The most essential things for salvation are repeatedly referred to as mysteries in the New Testament. But has Christianity revealed these mysteries? Is the recipe for eternal salvation no longer a mystery in modern times, when nearly a third of the world’s population is Christian? Is the message of the New Testament outdated in this regard?
Jesus Christ—the revealed mystery
The apostle Paul saw God’s plan of salvation as a great mystery. He spoke of the mystery of God’s plan, the mystery of Christ, and the mystery of the gospel. He described how God’s plan to save the sinful human race had been a mystery from the beginning of time, but through Christ’s work of atonement, it had been revealed. For example, he wrote to the Romans:
“My gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 16:25-26).
This interpretation makes sense. The people of the Old Covenant had only a promise of the coming Messiah, the perfect sacrifice who would atone for the sins of mankind. The first prophecy about him was given in Paradise (Genesis 3:15), and according to various estimates, there are a total of 200-400 prophecies about him in the Old Testament. The believers of the Old Covenant therefore believed in the promise of the Messiah. Believing in the promise was enough, because Christ had not yet been born and the mystery had not yet been revealed.
When Jesus came into the world, suffered and died for the sins of mankind, and rose victorious over death, the veil covering God’s plan was completely removed and the mystery was revealed. Paul describes this, for example, in his letter to the Ephesians.
“He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Eph. 1:9-10).
The mystery of the gospel will never be revealed to everyone
So, the mystery of God’s plan of salvation has been revealed. However, that is not the whole truth. There are several passages in the Bible where Paul uses the word “mystery” in a different sense. There is no doubt that, despite the above, Paul still considers Christ and his gospel to be a mystery—a mystery that will never be revealed to everyone.
Paul writes about this mystery to the congregations in Colossae and Ephesus, among others. In the latter, he refers to the mystery as the mystery of the gospel, which clearly indicates that salvation is still a mystery even after Christ fulfilled his part in God’s plan of salvation through his death and resurrection.
“Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” (Col. 4:3).
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19).
The mystery of the gospel described by Paul, in other words, the mystery of biblical faith, can only be revealed if one reads the Bible as a whole—assuming that the Holy Spirit opens one’s understanding. The good news of the forgiveness of sins, the gospel, carries with it the mystery of saving faith. The importance of understanding this mystery is clearly evident in Paul’s first letter to Timothy, as is the importance of taking care of a clear conscience in order to maintain saving faith. In this passage, the apostle describes to Timothy the kind of man who is suited to the task of serving the congregation:
“In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths [mystērion] of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Tim. 3:8-9).
A person to whom the mystery of faith has been revealed through the Holy Spirit wants to hold on to his faith. The best way to remain in the true faith is to keep one’s conscience clear. A believer wants to avoid sin and asks for strength to resist the temptations of sin. However, when sin does take hold of him, the forgiveness of sins proclaimed by another believer in the name and blood of Jesus, and receiving it by faith, cleanses his conscience and gives him the strength to resist sin.
Saving faith does not come from man, but from God, and faith is not given to anyone because, for example, they love their neighbors or are sufficiently humble in spirit. Ultimately, saving faith is not even about a person succeeding in believing that Jesus’ atoning work is true. Faith is not something that we do, but it is a secret gift given by God, which every child has within them (e.g., Luke 18:15-17) and which is based solely on Christ’s atoning work, rather than on our own actions or understanding:
“Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was reached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16).
Christ and the Church – a great mystery of the biblical faith
In many Bible translations, the New Testament speaks extensively about the church. The concept is almost always based on the Greek word ekklēsia, which means a gathered group of believers, not an organization or a building. The original Hebrew word qahal, which was translated into Greek as ekklēsia, also meant a gathered group of people—for example, the people of Israel before God.
In order to understand the message of the Bible, it is essential to realize that the word “church”, which is mentioned over a hundred times in the New Testament, does not refer to a building or an organization, but to a gathering of believers. A person is not saved by visiting a Christian church building or by belonging to a Christian church organization, but by remaining connected to the common, biblical faith amidst the people of God – that is, in the congregation of God.
The church should not be dismissed too quickly, because in terms of individual salvation, God’s church on earth is as important as Christ himself. Perhaps the best-known biblical allegory of the inseparable connection between Christ and the church is the body, in which Christ is the head and the members of the church are the members of the body (e.g., Col. 1:18, 1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 1:22–23, 4:15–16, 5:23, Rom. 12:4–5).
The church is not important because its members are somehow special by nature. The church is made up of ordinary sinners, but they are different in the sense that their sins have been forgiven. The church they form is a well whose water is the living and life-giving water given by Jesus (John 4:14), and anyone can come to it to satisfy their thirst. The church is the place on earth where true followers of Jesus forgive the sins of all who are willing, as authorized by Jesus.
Where does this authority come from? Before ascending to heaven, Jesus left the word of reconciliation to his own followers, that is, to God’s congregation (2 Cor. 5:19). He gave them the authority to preach forgiveness of sins in his name (John 20:22; Matt. 16:19) so that those who believe might be saved. Christ, who ascended into heaven, and his church on earth are therefore inseparable. Although this is obvious, it is nevertheless a mystery that cannot be revealed without the Holy Spirit. The apostle explains this very well in his letter to the Ephesians:
“After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:29-32).
In the same letter, he emphasizes:
“In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 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” (Eph. 3:3-6).
To the Colossians, Paul writes:
“I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:24-27).
The mystery of the kingdom of God
All my examples concerning the church have been written by Paul. But what did the Son of God himself teach about his relationship with the church? As you may remember, Jesus said that he was the tree to which believers were attached like branches (John 15:5). He also emphasized that where his own gather, he himself is in their midst (Matthew 18:20) and commanded them to love one another (John 13:34) so that people would recognize them as his disciples, the church of God.
But did Jesus really mean the church, or was the whole concept invented by Paul? Jesus is known to have used the word ekklēsia only twice. The first time was when Jesus told Peter about establishing his church (Matthew 16:18), and the second time was when he taught how to treat a brother who has sinned if he does not listen to the church. In both cases, he was referring to a group of believers, just as Paul did.
But even though Jesus is known to have used the word ekklēsia only twice, he often spoke of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. One of his central teachings was that people should seek this kingdom above all else (Matthew 6:33).
The church of God and the kingdom of God are not the same thing, but they cannot be separated from each other either. God’s church is the group of Jesus’ true followers on earth. When an unbeliever hears about the forgiveness of sins preached from the church of God and believes it, he or she becomes not only a member of the church but also a citizen of God’s kingdom. The existence of God’s kingdom does not end with the end of the world, but is eternal.
Paul called Christ and the church a mystery, but Jesus called the kingdom of God a mystery. The evangelist Mark recounts Jesus as saying:
“The secret [mystērion] of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!” (Mark 4:11-12).
Jesus’ words are striking. He says that he speaks in parables so that those outside the kingdom of God will not hear, understand, turn, and be forgiven for their sins. His words refer to the book of Isaiah. The sixth chapter of that book tells of the task God gave Isaiah after first forgiving his sins.
“Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (Isa. 6:9-10).
The task that God gave to the prophet takes on a new meaning in Jesus’ words. Those who have been entrusted with the secret of the kingdom of God have been given the task of preaching the word of God and the gospel that frees from sin to all mankind. Those whose hearts are hardened will not accept the word and will not receive forgiveness for their sins, but God will open the hearts of his chosen ones to feel their sins and receive the absolution – the forgiveness of sins.
The kingdom of God and true biblical faith are still a mystery because so many people’s eyes are blinded, their ears are closed, and their hearts are hardened. Only to His own has God revealed it through His Spirit.
If you feel your sins, seek out the children of God on earth. I assure you that the church will rejoice when you receive the forgiveness of sins preached by a believer in Jesus’ name and blood—and not only will the church on earth rejoice, but also the angels in heaven. Jesus said, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
Author: Kingdom of Peace
Image: iStock