Continually I am hearing one needs to stick with Paul's teaching (Romans-Philemon) regarding the mystery. This has grounded me greatly. I am curious as to your description of this mystery.
What is the mystery? I can only imagine that the answer is too great for you to describe here. But, can you give me a short answer?
What I do know about the mystery are two things. Christ in me: the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27) and that now the Gentiles are part of God's plan of salvation (Galatians 3:28).
The simplest explanation of the mystery of Christ is this:
Prophecy (Old Testament/Israel's program) had made known in the scriptures that God would save all the nations/gentiles through Israel's rise!
Acts 3:21
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
But, the mystery program (the "secret" preaching of Jesus Christ) is that God today now saves gentiles, not through Israel's rise, but through their fall!
Romans 11:11
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Israel (Abraham's physical seed) was to be the channel of blessing to the entire world by giving birth to Messiah/King of Israel/King of the world/the Lord Jesus Christ...and through redeemed believing Israel, all nations would be blessed.
Genesis 12:1-4
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
But today, since Israel rejected her King, God set them aside to deal with us gentiles directly through Christ, and this information was hid/kept secret/not made known—unsearchable—in the Old Testament scriptures (including the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
Ephesians 3:8-9
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
It's not until the salvation of Saul/Apostle Paul that God makes this mystery known!
Romans 16:25
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Again, this is just a simple explanation of the Mystery of Christ. As we grow in the Lord, learning and applying the sound doctrine given to Paul and found in his thirteen epistles to us in the present dispensation of grace, the Lord has promised to bring understanding.
Colossians 1:27
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Ephesians 3:17-18
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Hopefully this
helps!
†††
†††
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Do you have a question
for Pastor Ron?
No comments:
Post a Comment