If you knew a secret that would change the entire world forever, would you be able to keep it to yourself? God did—for many, many years. Hidden deep in His heart was a secret so powerful that it would change the course of history forever. God had kept this secret, this mystery, since the world began, for had it been made known, the Devil would not have crucified Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 2:7,8) and our redemption would not have been accomplished. What was this secret, this mystery, that was so important? Let’s dig into the Word of God to learn what the great mystery is and how it came about.
What is the great mystery?
Ephesians 3:2-6:
If ye have heard of the dispensation [administration] of the grace of God which is given me [Paul] to you-ward:
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of [pertaining to] Christ)
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
When He was ready to make known the Mystery, God revealed to the Apostle Paul this powerful truth, the essence of the great mystery: for the first time, God had made both Judean and Gentile believers to be part of one new Body—a spiritual Body, having Christ as the head. All born-again believers in that Body are fellow heirs of everything God made available in Christ.
The new birth is a central aspect of the Mystery. To become born again of God’s spirit, all people need to do is confess Jesus as lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). At that moment and forevermore they are God’s children with Christ in them.
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.
How did this Mystery come about? Let’s start at the beginning. When God formed, made, and created Adam and Eve, God gave them dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:26,28), and He walked and talked with them. However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commandment, and Adam transferred the power God had given him to God’s archenemy, the Devil. By this sin, Adam and Eve lost their spiritual connection with God. Since then, all of mankind had been without a spiritual connection to God and the dominion and authority God had given.
But God had a plan! He would rectify man’s sin problem and remove every barrier between us and Him. God’s plan of salvation would give mankind the opportunity to restore the spiritual connection to God. It would also elevate man to the position of dominion God desired for him. Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, would be the one to carry out this plan.
Jesus Christ bridged the gap between God and man. Three days and three nights after Jesus Christ gave his life and was buried, God raised him from the dead to die no more. Fifty days after that, God gave the gift of holy spirit on the day of Pentecost. Since that time, anyone who believes could once again have a spiritual connection with God, have the spirit of God in Christ within, and become a fellow heir with Christ as part of one Body. This is what had been hidden. Since the day of Pentecost, the great mystery could be made known and truly explained.
The Mystery has been revealed! What is the great mystery? It is the powerful truth that all born-again believers, Judeans and Gentiles, are fellow heirs of all God has made available in the one Body of Christ and that Christ is in every one of them. How did the great mystery come about? By God’s plan of salvation and the work of His dear Son Jesus Christ, we can live the Mystery in this wonderful Age of Grace!