To what does “the mystery” refer?

Explanation:

Paul is praising God for making known to us the mystery of his will, so we should expect Paul to identify what mystery has been revealed. Paul will do this, but before he does, he makes two qualifying statements about the mystery. First, he explains that God made known the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. In other words, just as it delighted God to predestine believers to be his sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5), so it delighted him to make known the mystery of his will (Ephesians 1:9). Second, Paul indicates that the mystery of God’s will has to do with a plan that will come about at the fullness of time (Ephesians 1:10a). Finally, Paul explains the content of the mystery, which is to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:10b).³

Counterargument:

To identify the mystery of God’s will with the content of Ephesians 1:10b is to identify God’s will with the infinitive of the verb ἀνακεφαλαιόω (to summarize/bring together under one head/to unite). We can illustrate the construction this way:

A) God made known the mystery of his will,
B) according to his good pleasure,
C) as a plan for the fullness of time,
A') to unite all things in Christ.

This construction is possible, although there are two subordinate clauses (B and C) between the clause that introduces the fact that God has made known the mystery of his will, and the infinitive (A and A').

Because of this distance, some authors note that there are at least three plausible alternatives for correctly applying the infinitive which are not related to God’s will.⁴ For example, the infinitive could complete the verb to plan/present found at the end of Ephesians 1:9. On this reading the construction looks different:

A) God makes known the mystery of this will
B) according to his good purpose,
C) which he planned in him as a plan for the fullness of time,
C') to unite all things in Christ.

On this reading, Paul has introduced the notion that God has made known the mystery of his will, but he has not yet identified the content of this mystery.

Response to counterargument:

The fact that the construction of the Greek lends itself to ambiguity should cause us to look beyond the syntax, and toward the semantics to make a confident interpretation. In this case, we find our passage in the middle of a Hebrew berakah, which is a formula for offering praise to God. Paul is unashamed in his zeal for the abundance of the spiritual blessings that God has poured on believers through Jesus Christ. As such, Paul is less worried about syntax and more worried about offering abundant praise for God’s grace. Still, Paul is articulating a precise train of thought. Thus, it makes sense that when he states that God has made known the mystery of his will, he would not leave his reader to guess at the mystery. Rather, he simply adds some qualification, and further praise to God, before revealing that the mystery is to unite all things in Christ.

Explanation:

When we reach Ephesians 3, Paul again introduces the notion of mystery. Although the content of the mystery is not the same as the content he introduces in Ephesians 1:10, he follows a similar pattern.⁵ First, he introduces the concept of mystery, and then he adds a couple of qualifying statements before introducing the content of the mystery. The construction is as follows:

A) the mystery was made known to him by revelation (Ephesians 3:3),
B) his readers will be able to perceive his insight in the mystery (Ephesians 3:4),
C) that the mystery was not made known to other generations, and finally (Ephesians 3:5),
A') the mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs along with the Jews in the body of Christ (Ephesians 3:6).

Counterargument:

There are some similarities between Ephesians 1:9–10 and Ephesians 3:3–6, but there are also differences. For example, in Ephesians 1:9 Paul explains that God has made known the mystery of his will, but he stops short of explicitly stating the content of the mystery. While it is possible that Paul is referring to ἀνακεφαλαιόω (to summarize/bring together), the ambiguous syntax leaves open other possibilities. In Ephesians 3:3–6, he leaves no ambiguity; he states that a mystery has been revealed to him (Ephesians 3:3). Then he reiterates that his readers will perceive that a mystery has been revealed to him (Ephesians 3:4), before clearly identifying the mystery (Ephesians 3:6).

Response to counterargument:

The differences between Ephesians 1:9–10 and Ephesians 3:3–6 are not enough to exclude 3:3–6 as a model for interpreting 1:9–10. While it is the case that Paul is more explicit in 3:3–6, this could simply be due to the fact that he has reached the body of his message. Ephesians 1:9–10 is found in an introductory berakah, where Paul is offering his praise to God. We should not expect to find him extrapolating his thoughts in detail, although we should still assume that his thoughts are coherent. From Ephesians 1:3–14 Paul is making terse statements about God’s grand redemptive plan; he simply does not have the space for a full explanation. When we reach Ephesians 3:3–6, we find the same mannerism, which is to introduce the notion of mystery, and add two qualifications before identifying it. But since Paul has reached the body of his message, he has the space to be more explicit.

One of the essential aspects of this argument is that Paul would not introduce the notion that God has made known the mystery of his will without identifying it. In this case, such reasoning might not be strong because the passage is found in the introductory remarks of his letter. We might expect to find authors introducing broad themes in introductions, but we do not need to press them for detail. This is because the detail comes out in the body of the work. It is possible that Paul has introduced and identified the mystery of God’s will, but unless the connection between concept and content is clear, it is just as likely that Paul will introduce the content later.

Explanation:

While Paul is not explicit about the content of the mystery in Ephesians 1:9, we can at least be sure that what he means to say is that God has made known something that once was not known.⁸ This is important because the term mystery has a variety of meanings, especially in the Greco-Roman context in which Paul is writing. For some, the term has to do with secret religious knowledge that is concealed in strange customs.⁹ In this sense, it could pertain to secret knowledge that is not to be shared with outsiders.¹⁰ Aside from ancient religious practices, it also carries the connotation of an occurrence that transcends human understanding, as in the virgin birth of Jesus or the resurrection.¹¹ While Paul will sometimes use the term mystery to describe mysteries that transcend human categories (1 Corinthians 15:51), he will often use it to indicate something that was not known that is now made known. For example, in Ephesians 3:3–6, Paul uses the same term μυστήριον to indicate something that was not known to previous generations (Ephesians 3:5). In Colossians 1:26–27, Paul defines the term similarly, explaining that the mystery was hidden for generations but is now made manifest (Colossians 1:26). Paul seems to be making similar use here, by using the verb to make known to indicate that this mystery has been made known to Paul by God. When Paul uses mystery to denote something puzzling, he makes this clear (Ephesians 5:32), and when he uses it to indicate a new fact revealed by God, as in our passage, he uses verbs like to make known.

It is important to understand that Paul does not use the term to refer to secret knowledge that should not be shared with outsiders or to something that transcends human thought, because the knowledge is meant to be public.¹²

Counterargument:

There are at least two ways to understand the verb to make known in this context. For one, Paul could be using it to indicate that what was once hidden with God has not been made known, as argument a) above suggests. But it could also be used to suggest puzzlement. Like the virgin birth and resurrection, God makes known things that are otherwise mysterious to us humans. It is not simply that God has concealed certain facts that are unknown until they are revealed. Rather, God makes known things like the virgin birth and the resurrection that are mysterious to us. In our passage, it is just as likely that Paul is making reference to the fact that God has made some puzzling aspects of his will known through Jesus Christ, as he is revealing something once hidden, now made known.

Response to counterargument:

It is possible that Paul is making a general statement about the fact that God reveals mysteries to us, but this is unlikely because mystery is in the accusative case, which means it is the direct object of the verb to make known. This means that what God makes known is the mystery. If Paul wanted to state that God makes his will known, which happens to be mysterious, we should expect to find (will) in the accusative case as the direct object of to make known.

Explanation:

There are spiritual aspects to the reality that humans are unable to comprehend by the power of their own reason (1 Corinthians 2:14). Still, God has lavished us with his abundant grace by revealing to us, through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, the mystery of his will. In other words, things that were once hidden with God have been made known to humans through supernatural illumination by the Holy Spirit.¹³

Counterargument:

As has been discussed, the term mystery can hold a variety of meanings. Some of these meanings have to do with puzzling concepts or events that are beyond the natural person’s grasp. These might include mysteries like the resurrection from the dead or the fact that God is an omnipresent spirit. We can construct theoretical models to try and deal with certain aspects of these mysteries, but still, they remain mysterious. There are also spiritual mysteries, like the hardening of the Israelites’ hearts until the full number of the Gentiles comes in (Romans 11:25), or the mysteries of the kingdom of God that Jesus states are hidden in parables (Luke 8:10). And, as has been noted, the term mystery might simply refer to something that was once hidden, but now revealed. The question is whether we have reason to think that Paul uses the term μυστήριον to refer to something that only the spiritually discerned can comprehend. On this point, the answer seems to be no. First, there is no mention of the Holy Spirit in this verse. Second, there is no allusion to the notion that God has made the mystery of his will known only to regenerate believers. Third, since there is no mention of the Spirit’s illuminating power, we must be careful not to read into the text theological concepts that are foreign to the text (although otherwise legitimate). Finally, the text indicates that the mystery of God’s will was set forth in Christ, and since the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection were public events, one could say that the mystery of God’s will was not just something revealed by the Holy Spirit, but was on full public display (Colossians 2:15). It might be the case that no one will believe the mystery of the gospel except by the illumination of the Spirit, but still, the mystery of God’s will was revealed in history through the life of Jesus in the first century AD, not just in spirit.

Response to counterargument:

When we reach Ephesians 1:17–18, Paul explains his wish that believers would be filled with spiritual wisdom and that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened. There is a strong connection between these verses and the mystery of Ephesians 1:9. How else could one perceive a spiritual mystery unless one is enlightened by a spirit of wisdom? This spirit is clearly said to be given by God (Ephesians 1:17).

Response to response to counterargument:

This argument begs the question by assuming that the μυστήριον is a spiritual mystery that requires the illumination of the Spirit to be known. Paul specifies no connection between his prayer to receive spiritual insight (Ephesians 1:17–18) and the mystery of Ephesians 1:9. The only way to make that connection is to assume a certain definition of mystery, but that is the very exercise we are trying to perform.

The difficulty with this view is that it is somewhat vague. While it is important to note the different uses of the term mystery and to point out that Paul is not using it to refer to secret knowledge or puzzling aspects of reality, this point is fairly clear from the context. The difficult question is not whether a mystery is something that was hidden and now revealed, but what is the content of the mystery.

Explanation:

While Paul does not indicate the content of the mystery in Ephesians 1:9, by the time we reach chapter 3, he is explicit. There he explains that the mystery of God’s grace was made known to him, the content of which is the fact that the Gentiles are fellow heirs (of Abraham’s covenant promise) (Ephesians 3:3–6). He goes on to explain that he has been called by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles so that all men will see that the mystery of God is revealed through the church (which includes Jews and Gentiles) (Ephesians 3:10). Interestingly, we find corroborating evidence that the inclusion of the Gentiles in the covenant promises was somewhat of a shock to the early church, which is why Paul characterizes it as a mystery. First, we learn in Acts that the Holy Spirit appeared to Peter in a dream, and through his interaction with Cornelius came to the startling conclusion that salvation through Jesus Christ extends to all peoples, not just the Jews (Acts 10:34–43). Further, we know from Galatians that the apostles struggled to include non-Jewish people in the Christian community, to the point where Paul rebukes Peter for failing to treat the Gentiles as equals (Galatians 2:11–15). There are also portions of Romans where Paul spends considerable care articulating the distinction between the uncircumcised and the circumcised from a spiritual rather than a physical perspective (Romans 9:8). All of these passages add weight to the notion that the inclusion of the Gentiles was a mystery, finally made known through the revelation of God to the apostles.

Counterargument:

The difficulty with this understanding is that Paul is not consistent when it comes to the content of God’s mysteries. For example, while it is the case that in Ephesians 3:3–6 the mystery is undoubtedly that the Gentiles are included as heirs, by Ephesians 3:10, Paul describes another mystery, which is that God reveals his wisdom through the church. When we look outside of Ephesians, we find Paul uses mystery to denote even more concepts such as special knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:2), the contents of the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:1), the fate of Israel in God’s overall redemptive plan (Romans 11:25), and others. Given the variety of uses for the term mystery, our most productive interpretive strategy is to look to the immediate context for clarity. There we find that the mystery of God’s will is likely that God has united all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:10).

Response to counterargument:

Paul might use mystery in a variety of ways in other letters, but he seems to use similar terminology to qualify his usage in Ephesians 1:9 and Ephesians 3:3–6. This lends credibility to the notion that Paul is using the term to denote a similar concept. For example, in Ephesians 1:9–10, Paul makes it clear that the mystery has been made known in all wisdom and insight. This language lends to the notion that God carefully planned the revelation of this mystery. In Ephesians 3:3 we find the same verb to make known to indicate that God has made the mystery known, and Paul characterizes it as a mystery that was hidden for generations but is now revealed (Ephesians 3:5). Such language carries a sense of timing that is carried out according to God’s wisdom and insight. 

The problem with this view is that the term mystery is fairly common for Paul, and he uses it in a variety of contexts to mean a variety of things. In Ephesians alone, he uses the term six times, and it is arguably the case that he means something slightly different in each instance. Tying Paul’s meaning from Ephesians 1:9 to Ephesians 3:3–6 is not impossible, but it is also not clear-cut that the exercise is fruitful.