Ephesians 1:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Oh, what love! He told us His mysteries, "of His will," or, to put it another way, He revealed to us what was in His heart.

Such a mystery is truly full of all wisdom and understanding. What would you call equal to such wisdom? He sought us, who were worth nothing, in order to raise us to riches.

What can be compared with such resourcefulness? One who was an enemy and a vile creature is suddenly raised on high.

The wisdom is not only in this, but also in the time when it is accomplished, and in the fact that it is accomplished through the Cross. It would take long to explain how much wisdom was manifested in this, and how through it He made us wise again.

"In whom we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of trespasses."

Thanks to the Beloved, he says, we have redemption. What redemption? "The forgiveness of trespasses." How does it take place? "Through His Blood."

This is especially wondrous: by delivering His beloved Son to death, He freed us who were hateful, giving the Blood of the Beloved as ransom and redemption.

Notice that this is greater than adoption: He did not even spare His Son for our sake. After speaking of adoption, he speaks of this, ascending from the lesser to the greater.

"According to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us."

By His wisdom He revealed to us the mystery of His will. He purposed, laid as a foundation, and hid the mystery of His divine economy, which had to be revealed.

The diligent reader will immediately object to us. If Paul knew in part and prophesied in part (1 Cor 13:9), and now sees as through a glass, darkly (1 Cor 13:12), then how was the mystery of God revealed both to him and to the Ephesians in all wisdom and understanding (Eph 1:8)? One may say that the mystery was revealed to them, but not in the sense that they comprehended the mystery in all wisdom and understanding. Rather, God in all His wisdom and understanding revealed the mystery to them, insofar as they were able to receive it.

It was pleasing to God, whose counsel cannot be changed, to reveal in Christ the mystery of His will at the time when He wished to disclose it to creation for knowledge. His will was to draw near to those who remained in error, both in heaven and on earth. Then He revealed Christ, who brought to believers the gift of forgiveness of sins through faith in Him.

"In all wisdom and understanding, having made known to us the mystery of His will." He called His hidden will "the mystery of His will." For, says the Apostle, having predestined this in the beginning, He revealed it afterward. He adds this also: "According to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Him, for the dispensation of the fullness of times." The phrase "in Him" means: concerning Christ.

God not only possesses a will, but also placed His will in Christ. For all things are accomplished through Him, and there is nothing in the mystery of God that was not accomplished through Jesus Christ.

"The mystery of His will." This mystery consisted in God's intention to unite all things in heaven and on earth under one Head, Christ. It became known only with the coming of Jesus Christ.

First, this is with regard to the fruits of His election (Eph 1:4-9). For true Christians these are holiness and purity before Him in love (Eph 1:4), adoption to God (Eph 1:5), being graced in His beloved Son, and redemption and forgiveness of sins by His blood (Eph 1:6-7). Added to these is the gift of wisdom and understanding of the mystery of God's will, that is, the mystery of the divine economy of our salvation (Eph 1:8-9).

Together with the great riches of divine gifts, a great knowledge of the mystery of the divine will was also revealed to men. This mystery embraces the whole fullness of times, from the beginning of the ordering of salvation to its completion in the age to come.

The essence of this mystery is the recapitulation of all things, heavenly and earthly, in Jesus Christ.

Through sin, division entered the worlds: the angelic, the human, and the rest of the earthly realm.

"When God the Word assumed human nature, then He united all that exists, as it were in summary, within Himself, and returned it to Himself, their Creator" (St. Irenaeus).

The greatness of God's grace toward Christians was manifested especially in this: God revealed to them even what did not have to be explained to them, namely the final goal He had in restoring humanity.

God revealed to Christians that Christ was not only to reconcile humanity with God. He was also to become the reconciler of heaven and earth, restoring that harmony in the whole world which had been destroyed by man's sin.

The whole universe received in Him one Head, and thus formed one kingdom, all parts of which are to serve for the benefit of one another.

Here and below is the explanation of how the abounding of grace is revealed in the communication to us of wisdom and understanding: by the fact that God was pleased to tell us the mystery of His will.

"Or, to put it another way, He revealed to us what was in His heart" (St. Chrysostom). "The Apostle called the hidden will the mystery of His will" (Theodoret).

No one could ever have reasoned his way to this most hidden will, yet God was pleased to reveal it. If He revealed it, then by this He showed His superabundant good pleasure and love toward those to whom He revealed it. For mysteries are disclosed only to those who are close and sincere.

St. Chrysostom cries out: "Oh, how great the love and trust!"