Holding to Truth

holding to truth in love for the building up of the Body of Christ

Are You Living in the Mystery?

Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure... Eph 1:9

Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure… Eph 1:9

Does this question sound intriguing? I really hope so.

That’s because the genuine Christian life is a life in the divine mystery.

Unfortunately, many well-intended Christians are distracted from the mysterious realm of God’s purpose revealed in the Bible to the material realm of the physical universe around them.

This may be expressed in:

  • treasuring material blessings.
  • valuing physical miracles.
  • exalting material success.
  • petitioning for material desires.
  • focusing on material change in society.
  • and much more.

None of these things are sinful or evil.  But, they may distract  the believers with the good things of their material existence and cause them to miss the mark of God’s mysterious plan.

Then what should be the focus of our Christian life?

Our focus should be on completing the mystery revealed in God’s Word.

But what exactly is this divine mystery?

The mystery of God’s will, according to His  good pleasure, was that He, the mysterious Triune God, would enter into humanity in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 3:16). Through Christ’s incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension, this mystery was made know.

Since Christ is God’s embodiment and expression, He is the mystery of God (Col. 2:2, 9).

By passing through death and resurrection, Christ became a life-giving Spirit so that He could indwell us (1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 8:10). This mystery, Christ in us, is the hope of glory (Col. 1:-26-27).

That many diverse peoples, both Jews and Gentiles, being  joined in this Christ, are formed into one Body, makes the church the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4-6)

The marriage union of this mysterious Christ and the church as His mysterious Body, is the great mystery—Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32).

Paul said that this high gospel proclaimed by him was according to the “revelation of the mystery” (Rom. 16:25). It unveiled people to see this divine mystery so that they could experience it.

Today we are in the age of mystery.

From the time Jesus Christ came to this earth until the time He returns is  “the age of mystery. ” In this period, the focus of the gospel is to bring to light this mystery (Eph. 3:8-9).  It is to carry it out—to finish the mystery of God.

When the last trumpet sounds in Rev. 10:7, the Bible says,

“the mystery of God is finished.”

Let’s read part of a note on this verse in the Recovery Version:

“…in the dispensation from Christ to the millennial kingdom, everything is a mystery. The incarnation of Christ, as the beginning of this dispensation of mystery, is a mystery (1 Tim. 3:16). Christ Himself (Col. 2:2), the church (Eph. 3:4-6), the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 13:11), the gospel (Eph. 6:19), the indwelling of Christ (Col. 1:26-27), and the coming resurrection and transfiguration of the saints as the end of this dispensation of mystery (1 Cor. 15:51-52) are all mysteries that were hidden in the times of the ages (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26). All these mysteries will be completed, finished, and will be over at the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet.” (Rev. 10:7, note 2)

Let’s read some of these key verses on the  mystery:

  • The incarnation of Christ—1 Tim. 3:16: 

“And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh…”

  • Christ Himself—Col. 2:2:

“… unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.

  • The church—Eph. 3:4-6:

“By which, in reading it, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ,…that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the Body and fellow partakers of the promise through the gospel.”

“And He answered and said to them, Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given.”

  • The gospel—Eph. 6:19:

“And for me, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known in boldness the mystery of the gospel.”

  • The indwelling of Christ—Col. 1:26-27:

The mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now has been manifested to His saints;  to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

  • The resurrection and transfiguration of the saints – 1 Cor. 15:51-52:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.”

You can see from these verses that everything that God is doing related to Christ’s believers today is focused on finishing this mystery.

So the question is, “have you entered into this mystery, are you living in this mystery, and are you making this mystery known?”

  • To be born anew is to receive the mysterious divine life, even Christ Himself,  that you might enter into the realm of mystery.
  • To live in the mystery is to live in one spirit with the mysterious Christ who indwells you, for the building up of His mysterious Body, the church (1 Cor. 6:17; Eph 5:32).
  • To make known this mystery is to tell others the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 6:19).

Here are five steps to enter into this mystery, live in it, and make it known:

  1. First, ask the Lord to enlighten you to see this divine mystery.  Make Ephesians 3:9 your personal prayer to the Lord,

“And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.”

  1. Second, receive the mysterious Christ, if you haven’t already done so by praying:

“Lord Jesus, thank you for making known to me the mystery of Your will. I ask You to cleanse me with Your precious blood and to come into my spirit and live in me. Make me a part of Your divine mystery.”

  1. Third, live in moment-by-moment fellowship with the mysterious Christ who lives in your spirit. It’s a matter of spiritual breathing. Just call on His name from deep within,

“Lord Jesus!  O Lord, I love You! Keep me in one spirit with You right now.”

  1. Fourth, participate in a daily church life that’s in the genuine fellowship of the church as the reality of Christ’s mysterious Body.  You may want to pray,

“Lord Jesus, show me Your mysterious Body on earth today.  Cause me to know Your Body and bring me into a daily living that is in the reality of the Body.”

  1. Finally,  grasp every opportunity to tell others about the divine mystery that you’re living in.  By speaking the mystery of the gospel to those you know, they too can receive this mysterious Christ as their inner life to become  parts of His mystical Body, the church.

So are you living in this divine mystery? If you’re enjoying this mystery, say something in a comment.

References and Further Resources:

Photo Credit: Clark Russell

About Tom Smith

Hi. My name is Tom Smith. I'm the writer behind Holding to Truth in Love, and I love the Lord Jesus and His life-giving Word. Please feel free to send me an e-mail through the contact page if you have any questions. I hope you'd take a moment to subscribe to the Holding to Truth blog. Then you'll be sure not to miss a post. Thanks!

6 Replies

  1. Bonnie

    Lord, bring us increasingly into the reality of the mystery, and through us, bring others in until You are able to end this age of mystery!

    1. Tom Smith

      Amen. May we increasing live in the reality of this divine mystery and proclaim it as the gospel to enlighten many others to see the economy of this mystery. In this way the Lord can finish the mystery of God and end the age of mystery with His second coming.

  2. As I was reading your blog post again, brother, my spirit was uplifted and my heart encouraged! There’s a great temptation to try to bring the Christian life to the physical things, that is, to try to make the spiritual things physical. But we Christians are mysterious people, loving a mysterious God whom we have never seen, and daily fellowshiping with a Lord we have never physically touched…

    But how real is this mystery – in the spirit! This mystery was revealed to the holy apostles and prophets in spirit in the New Testament (not even Abraham, Daniel, or David saw it!) and we are part of God’s greatest mystery, Christ and the church!

    We need to live in this mystery today until one day the age of mystery will be over! Hallelujah! Until then, we are the mysterious people of a mysterious God, enjoying a divine-human mystical and mysterious relationship in spirit.

    1. Tom Smith

      Thank the Lord such a mutual encouragement. We’re a people of mystery, yet immersed in a physical universe that continually draws us after the material things. It is so easy to get drawn out, usurped, or preoccupied with all the physical things in our environment. But it’s God’s longing to “finish the mystery of God.” When the mysterious God is able to carry out His divine mystery and consummate the great mystery–Christ and the church, this age of mystery will be finished. But who among God’s people is concerned for this? May many more long for, pray for and live in this reality. Yes, may we be such a people living in this divine-human, mystical realm in our spirit. “Lord, gain us to be such a people to finish Your mystery and bring in Your kingdom.”

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