<p>3:9 <i>And to make all men see what is the intention of this mystery which for ages has been hid in God who created all things</i>- To 'make see' is the same word used in 1:18, where Paul prays for the eyes of the believers to be &quot;enlightened&quot;. The &quot;all men&quot; therefore particularly has in view those who have already believed (see on Mt. 20:27); he wishes both Jew and Gentile believers to perceive the wonder of the unity which God's program has in mind for us. He will go on in 3:18,19 to pray that the believers will be empowered by the Spirit to comprehend and know the wonder of the Gospel and its implications in personal relationships. All this prayer and concern about realizing the implications of the Gospel is proof enough that the Christian life is not simply knowing or preserving a set of doctrines. That alone will not save. We need the Spirit to open our eyes to the implications of these things. The comment that &quot;God created all things&quot; may be a reference to the new creation of believers (2 Cor. 5:17; AV adds &quot;by Jesus Christ&quot;); but it may be simply making the point that all things literally were created in order to merely provide a backdrop for God's essential intention- the &quot;fellowship&quot; (AV, NEV &quot;intention&quot;) between persons in Christ. The fact the church is riven with so many inter-personal tensions is sadly a reflection of the way that we have missed the point of the Gospel, and remained on the level of technical knowledge of propositions rather than allowing the Spirit to enlighten us as to the implications in practice. These things were &quot;hid in God&quot; in the sense that they could only be actualized by the Lord Jesus, His work and sacrifice. But in Him and through the members of His faithful body, they are now revealed.</p>