Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ephesians 3:9
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:
9. and to make all men see ] Lit., “ to illuminate all men.” The Latin versions have illuminare omnes. Some ancient MSS. (including the great MS. of the British Museum, and the Sinaitic), and other authorities, omit “all men.” But the external and internal evidence for retention greatly preponderates. The idea is of the Apostle as “casting bright light” on the universal scope of the Gospel, in the eyes of “all men,” no longer only of Jews. The verb is the same as that in 2Ti 1:10; where lit., “hath thrown light upon, hath illuminated, life and immortality.” Truths once in shadow are by the Gospel brought out into the sun.
the fellowship ] The true reading is undoubtedly dispensation, or stewardship. The reading represented by A.V. is probably an explanation, which crept into the text; representing very nearly the meaning of the true word. “ The dispensation of the secret” is, in effect, the world-wide distribution, through the stewards of God, of the news and the blessings of the full Gospel, so long held in reserve.
See notes above on Eph 3:2-6.
from the beginning of the world ] Lit., “ from the ages; ” R.V., from all ages. To define somewhat the meaning of the phrase; the great Truth in question was hidden in comparative secrecy, from the starting point of the progress of the developments (“ages”) of the Divine dealings for man, up to the actual Advent of the Messiah. We gather here that this was so not only at and after the call of Israel, but in the patriarchal age, and even in the angelic age, or ages. See below on Eph 3:10.
hid in God ] the great Treasury of unknown blessings.
who created all things ] Omit “ by Jesus Christ,” with the preponderance of ancient authority. The truth of the One Creator appears here as in deep harmony with the universal scope of His Redemption. All through Scripture, in very different contexts, the truths of Creation and Redemption are seen in connexion. See a vivid illustration in Colossians 1, where the Father, in and through the Son, both “creates all things,” and “reconciles all things.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And to make all men see – In order that the whole human family might see the glory of God in the plan of salvation. Hitherto the revelation of his character and plans had been confined to the Jews. Now it was his design that all the race should be made acquainted with it.
What is the fellowship of the mystery – Instead of fellowship here – koinonia – most mss. and versions read oikonomia – dispensation; see Mill. This reading is adopted by Griesbach, Tittman, Rosenmuller, Koppe, and is regarded by most critics as being the genuine reading. The mistake might easily have been made by a transcriber. The meaning then would be, to enlighten all in respect to rite dispensation of this mystery; that is, to cause all to understand the manner in which this great truth of the plan of salvation is communicated to people. If the word fellowship is to be retained, it means that this doctrine, or secret counsel of God, was now common to all believers. It was not to be confined to any class or rank of people. Locke renders it, and to make all people perceive how this mystery comes now to be communicated to the world. Dr. Whately (Errors of Romanism, chapter ii. section 1) renders it, the common participation of the mystery; that is, of truths formerly unknown, and which could not be known by mans unaided powers, but which were now laid open by the gracious dispensation of Divine Providence; no longer concealed, or confined to a few, but to be partaken of by all.
The allusion, according to him, is to the mysteries of the ancient pagan religions; and he supposes that the apostle designs to contrast those mysteries with Christianity. In those mysteries there was a distinction between the initiated and uninitiated. There was a revelation to some of the worshippers, of certain holy secrets from which others were excluded. There were in some of the mysteries, as the Elensinian, great and lesser doctrines in which different persons were initiated. In strong contrast with these, the great mystery in Christianity was made known to all. It was concealed from none and there was no distinction made among those who were initiated. No truths which God had revealed were held back from any part, but there was a common participation by all. Christianity has no hidden truths for a part only of its friends; it has no reserved doctrines; it has no truths to be entrusted only to a sacred priesthood. Its doctrines are to be published to the wide world, and every follower of Christ is to be a partaker of all the benefits of the truths which Christ has revealed. It is difficult to determine which is the true reading, and it is not very important. The general sense is, that Paul felt himself called into the ministry in order that all people might understand now that salvation was free for all – a truth that had been concealed for ages. Bearing this great truth, he felt that he had a message of incalculable value to mankind, and he was desirous to go and proclaim it to the wide world. On the word mystery, see the notes on Eph 1:9.
Hath been hid in God – With God. It has been concealed in his bosom. The plan was formed, but it had not before been made known.
Who created all things – This is plain enough; but it is not quite so plain why the declaration is introduced in this place. Locke and Rosenmuller suppose that it refers to the new creation, and that the sense is, that God frames and manages this new creation wholly by Jesus Christ. But the expression contains a truth of larger import, and naturally conveys the idea that all things were made by God, and that this was only a part of his great and universal agency. The meaning is, that God formed all things, and that this purpose of extending salvation to the world was a part of his great plan, and was under his control.
By Jesus Christ – As this stands in our common Greek text, as well as in our English version, there is a striking resemblance between the passage and that in Col 1:15-16. But the phrase is missing in the Vulgate, the Syriac, the Coptic, and in several of the ancient mss. Mill remarks that it was probably inserted here by some transcriber from the parallel passage in Col 1:16; and it is rejected as an interpolation by Griesbach. It is not very material whether it be retained in this place or not, as the same sentiment is elsewhere abundantly taught; see Joh 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2. If it is to be retained, the sentiment is that the Son of God – the second person of the Trinity – was the great and immediate agent in the creation of the universe.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eph 3:9
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.
Creation not hitherto complete
Whatever creatures may have thought, it is clear that God has never yet regarded the creation as in a final or completed condition. It is natural that men should look upon their heavens and earth as finished; and as a constitution of things appointed to serve for a time, they are finished; but in relation to Gods original design, they will yet have to undergo marvellous changes. It is probable that, prior to the great angel fall, the angels looked upon their heaven as finished and perfect; but God knew otherwise. He carried in Himself a purpose which no angel knew. That purpose is at length somewhat opened, both to men and angels, but it is by no means carried out. It is both worthy of God and advantageous to His creatures, that the universe should be perfected by their cooperation, and the future processes of ages. Myriads of myriads of ages could be occupied in no better way than in enriching, maturing, and harmonizing the whole house, which God and all His children are to inhabit and enjoy forever. Indeed it is incomprehensible that a house which is composed of countless orders of creatures, each one of whom has a separate, individual will, should hastily, or soon, realize its finally balanced relationships. It is surely the praise and glory of Gods plan, that it requires cycle after cycle, and dispensation after dispensation, for its development. In Himself, the plan was perfect, but apart from the long and manifold experiences of His creatures it could not be fulfilled. To be wrought in His Son was one thing, but to be wrought out in the wills and thoughts of His children, and in the condition of the creation, was a very different thing. He knew that only through failure, and out of failure, the finally steadfast and harmonious condition of things (the kingdom which cannot be moved) would grow. The failure and misery of self-will, and all the mistakes of creatures, will contribute both to the strength and the joy of the final house of God. The craving of infinite love will be satisfied. In the incarnation, conflict, and victory, of the Logos, the beginning of the end has come, and His reign (being the reign of all things in unity) will bring in the Fathers first idea, namely, the absolute perfectness and enduring order of His creation. In proportion to the magnitude of a work, very considerable progress must be made, before persons who are looking on from without, are able to form any idea of the design. Till a comparatively recent date, no one on earth, nor anyone in heaven, had the slightest conjecture of the work which God has set Himself to do. No one in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. Jesus, the Firstborn from the dead, is the Opener of the book. (J. Pulsford.)
We must make known the gospel
Huber, the great naturalist, tells us that if a single wasp discovers a deposit of honey or other food, he will return to his nest and impart the good news to his companions, who will sally forth in great numbers to partake of the fare which has been discovered for them. Shall we who have found honey in the rock Christ Jesus be less considerate of our fellow men than wasps are of their fellow insects? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Teaching is the Churchs duty
To make all men see, that is, to teach all men the fellowship of the mystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. That is the duty of the Church. She is the teacher, the educator, the civilizer, the regenerator of the nations. Our text in this 9th verse reads fellowship, but the better reading is dispensation. Paul would teach all men to know something of the dispensation of the hidden mystery, and he asserts it was hidden in God from the beginning of the world. This 9th verse, then, teaches the following facts and truths:–
1. It is a great thing to be a preacher of the gospel.
2. Paul was the preacher and apostle of the Gentiles.
3. The union of the Jews and Gentiles in one body is a great mystery.
4. This mystery was hidden in God from the beginning of the world.
5. God created the world through the agency of Jesus Christ.
These things the Church is to teach. Her duty is to teach all men, to make all men see the glories of the economy of grace. (W. Graham, D. D.)
God the Creator
When Napoleon was returning to France from the expedition to Egypt, a group of French officers one evening entered into a discussion concerning the existence of a God; they were standing on the deck of the vessel as she was bearing them over the Mediterranean Sea. Thoroughly imbued with the infidel and atheistical spirit of the times, they were unanimous in their denial of this truth. It was at length proposed to ask the opinion of Napoleon on the subject, who was standing alone, wrapt in silent thought. On hearing the question, Is there a God? he raised his hand, and pointing to the starry firmament, simply responded, Gentlemen, Who made all that?
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. And to make all men see] . And to illuminate all; to give information both to Jews and Gentiles; to afford them a sufficiency of light, so that they might be able distinctly to discern the great objects exhibited in this Gospel.
What is the fellowship of the mystery] The word , which we properly translate fellowship, was used among the Greeks to signify their religious communities; here it may intimate the association of Jews and Gentiles in one Church or body, and their agreement in that glorious mystery which was now so fully opened relative to the salvation of both. But instead of , fellowship, , dispensation or economy, is the reading of ABCDEFG, and more than fifty others; both the Syriac, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Slavonian, Vulgate and Itala, with the chief of the Greek fathers. Some of the best printed editions of the Greek text have the same reading, and that in our common text has very little authority to support it. Dispensation or economy is far more congenial to the scope of the apostle’s declaration in this place; he wished to show them the economy of that mystery of bringing Jews and Gentiles to salvation by faith in Christ Jesus, which God from the beginning of the world had kept hidden in his own infinite mind, and did not think proper to reveal even when he projected the creation of the world, which had respect to the economy of human redemption. And although the world was made by Jesus Christ, the great Redeemer, yet at that period this revelation of the power of God, the design of saving men, whose fall infinite wisdom had foreseen, was not then revealed. This reading Griesbach has received into the text.
Who created all things by Jesus Christ] Some very judicious critics are of opinion that this does not refer to the material creation; and that we should understand the whole as referring to the formation of all God’s dispensations of grace, mercy, and truth, which have been planned, managed, and executed by Christ, from the foundation of the world to the present time. But the words , by Jesus Christ, are wanting in ABCD*FG, and several others; also in the Syriac, Arabic of Erpen, Coptic, AEthiopic, Vulgate, and Itala; as also in several of the fathers. Griesbach has thrown the words out of the text; and Professor White says, “certissime delenda,” they are indisputably spurious. The text, therefore, should be read: which from the beginning of the world had been hidden in God who created all things. No inferiority of Christ can be argued from a clause of whose spuriousness there is the strongest evidence.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To make all men; all those to whom the apostle was sent.
See; or, to enlighten them; i.e. ministerially, Act 26:18; as to enlighten them principally belongs to Christ, Joh 1:9.
What is the fellowship of the mystery; or communication of the mystery, viz. concerning the salvation of the Gentiles without circumcision, or the works of the law which God now made known by Pauls ministry, contrary to what the Jews believed.
Which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God; not revealed to men as to the circumstances and manner of it, but hid in the mind and purpose of God: see the like, Eph 1:9.
Who created all things by Jesus Christ; this may be understood either of the first creation, or the second, or immediately of the first, and by that of the second; as God created all things at first, (and so both Jews and Gentiles), and gave them their being, by Christ, Joh 1:3; so he recreates, regenerates, and gives them a new being, by Christ, that they may be of the same body under him: see the like, 2Co 4:6.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. to make all men seeGreek,“to enlighten all” (Eph 1:18;Psa 18:28; Heb 6:4).”All” (compare Col 1:28).
fellowshipThe oldestmanuscripts read, “economy,” or “dispensation”(compare Col 1:25; Col 1:26;and see on Eph 1:10, above).”To make all see how it hath seemed good to God at this time todispense (through me and others, His stewards) whatheretofore was a mystery.” ELLICOTTexplains it, “the arrangement,” or “regulation”of the mystery (the union of Jews and Gentiles in Christ) which wasnow to be humbly traced and acknowledged in the fact of its havingsecretly existed in the counsel of God, and now having been revealedto the heavenly powers by means of the Church.
from the beginning of theworldGreek, “from (the beginning of) the ages.”Compare Eph 1:4; Rom 16:25;1Co 2:7. The “ages” arethe vast successive periods of time, marked by successive stages ofcreation and orders of beings.
in God“hidden in”His counsels (Eph 1:9).
created all things by JesusChristGod’s creation of the world and all things therein isthe foundation of the rest of the “economy,” which isfreely dispensed according to the universal power of God [BENGEL].AS God created “the whole range of things” (so the Greek),physical and spiritual alike, He must have an absolute right toadjust all things as He will. Hence, we may see His right to keep themystery of world-wide salvation in Christ “hidden in Himself,”till his own good time for revealing it. The oldest manuscripts omit”by Jesus Christ.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,…. Or “the dispensation of the mystery” as the Complutensian, and several copies, and the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, read. The mystery is the Gospel; the fellowship of it is the communication of grace by it, a participation of the truths and doctrines of it, communion with Father, Son, and Spirit, which the Gospel calls and leads unto, and that equal concern and interest which both Jews and Gentiles have in the privileges of it. Now men are naturally in the dark about these things, and the ministry of the word is the means of enlightening them, and is indeed the grand design of it; and the ministers of the Gospel do instrumentally enlighten persons, though it is God only that does it efficiently; and for this, gifts of grace were bestowed upon the apostle, even for the enlightening of all men, not every individual person in the world, but some of all sorts, particularly Gentiles, as well as Jews. The word , rendered “all men”, is left out in the Alexandrian copy.
Which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God; in the heart of God, in his counsel and covenant; which shows the original and source of the Gospel, and expresses the richness and valuableness of it, as well as its safety and secrecy: here it was hid in some measure from the elect angels, and from Old Testament saints, and altogether from natural men, and especially from the Gentiles, whose times of ignorance God winked at, or overlooked: and this was kept so from ages past, from the beginning of time, till now, and was laid up in the breast of God from all eternity; for it was ordained before the world for the glory, of his people. What the apostle says of the Gospel, the Jews say of the law, that it was hid and treasured up two thousand years before the world was created m; yea, they say n, that many ages before the creation of the world it was written and left, ‘, “in the bosom of God”: and he is here described, as he
who created all things by Jesus Christ; not as an instrument, but as a co-efficient cause: and this is to be understood, not of the new creation, but of the old, and of all things in it; for without Christ, was not anything made that is made. The phrase, “by Jesus Christ”, is left out in the Alexandrian and Claromontane copies, and in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions.
m Zohar in Exod. fol. 20. 4. & in Numb. fol. 66. 3. Targ. Jon. & Jeras. in Gen. iii. 24. n Abot R. Nathan, c. 31. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 88. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
To make see (). First aorist active infinitive of , late verb, to turn the light on. With the eyes of the heart enlightened (Eph 1:18) one can then turn the light for others to see. See Col 1:26.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
To make all men see [ ] . Lit., to enlighten. The mystery. The admission of the Gentiles into covenant privileges. From the beginning of the world [ ] . Lit., from the ages. Rev., from all ages. See on Col 1:26.
All things [ ] . Collectively.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And to make all men see” (kai photisai) “And to bring light,” illumine (all), all races or nations. Paul’s call was not only to preach Jesus Christ as Redeemer for the whole world as Joh 3:16; Rom 1:15-16 states, but also to make them understand that the church-body or assembly was God’s workshop for the redeemed of all races in this age, Act 20:28; Eph 1:21-22; Eph 2:14-15.
2) “What is the fellowship of the mystery” (tis he oikonomia tou musteriou) “What is the house-rule or stewardship of the mystery,” or what the former “mystery house-rule of stewardship” is, Mar 13:34-35. It is the house of God, the church, the pillar and ground of the truth, 1Ti 3:15; Eph 2:19-22.
3) “Which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (tou apokekrummenou apo ton aimomon en to theo) “That is the stewardship institution having been hidden from the (beginning) of the ages,” Col 1:26-27. The church, the one “assembly-body” of Christ for Jew and Gentile worship and service in this age without any middle wall of partition, though concealed from the masses of men from creation, was not an after-thought of God; Dan 2:44-45, Zec 13:7 allude to it as the “flock,” Mat 26:31, and the “kingdom,” Mat 13:1-58.
4) “Who created all things by Jesus Christ” “(The One, Jesus Christ) all things having created,” by the instrumentality of Jesus Christ, Joh 1:1-3; 1Co 8:6; Heb 1:2.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
9. What is the fellowship of the mystery. The publication of the gospel is called a fellowship, because it is the will of God that his purpose, which had formerly been hidden, shall now be shared by men. There is an appropriate metaphor in the words φωτίσαι πάντας, to enlighten all men, — conveying the thought, that, in his apostleship, the grace of God shines with the brightness of noon-day.
Which hath been hid in God. This is intended, as before, to obviate the prejudice of novelty, — to oppose the rashness of men, who think it improper that they should remain in ignorance of anything whatever. Who will question the right which God has to keep his own purposes concealed, until he shall be pleased to communicate them to men? What presumption, — yea, what madness is it, not to admit that God is wiser than we! Let us remember, therefore, that our rashness ought to receive a check, whenever the boundless height of the Divine foreknowledge is presented to our view. This, too, is the reason why he calls them the unsearchable riches of Christ; intimating that this subject, though it exceeds our capacity, ought to be contemplated with reverence and admiration.
Who created all things by Jesus Christ. This cannot so properly be understood of the first creation as of the spiritual renewal. It is, no doubt, true, and is frequently declared in Scripture, that by the Word of God all things were created; but the connection of the passage lays us under the necessity of understanding by it that renewal which is comprehended in the blessing of redemption. But it may, perhaps, be thought that the apostle is illustrating this renewal, by an argument drawn from the creation. “By Christ, as God, the Father created (Joh 1:3) all things; and why, then, should we wonder, if by Christ, as Mediator, all the Gentiles are now brought back to one body?” I have no objection to this view. A similar argument is used by him in another Epistle.
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For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, is the same who hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2Co 4:6.)
From the creation of the world he concludes, that it is the work of God to enlighten the darkness; but what was visible in the former case is ascribed to the Spirit, when he comes to speak of the kingdom of Christ.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) To make all men see.St. Paul speaks here first of manifestation to all men. The phrase used in the original is at once stronger and weaker than our version of it. It is stronger, for the word is, properly, to enlighten or illuminatethe same word used above (Eph. 1:18), the eyes of your heart being enlightened. Strictly, Christ alone is the Light of the world, which enlightens every man (Joh. 1:4-5; Joh. 1:9; Joh. 8:2); but, as reflecting Him, He declared His servants to be the light of the world. Yet it is weaker, for while we can enlighten, it is our daily sorrow that we cannot make men see. Even He wept over Jerusalem because His light was, by wilful blindness, hidden from their eyes (Luk. 19:41). To open the eyes, and turn men from darkness to light, although (as in Act. 26:18) attributed in general terms to the servants of God, because naturally following on their ministry, is properly the work of the Holy Spirit, even in relation to the words of our Lord Himself (Joh. 14:26).
The fellowship of the mystery.Both MS. authority and internal evidence point here to the dispensation of the mystery as the true reading. Probably here the reference is not to the commission of the mystery to the Apostle (as in Eph. 3:2), but (as in Eph. 1:10) to the law or order which God Himself has ordained for the manifestation of the truth, both to men and angels.
Who created all things by Jesus Christ.The words by Jesus Christ should be omitted, probably having crept in from a gloss, and not belonging to the original. The description of God as He who created all things, material and spiritual, is here emphaticdesigned to call attention to the dispensation of the gospel as existing in the primeval purpose of the Divine Mind (comp. Eph. 1:4; 1Co. 1:7), hidden from the beginning of the world (properly, from the ages) till the time of its revelation was come. The New Testament constantly dwells on this view of the Mediation of Christ, as belonging in some form to the relation of humanity to God in itself, and not merely to that relation as affected by the Fall; but nowhere with greater emphasis than in the profound and universal teaching of these Epistles.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Make see , to illuminate as to what, etc.
Fellowship A better reading would be economy, or established plan.
From the beginning of the world That is, from the point of time and event at which the ages or dispensations started. Ellicott precisely expresses it:
“The counsel itself was formed before the ages.” 1Co 2:7. The concealment of it dated from the ages; that is, from their starting-point.
Created all things St. Paul here (as in Eph 2:8, and often elsewhere) sedulously fastens the redemptive system to God himself; not to any Gentile polytheistic god, but to the supreme God, who founded and brought into existence all things, and not the least among them, this divine scheme of bringing our entire race within the unity of his Son.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And to make all men see what is the stewardship of the mystery, which from all ages has been hid in God who created all things, to the intent that now to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the many sided wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.’
‘To make all men see.’ Paul is desirous that the whole world should know, and indeed is commanded that it should be so.
‘What is the stewardship of the mystery.’ He wants them to see ‘the stewardship of the mystery’, that is, the carrying out into effect of the mystery by God in the church of God with its indwelling by Jesus Christ. For this is the wonder of the mystery, that Christ is in them the hope of glory (Col 1:27), so that they will become like Him, will partake in His glory, and will through the ages continully reveal that glory (compare 2Co 3:18; Joh 17:22). That is God’s purpose in Christ.
‘Which from all ages has been hid in God Who created all things.’ This mystery was kept secret in the heart of God even from before creation, and has now been made known in Christ.
‘To the intent that now the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places.’ This probably means all heavenly beings both unfallen and fallen (for the latter compare Eph 6:12). They were created by Jesus Christ (Col 1:16) and have a part in the spiritual realm into which Christians have now been brought through the Spirit, some being helpful (Heb 1:14) and some being antagonistic (Eph 6:12). Many ancient religious non-Christian creeds produced whole hosts of heavenly beings of great varieties. Whatever they are, says Paul, they can only stand in awe at the church of God through whom God is carrying out His purposes. We may wonder at angels. They wonder at us.
‘Might be made known through the church the many sided wisdom of God.’ All such beings are to see the many sided (variegated) wisdom of God, either through the activity of the called out people of God, the Christ indwelt church, or perhaps just through its very existence, although the one assumes the other; and especially by its final presentation before God as the unblemished ‘wife’ of Christ (Eph 5:26-27).
‘According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ The great mystery of the church is that, having been redeemed and sanctified, they are indwelt by the risen Christ, ‘Christ in you the hope of glory’ (Col 1:27), and enjoy His unsearchable riches. But this indwelling is not of some great organisation called ‘the church’, but of living members of the church, who are each indwelt by Christ (Eph 3:17; Gal 2:20) and who must each be presented perfect in Christ (Col 1:28), and yet are united as one in Him.
‘Christ Jesus our Lord’. A phrase used only here (but compare Col 2:6 where it is used without ‘our’). It is intended to emphasise the majesty and glory of Christ (‘the Christ, Jesus our Lord’, compare Act 2:36).
‘In Whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in Him.’ Their being possessed by Christ makes His people confident in their approach to God, for they come through Him. Thus they come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:16), and find that their access is sure. ‘Confident access.’ Not blase or arrogant, not thoughtless or presumptious, but humble and joyful because we come through Him.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eph 3:9. Whichhath been hid in God, It is evident that here is an allusion to the burying of a treasure in some secret place; (comp. Mat 13:44 where the same word is used;) as there may also be in the word , unsearchable, Eph 3:8 which properly signifies, what cannot be traced out; and it is certain, that, though something is now known concerning this glorious mystery, yet there is an incomparablygreater part, concerning which we only know in the general that it is a rich treasure, without particularly knowing either what or how much it is. Mr. Locke, in an elaborate note, pleads, as Diodati has done before him, that the latter clause of this verse refers not to the creation of the world, but to the renovation of it; (see ch. Eph 2:10.) and so may be considered as an intimation, that the Father always intended that the Son should have the honour of forming all things anew; and therefore concealed the mystery till after Christ was come. But the words, if taken in the most extensive sense, contain both a certain and a pertinent truth.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eph 3:9 . ] According to Harless, who is followed by Olshausen, Paul makes a transition to all men : “not, however, to the Gentiles alone, but to all .” Wrongly, since Paul must have written , as he had before prefixed . applies to all Gentiles , and the progress of the discourse has regard not to the persons, but to a particular main point ( , and in particular), upon which Paul in his proclamation of the riches of Christ gives information to all Gentiles.
] collustrare , of the enlightenment of the mind (Joh 1:9 ), which is here to be conceived of as brought about by means of the preaching . Comp. Heb 6:4 (and Bleek, ad loc. ), Heb 10:32 ; Psa 119:130 ; Sir 45:17 . Docere (Grotius, Bengel, Rosenmller, and others) hits doubtless the real sense, but unwarrantably abandons the figure . The possible difficulty that Christ Himself is in fact the light (Joh 1:9 ; Joh 12:35 ) disappears on considering that the apostles are mediately the enlightened ones (2Co 4:4 ; Mat 5:14 ), the proclaimers and bearers (Act 26:18 ) of the divine light and its moral powers (v. 8).
. . .] i.e. what is the arrangement, which is made with regard to the mystery , etc. As to , see on Eph 1:10 , Eph 3:2 ; the mystery is that indicated as to its contents in Eph 3:6 ; and what has been adjusted or arranged with regard thereto ( ), consists in the fact that this mystery, hidden in God from the very first, was to be made known in the present time through the church to the heavenly powers. See what follows.
.] , Rom 16:25 . Comp. 1Co 2:7 ; Col 1:26 .
] from the world-periods , since they have begun to run their course, from the very beginning . The mystery, namely, was decreed already , 1Co 2:7 , comp. Eph 1:4 , but is conceived of as hidden only since the beginning of the ages, because there was no one previously for whom it could be hidden. The same thing with here is denoted at Rom 16:25 by the popular expression . We may add that occurs in the N.T. only here and Col 1:26 ; elsewhere is found the expression current also in Greek authors, (Luk 1:70 ; Act 3:21 ), and (Joh 9:32 ).
] quippe qui omnia [176] creavit. Herein lies and this is the significant bearing of this more precise designation of God a confirmation of what has just been said, . . . Bengel aptly observes: “rerum omnium creatio fundamentum est omnis reliquae oeconomiae, pro potestate Dei universali liberrime dispensatae.” He who has created all that exists must already have had implicitly contained in His creative plan the great unfolding of the world, which forms the contents of this mystery, so that thus the latter was hidden in God. Comp. on , Act 15:18 , and as to the idea which underlies our passage also, that already the creative word contemplated Christ as its aim, [177] Col 1:16 ff., and the commentary thereon. Rckert thinks that Paul wishes to indicate how far it may not surprise us that He, from whom all things are derived, should have concealed a part of His all-embracing plan, in order to bring it to light only at the due time. But, apart from the fact that the creation of all things does not at all involve as a logical inference the concealment of a part of the divine plan, it was not the . in itself that needed a ground assigned for it, since in fact this predicate is necessarily implied in the notion of , but the . . This is the terminus a quo , which was introduced with the . At variance with the context, Olshausen holds that Paul wished to call attention to the fact that the establishment of redemption itself [of which the apostle in fact is not speaking] is a creative act of God, which could have proceeded only from Him who created all things. Harless places . in connection with . . . , Eph 3:10 . But see on Eph 3:10 .
[176] The totality of that which exists, the whole world. Every limitation of this universal meaning is unwarranted, as when Beza, Piscator, Flatt, and others refer it to mankind . “Unus Deus omnes populos condidit, sic etiam nunc omnes ad se vocat,” Beza. Holzhausen, too, arbitrarily limits it to all spiritual beings, called to everlasting life; while Matthies mixes up also in the effecting of the spiritual blessedness .
[177] Hence would have been a more correct gloss than ., which the Recepta has.
REMARK.
When is recognised as not genuine (see the critical remarks), the possibility is taken away of referring to the moral creation by Christ , as is done by Calvin, Zanchius, Calixtus, Grotius, Crell, Locke, Semler, Morus, Koppe, Usteri, Meier, Baumgarten-Crusius, and others. But even if those words were genuine, the formal and absolute , as well as the emphatically prefixed and unlimited , would justify only the reference to the physical creation, Gen 1 . Comp. Calovius and Reiche.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
9 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:
Ver. 9. And to make all men see ] Gr. to illighten them, far more than the preaching of the prophets could,2Pe 1:192Pe 1:19 . To us now is a great light sprung up,Mat 4:16Mat 4:16 .
The fellowship ] . Or (as some copies have it) the dispensation.
Who created all things ] i.e. Restored, repaired. Hence gospel days are called the world to come, Heb 2:5 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
9 .] and to enlighten (reff.; not merely externally to teach, referred to his work , but internally to enlighten the hearers, referred to their apprehension : as when the Apostles gave witness with great power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, Act 4:33 . On St. Paul’s mission to enlighten, see especially Act 26:18 ) all (no emphasis on , as Harl. “not the Gentiles only, but all men,” or as Mey. observes it would be (or .?) ) what (the ellipse is supplied by in ch. Eph 1:18 ) is the conomy (see on ch. Eph 1:10 ) of the mystery (“the dispensation (arrangement, regulation) of the mystery (the union of Jews and Gentiles in Christ, Eph 3:6 ) was now to be humbly traced and acknowledged in the fact of its having secretly existed in the primal counsels of God, and now having been revealed to the heavenly powers by means of the Church.” Ellicott) which has been hidden from (the beginning of) the ages ( . gives the temporal limit from which the concealment dated: so , Rom 16:25 . The decree itself originated , ch. Eph 1:4 , 1Co 2:7 : the being the spaces or reaches of time necessary for the successive acts of created beings, either physical or spiritual) in (join with . hidden within, humanly speaking, ‘in the bosom or the mind of’) God who created all things (“rerum omnium creatio fundamentum est omnis reliqu conomi, pro potestate Dei universali liberrime dispensat.” Beng. The stress is on this concealment was nothing to be wondered at for God of His own will and power created ALL THINGS, a fact which involves His perfect right to adjust all things as He will. . , in the widest sense, embracing physical and spiritual alike),
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Eph 3:9 . : and to make all see what is the fellowship (dispensation) of the mystery which from all ages hath been hidden . The which the TR inserts after is omitted by some MSS. (including [272] 1 [273] ) and certain Fathers (Hil., Jer., Aug., etc.). It is rejected by Tisch., accepted by RV in the text, and dealt with by WH as a secondary reading. The of the TR, which has the slenderest possible authority, must give place to the of the RV with LTTrWH, which is the reading of [274] [275] [276] [277] [278] [279] [280] [281] , etc. If the is omitted the sense becomes, as it is given in the margin of the RV, “to bring to light what is” the dispensation. If it is retained, the idea will be that of the enlightenment of all as to what the dispensation is. The , however, which occupies an unemphatic position here, after the verb (in contrast with the emphatic position of before its verb) can scarcely bear the absolute sense of all men , Jew and Gentile alike, but refers to all the previously mentioned. The verb is more than or . It means to illuminate . Paul was not only to deliver his Apostolic message, but also to spiritually enlighten those who heard it, so that they should understand it. The particular thing in that message which is here in view is the (on which see under Eph 1:10 ), that is, the dispensation or arrangement of the mystery, to wit the admission of the Gentiles on equal terms with the Jews; the here having the same application as in Eph 3:6 . The formula occurs in the NT only here and in Col 1:26 ; the forms and also occur, the former in Luk 1:70 and Act 3:21 , the latter in Joh 9:32 . It means literally “from the ages,” “from the world-periods,” that is, from the beginning , or since the world began . It is to be distinguished from (1Co 2:7 ). The Divine decree was formed before the ages of the world began; the keeping of that decree hidden was since the ages of the world began, i.e. , “from the commencement of the ages when intelligent beings from whom it could be concealed were called into existence” (Ell.). In Rom 16:25 we have the similar description of the as . : in God who created all things [ through Jesus Christ ]. The “mystery” had its place of concealment in God Himself, in the Divine mind. And God is designated specially in respect of His creative power “God who created all things” (not “ inasmuch as He created all things,” which would require the omission of the ). The , which also occupies a somewhat emphatic position here, is not to be restricted either to the physical creation (Chrys.), or to the spiritual (Calv.), but has the absolute sense of all that exists . The TR adds to the (with [282] [283] [284] , etc.); but these words must be omitted, as the best authorities ( [285] [286] [287] [288] [289] [290] , 17, etc.) do not give them. But why is this reference to God as the Creator of all things introduced at this point? By way of confirmation, say some, of what has just been said of the “mystery” as having been hidden from the beginning in God; the point being that He who created all things must have had the contents of this “mystery” in His eternal plan (Mey.). To “enhance the idea of His omnipotence,” say others; He who created all things having “ ordained the mystery itself in the exercise of His undoubted prerogative of sovereign and creative power” (Ell.). Or, as others put it more precisely, its object is to take the wonder from the idea of the “mystery” having been so long unrevealed; the creation of all things by God being a fact which involves His perfect right to adjust all things as He will” (Alf.) the Creator of all being “free to make what arrangements He pleased as to the concealment and revelation of His purpose” (Abb.). None of these interpretations can be said to be either very clear or very adequate. This designation of God as the Creator of all that exists is intended rather to express the greatness of the “mystery” that is now disclosed and of which Paul is to be a preacher. The main thought in the verse in question is the thought with which it starts, viz. , the marvel of that Apostolic commission of which Paul had been put in trust by the grace of God; and the majesty and the wonder of that commission are made the greater by the grandeur of the “mystery” the Divine disposition of which he was appointed to declare to all men. This “mystery,” though long hidden, had been in the Divine mind from the first, and it had been there in such a sense that the whole scheme of created things had it in view, and in such wise that the knowledge of it was to be imparted even to the angelic world ( cf. Haupt). Or, as it may be better put, the “mystery” now at last revealed by God and proclaimed by Paul to all men in all the sovereign and surpassing wisdom of the Divine dispensation by which it was hidden long and in the fulness of time at last disclosed, was one of God’s own eternal secrets, one of His unsearchable thoughts, a thing that had its place from the beginning in His creative plan, a reserve in the Eternal mind that purposed and formed all that exists. And to Paul’s hands did the surpassing grace of God commit the proclamation of a truth of such magnitude, the illumination ( ) of so unsearchable a disposition of the Divine wisdom!
[272] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[273] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
[274] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[275] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[276] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
[277] Codex Ephraemi (sc. v.), the Paris palimpsest, edited by Tischendorf in 1843.
[278] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[279] Codex Mosquensis (sc. ix.), edited by Matthi in 1782.
[280] Codex Augiensis (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Trinity College, Cambridge, edited by Scrivener in 1859. Its Greek text is almost identical with that of G, and it is therefore not cited save where it differs from that MS. Its Latin version, f, presents the Vulgate text with some modifications.
[281] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
[282] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[283] Codex Mosquensis (sc. ix.), edited by Matthi in 1782.
[284] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
[285] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[286] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[287] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
[288] Codex Ephraemi (sc. v.), the Paris palimpsest, edited by Tischendorf in 1843.
[289] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[290] Codex Augiensis (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Trinity College, Cambridge, edited by Scrivener in 1859. Its Greek text is almost identical with that of G, and it is therefore not cited save where it differs from that MS. Its Latin version, f, presents the Vulgate text with some modifications.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
And . . . God = And to enlighten all as to what is the stewardship (committed to me) of the mystery (App-193) that hath been hidden from the ages in God.
make . . . see = enlighten. See Eph 1:18.
fellowship. The texts read oikonomia (Eph 3:2), instead of koinonia.
from . . . world = from the ages. App-151.
hid. Greek. apokrupto. See 1Co 2:7.
created. See Eph 2:10.
by Jesus Christ. The texts omit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
9.] and to enlighten (reff.; not merely externally to teach, referred to his work,-but internally to enlighten the hearers, referred to their apprehension: as when the Apostles gave witness with great power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, Act 4:33. On St. Pauls mission to enlighten, see especially Act 26:18) all (no emphasis on , as Harl.-not the Gentiles only, but all men,-or as Mey. observes it would be (or .?) ) what (the ellipse is supplied by in ch. Eph 1:18) is the conomy (see on ch. Eph 1:10) of the mystery (the dispensation (arrangement, regulation) of the mystery (the union of Jews and Gentiles in Christ, Eph 3:6) was now to be humbly traced and acknowledged in the fact of its having secretly existed in the primal counsels of God, and now having been revealed to the heavenly powers by means of the Church. Ellicott) which has been hidden from (the beginning of) the ages ( . gives the temporal limit from which the concealment dated: so , Rom 16:25. The decree itself originated , ch. Eph 1:4, 1Co 2:7 : the being the spaces or reaches of time necessary for the successive acts of created beings, either physical or spiritual) in (join with .-hidden within,-humanly speaking, in the bosom or the mind of) God who created all things (rerum omnium creatio fundamentum est omnis reliqu conomi, pro potestate Dei universali liberrime dispensat. Beng. The stress is on -this concealment was nothing to be wondered at-for God of His own will and power created ALL THINGS, a fact which involves His perfect right to adjust all things as He will. ., in the widest sense, embracing physical and spiritual alike),
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Eph 3:9. ) to make see, to show; comp. Col 1:28. For , LXX. , 2Ki 12:3, and in other places.- , what is the dispensation) Col 1:25-26. [The reading is acknowledged by the most earnest defenders of the more received readings[44]-Not. Crit.]- , in God) An antithesis to creatures, even the most excellent, Eph 3:10.- , who created all things) The creation of all things is the foundation of all the rest of the economy, most freely dispensed, according to the universal power of God. The expression, all things, includes , …, principalities, etc.
[44] Rec. Text has , with hardly any authority. So Engl. V. the fellowship. But ABCD()Gfg Vulg. Hilary 54, read .-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Eph 3:9
Eph 3:9
and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery-The reception of the Gentiles carried with it the revelation of the glorious purpose God had always of redeeming man from sin and rescuing the world from the rule of the evil one and the ruin brought upon it; of purging it of all evil, and bringing it back to more than its pristine relations to God and the universe. The redemption of the Gentiles was the significant step in the work. The mystery had been entrusted to Paul that he might make it known.
which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;-[In these words is a recognition of that sovereignty in God based upon the fact that all things owe their origin to him, by virtue of which he not only of right appoints events according to the good pleasure of his will (Eph 1:5), but times their fulfillment as his infinite wisdom sees in all respects fitting and right, and appoints the agent through whom the proclamation of a truth of such magnitude requires.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
mystery
(See Scofield “Mat 13:11”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
to: Mat 10:27, Mat 28:19, Mar 16:15, Mar 16:16, Luk 24:47, Rom 16:26, Col 1:23, 2Ti 4:17, Rev 14:6
fellowship: Eph 3:3-5, Eph 1:9, Eph 1:10, 1Ti 3:16
beginning: Eph 1:4, Mat 13:35, Mat 25:34, Act 15:18, Rom 16:25, 1Co 2:7, 2Th 2:13, 2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2, 1Pe 1:20, Rev 13:8, Rev 17:8
hid: Col 1:26, Col 3:3
created: Psa 33:6, Isa 44:24, Joh 1:1-3, Joh 5:17, Joh 5:19, Joh 10:30, Col 1:16, Col 1:17, Heb 1:2, Heb 1:3, Heb 3:3, Heb 3:4
Reciprocal: Gen 1:1 – God Psa 139:17 – precious Jer 32:17 – there Luk 7:28 – but Joh 1:3 – General Joh 1:7 – that Rom 11:25 – this 1Co 1:30 – wisdom Eph 3:5 – in other Phi 3:8 – the excellency Col 2:2 – understanding Col 2:3 – hid Rev 4:11 – for thou
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Eph 3:9.) -And to make all men see. Lachmann has assigned no valid reason for throwing suspicion upon . To restrict the meaning of the adjective to the heathen, as Meyer and Baumgarten-Crusius do, is without any warrant, though is not emphatic in position. We lay no stress on the fact that and do not agree in gender, for such a form of concord is not uncommon, and a separate idea is also introduced. The apostle preached to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, but in his discharge of this duty he taught not Gentiles only, but all-Jew and Gentile alike – what is the dispensation of the mystery. The verb , followed by the accusative of the thing, denotes to bring it into light; but followed by the accusative of the person, it signifies to throw light upon him-not only to teach, , but to enlighten inwardly-to give spiritual apprehension-. See under Eph 1:18. If one gaze upon a landscape as the rising sun strikes successive points, and brings them into view in every variety of tint and shade, both subjective and objective illumination is enjoyed. No wonder that in so many languages light is the emblem of knowledge. That mystery which was now placed in clear light was not discerned by the Jew, and could not have been perceived by the Gentile for the shadow which lay both on him and it. But the result of Paul’s mission was, that the Jew at once saw it, and the Gentile plainly understood its scope. They were enlightened-were enabled to make a sudden discovery by the lucid and full demonstration set before them. The point on which they were instructed was this-
-what is the economy of the mystery. That should supersede the gloss of the Elzevir text is established by the concurrent authority of A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, supported by a host of the Fathers and by the early versions. The preaching of Paul enabled all to see what is the arrangement or organization of that mystery which, from the beginning of the world, had been hid in God. The terms and have been already explained Eph 1:9-10, and Eph 3:2-3. The mystery must be the same as that described in Eph 3:6, for the same course of thought is still pursued, and varied only by the repetition. That mystery now so open had been long sealed-
-which from of old has been hid in God. Col 1:26; 1Co 2:7; Rom 16:25. -from the ages in a temporal sense; not concealed from the ages, in the sense of Macknight, but hid from of old; not, perhaps, strictly from before all time, but since the commencement of time up to the period of the apostle’s commission. During this interval of four thousand years God’s purpose to found a religion of universal offer, adaptation, and enjoyment, lay unrevealed in His own bosom. Glimpses of that sublime purpose might be occasionally caught, but no open or formal organization of it was made. There were hints and pre-intimations, oracles that spoke sometimes in cautious, and sometimes in bolder phrase; but till the death of Jesus, the means were not provided by which Judaism should be superseded and a world-wide system introduced. Then the Divine Hierophant disclosed the mystery, after His Son had offered an atonement whose saving value had no national restrictions, and acknowledged no ethnographical impediment, and when He poured out His Spirit on believing Gentiles, and commissioned Saul of Tarsus to go far from Palestine and reclaim the heathen outcasts. In God-
-who created all things. The additional words of the Received Text are at least doubtful, and are omitted by recent editors. They are not found in the Codices A, B, C, D1, F, G, nor in the Syriac, Vulgate, and Coptic versions, nor in the quotations of the Latin fathers. They occur, however, in the Greek fathers, such as Chrysostom, Theophylact, and OEcumenius. The emphasis lies on , but the meaning of has been much disputed:-1. Chrysostom, guided by the words which he admitted into the text, -explains thus-He who created all things by Him, revealeth also this by Him. But if the phrase be spurious, this interpretation, if it can be called one, is at once set aside. 2. Olshausen says, that the term is employed to show that the institution of redemption is a creative act of God, and could proceed from Him alone who created all things. The view of von Gerlach is similar. Argumentum est, says Zanchius, a creatione ad recreationem. Bengel suggests this idea-Rerum omnium creatio fundamentum est omnis reliquae oeconomiae. But this exposition is not in harmony with the course of thought. It is of the concealment of a mystery in God the universal Creator that Paul speaks, not of the actual provision of salvation for men. 3. Many understand the reference to be to the spiritual creation, such as Calvin, Zanchius, Calixtus, Grotius, Usteri, Meier, and Baumgarten-Crusius. The deletion of the words by Jesus Christ, and the want of some other qualifying term, militates against this view. In Eph 2:10; Eph 2:15, and in Eph 4:24, there are accompanying phrases which leave no doubt as to the meaning. But the aorist, and the occurrence of the term here without any explanatory adjunct, seem to prove that it must bear its most usual and simple signification. 4. Beza, Piscator, Flatt, and others, refer to men, abridging by this tame exegesis the limitless meaning of the terms.
The real question is, What is meant by this allusion to the creation-what is the relation between the creative work of God and the concealment of this mystery in Himself? Had the apostle said-hid in God who arranges all things, or foresees all things, the meaning would have been apparent. But it is not so easy to perceive the connection between creation and the seclusion of a mystery. The fact that God created all things cannot, as in Rckert’s suggestion, afford any reason why he concealed a portion of his plan; nor can we discover, with others, that the additional clause is meant to show the sovereign freeness and power of God in such concealment. Our own view may be thus expressed: The period during which the mystery was hid dates from the ages commencing with creation, for creation built up the platform on which the strange mystery of redemption was disclosed. God, as Creator of the universe, has of necessity a plan according to which all arrangements take place, for creation implies providence or government-the gradual evolution of counsels which had lain folded up with unfathomable secrecy. But those counsels are not disclosed with simultaneous and confusing haste: the Almighty Mind retains them in itself till the fitting period when they may be unveiled. Now, the mystery of the inbringing of the Gentiles was secreted in the Divine bosom for four thousand years, that is, from the epoch of the creation-the origin of time. And it has not come to light by accident, but by a prearranged determination. When God created the world, it was a portion of His plan as its Creator that the Gentile nations, after the call of Abraham, should be without the pale of His visible church; but that after His Son died, and the gospel with universal adaptations was established, they should be admitted into covenant. At the fittest time, not prematurely, but with leisurely exactness, were created both the human materials on which redemption was to work, and that peculiar and varied mechanism by which its designs were to be accomplished. And one grand purpose is declared to be-
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Eph 3:9. The mystery again is the truth that the Gospel was to be given to the world for the benefit of both Jews and Gentiles. Fellowship means the mutual enjoyment of all nations in their equal relationship to Christ as their Saviour. Been hid in God/is the same thought that is expressed by verse 5. Created all things by Jesus Christ. This was true of the creation of the material world (Joh 1:1-3), but it is true also that all spiritual blessing are provided through Him. (Col 1:16.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eph 3:9. And to make all men see. Not simply to teach all men, but to enlighten all, which is to be accomplished by means of the gospel. All, which is not emphatic, refers to the Gentiles (Eph 3:8).
What is the dispensation of the mystery. Fellowship is poorly supported; dispensation is used as in Eph 3:2 : the Divine arrangement of the mystery. The mystery is the union of the Jews and Gentiles in Christ (Eph 3:6), not however independently of the wider reference (see Eph 3:3). The Gentiles, through his preaching, were to be enlightened as to this Divine arrangement. Such enlightenment was needed, for this mystery was one which from the beginning of the world (lit., from the ages) hath been hid. From the beginning of the periods of time through which the created world (of angels and men) had passed; the phrase occurring in this form only here and in Col 1:26. The mystery was decreed before the ages (1Co 2:7; comp. Eph 1:4), but it is conceived of as hidden only since the beginning of the ages, because before that there was no one from whom it could be hidden (Meyer).
In God who created all things. The great weight of authority is against the addition of through Jesus Christ The omission of the phrase is conclusive against the view that the spiritual creation is referred to, as in chap. Eph 2:10. All things is to be taken in its widest sense. This mention of Gods omnipotence is probably not suggested by the thought of hiding, but serves to indicate that God, as sovereign creator, included in His purpose this mystery and the arrangement (dispensation) by means of which it was carried out.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 9
The fellowship of the mystery; the hidden counsel and design of God.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
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:
This seems to be a recap of all that has gone on before – the plan of God, the creation, the story of redemption, this is the mystery that had formerly been hidden from the Gentiles view. Paul was to make man see what God had been doing through the ages for them, as individuals.
“To make” is the term “photizo” which relates to illuminate or shine light upon. Our house is on a fairly dark street. There is a street light in front, but it does not help in our yard. I started turning on the porch light, I then added a light to the garage, then another light on the garage, and it was still not enough so I added two more to the house on two of the darker sides. Finally I felt our yard was illuminated – I could see what was going on. Paul was to illuminate man about what God was doing on their behalf.
You have read of the perfect tense, and it has been mentioned that it is something that occurs, but has continuing action until a point of completion. In this verse we have the perfect tense used with the fullness of its meaning. “Hath been hid” is a perfect tense. This information was hidden in the past and continued to be hidden until Paul’s day when the completion of the hiding took place – revelation of that which was hidden.
“Fellowship of the mystery” is of interest. The term “fellowship” is “koinonia” which relates to fellowship. It is that relationship between believers as well as that relationship between a person and God. What is meant by the “fellowship of the mystery?” Does it relate to the thought that all mankind has a relationship with this mystery? Yes, this is true.
It is of interest that some state that the older manuscripts show the term normally translated dispensation rather than the term normally translated fellowship. The two are normally viewed as quite different, the one relating to a governing relationship between God and man, and the other being a personal relationship between God and man or between believers.
It may show that older theologians viewed our fellowship with God as an age or economy – which it really is related – our time with God on this earth, our fellowship with Him is certainly limited to a specific time and our relationship to Him is marked by certain governing principles.
It may be that fellowship is the outworking of that dispensation or governing relationship that we are in.
I am not suggesting we add four hundred and fifty million dispensations the seven we have, but in essence that is what we have with God – a dispensation of our own – a set of responsibilities of our own before Him, and He in turn responds to us as is befitting our own personal dispensation.
Paul is to make ALL men to see they have a relationship to this mystery of God – the plan, the election, the creation, the cross and all that is associated with God’s work with mankind – Paul is to tell ALL that they have a relationship to this plan.
Now, think about that for a moment. We tend to witness so that we can win souls, but ought we not be witnessing to all to let them know that they are related to the plan of God. Even if they reject Christ, it is obvious here that they have a relationship to the decrees of God. If there is a relationship, then there is also responsibility. If responsible then the results are on their shoulders.
If they reject their responsibility to the relationship, they suffer the result – they refused their rescue – eternity without that relationship that they refused. Just another way to say they are going to spend eternity in the lake of fire because they did not want to respond to God.
There is an obvious teaching here. “All” is the term that Paul chose to use. He could have said the elect, he could have said the predestined, but he did not. He used “ALL” indicating what? Do you suppose he meant ALL mankind is to be told of this fellowship? I should think so.
Yes, this is the term that indicates all but not every one, however we do not know which will or will not respond to the gospel, but we should attempt to tell ALL of their relationship/dispensation with God.
“In God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” What an explicit statement of the Lord Jesus being the creator. God planned it, Christ produced it and the Spirit moved on the waters. Some suggest that God planned it, Christ spoke it, and the Spirit produced it. I would suggest that God planned it, Christ spoke the materials and form into existence, and the Spirit gave it life. Gen 1:1-2 speaks of the Spirit moving on the face of the waters. Later we see that the whole of creation was water in the beginning, and later land appeared. This would indicate that the Spirit was moving or calming the waters. One of the meanings of the word used is to soften or to relax. The Spirit was calming or relaxing the creation, thus not really involved in the actual creation of matter or forming of form. He was however just as involved as the other members of the trinity.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
The second part of Paul’s ministry, besides preaching to the Gentiles, was explaining the mystery of the church to everyone. Even though God had not revealed the church earlier, it was in His plan from the beginning (1Co 2:7; Rom 16:25-26).