Revelation Of The Mystery
"How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:" Eph. 3:3-6. From this text we are made to understand that God's plan in Christ was in times past a mystery to men, and that it was a mystery for the simple reason that God had not revealed it. However, by the cross of Christ, and in the age that Christ's death ushered in, that mystery has been made known to men by the apostles and prophets of the New Testament. Further, all men may have a sufficient comprehension of the mystery, including its blessings and responsibilities, through the writings of these inspired men.
The Mystery Revealed
According to verse six of the text quoted above when the mystery was made known it was revealed that God's plan was that, "The Gentiles should be follow-heirs, and of the body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel."
1. God's promise in Christ. This part of the mystery has to do with reconciling sinful man to the sinless and perfect God. Paul wrote to the Romans, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23. The penalty for sin has always been spiritual death, hence, justice called for punishment of the sinner. On the other hand God's love for man would save him punishment, hence, mercy plead for forgiveness of the sinner. The question, then, comes to this: how could both the demands of mercy and justice be met? The answer is seen in the fulfillment of God's promise in Christ, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." II Cor. 5:21. Christ himself a spotless sacrifice to atone for the sons of men. In so doing he satisfied the demands of justice while at the same time extending mercy to all men in the forgiveness of sins. In the words of the prophet, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Psa. 85:10.
2. The gospel. God's promise in Christ is the embodiment of the gospel, therefore, when Christ fulfilled that promise the gospel was made known to man. That the gospel is not of man's device is obvious. Man could not have devised it since the text in Ephesians 3 states that what God had in mind was not even known to men until he revealed it to them To the Galatians Paul wrote, "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Gal 1:10-11. The gospel, then, is not of man, but of God. It is "the faith once delivered" (Jude 3), "the form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Rom. 6:17), the gospel Paul received and "delivered unto you' (I Cor. 15:1-4.). It is God's power to save you from sin. Rom. 1:16-17.
3. The body. Paul's statement is, "That the Gentiles should be ... of the same body." The idea expressed is that all men, Jews and Gentiles should be of one body. In Eph. 2:11-16 Paul wrote that the shedding of Christ's blood admitted the Gentiles to covenant relationship with God on the same terms as the Jews, the partition between the two people have been broken down, and the two being now one new man in Christ. This was done that Christ ". . . .might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross..." The "one body" of Eph. 2:16 is the "same body" of Eph. 3:6, and both refer to the church of which Christ is the head Eph. 1:22-23. It necessarily follows, then, that God planned for all men to be members of one body, which is to say, one church. Those who will be reconciled to God must be reconciled in one body, the church. Those who will not be members of that body fail to comply with God's plan and stand in rebellion to his will.
Eph. 3:10-11 says that the church makes known the manifold wisdom of God according to his eternal purpose in Christ. The eternal purpose of God in Christ is the bestowal of all spiritual blessings upon men. Eph. 1:3. Now, since the church manifests God's wisdom according to his eternal purpose in Christ, and since his purpose in Christ is the bestowal of all spiritual blessings, the conclusion is inescapable that all the spiritual blessings that God has in store for man are to be found in the church. Being the product of the mind and power of God the church is his perfect and all-sufficient arrangement to save the souls of men. There is nothing that man needs that he does not receive in the church. It is a vineyard for work (Matt. 20:1-16), a temple for worship (Eph. 2:21-22), a kingdom for heavenly citizenship (Col. 1:13), a house for protection and provision (I Tim. 3:14-15), and a body, the members of which have been cleansed from every stain of sin (Eph. 5: 25-27.) Thus the eloquent and meaningful words of inspiration, "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Eph. 3:21.)
4. Fellow-heirs. It is stated above that in God's plan both Jews and Gentiles are admitted as coequals and are made one people in Christ. The term under consideration here is "fellow-heir." An heir is a recipient of an inheritance, and a fellow-heir is one who mutually shares the inheritance with another party. In this case Gentiles are to share with the Jews God's gift in Christ which is the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. Further, since they are fellow-heirs of the gift it is also true that they must be joint partakers of the testament, or will, that provides the gift. This means that God has given one testament for all men to obey in order to be fellow-heirs of its promises. The great commission is "...preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. . ." Mark 16:15-16. This provides for one testament, the gospel, to be preached to all men alike, and one gift to be shared by those who obey its terms.
Design Of The Mystery
The design, or purpose, of the mystery is that men should have fellowship with God. John wrote, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." I John 1:3-4. The things John had seen and heard were those things of Christ which the apostles learned while with him, and also those things which were revealed to them by the Spirit after his ascension. They are the same things which they spoke and wrote by inspiration of the Spirit. John 14:26, I Cor. 2:12-13. In short, they are the things of the gospel of Christ, and John says that by them we have fellowship with God.
Terms Of The Mystery
It has been shown above that God's promise in Christ is the forgiveness of sins, and that by forgiveness man is reconciled to God. This much is readily admitted by all who hold the Bible to be credible account of God's will; no such person would deny that Christ is the author of eternal salvation. The difficulty arises in the fact that most people fail to heed the phrase which modifies the statement that Christ is the author of eternal salvation. It reads, " . . .he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." Heb. 5:9. Yes, God offers salvation from sin, but that salvation is conditional upon man's obedience to the terms of the mystery, or plan in which it is offered. Remember, the great commission says, "...he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved...And to those who have been baptized the command is, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." Col. 2:6-7. The terms of the mystery which God extends to you, and which you must obey to receive its salvation, are obedience to the gospel of Christ and faithful continuance in it all the days of your life.