Mystery of the Gospel
Ephesians 3:1 - 6
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
We all love to watch a good mystery or drama on TV or read a good book which keeps us in suspense until the very end.The mystery religions of the day of Paul made a significant impact on the people. People were looking for a more intimate relationship with their gods which the Roman Emperor worship did not satisfy. Also the greek religious gods and goddesses were somewhat aloof (impossible to be close to). The mystery religions gave the people a society with oneness and togetherness. There were secret rituals which they performed much like the Shriners and the Masons in our community today. They tried to impress the people by saying that they had special revelations and wisdom not possessed by the ordinary religions of the day.
When Paul speaks of the mystery of the gospel he is not referring to this kind of special revelation which is known only to a few special individuals. He is speaking about something which was formerly undreamed of but now God had shown through the apostles and Paul a glorious truth. This mystery was a message previously prophesied but it was not accepted by the Jews. As we have seen in the previous chapter, God was doing something different by giving his Spirit to the world. Jesus had commanded the 11 apostles as He left this earth and ascended into heaven to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Not just Jews but to all peoples everywhere. This is the mystery, or previously unaccepted message which Paul was now giving his life for as he is writing this letter from Prison. This is not some kind of super secret kind of revelation but a simple fact that was always there. If there is any mystery in the gospel, it is how a holy and all powerful God can us any of sinful frail humans to fulfil His will.This message that all people who call on the name of God and are cleansed by the blood of Jesus are a part of God's family is not something new in the New Testament but something which always was from the times of Abraham as we see in the blessings God gives to Abraham. God promises that Abraham's seed will be a blessing not only to his own family but to all nations. (Gen 12:3) As we have seen in the previous chapter, the Jews had put up barriers to the Gentiles to keep them from intimate worship together (both Jews and Gentiles) in the Temple. We see in the book of Acts when Paul came with some Christian Gentiles to the Temple in Jerusalem that the leaders in Paul's day did not accept the Gentiles and wanted to kill Paul because they thought that the had desecrated the Holy place by coming there with believing Gentiles. That was not what God wants. God has made a way for everyone to come to Him through Jesus Christ. God prophesied through Joel (Joel 2:28, 29) 28 "And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days."
What was new and special in the revelation of the message of God was that the Gentiles were not just outsiders looking in on the fellowship and intimacy of the Jewish religious elite but they were to be a part of the body which met together in Jesus name and they were to participate in the rewards and intimacy with God for all eternity. We see that Paul says in the unveiling of the truth, there are three aspects of the Gospel which he wants them to be sure about. The Gentiles are fellow heirs. This means that Gentile believers have just the same rights to God's blessings as the Jewish believers have. God does not play favorites. He treats all people alike. He blesses those who follow his ways to the degree that we can be blessed. As I was seeking in the scriptures for a passage for this year the Lord directed my thoughts to Isaiah 58. There is speaks of many blessings but also many responsibilities. The last two verses caught my attention and I want to attempt to apply them diligently in the coming year. 13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.As a Gentile Christian, I believe that I will inherit the same kind of blessings which God gives to the Jewish believers who follow this same command of God. Jesus promised his disciples that He was going to return to heaven to prepare a place for us there. I want to be ready to enjoy the blessings of Heaven when I am called home. I don't know what will be waiting for me but I know that the rewards I will receive are based on the blessings I share with others here on this earth.
The second thing involved in this revelation was that Gentile Christians were also members together of one body of Christ. Paul explains the concept of the body of believers in many places in his writings. He elaborates significantly in I Corinthians 12:12 - 28 about the important role that each of us has in making the Body of Christ rich by the gifts which the Holy Spirit brings into our lives. There is to be no division in the church based on our gifts but each should work diligently to help others achieve their spiritual best. We do that by coming together for Worship, prayer, study of the Word of God, and to build up one another in the faith. What are you doing to help others achieve their best for God? Do we really care about others or are we living just for ourselves? We are a part of the Body of Christ if we have believed in Jesus as our personal Saviour and Lord.The third part which Paul says is a part of the mystery of Christ is that we are "sharers together in the promise". I have pondered about what Paul is referring to "in the promise." I am not sure that I really know for sure what that means. My best guess is that he is referring to the promise of eternal life. If any of you might have some insight into that I would appreciate if you could share that with me.
My you understand the truths of the gospel and find Christ as your Lord and Saviour so that you can enjoy eternal life forever with Jesus in heaven.Jan 13, 2002