Ephesians 1:9-10 The Blessing of the Mystery of God’s Will

The blessing of the mystery of God’s Will has been made known to believers through the gospel of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:9-10 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

How do you know God’s Will for you in any given situation? Not too long ago, a young lady fell in love with a Muslim man. She believed that this was God’s will that she met this man and that if they got married, she would bring him to Jesus. When she saw that I was not willing to affirm what she believed against the teaching of God’s Word that believers should marry believers only, she decided to cut off communication with me. She was searching for God’s Will to fulfill her own will.

How about you? Do you search for God’s Will in all areas of your life or just some? Ephesians 1:9-10 says that God has made His Will known to us by revealing the mystery of God’s Will which applies to all areas of our lives.

The problem is that many people search for God’s Will, but they often ignore God’s Will to fulfill their own will. They need to know that there is no point in searching for God’s Will unless they willingly submit to God’s Will no matter what.

In Ephesians 1: 9-10, believers in the first century needed to know this truth also because they were plagued with false teachers claiming to possess mysterious knowledge of God’s Will. Paul taught that the mystery of God’s Will has already been revealed in Jesus.

The big idea for us is, do not fall for anyone claiming to possess some mystic or mysterious knowledge of God because the mystery of God’s Will has already been revealed in Jesus.

What is the Mystery of God’s Will?

Ephesians 1:9 reads, “making known to us the mystery of his [God’s] will, according to his purpose, which he [God] set forth in Christ.” To understand the what, how, and why of this mystery of God’s Will, we need to ask three sub-questions.

What does the Bible teach about God’s Will? In the Bible, we see three concepts of God’s will.

First is God’s preferred Will. That is the meaning of the Greek thelema in our text and it is almost always used for God. Some consider it to mean God’s perfect will. This preferred Will is also known as God’s sovereign will. Nothing happens outside of it because God is sovereign over every situation and every outcome. This does not mean that God directly causes everything to happen, especially when evil is involved.

This concept of God’s Will is further divided into two: God’s permissive Will and His efficacious Will.

The permissive Will means that God permits certain things to happen, in which He takes no pleasure, yet they do accomplish God’s sovereign Will. The classic example is Joseph and his brothers. They sold Joseph. God permitted his brothers by not stopping them from doing evil to their brother Joseph. Yet Joseph, in Genesis 50:20, says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

In His efficacious Will, God is directly involved and causes things to fulfill His desired or preferred Will for His good pleasure. The second half of Ephesians 1:9 is all about that. Verse 9 says, “making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he [God] set forth in Christ.”

The Greek word for “purpose” is eudokia which means God’s good pleasure or satisfaction. So, the mystery of God’s Will was revealed to believers for His Good pleasure and He is the cause of the revelation of it.

Second is God’s proscribed or preceptive Will. This is the revealed Will of God in His Word. It involves all the commands in the Bible to live a holy and righteous life for His glory. That includes our text this morning.

Third is God’s predetermined Will. This is also known as God’s plan and God’s purposeful Will because nothing in His plan is random or by chance and therefore, everything is moving toward its predetermined end. Look at how the first part of Ephesians 1:10 describes the Will of God. It says “as a plan for the fullness of time.”

How do we perceive the mystery of God’s Will? We think of a mystery as something that is mysterious or hidden. So, naturally many perceive God’s Will to be unknown. Hence, in need of some special revelation to unlock the mystery. Therefore, people search for God’s Will through religion and mystical rituals. This is exactly how the Greeks used the word mysterion translated in our text as mystery. However, that is not what Paul meant by the mystery of God’s Will.

What does Paul mean by the mystery of God’s Will? In the New Testament, mysterion is not something mysterious, secret, mystic, or unknowable but something that is revealed by God. The mystery of God’s Will revealed in our text was something unknown in the past.

The second half of Ephesians 1:10 reads, “to unite all things in him [Jesus], things in heaven and things on earth.” The blessing of the mystery of God’s Will which God chose to reveal to believers is none other than the doctrine of reconciliation.

In the later chapters, Paul will explain the doctrine of reconciliation in detail but for now, in Ephesians 3:2-6, we see how reconciliation was what Paul meant by the mystery of God’s Will. It says, “2Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly [that is a reference to Ephesians 1:9]. 4When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations [that is a reference to the Old Testament saints] as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” So, the mystery of God’s Will is the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves Gentiles and Jews and makes them one in the body of Christ.

Last Thursday in my small group, we experienced how in Christ, people are united when they are reconciled with God through Jesus. A Jewish background believer was sharing her conversion experience when another believer said it was the same in his previous life. The Jewish background believer asked if he was of Jewish background also. I said that he comes from the other side; that is, fighting against Jews because he was a Muslim background believer. You see, only in Jesus are Jews and Gentiles reconciled with God and to each other.

Application

When you live in the unity of the triune God, you live in peace and unity with each other. Reconciliation with God can fix our relationship with others. In other words, the vertical reconciliation in Jesus causes horizontal reconciliation.

How Was the Mystery of God’s Will Revealed?

It was revealed in and through Jesus because God wanted to have a relationship with us which was possible only through reconciliation. So, just as redemption was necessary for forgiveness which we study in vv.7-8, forgiveness was essential for reconciliation. Reconciliation is the work of God in which God as the offended party, took the first step in love towards sinners before either they or their sin ever existed to reconcile us to Himself through His Son Jesus. The scriptures say while we were, yet sinners Christ died for us. In doing so a). God mediated the conflict between Him and us and b). God removed the alienation that separated us from Him through the blood of His Son Jesus. Now notice what V.10 says, it says this plan of reconciliation was for all things above in heaven and on earth. This has been God’s ultimate goal which would be fulfilled at the end of human history.

Application

Let me warn you about dangerous teachings in the church. Some use Ephesians 1:10 to claim that everyone will be saved in the end. That is a hopeful lie and is called universalism. They don’t want to offend anyone, so they preach a type of gospel that is not the gospel of Jesus at all. Jesus said no one can go to the Father except through Him. Only those who repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus have the promise of salvation and thus are reconciled.

Why Was the Mystery of God’s Will Revealed?

So that we may be active participants and not just passive recipients. One sign of maturity is that we don’t hide what God has made known to us in this case the mystery of the gospel in Jesus. Mature believers do not hide behind excuses rather they share what God has entrusted to them both in words and actions.

The illustration I can give you is of a beggar telling other beggars where to find the bread.

Application

For those who found the bread of life, Jesus, share with others that the mystery of God’s Will is not a hidden secret or special revelation for some few special people, It is the gospel message unto salvation for all who are willing to put their faith in Jesus.

Imagine when Paul received this revelation of the blessing of the mystery of God’s Will. What if he had kept it to himself as a passive recipient? Imagine the world if we all lived as passive recipients and not active participants in the plan of God to reconcile the World to Himself.

How would people know that God has a plan that is progressing according to God’s predetermined timeframe? When history runs its course and comes to an end, God’s plan will be accomplished. God plans to reconcile all things to Himself through Jesus.

Action Step

If you are not a believer and you are experiencing chaos in your life, come to Jesus. Jesus offers peace that comes by experiencing reconciliation with God and therefore, peace within and with others.

If you are a believer, rest in knowing that God’s plan that He set forth in Jesus before the foundation of the world is progressing according to God’s predetermined timeframe and no matter how bad things get, God’s plan will be accomplished “in the fullness of time” as Ephesians 1:10 says.

Appeal

Do not fall for anyone claiming to possess some mystic and mysterious knowledge that may tell you what God’s Will is. One way you can protect against that is by having a spiritually mature person in your life, who can advise you on all spiritual matters and help you with day-to-day life situations. Our text tells us that the blessing of the mystery of God’s Will has been made known to believers through the gospel of Jesus.

Study Questions 

  1. In Ephesians 1:9 NIV, what does it mean that God has “made known to us the mystery of His will?”
  1. What does the phrase “according to His purpose, which he set forth in Christ” mean?
  1. What does Ephesians 1:9-10 tell us about God’s plan for the world? 

Deeper Study Questions 

  1. Discuss how the blessing of forgiveness led you as a convert to experience the blessing of reconciliation. Focus on the change you experienced because you know you are forgiven and reconciled to God through Jesus.
  1. How did the experience of forgiveness and reconciliation change your…
  • Head (knowledge about God)
  • Heart (character)
  • Hands (practice in day-to-day life)

Read More

Ephesians 1:7-8 The Blessing of Forgiveness

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