This is where the truth of the mystery is so powerful. First, let’s see what the mystery is and when it started. Colossians 1:26, 27 “That is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
There are many verses in Paul’s writing about the Mystery, here we can see it was hidden. This is huge and this is why it is so difficult for people to put much weight on it. There is really nothing said about this mystery until Paul’s writings. So there is no prophecy about this mystery, Jesus does not mention a mystery. Can you imagine the persecution Paul suffered bringing forth a new message that was not previously found in Scripture.
We find out that now it has been revealed, when is now? This is where the Book of Acts comes in so handy, “now” is when the apostle Paul comes on the scene, after Israel rejects their Messiah. Let’s look at a few places in Acts, but I encourage you to study this book more closely, there are treasures in it that often get overlooked. Acts 9:15, “But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man (Saul/Paul) is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.” Paul’s mission from Jesus was to carry His name to the Gentiles, kings and Israel and Paul did just that, however check out Acts 13:45-48 to see what ultimately happened to this message Paul had, “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they began to contradict what Paul was saying by reviling him. Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed.” And what was this message? Go back and look at Col. 1:26-27 or Ephesians 3:5-7, basically for the first time salvation was offered by faith through grace alone. It was through Paul and his message of the mystery that the body of Christ (the church) was formed through simple faith. Nothing was to be added to this faith and it did not distinguish between Jew or Greek, slave or free. It was grace through faith apart from the Law, apart from Baptism, apart from outer works of any kind. We live in a wonderfully unique period in time which requires simple faith for our salvation. When Jesus walked the earth He still followed the requirements of the Law, because this was still required for salvation. It was not until Paul was called to the Gentiles that the mystery was preached which was our gospel of belief in the shed blood of Christ.
So, this is why applying the gospels to our lives becomes so difficult, Jesus was speaking to His audience the Jewish people and many times He was speaking about requirements of the Law. People get very offended when they can’t apply the Sermon on the Mount or some parables to their lives because we have been doing it for years and it flies in the face of our church tradition. However, I am suggesting that this misappropriation of Scripture is what is confusing us. When you are reading something and you can’t verify it in Paul’s epistles be cautious.
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