Ephesians 3:11

“This is according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God's intent was to make known through the church His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. This was His eternal plan.

people are changeable, and at times, fickle. For many people, a long-term plan means as far as next weekend.

but God is not like us. When God makes a plan it is not provisional or conditional on what happens. When God makes a plan it is perfect from the beginning, and is not subject to change or improvement.

God's plan commenced in “eternity past,” that before time began. Before the creation of the world, God made plans for a physical universe that was distinct from the heavenly realms. In that plan, God would create a race of people who could choose to reject God's love. He would give people an option to obey God, to worship God, and to surrender to him. Or not.

this choice had been made available to the angels , but some, led by Satan, rebelled against God. While angels who have stood in the glory of the presence of God and still rejected him, are beyond repentance, human beings who only see God dimly, like a distorted reflection, they could have the ability to be redeemed and rescued.

so while God did not create sin, he did allow for it. He foreknew that Adam and Eve would fall as would every single person since. But he made a plan long before this happened that would provide a way out.

in the book of Revelation, Christ is described as “ the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” ( Revelation 13:8). Thus it was always God's intention from before creation that Jesus would pay for our sins.

God's eternal purpose stretches into the future also. What was proposed before the beginning of time is eternal and unchanging, and so will continue past the end of time. There is no expiry date on salvation. The offer will always be there because God's purpose is eternal and does not change.

it might be possible for God to change His mind about how people are brought into His Kingdom. It is possible that God could say that only people born again before the year 2020 could be saved. But he will not do that because his plan and purpose are eternal and will last for eternity.

God's purpose is eternal also in the sense that it will carry us through to eternity. He has said that we will live with him forever. There will be no time limit in heaven. We will not be transient visitors as we are on Earth. We will be there forever.

His eternal purpose, that is to save people from sin and equip them for eternity, was accomplished through Jesus. His death on the cross was the moment in time when the eternal plan was activated.

the mystery, the plan, the purpose was this: God gave himself to rescue a fallen race. The revelation to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms was that sin will not steal away God's glory. His love and righteousness come together to defeat all sinfulness and wilfulness.

all of this is through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christ literally means “ anointed one” and refers to the Messiah. Jesus was the one sent by God to rescue His people. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit for this task.

Jesus is the Greek form of the name Yeshua which means “ the Lord is our saviour” or “ the Lord saves.” It is God's nature to save his beloved people .

Lord is the name for Yahweh, the one true God. Jesus is not just a man. He is divine. He is the Lord.

Key points in this verse:

• God's purpose was commenced before time began

• jesus is the Lamb who was slain at the beginning of time

• God's plan will not change and Salvation will not stop

• jesus is the Messiah and he is the Lord God