Over and over again Paul writes in his epistles about a mystery. I wrote briefly about this mystery and what the word mystery means (Look at my posts from 2011). However, I will give a brief recap. The word Paul uses that is translated mystery means a completely new, unprophecied event. This means that much of what Paul wrote, taught, and died for was not backed up by the Old Testament. No wonder everyone was out to get Paul, he could show Jewish believers how the Scriptures pointed towards Jesus as Messiah, but he could not convince them of the truth of this mysterious gospel (Ephesians 6:19). He especially had a hard time when he declared in Acts 13 that due to Israel’s stubborn rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, he would turn his attention to the Gentiles.
So what is this mystery that Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, hungry, poor and eventually died for? It is a shame more people who study the Bible don’t know. I have broken the mystery down into 7 parts. Each part could be a sermon unto itself, but I don’t have the space (and you probably don’t have the patience), so I will put them down quick and easy. Please understand that this is only the tip of the iceberg where each is concerned.
1. The first part of this mystery is that it was hidden by God and revealed by God . Romans 16:25-26, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith.” This is a mouth full, but proves that Paul takes ownership of this gospel that is different from other methods of salvation in times before. It also shows that this gospel was kept secret, but now is manifested to all the nations according to the commandment of God.
2. The second component of this mystery is that Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the body. Ephesians 3:6, “to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I (Paul) am a minister.” Once again we see Paul’s ownership of this gospel. However, the rest is revolutionary. Gentiles, who Jesus himself called dogs (Mark 7:26-29), are welcomed into the body as second class citizens. No, coheirs! In fact Romans 8:17 teaches that we are not even coheirs with Israel, but coheirs with Christ! Who am I, not a dog any longer, but a coheir according to this gospel being taught by Paul.
3. The third part of this mystery is that Christ dwells in believers. Colossians 1:25-27, “I became a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Paul has been given a ministry from God to reveal a mystery which was hidden and now is manifested. This mystery is made known to Gentiles and includes the hope we have by the indwelling of Christ.
Wow, time has flown, I will teach the 4-7 parts of the mystery next week. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment if you need further clarification or explanation. See you next week!
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