Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

This wonderful verse taken from the pinnacle of the Epistles begins with a figure of speech, in which Paul belittles himself in order to draw attention to something very great and important. This is a common figure of speech called Litotes or Meiosis defined as a phrase that understates or lessens one thing in order to magnify another. Paul denigrates himself in order to magnify God’s grace.

Paul in Ephesians chapter two told how the Jewish and Gentile remnant of believers from the former dispensation had been made into one new man. He spoke of them all together as Gentiles (See 3:1; 4:1). It is to this new man that Paul proclaims his message.

The theme of Paul's message among the Gentiles is the unsearchable riches of Christ. When making a comparison of the structure in this section, we see this expression is balanced by the mystery of Christ in verse 4.

Now since the mystery of Christ has been steadily unfolding from Genesis 1:1 up till the dispensation of the mystery completes it, we have also the unfolding of His riches, their wealth and abundance.

In Genesis 1:1 He is the Creator, and therefore owner of the universe by right of creation. We meet with such expressions as "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof", "The world is Mine and the fulness thereof", and many like expressions. It would take years to search out all the ascriptions of honor, and glory, and power, and many other attributes, all of which are a part of His fathomless wealth and are never capable of being fully traced out.

It is true that there are some riches in the prison epistles that may not have been known by the prophets, such as His Headship, His manifestation in glory, and the like. But at no time was anybody able to trace out or understand fully His riches. Look at the abounding wealth of His goodness (Romans 2:4), or the super abounding wealth of His grace (Ephesians 1:7), or the riches or abundance of the glory of this mystery (Colossians 1:27), or the riches of the full or abundant knowledge (Colossians 2:2).

We can say that in the dispensation of the mystery, God is making known His plan and purpose for the ages, even those from before age-times, all centered in His Son. It is His eternal or age-time purpose in Christ.

Now since the mystery of Christ and the riches of Christ have been made known all through the ages, then we can say of both that they have their completion and fullest exposition in the revelation of the mystery which had been hid in God from ages and generations.

Let us not feel that we fully know these things for they are as endless and boundless as The Lord Himself.

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