The Great Mystery Unraveled
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
The Mystery is Not Mysterious
When you pull a thread on a sweater, sometimes it just unravels. We will see that the Mystery is not hard to understand once we identify some key points.
1 Corinthians 2:7 KJV:
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1 Corinthians 2:7 ESV:
But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
Mystery:
- Greek: musterion
- Aramaic: raza
In English, the word “mystery” often has the idea of being something that you can’t understand. But the Greek and Aramaic words mean the opposite of that idea! In Greek and Aramaic, a “mystery” is something that, once it is revealed, is very easy to understand.
A secret is known by anyone to whom it is revealed.
The great mystery was hidden in the past, but now it has been revealed.
1 Corinthians 2:7 EMPH:
But we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, That hidden wisdom Which God marked out beforehand before the ages for our glory,—
The Aramaic means “secret information.” I call it “the spiritual secret,” or “the secret of the spirit.”
Romans 16:24–25 APNT:
24 Now to God, who is able to establish you in my gospel that is proclaimed about Jesus Christ by the revelation of the mystery [the spiritual secret] that was hidden from the times of the ages,
25 but is revealed in this time by way of the writings of the prophets, and by the commandment of the eternal God is made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of the faith,
It was hidden, but it’s now revealed.
1 Timothy 3:16 APNT:
and truly great is this mystery of uprightness [righteousness], which was revealed in the flesh and was justified spiritually and was seen by angels and was preached among the Gentiles and was believed in the world and was taken up in glory.
In Aramaic, there are two words for righteousness. Every Aramaic word has a root verb that is the foundational meaning for that word. The root word is usually an action, or at least a very simple concept to understand.
This particular word for “righteousness” or “uprightness,” the root verb means “to have a nature.” We suddenly have a clearer idea of what “righteousness” is. God’s nature is completely, always, 100% right. He actually imparted to us His nature by way of Christ Jesus. So, we have that uprightness.
“Truly great is this mystery of uprightness;” this is a new nature that we are talking about here.
Colossians 1:27 APNT:
To them, God wanted to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is the Messiah who is in you [plural], the hope of our glory,
The riches of the glory of the mystery is the Messiah in you—plural!
The nature of Christ in every single believer is exactly the same.
The word “Messiah,” in Aramaic, is meshika. The word “Christ” (Messiah) means “anointed one.” It has an additional meaning, “a measure.” We’ve had the power of Christ poured out on us or into us. That’s a full measure of the same Spirit that was on Jesus Christ, is now poured into us.
You have a two-fold meaning: the anointed one who has the full measure of the Spirit.
We all have the same full measure of Holy Spirit in us. That’s what it means when you say, “Christ in you [plural].”
It’s the most Spirit that was ever on anyone in the Old Testament!
The things we see Jesus do in the gospels, we can do because we have that exact same Spirit. We have his peace, his wisdom, his love, his compassion, and whatever else you can think of that he had. That’s the crux of the mystery. It’s something that cannot be lost. It cannot be taken away. We didn’t earn it. Jesus Christ paid the price so that God could give this to us.
Ephesians 3:3–6 KJV:
3 How that by revelation he made known [revealed] unto me the mystery [spiritual secret]; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 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; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
There’s a figure of speech, Introversion, in these verses.
A) now revealed to holy apostles and prophets
B) by (in) the Spirit
C) fellow heirs (FAMILY)
C) of the same body (BODY)
C) partakers of his promise (TEMPLE)
B) in Christ
A) by the gospel
We normally read the phrase “partakers of his promise in Christ” as if it were one thing. But “in Christ” corresponds to “by (in) the Spirit.” “now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets” corresponds to “by the gospel.” It’s like a sandwich. You can say we have it by the spirit, or we have it in Christ. When you read in the Epistles, “in Christ” or “by the Spirit,” they are the same.
In the middle, we have “fellow heirs,” “of the same body,” and “partakers of his promise.” These are three illustrations of what the mystery is and how it works. This is very interesting in Greek because each of these phrases begins with sun (together with).
Whenever you see a verse that deals with family
Galatians 4:6–7 KJV:
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Abba, Father, in Aramaic is “Father, our Father.” The only other place where the word “fellowheirs” is used is in Romans Chapter 8.
Romans 8:17 KJV:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs [fellowheirs] with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
In the East, the firstborn son got a much bigger inheritance than the rest of the kids. Not so with Christ. We all get the full inheritance.
1 Corinthians 12:12 KJV:
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
Just as all the many cells in the physical body make one body, all the members of the body of Christ make one body.
1 Corinthians 12:13–14 KJV:
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many.
That’s the mystery in a nutshell.
1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV:
Now ye [plural] are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
You can’t look at it like personal—this is talking about plural.
The last part of the introversion that we spoke about in Ephesians is “partakers of his promise.”
A) now revealed to holy apostles and prophets
B) by (in) the Spirit
C) fellow heirs (FAMILY)
C) of the same body (BODY)
C) partakers of his promise (TEMPLE)
B) in Christ
A) by the gospel
Ephesians 2:21–22 KJV:
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
We are partakers of a promise that was given in the Old Testament.
Joel 2:28–29 KJV:
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
This was the promise Peter referred to on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:16–18 KJV:
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Now we know what the promise was, so consider the word “partakers.” It is the Greek word metochos, which basically means “a sharer,” like a joint owner of a building.
Ephesians 2:21–22 APNT:
21 And in him the whole building is fit together and is growing into a holy temple in the lord,
22 while you also are built in him for a dwelling of God spiritually.
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the temple of God.
We’re going to be primarily talking about the body in this seminar, but you could spend an equal amount of time comparing it to the family or to the temple. The temple shows who we are in Christ and what we have.
There’s another meaning of metochos dealing with the temple. Think about going home. Home is where you can relax, you have peace, and you feel most comfortable. The temple is not only where God dwells, but we dwell there too. It’s like our house.
The temple in the Old Testament had the outer court, the holy place, and the holy of holies. The high priest could only go into the holy of holies once a year on the day of atonement. No regular person could even go into the holy place, let alone the holy of holies. Jesus Christ opened up the access for us so that we can walk straight into the holy of holies.
Ephesians 3:12 NET:
in whom [Christ] we have boldness and confident access to God by way of Christ’s faithfulness.
You could translate that as “speaking access” to God.
A) now revealed to holy apostles and prophets
B) by (in) the Spirit
C) fellow heirs (FAMILY)
C) of the same body (BODY)
C) partakers of his promise (TEMPLE)
B) in Christ
A) by the gospel
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (APNT) taken from the Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation: With explanatory footnotes marking variant readings, customs and figures of speech, Copyright © 2006 by Janet M. Magiera, Light of the Word Ministry, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.lightofword.org)
Scripture quotations marked (EMPH) are from The Emphasized Bible: A Translation Designed to Set Forth the Exact Meaning, the Proper Terminology, and the Graphic Style of the Sacred Original. By Rotherham, Joseph Bryant. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2010.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible® Copyright © 1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.netbible.com. All rights reserved.
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