Mystery means something is hidden
until the appropriate time comes for God to reveal it.
God created Adam and Eve, and
their generations spread throughout the Earth. But these people became sinners
and wicked (Genesis 6:5; Mathew 24:38).
God chosed Noah as he did
everything according to the will of God. His generation multiplied and they
also became wicked people who worshipped pagan gods.
So God chosed a person called
Abraham. He was old and was not having children. But God called him and told
him that he is going to have a child and his offspring’s will be like stars in
the sky. Abraham believed in God and God counted him as righteous because of
his faith (Romans 4:3; Genesis 15:6;
Galatians 3:6).
Through his wife Sarah, Abraham
got a child Isaac and Isaac had two sons through Rebekah – Esau and Jacob. Even
though Jacob was a deceiver, at one point of time God called him and changed
his name to Israel (Genesis 32:28). So
God started blessing the offspring of Israel (Genesis 22:18; Genesis 35). Even though the people of Israel were
not obedient to God, He did not leave them.
Through prophets God blessed
Israel. In Isaiah 60:1-6, God is
prophesying about future glory of Israel. He tells people will come to you with
gold. Israel is blessed even today.
In New Testament, Paul tells in Ephesians 3:1-12, the great privileges
in the gospel not only belong to Jews, but to the believing gentiles, even
though they are not circumcised. He tells it as a Mystery of God. The mystery is that the gentiles should be
fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ, by
the gospel.
Paul tells in Ephesians 3:9, his business was to make
all men see what is the fellowship of mystery which from the beginning of the
world hath been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus. It is a
mystery of Christ because it was revealed by him (Acts 26:16-18; Galatians 1:12).
In Old Testament we see Jews as
the chosen people. When Jesus Christ came into this world as a child, gentiles
came to him as wise men (Mathew 2:1-12).
The respect paid to Christ by these gentiles was a happy specimen of what would
follow when those who are afar off should be made high by Christ.
Christianity does not begin with “once
upon a time”, but starts with Bethlehem in Judea. Jesus is not just another
man, but that he was descended from a royal family, and there was a King’s
blood in his veins (Mathew 2:6).
Wise men, the gentile came to worship and honour a King. They did not come to
see a saviour, but a King (Mathew 2:2).
In Psalms 72:1-11, we see certain characteristics of a King. In this
Psalm, even though Solomon’s name is mentioned, Christ’s Kingdom is being prophesied.
He has the authority which is being given by father and he is a righteous King.
All the verse in this Psalm depends on the first verse – “Give righteousness to the King’s son”. In verse 3 we see prosperity as a by-product of
righteousness. In verse 8 we see
Solomon wants to extend the kingdom whole on Earth, which only Christ can when
he comes a second time. In verse 10 and
11, all kings came and bow before him. Even though Solomon failed to go to
gentiles, in the new kingdom gentiles will come, through this Mystery of God.
Till verse 17 we see how kingdom
will be of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament God held
back from the gentiles the secret that they should be heirs and shareholders of
the gospel and have admission into the church (his body) on the same terms as
the Jewish people (Ephesians 1:10).
Difference here is that gentiles
are being chosen by faith in Christ Jesus. We as gentiles don’t want to do any
physical method to be the chosen ones like the Jews. We need to do is accept
Christ as our King and saviour and believe that he died for our sins ad we are
made righteous through his blood.
When you believe this in your
heart and soul, you are saved and is a new creation in Christ Jesus, and are
heirs and shareholders of his body.
All gentiles are being chosen by
faith (Romans 15:9,10; Galatians 3:8,9).
Once you are chosen, you enjoy the life in the temple of God and are yielded
into obedience to him.
We are saved by faith, not of good works. We are saved to do good
works.
