Greek ἀποκάλυψις apokalupsis) to know God personally as they walked with Him daily. Paul wanted them to be excited as God revealed Himself to them as they studied and learned.
In the remaining five chapters of the epistle, Paul proceeded to explain that the teaching of the Gospel is no less than revealing the “manifold wis mouse up dom” of God. (Eph 3:10)
Paul also relates this wisdom to the way of living the believer should follow – the “walk” of the wise believer. Reminding the believers that they “formerly walked according to the course of this world” (Eph 2:2), he instructed them in the new walk of the wise believer:
- For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Eph. 2:10)
- Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called… (Eph. 4:1)
- So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind … (Eph. 4:17)
- … and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Eph. 5:2)
- … for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (Eph. 5:8)
Paul concludes his guidance to the believers on how to live wisely in the will of God:
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph 5:15–17)