“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses, according to the riches of His grace; which He has caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself for the administration of the fullness of times; to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth” (verses 7-10, JND).
Until the seventh verse, nothing has been said of the former state or condition of those who are the particular objects of God’s favor. Theirs are all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, and they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Poor sinners, all of them, and miserable because of their sins, were they; dead in trespasses and sins; slaves of sin and of Satan, the Word of God says about them. They needed redemption; needed to have their sins forgiven.
Just so, in the seventh verse we read, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses, according to the riches of His grace.” He who blesses, has seen us in our wretched state, and acted in our behalf according as we have just read, “according to the riches of His grace.” How much we owe to our God for all His grace!
Yes, and this grace He has “caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligence, having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself for the administration of the fullness of times to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth” (verses 8-10). Thus we learn that having been redeemed and so relieved of all anxiety about our sins, God can now tell us the mystery of His will. There is a reminder of Genesis 18:17-3317And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. (Genesis 18:17‑33) in this, God telling Abraham what He purposed doing in connection with the destruction of Sodom. But this is incomparably greater in Ephesians, wherein God makes known the secret of His counsels with regard to His Son for the administration of the fullness of times. Everything is to be summed up in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.
And this leads to the inheritance: “in whom we have also obtained an inheritance, being marked out beforehand according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory who have pre-trusted in the Christ; in whom ye also (have trusted), having heard the word of the truth, the glad tidings of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance to (or up to) the redemption of the acquired possession to the praise of His glory” (verses 11-12, JND).
Other passages of Scripture add to our knowledge of the inheritance which awaits Christ, and, in grace, ourselves. The subject should be better understood. Let us turn to Romans 8:1616The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16) and read to verse 23,
“The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also; heirs of God and Christ’s joint heirs; if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us. For the anxious looking out of the creature expects the revelation of the sons of God; for the creature has been made subject to vanity, not of its will, but by reason of Him who has subjected the same, in hope that the creature itself also shall be set free from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together until now. And not only that, but even we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also ourselves groan in ourselves, awaiting adoption, that is, the redemption of our body” (JND).
The truth here brought before us relates to the Christian hope. Christ is glorified, we shall be glorified with Him; after the church is thus removed to heaven, a new work of the Spirit of God will begin on earth, primarily among the Jews, but extending to the Gentiles and to the lost ten tribes of Israel. The Lord will appear on earth to establish His kingdom and to deal with the unbelieving. The universe will come under His rule, ourselves associated with Him; His inheritance, and ours to share with Him.
The good pleasure of God is to unite all that is created under the hand of Christ. This is His purpose for the administration of the times in which the results of all His ways shall be manifested. Another has written;
“It will be a grand spectacle, as the result of the ways of God, to see all things united in perfect peace and union under the authority of man, of the second Adam, the Son of God; ourselves associated with Him in the same glory with Himself, His companions in the heavenly glory as the objects of the eternal counsels of God.”