Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Ephesians 3:9

"and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;" — Ephesians 3:9 (ASV)

Paul was called to “make plain” (GK 5894) to everyone the outworking of this mystery of God (see comments on vv.3–5). That is, he was to shed a flood of light on what had earlier been hidden, so that no one would need to be in the dark anymore. This mystery (v.6), now available to all, was for long ages consciously concealed in the mind of God so that not even angelic intelligences knew it (cf. v.10; Colossians 1:26). This was in accordance with God’s deliberate policy. It was formed before time began (1 Corinthians 2:7), but the concealment dated from the inception of the ages (Romans 16:25). In his capacity as the universal Creator, God thus determined what his strategy would be, and the inference is that the world was brought into being with the realization of this purpose in view (1:9–10). “God, who created all things” may be directed against heretical teachers in Asia who anticipated the Gnostic dichotomy between creation and redemption, ascribing the former to subordinate agencies (see the introduction to Colossians).