THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE - By Robert E Hanna

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:2

Having explained to his Gentile hearers the privileges and blessings purchased for them by Christ at Calvary, the apostle Paul writes, "Forthis cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ you Gentiles, if ye have heard of THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery [the secret]' .. which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men ... that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel ... " (Ephesians 3:1-6). Instructing his young son Timothy in the faith, Paul wrote, "I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles .... Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 1:11-13).

The dispensation of the grace of God was revealed and committed to Paul by the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven after He had struck down and saved Saul (His chief persecutor), later giving him a new name Paul. Christ, speaking from Heaven, declared, "He [Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake" (Acts 9:15, 16).

And suffer he did! In his own words: ''Thrice was 1 beaten with rods, once was 1 stoned, thrice 1 suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have 1 been in the deep" (II Corinthians 11:25). Yet in his faithfulness he declared, "I take pleasure in necessities, in persecutions .. .for Christ's sake" (II Corinthians 12:10).