What is the meaning of Ephesians 1:9? And He has made known • God takes the initiative to reveal; this is not human discovery but divine disclosure, echoing Jesus’ words, “no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27). • The verb is past tense, underscoring that believers already possess this unveiled truth, much like the Spirit’s present ministry of revelation in 1 Corinthians 2:10. • Revelation is always specific and purposeful; just as “the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:21), so He now discloses His plan through the apostolic message. to us • “Us” refers to all who are in Christ (Ephesians 1:1). This is not a secret reserved for an elite religious class but a shared family treasure. • The collective pronoun highlights unity: Jew and Gentile together receive the same truth (Ephesians 3:6). • It answers the cry of Psalm 25:14: “The LORD confides in those who fear Him.” Through faith in Christ, we are the trusted recipients. the mystery of His will • In Scripture, “mystery” is something once hidden, now revealed (Colossians 1:26). • God’s will centers on redemption and cosmic restoration in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). • This revelation moves Christianity beyond moral advice to a grand, redemptive narrative—fulfilling Genesis 3:15 and culminating in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.” according to His good pleasure • God’s motivation is His own delight; salvation flows from divine joy, not human merit (Zephaniah 3:17). • Grace originates in the heart of a pleased Father, echoing the baptism of Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). • Because the plan springs from pleasure, it is unchanging and secure (James 1:17). which He purposed in Christ • Christ is the focal point; every promise finds its “Yes” in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). • The Father’s purpose and the Son’s obedience intersect at the cross (Acts 2:23) and the empty tomb (Romans 1:4). • The eternal blueprint (Ephesians 3:11) centers on uniting all things under Christ’s lordship, ensuring history is not random but Christ-directed. summary God lovingly took the initiative to unveil His once‐hidden plan. He entrusted this revelation to every believer, drawing us into the shared family secret of redemption. The content of that mystery is His sweeping will to restore all things through Christ, a plan birthed from divine delight and anchored forever in the person and work of Jesus. |