Ephesians 1:9-11 says, "Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself unto a dispensation of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him, in whom also we were made an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who operates all things according to the counsel of His will." There are six crucial items in these verses: mystery, will, good pleasure, purpose, dispensation, and counsel. We need to know how to arrange these six items in a proper sequence. The good pleasure of God comes first. God's good pleasure is a matter in His heart. Out of this good pleasure, God made up His mind to do something, and this is His will. According to His will, He had a council in eternity past to make a counsel. There was a council held by God in His divine person, the Trinity, in eternity past in order to make a decision, which is His determined will. This determined will is the counsel. Two items are "of His will"—the mystery of His will and the counsel of His will. The counsel of His will was not revealed but hidden in God, so it became a mystery. The mystery is the counsel, and the counsel is the mystery.
Then according to this counsel, the Triune God made a purpose. This purpose becomes God's oikonomia, God's dispensation. According to our usage, dispensation is different from dispensing. Dispensation refers to God's plan, and dispensing refers to the actual dispensing of God into His chosen and redeemed people. Dr. C. I. Scofield, in his reference Bible, says that there are seven dispensations: the dispensations of innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace, and the kingdom. That means that God has seven plans, and these seven plans are seven different dealings of God with man in different periods of time. This understanding of the word dispensation is correct, but we have also seen something further and deeper concerning the real meaning of this word. God's dispensation is His divine plan to dispense Himself with all His divine riches into His chosen and redeemed people. This dispensation, oikonomia, which was hidden in God, is a mystery.
We may use an illustration of a person planning a trip to show the meaning of good pleasure, will, counsel, purpose, dispensation, and mystery. A brother may have a desire to attend a training in Irving. To come to Irving to attend a training is a good pleasure in him. Out of this pleasure, he makes up his mind. This is his will. Then he has a council with his wife and children. The whole family agrees with his desire to come to Irving. Thus, out of this council, a decision is made, which is the counsel. According to this counsel, he makes a plan, and this plan is his purpose. This purpose becomes his oikonomia, which is hidden from the brothers in Irving, so it is a mystery to them. But when this brother arrives in Irving, this mystery is revealed to the brothers in Irving by his presence.
In eternity past God had a good pleasure, and His good pleasure is to dispense Himself into His chosen people in order to produce an organism, which is the church as the Body of Christ, for His full, perfect, complete, and eternal expression. We all need to have a vision of God's good pleasure. Even human beings have a good pleasure. If you do not have a good pleasure, there is no reason for you to live. A person enjoys his life because there is a good pleasure in his life. The term good pleasure is used twice in Ephesians 1. Verse 5 says, "Having predestinated us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." God's good pleasure is related to His predestination of us. Verse 9 says, "Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself." God's good pleasure is related to His heart concerning us. When He thought about us as the object of His dispensing, He was happy.
God's good pleasure became the divine will. This will was discussed in the council of the Divine Trinity to become the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11), and this determined will became a plan, a purpose, which is the New Testament oikonomia, God's economy. God kept this economy hidden within Himself for many years, so it was a mystery. It was a mystery until the apostles were raised up, especially the apostle Paul. This mystery was revealed to them in their spirit, the human spirit regenerated, indwelt by, and mingled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:5). It is in our spirit that we can see the divine revelation of God's good pleasure, which eventually became God's economy, God's eternal plan.