Ephesians 3:8

“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”.

“Unto me”: Over 20 years after his conversion and appointment, Paul still stands amazed that God choose him to be an apostle. “Who am less than the least of all saints”: “Less than the least of all Christians” (Phi). See 1 Corinthians 15:8. “In affirming this he is neither indulging in hypocrisy nor grovelling in self-depreciation. He means it. He is deeply conscious both of his own unworthiness because he ‘formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted' Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:13).. good indication that his modesty was neither sham nor morbid is that it did not hinder him from taking responsibility as an apostle” (Stott p. 119). The above comment gives us an excellent measuring stick for humility. True humility will always assume its responsibilities as. Christian. True humility says, "I'm undeserving, but. still need to use my talents". False or mock humility uses the expression "I'm no good" as an excuse to cover its failure to do any good. Coffman makes. good point concerning those who claim that some disciple or admirer of Paul actually wrote this letter: “The falsehood inherent in the theory of pseudonymous authorship of Ephesians shines in. passage like this. As Bruce said, ‘No disciple of Paul's would have dreamed of giving the apostle so low. place'; furthermore, it is obvious to any thoughtful person that ‘no Christian who ever lived' would have given Paul so low. place! That is, none expect the apostle himself who wrote the epistle” (p. 170).

“The unsearchable”: That which is past finding out, not tracked and untraceable. “Which cannot be tracked out” (Vincent p. 381). “Like. reservoir so deep that soundings cannot reach the bottom of it no limit can be placed on the resources of Christ. No sinner can be so foul, no multitude can be so huge, that the blood of Christ and the love of Christ are inadequate” (Boles p. 248). “Trackless, inexplorable, not in the sense that any part is inaccessible, but that the whole is too vast to be mapped out and measured” (Coffman p. 170). “Riches of Christ”: “Boundless wealth to be found in the Christ” (TCNT). “The endless treasures available to them in Christ” (Tay). “Usually precious things are rare, their rarity increasing their value; but here that which is most precious is boundless” (Coffman p. 170). “Jowett compared our effort to fathom the riches of God to. man starting to measure the dimensions of. lake and discovering that it is. cove on the edge of the ocean” (Caldwell p. 118).

Unfortunately, sometimes Christians apply "unsearchable" to the Word of God, and then conclude that the Bible can never be fully understood or understood correctly. Remember, Paul has already said that we can "perceive his insight" (Ephesians 3:4). Stott has some good comments concerning these "unsearchable riches":

“What these riches are we may judge from Paul's exposition in Ephesians 1:1; Ephesians 2:1. They are riches freely available because of the cross. They include resurrection from the death of sin, victorious enthronement with Christ in the heavenlies, reconciliation with God, incorporation with Jewish believers in His new society, the end of hostility and the beginning of peace, access to the Father through Christ, membership of His kingdom and household, and all this only. foretaste of yet more riches to come” (p. 120).

“To preach unto the Gentiles”: “Indirectly in these past verses the apostle has indicated two of the strongest incentives to evangelism. All revealed truth is held in stewardship. It is given to be shared not monopolized. If men cannot keep their scientific discoveries to themselves, how much less should we keep to ourselves the divine disclosures? Paul then went on to emphasize the valuable content of the message itself. He was convinced, as we must be, that Christ never impoverishes those who put their trust in him. Once we are sure that the gospel is both truth from God and riches for mankind, nobody will be able to silence us” (Stott pp. 120-121). The phrase "unsearchable riches" should cause us to turn. deaf ear to those who claim that Christianity has caused all the world's problems. True Christianity, when applied, always makes. better person.