“Wherein He (God) hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.” Ephesians 1:8,9
What is a mystery from God’s perspective but that which is hidden, not revealed as yet, but which in His time and way, will be made known? Why does God speak to us of mysteries, some of which have existed before the foundation of the world? It is certainly to reveal to mankind that He is the Sovereign and Almighty God for whom nothing is impossible, and at the same time a God that is perfect goodness, love, and mercy, for the mysteries of which He speaks are those which reveal the wonder and greatness of His person. Sinful man needs to know something of the mysteries of God and this by the revelation of the truth concerning them. But he also needs to see that only God can declare such realities, reveal their meaning and His glory in them, bringing them to pass. This knowledge has a direct and specific application to the life and soul of every individual, for God in His sovereignty is the God of every circumstance, and now through HIs body, the living church, seeking to save that which is lost. He is the sovereign God of circumstances by which He works to bring about His perfect will, and at the same time to bring the dividual soul to a knowledge of the truth concerning the Gospel. God’s ultimate reason for declaring through the writings of the Apostle Paul, and the prophets, that there are mysteries, is to bring man to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ who alone is worthy to be worshiped as the King of Creation, Lord of Life, and Savior of all who will come to Him to be saved.
What then are some of these principal mysteries? Perhaps the greatest of these is that one declared through the writings of the prophets, specifically revealed throughout the centuries to mankind concerning the coming of Christ, the Messiah. The declaration was clear, precise, reinforced by many aspects and details of HIs coming, and yet, only came to pass in God’s time and way, and in a manner that escaped the sinful, and self-oriented perceptions of men. The coming of Christ, to be born of a virgin, was made firstly manifest by revelation, the clear and precise coming of the Angel Gabriel, to visit Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here was the “Mystery” which was declared, but then brought about by the sovereign power and work of God, in His time for His glory, in such a way that sinful man could not claim that glory.
A second mystery, which would have monumental effects in everyone born of the Spirit, was the birth of the church, the living body of Christ, on the day of Pentecost. That day of the pouring out of the Spirit of God upon all flesh, would change the world, and yet, no one knew the exact time, or the way it would occur. God’s work in declaring the outpouring of the Spirit by the prophet Joel, had occurred approximately seven hundred years before the coming of Christ. And yet, after that time, in God’s timing, all was perfectly accomplished in such a way that men would see and know that God alone had accomplished it.
Perhaps the greatest, and most life-changing aspect of this mystery of the church is found in the mystery of the believer being placed into Jesus Christ, forever in union with Him. Christ’s work on the cross, perfectly accomplished, had its perfect realization at the terrible moment of Christ’s words: “It is finished.” That “mystery” of the full pardon for all sin, the provision of His perfect righteousness to men justifying them by His precious blood, and then the impartation of Christ’s very life by the Spirit to empower the believer to live, would have its realization from Pentecost to this very day.
Who will believe God’s mystery revealed?
Dear Father, Strengthen us to believe. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.