The people of God have experienced millennia of the gap, waiting and longing for restoration, so naturally they are astonished when they get a glimpse of the Kingdom.
God has given us a great gift through Christ Jesus. He has forgiven us and declared us righteous and holy. He now blesses us by calling us to serve Him in the lives of those around us.
He is a God who changes curses into blessings. We see that clearest in Jesus, whose life, ministry, atoning death, and glorious resurrection is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Like a good field general, to conclude his epistle, Paul equips us for battle. He gives us the gifts and the armor we need to “stand against the schemes of the devil."