The Church as Mystery

Paul writes:

² Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴ In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶ 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. (Ephesians 3:2-6)

A mystery, by Paul’s definition, is something not made known to people in previous generations but revealed now by the Spirit to God’s apostles and prophets. That Gentiles would be saved through the work of Messiah was something that was made known in previous generations.

He [Yahweh] says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

What was not made known, however, was that these saved Gentiles would be made co-heirs with Israel and members of one body that shared the promise in Christ Jesus. Here is the ticklish thing about this one body: It stands together with Israel in one sense and separate from Israel in another.

This one body is made up of Jews and Gentiles who have been saved by faith. They are in covenant with Jesus, the New Covenant, which makes for forgiveness of sin and a new heart to obey God’s law (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-13). But not all Israel has yet come under this covenant and are at present opposers of the Messiah and are awaiting their future conversion (Romans 11:25-31). The two, the Church and Israel, exist side by side yet worlds apart. The odd man out is the Church, the mystery revealed by the Spirit to Messiah’s apostles and prophets.

This Church was inaugurated on the Day of Pentecost in 33 AD, when the Holy Spirit baptized the Jewish followers of Messiah, fulfilling a New Covenant promise of a new heart to obey God’s law (Ezekiel 36:26,27). Later Samaritans and Gentiles were baptized in the Spirit (Acts 8, 10) bringing all people groups into the fold. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Paul concludes:

⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸ Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:7-11)

This unforetold entity, the Church, bears witness to angelic authorities something they did not anticipate, the way God is going to bring all things together under His rule, a wisdom they could not conceive.