“He did this when he revealed to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.”
(Ephesians 1.9-10, NET)
I don’t know about you, but sometimes trying to read and follow Paul’s long and luscious sentences is difficult. We know that he is making a great point, no doubt, but in terms of simplicity, Paul is sometimes not as easy to read as, say, James, or John, for example.
Very simply, Paul is saying that through Jesus we have the opportunity to have our sins forgiven and to be restored to right relationship with God (v.7).
This, he then says, is the crowning jewel of God’s wisdom, knowledge, and foresight (v.8): people will never be able to achieve this alone and so God offers the means and the method.
This all happened, we read, when he revealed to us the mystery of his will. God’s great and gracious rescue plan for you and the consequences of your sin, the mystery of his will, has been previewed but never clearly published since sin first took hold of humanity (Genesis 3.15). It has now been set forth in Christ.
This is a huge step towards the administration of the fulness of the times, a massive move towards the fulfilment of the new heavens and new earth that are predestined and planned to become reality one day (cf. Revelation 21).
I’m not sure if all this makes Paul’s point any clearer, and I’ll apologise if it has convoluted even more an already long sentence.
I think it boils down to this: Jesus’ death and resurrection are the mystery of [God’s] will, the means and the method of redeeming fallen humanity. It was prophesied, previewed, never clearly published, but now is clear for all to see.
God’s plan for humanity, for you, starts and ends in Christ. Everything God wants for you, for His creation, for every person past, present, or future, starts and ends in Christ.
Simply, it’s all about Jesus.
James Travis 