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Lenten Observations, March 9, 2026: Ephesians 1:9-10

 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. (New King James)

he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (New International Version)

 9 making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ[d] 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. (English Standard Version)

9 He [i]made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, 10 regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things [j]in the heavens and things on the earth. (New American Standard Bible)*

I've put four translations, using probably most common conservative Protestant ones, for comparison. Here is the Greek. 


I do that because I want to be clear in parsing this out in my "just for me" paraphrase. 

The "mystery of His will," translated the same in all four, is in the Greek "the close-keep secret of Him according to the well-seeming of Him." Mystery is revealed in the New Testament, and later Paul says the mystery is (3:6) "to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." The mystery has a very specific consequence for all humankind. This was and is God's plan for the future, to bring all things together in Christ. I like the phrase "fullness of times" for future, just as I like to think of mystery as nothing something mystical, dreamlike, or ephemeral but as a future of blessedness for all types of people, in Christ. 

I promise to move a little faster from here on, but not too much.

*I wonder why this one is not known as a Version, but as a Bible?

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