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The topic of the early portion of the first chapter of this Epistle, is that good men have been the subjects of Divine thought and predestination in Christ from everlasting ages. The topic of the latter portion of the first chapter is, that their future destiny runs parallel throughout eternity with that of the Son of God, raised from the dead and glorified. The subject of the second chapter and the early portion of the third, is the close union of believing Jews and Gentiles in all this grace and glory forever. It is worth while to describe the state of things between Jews and heathen in the days of the apostles, and to show the bearing of those facts on the present and future position of the Israelites in the world.

1. Let us, then, note first, that in former ages God had established a discipline of marvellous complexity for the separation of the Abrahamic people.

(1) They were thus separated from the nations, in order that they might be delivered from the contamination of surrounding paganism, and might preserve in ever-increasing strength a zeal for their own religion, which was, so far as it went, the only true one on earth.

(2) The object of their separation was to enable them to transmit with intensity the rays of that lighthouse of truth, placed on the heights of Zion, over the dark and troubled sea of surrounding paganism, so that the nations might more effectually learn the verities which Judaism enshrined.

(3) Their separation was a necessary preliminary for a future mission as the missionaries and evangelists of the whole world.

2. The next point to notice is that the Hebrew prophets, ages before the coming of Christ, had foretold that when the Messiah appeared this "middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles" would be broken down, so that all who served God would be brought into one church of the true worshippers (see Isaiah 2:2, 3; Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 51:5; Jeremiah 3:17; Zechariah 8:22).

3. But this mystery of the future worship of Jehovah to be rendered by united Jews and Gentiles was hidden from the eyes of the Jewish people until it was proclaimed and asserted by Christ (John 10:16).

4. Although the gospel of Jesus has established the spiritual union of all believing Jews and believing Gentiles in one spiritual Church, so that they form one body in Christ, still so long as the earth lasts, this spiritual union of Jew and Gentile has not abolished the nationality of the Jews, any more than it has annihilated the nationality of the Englishman, the Spaniard, the German, or the Dane.

(E. White.)

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KJV: Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

WEB: by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;