The Upward Look

The Gospel Is Powerful, October 22

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. Ephesians 3:2, 3. UL 309.1

Through divine revelation, the plan of salvation, as wrought out by Christ, was laid open to Paul. Called of God, he was to teach men that from a state of hopelessness, dead in trespasses and sins, there was deliverance through the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was life and power to reach forth unto holiness. Because of these revelations, Paul was blessed with a marvelous insight. Though he could not present to others all that he himself had seen, yet he was firmly rooted and grounded in the truth. No suffering or reproach could ever lead him to deny the great truths that had been revealed to him. No presentation of false theories could lead him away from the influence of the grand views he had received of heavenly things.... The gospel as presented by Paul in his writings is just as powerful today as when it was written. To men in all ages is made known the rich treasures of the grace of Christ, the abundant love of God as revealed through His Son. Can we, while in a cold, lifeless condition, appreciate these truths? UL 309.2

The gospel of Christ was preached to the Jewish nation. Had they accepted its truths, it would have proved their salvation. Through belief in Christ they might have become members of the royal family, manifesting through the succeeding ages the riches of His grace. But they, as a nation, rejected Christ, refused His offers of mercy, and were cut off from the parent vine, that the Gentiles might be grafted in. Still it is their privilege to become partakers with the Gentiles of the salvation of God. Belief in Christ will work in every man a transformation of character. UL 309.3

Through the transforming grace of Christ, the fruits of the Spirit are made manifest in the life of those who were once dead in trespasses and sins. In disposition, in words, and in actions, they are seen to be partakers of the divine nature. This wonderful grace was revealed to Paul, and he worked constantly that others might be brought to a knowledge of these saving truths. UL 309.4

To Jew and Gentile alike was the gospel preached under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The middle wall of partition that had separated the Jews was broken down in Christ Jesus. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).—Manuscript 111, October 22, 1906, “A Warning Against Formation.” UL 309.5