The Church's Privileges

Aim: To understand, enjoy, and practice the church's privileges.

Doctrine: The church's privileges all flow from God's rich grace, which come to her through gospel preaching, and which invest her with great purpose.

Exegesis: The essentials of the church's privileges: we have the honor of revealing God's ways to all beings everywhere (v. 10); we have the distinction of enjoying strong assurance in Christ (vv. 11-12); we have the advantage of benefiting from our collective struggles (v. 13).

Further application: How to more fully participate in the church's privileges: learn to live by faith (''seeing'' the invisible world), and find in Christ alone God's completed accomplishments.

Key verse: v. 10 ''To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places...''