Chapter 3:1-6

The apostle had set forth in the preceding chapters the hope of glory and the oneness of the body of Christ; he had presented the Spirit given as the seal and earnest of the glory, the Spirit as the center of the oneness; and, while waiting for this glory, he has presented the church, not only as the co-heir of this glory in hope, but as being the habitation of God by the Spirit during the present time. Paul, in these two chapters, spews us first the glory with Christ; and afterward the church, the Bride of Christ and habitation of God by the Spirit. Now, introducing the Gentiles unto the oneness of the body, the apostle says, "I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." All that follows from the first verse to the end of the chapter is in parenthesis, as is seen by the first verse of the fourth chapter, "I therefore, the prisoner." What is said at the beginning of this fourth chapter is connected with the end of the second chapter, where it is seen that we are the habitation of God, the dwelling of God; this is the calling of which it said, "I beseech you.... to walk worthy of the calling with which ye are called." In such a position we are always humble; and this it is which is to walk worthy of the calling revealed.
At the beginning of the chapter there are two things to observe: personal humility which leads us to walk in oneness; and the individual gifts. There is one body, one spirit, and the gifts alone are different in the members of the body. The third chapter is an unfolding of this truth, that the Holy Spirit dwells in His habitation, which is the church. Paul says: "I, Paul, prisoner for you Gentiles, etc.;" and the consequence was that since, as to the church, Paul would not place the Jews above the Gentiles, by reason of the malice of this people, he became prisoner for the love of the Gentiles; here is the testimony which Paul gives about it. "That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel." It is wonderful how slow Christians are to understand the largeness of the counsels of God; for Paul was obliged to say even to the Ephesians, who were certainly a blessed church, if they had the understanding of the ways of God as to him, Paul; "If so be ye have heard."
In general we are obliged to be much more occupied with the details of the Christian life than with the great principles of this life. God is patient; but it is sorrowful that the state of the church should be such. Because of the want of spirituality, the spirit cannot go on to unfold the riches of the thoughts of Jesus; He is then forced to be occupied with the walk that the Gospel may not be dishonored. The understanding of the counsels of God depends on the faithfulness of the walk, and what will be the consequence of this faithful walk? It will be a state of struggle with all, especially with all that Judaises. It is impossible but that in the actual state in which the world is, opposition should not be shown against the one who is faithful; and the fact of having more light excites opposition even with Christians. (Paul is a striking example of it).
The apostle often repeats this: that the church has not been revealed in the Old Testament. Certainly, the prophets of the Old Testament confirm the blessed position of the church, inasmuch as this truth is based upon the blessing of God being extended even to the nations. Blessing which. they (the prophets) had testified of.-(Psa. 18:49; Deut. 32:43; Psa. 117).- There, it is the Gentiles who are to rejoice with His people; but what the church is, is never spoken of. In the Colossians it is said of Christ: " Christ the hope of glory"; whilst that Christ whom the Jews expected, was to be a Christ personally present; a Christ who was to bring in the glory (this will take place at the end); so that a Christ who was only a hope when he was there, was a thing which could not be understood. It was a mystery, of which the prophets had never said a word; they had spoken of a Christ who was to accomplish such or such things, but never of a Christ in us, the hope of glory of the Church. Christ in us is the practical and actual point of this mystery.
In Rom. 16:26, the Apostle teaches the same truth, that the Church was a mystery, unknown before the death of Christ. God had always had the thought of the Church; but it was hidden. Paul, in his communications to the Gentiles, rests upon what the prophets had said of the grace of God towards the Gentiles, and he quotes these prophets (Rom. 15:9-12). It is certain that a Christ promised, and who was to be rejected, is clearly revealed in the prophets; but we know that this was an enigma for the Jews (" We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth forever"); and the thought of a Christ who had other members, and those too among the Gentiles, would have been still more incomprehensible. The Church is united to Christ, and if we wish to find it in the Old Testament, we must seek Christ Himself, and see it in Him. See, for example, Isa. 50:8: "He is near which justifies me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together; who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold the Lord God will help me who is he that shall condemn me?" and Rom. 8:32, 33.
This challenge to all the world-because it is God who justifies us, which in Isaiah is spoken by Christ Himself- is in the Romans applied to the Church. God only sees Christ; and these things are applied to us as being united to Christ. We are accepted in the Beloved. The thought of a people united to Christ by a spiritual life, or rather, of a people united to Christ by One Spirit which was in Him and them, was never touched upon in the Old Testament. Christ Himself had not this position as Head of the body; and consequently the Spirit was not yet thus given.
The Apostles and Prophets, the foundation upon which the Church is built, are not the prophets of old; for we see here it is things now revealed to these prophets that are spoken of, in contrast with the times past; they are then the prophets of the New Testament. In 1 Peter 1:12, it is written, that the ancient prophets knew it was not for them that these things were written; and verse 6 of this chapter explains to us this mystery, namely, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs; he declares to us this good news, that the middle wall of partition was broken down by the death of Christ; that all that which had made the difference between Jews and Gentiles had disappeared, and that Jews and Gentiles were made one in Christ. We see the difficulty the Apostle Peter had in admitting this truth (for example, Cornelius); Paul was obliged to resist this Apostle to the face. The ancient Jews had great difficulty in acknowledging this glorious truth, and the oneness of the Church.