1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory."
Ephesians 3:1-13
When God began to work on man's recovery and redemption He instituted, with infinite care, patience and longsuffering, the plan of the ages, His 'eternal purpose in Christ Jesus' and the first rays of the dawn of a new day broke on the darkness of a fallen world in the promise given to Adam in the Garden of Eden. And it was things that the angels could not grasp or comprehend, this that was beyond their understanding altogether. They could not see how a holy God could withhold judgment from a sinful race; they could not see the force of this plan, and it perplexed them. They were out of their depth, and God said to them, gently, 'What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter'. And bewilderment followed bewilderment as they watched Him single out one man, Abraham, and one family, one nation to the exclusion of all the rest. 'What can this mean?' the angels asked. 'Has He discarded all the nations, saved this one only; has He found the task of saving all the nations too great and settled on this one only?' Thus they viewed God's dealings with men all down the Old Testament ages, in perplexity. Then there was the Incarnation. And although the angels sang at Christ's birth, they did not fully understand why. Then came His public ministry, and this is perhaps where the first gleams of light began to dawn on the angelic hosts, as they saw broken lives transformed and broken hearts made to sing. Then came the Cross and the Resurrection and Pentecost, and glorious ingathering and the formation of the Church - the appearance of a band of men and women in that lost and darkened world with an infinite hope in their hearts, a glorious light in their eyes, and a glad new song on their lips, brought back so miraculously into fellowship with God and the heavenly hosts began to say, 'So this is the meaning of all the work and travail, this is what it is all about!' 'Yes, that is the meaning', said God, and His manifold wisdom dawns on their souls as they see before their wondering eyes glorious and breathtaking miracles, the hand of God bringing forth life out of death and blessing out of cursing, and so overcoming evil in the world, that the redeemed state of man is infinitely greater and more wonderful than if he had never sinned at all. Wonderful indeed is this many-splendoured wisdom of God!