Mystery 101

Ephesians 3:2-6 – Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men 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. (NIV)

Do you love to watch or read a good mystery? Why is it called a "mystery"? I always thought of a mystery as anything I could not reason or figure out. Webster defines mystery as:

1a: a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand 2a: something not understood or beyond understanding 3: profound, inexplicable, or secretive quality or character.

We as Christians should take note of the fact that this "mystery" tells us that God's grace (salvation) is for all, Jews and Gentiles alike. Let's break that down even more and say that this "mystery" is for good and bad, old and young, pretty and ugly, rich and poor, male and female. As Peter said, "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." (Acts 10:34-35 NKJV)

In our human minds, we sometimes have trouble understanding how God can love "those" people — "those" meaning people who are different from us. But we must accept the Word as truth and know that Jesus died for all.

John 3:16-17 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (KJV)

I do not desire to spoil the fun of your solving this mystery, but I do desire for you to search the Scriptures for yourself, to find the answer to it.

We can see only through our human eyes, so sometimes as Christians, we forget where God has brought us from. We don't understand the "mystery" of how God's grace extends through us to others who are different, whether it be on account of their religion, colour, physical stature, monetary status, etc. Praise be to God that His marvellous "mystery" was revealed to Paul, that we who were once wretched sinners, but are now saved by His grace, may share His love with all people.

Prayer: Dear precious heavenly Father, we pray that You will help us to be true examples of Your love and grace and to be vessels through which all others may come to know You as their personal Saviour and may come to understand this most precious "mystery" of all time. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.

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