9
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
God’s good
pleasure is why we are here.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and
honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are and were created.
It is God’s
will and desire that all men should all be saved.
1Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to
be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Although, clearly, not all will so all in 1 Timothy 2:4 is
all without distinction, not all without exception, and about this point
regarding God’s will Calvinists are wrong. No one was predestinated to an
eternity of agony by anything other than their own will.
2Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ:
That He was
willing to save all men and not just the Jews, His chosen people, was a mystery
that few understood. The church, the body of Christ on earth, was a mystery.
Romans 16:25 ¶ Now to him that is of power to stablish you
according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
26 But now is made manifest, and
by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the
everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus
Christ for ever. Amen.
That God
would make the sacrifice for sins that would make salvation available to all
mankind was a secret.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things
belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto
us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Now we know
some of what God will reveal to us but when we stand before Christ we’ll know
it all.
1Corinthians 13:12 For now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then
shall I know even as also I am known.
That being said, the “mystery of his will” in this context is
revealed in the next verse.
10
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are
on earth; even in him:
This is the
mystery of his will, that in eternity, the dispensation of the fullness, the
completion of, all time He gathers
together in one all things in Christ.
This all is
all without distinction, not all without exception, as Satan, the Beast, and
the unsaved dead will not be gathered together to Him.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power. 25
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death. 27 For he hath put all things
under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest
that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto
him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things
under him, that God may be all in all.
He will
bring all things that are “in Christ”, dead and living, to Him.
11
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will:
An
inheritance is something physical as in;
Genesis 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that
brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
You can
inherit a spiritual thing as in;
Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
But, is
eternal life a purely spiritual thing or is it also physical?
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.53
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality.
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
1 Peter 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Now, this is
an inheritance in eternity to which you have been elected by your trusting in
Christ.
In this
verse your inheritance is something to which you are predestinated because of
your faith in Christ. Predestination always refers to what happens to you after
you are saved. Your destiny is not fixed until you are born again. You have a
choice to make and then after your salvation certain choices are made for you
but you still have a great deal of free will, so you can’t get out of
responsibility for your actions.
When you go
to heaven you can go first class, tourist, or in the baggage compartment, but
you are going to heaven if you are saved. Period.
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory,
who first trusted in Christ.
The very fact that this first group of Jewish and Gentile
Christians trusted in Christ is a praise to His eternal glory. The Holy Spirit
drew them out of the corrupt world system of Gentile paganism and Jewish pharisaical
self-righteousness against all odds. There was no political power and no
advantage to be gained, only persecution, suffering, and death outside of the
joy of following Christ and the promise of life eternal. We would do well to
look into the early church for a comparison with what passes for Christianity
today.
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