Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (December 2013)
In this article, four mysteries are discussed which are directly related to the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and also to God’s will for humanity. Israel and the entire world are not kept in the dark on who Jesus is, what the purpose for His first coming to the world was, what the relationship is that we should maintain with Him, and how we can know God’s will in Christ. Before the coming of Christ, faith in God was expressed through shadowy practices, symbolic acts, and prophetic promises, but through His coming shadows and promises became a wonderful reality. By proclaiming these substantial spiritual facts, things were uttered which were kept secret from the foundation of the world (Matt. 13:35).
During the coming of Christ, God’s Word was visibly impersonated. John says: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). It is our privilege to be guided by the Holy Spirit into all the truth of the Saviour, thereby sharing in His riches of grace.
During the long time before the coming of Christ, people mostly communicated with God in an indirect manner through:
· the mediation of imperfect priests who were forerunners of the perfect High Priest who is the only Mediator between God and man (Heb. 7:11, 22-28);
· repetitive and imperfect sacrifices which pointed ahead to the once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross (Heb. 10:1-10);
· restricted entry to God’s throne of grace in the Holy of holies which was secluded by a veil, but opened up to all people during the atoning death of Christ (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22); and
· unsuccessful efforts to fulfil the law, until the Son of God completely fulfilled the law and offered His righteousness and holiness to us.
Various mysteries of the gospel were revealed to apostles such as Paul, since these revelations could only be done after Christ was crucified, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out, and the gospel of salvation was also offered to the Gentile world. Jesus Christ Himself is the personification of salvation. Paul said to the congregation in Rome: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest ... to all nations” (Rom. 16:25-26).
The Corinthians are also reminded of the great privilege that they enjoyed by being informed about a mystery which was hidden for centuries but revealed after the coming of Christ (1 Cor. 2:7). The Ephesians are given insight into the same matter and also heard that God created everything through His Son (Eph. 3:3-7, 9). Paul also requests Christians in this congregation to intercede for him, “that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19). He made the same request to the Colossians, and asked that they would pray for him “to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains” (Col. 4:3; see also Col. 1:26-27; 2:2).
In his pastoral letter to Timothy, Paul emphasises the important fact that Jesus Christ is God who became a human being to be able to sacrifice Himself for the sake of the gospel of salvation: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16). People who are not aware of these mysteries tend to deny the deity of Jesus Christ, do not accept the triune being of God, do not fully comprehend the significance of Christ’s crucifixion, experience problems to make the transition from the law to grace, and easily become entangled in spiritual deception and alleged extra-biblical revelations of God.
During Old Testament times God appointed a people, Israel, as His representatives on earth but during New Testament times He uses a completely different group composed of saved individuals from all nations – the church. They are spiritually bonded together as a coherent group which is described as the body of Christ. Before the coming of Christ it was altogether unknown that such a group would come into being, but to us it is a practical reality.
The Lord Jesus cherishes and cares for His church to make them fit for His service. Furthermore, she is being prepared to be united with Him as His wife at His second coming. At present she is a betrothed bride who is waiting on the coming of the Bridegroom. Paul says:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ... For we are members of His body. ... This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:25-32).
The body of Christ is disseminated across the earth. Spiritually, it is indeed a unity within which all members are brothers and sisters in the Lord but on the outward, structural level, the body manifests as independent, local congregations that all function under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, on the foundation of God’s Word, and under the authority of Christ.
The Lord expects every Christian to honour his responsibility as a member of this body. His own body, soul and spirit become part of the Holy Spirit’s temple, and that commits him to holy living. However, some believers live in sin and are motivated by fleshly objectives. Paul asks them: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16; cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Each one of us has the duty of determining what our function is within the body, since the members all fulfil complementary functions to ensure the proper functioning of the entire body: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:4-8).
Today, there are many people who act wrongly by prophesying independent from the Bible. However, we are confined to the Word of God and should not deviate from it in any way (Rev. 22:18-19). Only biblical prophecies should be proclaimed, together with messages on encouragement and spiritual strengthening: “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men” (1 Cor. 14:3).
Persons who occupy leadership positions in the church of Christ should be “holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9). That means that they should understand the deep truths of a life of faith in Christ, and also be able to convey it to others. While doing so they should always have a pure conscience, which demands that they do nothing which is contrary to their faith and testimony. They should not profess one thing but practise another.
The mystery of the New Testament faith indicates that faith, as it was practised during Old Testament times, was given much more content after the coming of Christ. It goes hand in hand with a firm conviction that Jesus is the Son of God who was incarnated to reveal the love of the Father to us. This agape love moved Him to lay down His life for us in order to pay the ransom for our sins. We can only approach the Father by virtue of the atoning death of Christ, with the assurance that He will hear us in the Name of His Son and have mercy on us.
A true faith is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and therefore, on a deep spiritual level, a God-given ability to become conscious of our sins and lost state but also of the grace and remission of sins which Christ offers to us. People who have not yet heard and accepted the gospel of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:17), are still lost, even if they “believe” in other gods or other ways of salvation. They are victims of deception, and as such unbelievers from a biblical point of view: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
The mystery of a true faith has only been revealed in the New Testament, and should be proclaimed to all who are not yet Christians. When this great gift of God has been discovered, people will not base their faith on other religions, on their own works or on the works of the law. Jesus Christ leads people from the darkness of bondage by sin into the marvellous light of true spiritual liberty. He also leads legalistic Jews out of their Old Testament orientation towards a new relationship with the Triune God, “for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4).
The atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross is the foundation of a new life in Him, in which we are guided by the Holy Spirit to understand the precepts in God’s Word and thus gain more insight into God’s will for our lives: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself” (Eph. 1:7-9).
There are general aspects of God’s will for humanity which are clearly stated in His Word. The first one is that He is not willing that a single person should perish but that all should be saved. After the coming of Christ God “commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). “God our Saviour ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). “The Lord ... is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
Secondly, it is the express will of God that all His children live holy lives: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification. ... For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 4:3, 7-8). Through sanctification and insightful knowledge of His Word, God wishes to enable us to live in accordance with His Word. Paul prays for the Colossians, “... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10).
However, there are various situations in life, as well as numerous choices that we have to make, on which the Bible does not give specific guidance. In such cases the Lord expects us to take decisions which will be in the best interest of His kingdom, and therefore also in our own best interest. To be able to do that, we need a very good knowledge of His Word as that, together with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will give us enlightened eyes of our understanding (Eph. 1:18) to be able to soundly consider secular as well as spiritual facts.
It is only people who understand the mystery of God’s will who can take decisions which are pleasing to Him while, at the same time, ensuring their survival in the midst of harsh economic and other conditions to which most people – committed Christians included – are subjected.