Mysteries of God Revealed in Christ – (Ephesians 3:4-7)
Daily Verse(s)
By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
Reading Notes
Many of the mysteries given in the Old Testament were clarified when God the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament writers to record God’s revelation to mankind, thereby making these mysteries clear to the followers of Christ. We should also make mention that those who reject Jesus and rebel against God cannot fully understand these mysteries. Without a relationship with God through Christ Jesus our Lord, no one can truly understand the Bible. This is because they do not have the indwelling and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help them understand. Why is that important? It’s important because the Bible is God’s special revelation to humanity regarding His plan of redemption, along with His interactions within human history to bring about the culmination of His plan of redemption. This means that all of scripture from front cover to back cover, from Old Testament to New Testament testify of Christ! Therefore, without a restored relationship with God the Father, through a relationship with God the Son, who is Jesus, we cannot fully understand scripture. This means that a person who does not have a relationship with Jesus cannot fully understand how all people, from every tribe, tongue and nationality are one body in Christ, governed by one spirit, the Holy Spirit. The mysteries spoken of specifically in these verses is that all believers are one in Christ. We are all one because we are all adopted into the family of God as children of God, through our faith in Jesus.
In addition, the other mystery mentioned in these passages is that spiritual truths or knowledge must be properly understood before it can be practically applied. This means believers need to study and understand the scriptures by spending regular time in the study and reading of God’s word. This also means believers must spend regular time in fellowship with one another, under the shepherding of one appointed by God and given the spiritual gift of pastoring. This is why the Apostle Paul also talks about becoming a minister of the Gospel of Christ. This is an important responsibility of serving God and His people, and not one to be taken lightly. Therefore, we cannot call ourselves ministers by our own power, but instead we must wait on and follow God’s calling on our lives. This is because to be effective for the kingdom of God, we serve where God places us, in the roles and ministries He has empowered us to carry out, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And we do so understanding that our spiritual gifts have been given to us directly by Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, in order to edify the body of Christ, which is the church. And in the end our only real title is we are children of God, and servants of Christ Jesus our Lord to the glory of God the Father. All of us working together as one, in God’s kingdom work. And we do so remembering that the culmination of God’s plan of redemption is to bring all of creation under the lordship of Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father.