EPHESIANS 1:3-14
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may
know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true
God, and eternal life” (1 Jn.5:20).


“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding” (Pr.2:6).
“Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength” (Pr.8:14).

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(1:9-10) Mystery, of God’s Will: the fifth blessing—God has revealed the mystery of His will to us. This is the key
thought and great theme of Ephesians. (William Barclay has an excellent description of this point and he should be
consulted by the person who wishes to study the point in depth. The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, p.96f.)
Remember: in the Bible a mystery is not something mysterious and difficult to understand. Rather, it is a truth that has
been locked up in God’s plan for ages until He was ready to reveal it to man. When the time came, He unlocked the truth
and opened it up to man. A mystery is a truth revealed by God that had never before been known. (See 1 Cor.2:7 for a
list of all the mysteries of the Bible.) The mystery of God’s will can be simply stated: God is to gather together and unify
all things in a spirit of peace and harmony—all things, both visible and invisible. All things are to be brought to a
peaceful and eternal state under the authority and glorification of Jesus Christ. God is moving history toward that
climactic consummation.
Paul’s great thought in verses 9-10 says several things. (It is impossible to list all the points beside the Scripture in the out-
line.)
1. God has an eternal purpose and plan for the world, and it is His pleasure to bring it about. He joys and rejoices to
bring it about, and what He does is good. It is all good.
2. There is terrible division throughout the universe. The need for God “to gather all things in heaven and earth” indi-
cates division (cp. Eph.6:12). And the fact that God’s primary concern through all the ages has been to harmonize the divi-
sions shows how devastating and horrible the division really is. (See Introductory Material, Special Features, point 3, The
Great Message of Ephesians is Reconciliation.)
3. There is to be a consummation, a climax of history—a fulness of time, a new order—in which all things will be
unified and harmonized and brought to a peaceful state under the authority of Jesus Christ. History is in the hands of
God. The word Paul uses is dispensation (oikonomia) which literally means, “household arrangement.” The idea is that
the universe is a house under the management of God. God is handling, planning, arranging, and administering all things
toward a climactic consummation for Christ and His followers. In that climactic day all disharmony and division and evil
will be subjected and harmonized (anakephalaioo) under Christ. A new and perfect and eternal creation will be established
for the Lord and His followers throughout the universe.

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made un-
der the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And
because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father”
(Gal.4:4-6).
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be ho-
ly and without blame before him in love” (Eph.1:4).
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of
God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph.3:9-11).
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father” (Ph.2:9-11).
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his
creatures” (Jas.1:18).

4. Jesus Christ is God’s appointed Head over the new creation and new order. He is God’s Head over the church,
which is God’s new creation in the present world and order of things (Eph.1:22-23). And He is to be God’s Head over the
new creation in the future world and order of things (Jas.1:18).

“And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph.1:22-23).
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Chr-
ist” (Eph.4:15).
“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the
Saviour of the body” (Eph.5:23).
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col.1:18).
“And not holding the head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment mi-
nistered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God” (Col.2:19).

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