This is one of the most enlightening chapters in this series. It contains a very clear explanation of the "mystery" of God which we all need to understand.
I recall reading a book in which a Christian writer detailed what he thought the mystery of God was all about. As I read, I became convinced that he had no understanding whatsoever of the "mystery," but I had to confess that I, myself, did not know what it meant, either. I began to seek the Lord for a deeper understanding of the "mystery," and as I studied, it began to come clear.
Jesus had said: "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11. So let's begin with a prophetic Scripture from Isaiah 42, and unravel this "mystery."
"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen One in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the gentiles. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street, a bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed, until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law." Isaiah 42:1-4, NASB.
Although this Scripture does not mention the word "mystery," it is a prophecy about that very thing which Paul called the "mystery" of Christ.
Isaiah said in verse one, "He will bring forth justice." The word "justice" is the Hebrew word "mishpat," which means a particular right or privilege. The word which is rendered "gentiles" is the Hebrew word "goy," which can also be translated "nations," in the sense of massing, or simply, the "masses." So this verse literally says: He will bring forth a particular right or privilege to the masses.
It then goes on to say that He will establish justice (right or privilege) in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law (the perfect law of liberty, James 1:25).
The word "coastlands" or isles above is from a Hebrew word meaning literally: a habitable spot. Again, this pointed to the masses.
The “Chosen One” in verse one is obviously Jesus. What the "mystery" shows us is that Jesus came for the specific purpose of making it possible for the masses to obtain access to the kingdom of God: for the "gentiles" to receive the right or privilege of sonship. For this purpose, consider the words "gentiles" and "masses" to have the same meaning.
Old Covenant
God had established the old covenant between Himself and a chosen race, Israel. If that covenant had been perfect, through the blood of animal sacrifices, there would have been no necessity for the Son of God, Jesus, the Christ, to have shed His innocent blood to redeem fallen man. Hebrews 8:7
The fact is, that the old covenant was far from perfect, and was only a type of the new covenant to follow. The blood shed under the old covenant was only temporary, while the work of the blood of the perfect sacrificed Lamb, Jesus, is permanent.
Jesus was the sacrificed Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the focal point of God's redemption of man.
Not only was the old covenant imperfect, but one of its greatest shortcomings was that it excluded the majority of mankind, the masses of the people (gentiles) who were not of the natural nation Israel.
God, in His infinite wisdom, established a plan from the beginning of this world, to destroy the works of the devil. This plan would be God's secret (a mystery) until the proper time, then He would display it openly.
Why would God want to keep a secret? From whom would He hide His plans for man's redemption?
What is the Mystery?
The "Mystery" is, that after giving Israel as a type of chosen people (in the flesh), God fulfilled His original plan which He foreordained before the ages (in the Spirit), but which was kept hidden (secret) until the time of Christ, and that was salvation by grace through faith.
Now let us back that statement up with plenty of Scripture.
"For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part has befallen [the] Israel, till what time the fullness of the nations [masses] be come in; and so [meaning: "in this way"], all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written." Romans 11:25, NASB. [Bracketed information added by author.]
The above Scripture tells us how all the Israel of God [Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise, Galatians 3:29] will be saved. In the Greek text, the first word Israel is preceded by the definite article, denoting a specific people, and the second usage for all Israel does not use the definite article. This is only a small "clue" which Scripture bears out to be true. It denotes another "Israel" of God, the church.
"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret [hidden] since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen." Romans 16:25-27.
What a power-packed Scripture! The "mystery" was hidden, though prophesied, then it was made manifest according to God's commandment, and it is made known unto all the nations [masses], and it is the gospel of Jesus Christ of salvation by grace through faith.
In I Corinthians, Paul, writing to Greeks (gentiles) said: "but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God foreordained before the ages unto our glory: which none of the rulers of this age has known: for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory: but as it is written, things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and entered not into heart of man, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love Him." I Corinthians 2:7-10, NENT. This speaks of salvation by grace through faith.
God prepared beforehand this salvation, and Jesus the Christ would bring it to all nations, and to do so, it was necessary for Him to be slain as a sacrifice to forever atone for man's sins, once for all.
If the rulers of that age had known what they were doing, they would not have killed Him. Therefore, God had to keep it a "mystery" [secret] until it was accomplished.
Only through the death of a sinless man could redemption come. There was only one sinless man, Jesus.
"According to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him unto a dispensation of the fullness of the season, to sum up all in the Christ, those upon the heavens, and those upon the earth; in Him whom also we were made a heritage, foreordained according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things...." Ephesians 1:7-11, NENT.
Again, there is great substance in that Scripture. It speaks of grace (by which we must be saved, through faith) and His good pleasure in making known to us the "mystery."
God purposed that the "mystery" would be administered to us at the appropriate time, and that all would be summed up in Christ. We will see in the next Scripture what that summing up means.
"Wherefore remember, that once you, the nations [gentiles] in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is call circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that ye were at that season apart from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise [Abrahamic covenant based on faith], having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are become nigh in the blood of the Christ. For He is our peace, who made both one, and break down the middle wall of the partition, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, the law of the commandments contained in ordinances; that He might create in Himself of the two [Israel and the nations], one new man, making peace; and might reconcile both in one body [the church] to God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Ephesians 2:11-17, NENT.
Notice that there are several points presented here:
1. The gentiles were apart from Christ.
2. They were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel.
3. They were strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope without God in the world.
Through His sacrificial death, Jesus abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances, and broke down the wall of partition separating the nations from God and from the commonwealth of Israel. He brought the "masses" into the (Abrahamic) covenant of promise.
So through Christ, all nations are made equal in God. And all must come through the blood of Christ. The two are made one only in Him. The enmity (hatred, hostility, animosity) between nations was slain and their reconciliation came about through His sacrificial death on cross, bringing a "new creation," (Galatians 6:15).
This new creation is made up of people from all nations on the face of the earth, but only includes those persons who come through Christ Jesus. For those who have not accepted Jesus, the hostility remains.
"And He came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Ephesians 2:17-18.
The access is through Christ. Both are equal through Him! "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22.
This is no natural covenant as was the old covenant, but it is in the Spirit, through faith in the Christ, likewise, this temple is no natural temple, but it is the church, His body, and the only temple that the Bible predicts will be built.
The old covenant was centered around the old Temple buildings with its altars and animal sacrifices, with strict ordinances which no one could fully keep. The new covenant is centered upon Christ, and His Spirit inhabits a collective temple, not made with hands, the hearts of men, making up His body, the church. This body needs no natural temple building or altars, because Jesus became the sacrifice forever for all who receive Him.
This breaking down of the middle wall of partition, then, is not to make unbelieving Jews one with Christians, or gentiles as to that matter, but both groups must come through the blood of Jesus to become one in Him. Jesus did the work, but we must receive it for it to be effective in our lives.
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of the Christ Jesus, in behalf of you nations [gentiles], if so that you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God given me toward you; how that by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of the Christ; which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in Spirit; that the nations [gentiles] are fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel, whereof I became a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given me according to the working of His power (to me, the least of all saints, was this grace given), to preach to the nations [gentiles] the unsearchable riches of the Christ and to bring to light what is the dispensation of the mystery hid for the ages in God who created all things; in order that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenlies be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God according to a plan of the ages which he made in the Christ, Jesus our Lord;" Ephesians 3:1-11, NENT.
The Body of Christ
It is obvious that this is the body of Christ, the church, which God will work through. The nations are fellow-heirs through the "promise" in Christ through the gospel. His body includes both natural Israelites (Including Jews) and gentiles, all who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, as one new man. It is also interesting to see that Paul was imprisoned because of preaching the "mystery" to the gentiles. This is seen in Ephesians 3:1 and Colossians 4:2-4.
No wonder the Jews wanted to stop him, he was teaching the gentiles about the fulfillment of the "mystery" that the kingdom of God had now come to them. The Jews did not understand that God had made the gentiles, whom they considered heathen, to be equal with them, and fellow-heirs. Many Christians do not understand that today. But the fact is, those Jews who did not accept Christ died in their sins and were not heirs at all.
Some teach that Jesus descended into hell and preached to the Israelites who had died without Jesus, and led them away to heaven. I think that this is a total distortion of Scripture. If the Israelites believed in a coming Messiah, it was reckoned to them as righteousness. If they died unbelieving, they are lost. It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment.
"Now I rejoice in my suffering for you, and fill up on my part what are lacking of the afflictions of the Christ in my flesh for His body, which is the church; whereof I became minister, according to the dispensation of God given toward you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery hidden from the ages and from the generations: but now has it been manifested to His saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you [gentiles], the hope of glory:" Colossians 1:24-29, NENT.
Isn't that a fantastic revelation? That the hope of glory is Christ in the masses. But remember that the term "gentiles," in this sense, includes all those who come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Whosoever will, remember? Notice that He called the gentiles His saints. In Romans 1:7, Paul said the beloved of God in Rome were also called as saints.
"And confessedly great is the mystery of godliness; Who was manifested in flesh, justified in Spirit, seen of angels, preached among nations [gentiles], believed on in the world, received up in glory [brilliancy and splendor],"
1 Timothy 3:16, NENT. There's that gentile connection again.
"I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:1-3. NIV.
So, the "mystery" of God is completely expressed in Christ Himself, and His manifestation was for the purpose of bringing forth this "mystery," making all one in Himself.
According to Faith
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles [masses], through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promises of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14.
There it is again, the blessings of Abraham, which are according to "promise," and by "faith," not under the law. And the promise that was given to Abraham is now appropriated to these Gentiles. Everyone who accepts Christ into his life and walks in obedience to Him is in this group of "Gentiles" [masses]. Without the marvelous work that Christ did by His sacrificial death on the cross, the covenant of Abraham would never have been extended to the gentiles. It was for this reason that Christ came.
The ministry of the gospel during the intervening years has continued and it will continue into the future.
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