“Having made known unto us the mystery of His will…” Ephesians 1:9a
The will of God in times past was hidden in many types and shadows, but now God has declared to us the “mystery of His will.” Let us see what Paul is speaking of by asking a few questions concerning the will of God:
1. What is the object of the will of God?
The will of God has one purpose, and that is for His own Glory.
The scripture says in Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD hath made all things for Himself . . .”. So we see that He has willed that all things for His own glory. All things in nature, providence, and grace are willed by God for His own glory. Even the evil works of men are ordained by God, but He is not chargeable of them. God allows or suffers men to do what they want to do by nature; which is to sin. Yet men are not as evil as they can be because of the restraining hand of God (Gen 50:20; Acts 4:27-28; Ps 76:10).
2. What is the nature of the will of God?
a. God’s will is Eternal and Immutable. That is the will was from all eternity, and therefore it cannot be changed or thwarted (Psalms 115:3; Acts 15:18; Malachi 3:6).
b. God’s will is Powerful/Effectual. When we will something, we are bound by the limit of time and circumstance, but God’s will shall always come to pass because He has all power to accomplish it (1 Sa 14:24-27).
c. God’s will is Sovereign. The will of God was not conceived based on anyone, or any action of the creature, but by God’s own Sovereign Free Will (Eph 1:9; Dan 4:35).
3. What is the manifestation of God’s will?
The mysterious will of God that was hidden in types and shadows is now manifest in His Sovereign Election. God chose some of Adam’s fallen race to manifest His Sovereign Mercy to unworthy objects (Eph 1:4; Ex 33:18-19). His glory is manifest in the redemption of those elect by Jesus Christ (Eph 1:5-7). The glory of God’s will is manifest in the gathering of those elect by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:10-12; Isa 43:6). Therefore if God has elected us, redeemed us, and called us to life and faith in Christ, is there anything that will separate us from His love? Praise God, nothing shall keep us from Him (Romans 8:33-39; Isa 14:27).
-Fred Evans