Committed into the Deep of God’s Grace

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

It is written: “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32)

Frequently when sailors die they have their bodies “committed into the deep of the sea.” Such is the thought of the Apostle Paul as he speaks to the elders of Ephesus. He faithfully testified of the gospel of the grace of God; thus, he was pure from the blood of all; he declared the whole counsel of God; and he warned them of the wolves that would come to destroy. Paul did all he could possibly do for them; now, his time with them had come to an end. He must sail on and they must remain. Paul committed them into the endless depths of God and into the word of His grace. Strange as the wording may sound, it is the very picture of those who have been crucified with Christ Jesus unto salvation by grace, committed into the hands of the Father for safe keeping, and committed into the word (not words) of His grace. One is not saved and left desolate on a deserted island.

The Apostle Paul knew he could no longer be there to sustain them in the things of God. His ministry with the Ephesian church had come to an end. Were they ready for the task before them? What more could he do? Well, the truth of the matter is that no church of the Lord Jesus is dependent upon man, not even the great Apostle Paul. Every true church is reliant only upon its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word of the Father’s grace. The season Paul had with the church in Ephesus was a remarkable experience for him and them, but it came time to commit the body into the engulfing headship of Christ. The body (church) belonged to the Lord, not Paul. Its rightful place was in the great billows of the Lord’s grace. Immersed in that marvelous grace, a clear personal knowledge would come to them of the Father and the Son. This word of His grace provided the necessary elements for building them up, spiritually bringing them to sanctification. As it is written: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (Jn. 17:17)

It is a wonderful blessedness to perceive that as believers we have been committed into the depths of the Father’s hands and into the great billows of the Word of His sovereign grace! Praise His Name!