The Fulness of Time

2018-05-06

God waited for exactly right time in human history to send His Son to die for humanity. The phrase “fulness of time” in Galatians 4:4 is also used (in plural) in Ephesians 1:10, which tells us about God’s perfect calculation. The coming of Christ brought in a whole new administration as to how God was going to reveal Himself to the world. Previously, God had used the physical nation of Israel to reach the world. This nation was strategically placed at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, so that people traveling could see God’s work in Israel.

Now, His mission is accomplished by Christ crucified and risen again, and Him preached to the world via local churches. Christ is the servant of God that Israel could not be (Isaiah 49).

God waited until the right time to accomplish this great work in Christ. God had progressively revealed this plan through the ages, until the “fulness of time” in the first century A.D. This is called the “fulness of time” for a few reasons.

1. The Jews were in subjection to the Romans and King Herod. There was an expectation for the Messiah to come and deliver them from those pagan rulers (Luke 3:15). King Herod was from Idumea, or an Edomite, which would have been a sore spot for any Jewish person.
2. The Gentiles had the Septuagint. Any speaker of Greek could read this Greek translation of the Old Testament. Greek was the lingua franca of the day, so the average person had access to God’s Word.
3. Synagogues were scattered throughout the world. These Jewish congregations existed everywhere since the Jews were scattered in the Diaspora in the sixth century B.C. Many Gentiles went to these synagogues to hear about the Creator God, such as Cornelius (Acts 10).
4. Roman infrastructure allowed easier travel. Gospel preachers could travel the world more easily on Roman roads.