Ephesians 1:10

Unto a dispensation of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; IN HIM, I say.

We have taken the liberty of capitalizing the phrase which dominates this entire epistle. One may easily imagine that Paul here made some emphatic gesture, as he dictated these words, or raised his voice in repeating these dynamic key words of the New Testament. Any failure to get the full meaning of being "in Christ" is to forfeit all hope of understanding that part of the New Testament written by the apostle Paul.

Dispensation of the fullness of times ... Although "dispensation" is a word normally connected with a servant's administration of the affairs of another, "Here it is applied to the disposal of all things by God himself, according to the law which he has set himself to do all things by."[21]

Fullness of times ... This is a reference to the fact that God scheduled all of the events of time and history, whether sacred or profane, in advance. The first Advent of Christ (Galatians 4:4), the events of our Lord's ministry (John 2:4; 17:1), the resurrection of the dead (John 5:28), the eternal judgment (Acts 17:31), the rise, growth and subsidence of nations (Acts 17:26), and the Second Advent of Christ with the summing up of God's total purpose in him, as glimpsed in this verse - all things move according to the cosmic schedule of God himself. Colossians 1:16-20 and Philippians 2:9,10, are similar to this passage.

Sum up all things in Christ ... The view in this letter is nothing less than universal; as Hayes said, "The word all occurs in this epistle fifty-one times!"[22] Paul is thinking of the ultimate total and complete victory of God in Christ over all evil. Amazingly, Paul's writings leave no doubt that there are implications and results of that victory which far transcend the affairs of mortals. "Things in heaven and things upon the earth," as well as things "under the earth" (Philippians 2:10) shall finally recognize the authority and dominion of Christ and confess his name to the glory of God.

Foulkes noted that "This verse has been used as the keystone of the doctrine of `Universalism,' to the effect that all people shall be saved in the end."[23] Nothing in the passage, however, supports such a view. Indeed "all things" shall be compelled to acknowledge the authority and glory of the Son of God; but Jesus himself spoke of certain ones in the final judgment scene who indeed acknowledge him as "Lord," but who shall not enter into life (Matthew 7:21-23).

A practical deduction from this was made by Martin thus:

Since Christ is preeminent in God's purpose in the whole universe as well as in the church, the individual who does not have Christ preeminent in his life is entirely out of harmony with the purpose of the Father.[24]

[21] Alfred Barry, op. cit., p. 18.

[22] D. A. Hayes, op. cit., p. 388.

[23] Francis Foulkes, op. cit., p. 53.

[24] Alfred Martin, op. cit., p. 727.