I believe I can confidently say that everyone in this world has their secrets, and, in many cases, some people are better at keeping them than others. But what is it about keeping secrets that is so important? I suppose that it is a way to protect yourself, especially your repute, from the criticisms of others or even perhaps protecting someone else’s feelings. While secrets have their place in our lives, let’s face it, there is little more electrifying than waiting for the disclosure of something important that’s been concealed. As an example, when an announcement is made of a significant piece of information will be published, something like an old conspiracy theory that will come to light, we get our popcorn out and await eagerly its divulging. It’s largely the same feeling as when we are about to find out the revelation of a plot in a mystery novel. But when thinking of a mystery, we’re not necessarily thinking in the exact same way as a secret. There are cases when a mystery is comparable to a secret, but a mystery can also be defined as the revelation of something we possess some information about, but not in its full form. We’ve received hints or bits of information throughout time, but we’ve not seen the full picture. Now, try to imagine a mystery that has been kept under wraps for thousands of years, not something that we had no idea about, but something that we only saw a part of the picture. Envision each year receiving a blurred photo progressively getting clearer and then suddenly at the right time, we see it in its final form. This is the real deal, this is the full picture, all the details have been shared and it’s absolutely beautiful and glorious. In this segment of Ephesians, we are going to explore such a mystery, the mystery of God’s will in the form of a heavenly blessing.
The Text
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)
The Mysterious Divine Will
The apostle Paul is now at the point in his epistle where he’s ready to share with his readers that God made known to us the mystery of His will. There was something hidden or only partially known in the past that is now fully displayed[1]. This generally refers to an Old Testament mystery revealed in the New Testament and linked with the coming of the Messiah. In this case, Paul is revealing the will of God. This mystery has similar overtones with that of the mystery Paul spoke about in Romans 16:25-26:
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith.
While Paul will reveal the will of God in the salvation of the Jews (Romans 11:25), in Ephesians, the focus is upon the mystery of the salvation of the Gentiles which He made known to the nations (3:3-4; 5:32; 6:19). Under the Old Covenant scriptures, it was revealed that the nations would be blessed in Abraham (Genesis 18:18; 26:4). Paul writes that the fulfilment of this Abrahamic blessing came through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:8). The fact that the Gentiles would be blessed was no secret in of itself (Psalm 22:27-30; Isaiah 2:2) but how that blessing would come was revealed at the coming of Christ. The Gentiles would be fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power (Ephesians 3:6-7). It would be through the Messiah that the nations would receive their inheritance and added to the commonwealth of Israel receiving the inheritance promised to them long ago. They would equally share in the blessings and promises of God!
This revelation of this mystery is not random but directed specifically towards “us” which included Paul, those who were with him and his Gentile readers. In his epistle to the Colossians, Paul speaks elsewhere of the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations but has now been manifested to His saints (Colossians 1:26). So, the revealing of the mystery wasn’t open to everyone under the sun. This was also the case in how the Lord Jesus revealed things. At the beginning of the ministry of our Lord Jesus, He spoke in parables and hid their meaning from the majority of his hearers. He said To you (the disciples) has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables (Mark 4:11). Others were not granted this privilege to have this mystery revealed (Mark 4:12). Paul, in the same way, expresses a mystery that was intended for a specific audience and would be kept from others.
His Kind Intention
But prior to revealing the content of this mystery to the recipients, the apostle bursts into worship and praise. As we previously mentioned, the revelation of God’s intent wasn’t an act of gratitude towards sinners for their actions or belief in Christ, but according to His kind intention. Making known His will in the salvation of the Gentiles and the summation of all things in Christ was done by the gracious act and good pleasure of the creator. Behind this mystery was a purpose. God’s intention prior to the creation of the world was expressed in types and shadows under the Old Covenant and they were masked to the creation (especially the nations) to eventually be revealed openly and fully to us. The mystery itself was that, in an age where the fullness of time would come, the summing up or gathering of all things might find their destination in Christ.
At the Right Time
This revelation in the fullness of the times is apocalyptic in nature and seems to indicate something being worked out in history. The coming of Christ was at the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4) where the Saviour was born into this world, lived a life under the law, and brought into this world God’s true redemption. The fulfillment of time was the epoque when the kingdom came, and the gospel was declared first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (Mark 1:15). The goal of this fulfillment of time is a consummation at the time when all Christ’s enemies will be placed under His feet (1 Corinthians 15).
The Great Sum
What the apostle is revealing in these few verses is that the summation of all things is found in Christ! All that was revealed in times past find their crescendo in the Son of God. The Father’s will was that all things in heaven and on earth would be united in His Son. This unity includes bringing together as one all those who were at one time divided, mainly the Jews and the Gentiles. What we’ve been reading from the beginning of this epistle (that all blessings are “in Him”) is now defined more clearly. The intent and purpose of God were that the blessings be found in Him so as to the things in heaven and on earth may be bonded together and this division between these two realms may never return.
Pondering Our Position and Our Mission
Whether we realize it or not, we live in a privileged time. We exist at a time in history when these divine mysteries are no longer hidden or unclear. We have in our possession the very words of God which include His divine mysteries. In this word, we have the revelation of God’s kind intentions and a real understanding of just how we’ve been blessed by Jesus Christ. Our responsibility as the church is to receive these blessings as inheritors of the promises made by God Himself and not to allow anyone to persuade us that they can take those away. We need to find our strength and our hope in the recognition of these blessing and in return living them out until as a people who are living in the fullness of time. We are in the fullness of time, in the last days and have been for over 2000 years. Our responsibility to proclaim this mystery to the nations has not diminished and in the times in which we live, it should only be accelerated. We cannot rest until the all the nations of the earth stream to the mountain of the Lord and come worship before their maker (Isaiah 2:2; Psalm 86:9). But before you take on this honourable task, take a moment to understand who you are, what is your inheritance, and the significance of proclaiming the mystery of God, that all things sum up in the promised Messiah. To Him be the glory!
[1] Also see Paul’s usage in Romans 16:25-26; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Colossians 1:26-27 etc
The Moncton Herald 