Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. Ephesians 1:9
As a reporter, I had the opportunity to meet with some very powerful people on occasion. One such occasion involved the owner of a large business, who I had arranged to meet with for an interview at his office. As we began to chat, we were interrupted by an urgent request from two of his top officials, who needed to speak with him about an important matter. Because he trusted my confidentiality, the man allowed me to stay as he spoke with those officials. I was amazed to hear how they were planning to deal with some sensitive issues, gaining an insight into the inner workings of the company. As they made decisions and laid plans, I understood why they operated in the manner that they did. In the weeks and months that followed, I could see how those decisions and plans became reality in the life of that company. I was a little bit like Christians, who have been given an insight into the mind and purposes of God.
When we consider that God is the Maker and Sustainer of the universe, the One in Whose hand all breath is, the Upholder of all of the laws of nature, the One Who knows the past, present, and future, we are amazed that we would be brought into the secret councils of the Almighty. We are told about the reasons for God’s actions in the past, and given some of the details of what He is about to do in the future. Why would God extend this great privilege to us? Because we have been brought into His family. Remember how the Lord Jesus often spoke to His disciples to explain things that he did not reveal to the general public as he spoke to them in parables. There are some matters that are for the family to understand and appreciate, matters that would have no value to outsiders. But the Bible is an open book; anybody can read it. So how does God unfold to us the mystery of His will while hiding it from those who are outside the family circle?
Within each child of God is the Person of the Holy Spirit. One of the principle roles of the Spirit is to reveal to the believer the truths of the Word of God. He has no such function in the experiences of unbelievers, because He does not dwell there. But in us, He unfolds to us the mystery of God’s will. That is why the unsaved cannot understand the difference that faith makes in accepting the Word of God. That is why the unsaved fail to grasp the precious truths that thrill the hearts of every believer. That is why the unsaved can’t understand the delight that the redeemed of the Lord experience in the company of the Lord’s people and in the ministry of the Word of God.
God has opened up to us those things that are mysteries to the world but that are precious truths to each child of God. -Jim MacIntosh