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The Revelation of Mystery

The Revelation of Mystery

Ephesians 1:9



  Praise for the Mystery—God’s Plan to Sum Up All Things in Christ, 1:9–10

9 God intended that we should understand his saving purposes. He therefore lavished his grace upon us ‘in all wisdom and insight’ by making known 89 to us the mystery of his will,90 the content of which is the summing up of all things in Christ (see v. 10b). Although v. 9 is syntactically dependent upon and explains the meaning of God’s grace poured upon us (v. 8), with these words about the divine mystery there is a significant development in the eulogy, leading to its climax. God’s saving purposes, planned from eternity, had as their final goal the uniting of all things in heaven and earth in Christ, the details of which are spelled out in what follows.

‘Making known a mystery’ refers to the disclosure of a previously hidden secret. In Paul’s world ‘mystery’ was employed in the ancient pagan cults, philosophy, secular usage, and Gnosticism. Recent biblical scholarship, however, has focussed attention on the Old Testament and Judaism, particularly the wisdom literature and apocalyptic material, as the proper background for understanding Paul’s and other New Testament writers’ use of ‘mystery’ language. In apocalyptic writings it normally referred to an event that will be revealed at the end of history (4 Ezra 14:5), although God’s seers may know of it because he has revealed to them ‘the things that must come to pass’ (LXX Dan. 2:28–29).

 ‘Mystery’ translates the Aramaic equivalent, frequently found in the book of Daniel (2:18, 19, 27, etc.), and this provides several parallels with its use in Ephesians: it connotes God’s purpose, which is a unified plan with eschatological and cosmic dimensions.91

‘Mystery’, which appears twenty-one times in Paul’s letters (out of a total of twenty-seven New Testament occurrences), is used in a variety of ways, though the apostle normally employs the term with reference to the revelation of what was previously hidden but has now been disclosed by God (Rom. 16:25–26; 1 Cor. 2:10; Col. 1:26–27; Eph. 3:3, 5). The ‘mystery of God’ (1 Cor. 2:1 v.l.; cf. v. 7) focuses on salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ. It cannot be understood through human wisdom but comes to be known as God reveals it by his Spirit to those who love him (v. 10). The plural ‘mysteries’ can draw attention to the essential elements of the one mystery (1 Cor. 4:1), or anything that transcends human power of comprehending (13:2; cf. 14:2). In Romans 16:25 there is a correlation between the disclosure of the mystery and Paul’s preaching of Jesus Christ. The connection between the mystery and the salvation of Gentiles is a feature that is developed in Colossians and Ephesians, while in Romans 11:25 an element of new teaching may be in view where the ‘mystery’ points to the salvation of Jews.

In Colossians ‘mystery’ refers to the heart of Paul’s message and has to do with the fulfilment of God’s plan of salvation in Christ here and now (1:26–27). This ‘open secret’ is characterized by ‘riches’ (for in it the wealth of God has been lavished in a wonderful way) and ‘glory’, which   p 110  suggests that it shares in the character of God himself. Its content is ‘Christ in you [Colossians], the hope of glory’ (cf. 2:2; 4:3)

The notion in Colossians of the mystery being the eschatological fulfilment of God’s plan of salvation in Christ is similar to the usage in Ephesians: 1:9; 3:3, 4, 9; 5:32; and 6:19. Different aspects of this one mystery are unfolded within Ephesians. This key motif refers to the all-inclusive purpose of God which has as its ultimate goal the uniting of all things in heaven and earth in Christ. At the same time, there is a more limited dimension to the mystery which focuses on Gentiles, along with Jews, being incorporated into the body of Christ and thus participating in the divine salvation. Paul’s making the gospel known to Gentiles plays a key role in achieving this purpose of incorporating them into Christ, and ultimately fulfilling the goal of the mystery itself. It is, therefore, inappropriate to claim that the content of the mystery in Ephesians is defined solely in terms of God’s acceptance of the Gentiles and their union with Jews on an equal footing in Christ (Eph. 3:3–4). Christ is the starting point for a true understanding of the mystery in this letter, as elsewhere in Paul. There are not a number of ‘mysteries’ with limited applications, but one supreme ‘mystery’ with a number of applications.92

The words ‘[he made known] to us’ show that there is not only a salvation-historical dimension to the mystery but also a personal one. The recipients of this disclosure are the Christian community,93 who are thus able to praise God for his great kindness lavished on them.94 They are not some group of initiates but those who have received the word of God, for it is in the effective preaching and teaching of the gospel that the revelation of the mystery takes place (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1, 7; 4:1; Eph. 3:8, 9; 6:19). Later in the eulogy (vv. 11–14; cf. 3:2–13) Paul will explain how both Jews and Gentiles are included within the sphere of these blessings related to the mystery. As God’s choice of believers to be adopted as his sons and daughters was in accordance with his pleasure and will (v. 5), so, too, his making known the mystery of his salvation plan was wholly in line with his sovereign and eternal purpose which he had previously determined   p 111  in Christ. ‘God’s carefully designed strategy to make known the mystery, like the mystery itself, has always had its focus in Christ’


O’Brien, Peter Thomas. The Letter to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

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