EPHESIANS: Wisdom and Insight

EPHESIANS Number 10:
Wisdom and Insight

Ephesians 1:8 (KJV 1900)
8Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Father has given us redemption and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. He has done it “according to” His infinite grace. In that great and magnificent grace, he has “abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” We don’t really speak that way these days, so let’s see if scripture can help us unpack what’s encoded here.

In His infinite grace we have received infinite forgiveness. There are no sins we have done, are doing, or ever will do, that are not already completely forgiven. Likewise, He has placed His Spirit within us. It is in this way that He has abounded toward us, or lavished upon us, these tremendous blessings. He has given us Himself!

This He did in all wisdom and prudence. Colossians 2:3 helps us with this. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, it says, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The prophet Isaiah expounded on this with regard to the Spirit of God in Christ. In Isaiah 11:2 we find, “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” In the introduction to our study, I mentioned that prudence is “a thoughtful frame of mind, ability to understand, insight.” Whether the words are wisdom and prudence, wisdom and understanding, or wisdom and knowledge, we can see that these are characteristics of the Lord Jesus who lives in us by His Spirit.

God has lavished this upon us. He has caused it to abound toward us. In Jesus all the fullness of God exists in bodily form (see Colossians 2:9). In us exists the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (see Romans 8:11), the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (see Romans 8:9). When that fullness came to live within us, we were made complete in Him (see Colossians 2:10) having everything we need for life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:3).