1 Corinthians 2:7; 3:22-4:1 (The Mystery of God)

Let us take a day to consider “the wisdom of God in a mystery” (1 Cor. 2:7).  Paul contrasted the wisdom of God with the wisdom of this age (2:6).  Consider two important thoughts: 1)The world, through its wisdom, did not know God but God, in His wisdom, determined to save any who would believe by the foolishness of the preaching of the cross (1:21); and 2)Christ IS the wisdom of God (1:24).  Christ embodies God’s wisdom and this whole story is a mystery.

A “mystery” is something hidden in ages past but now revealed (Eph. 3:8; 1 Cor. 2:7; Rom. 16:25-27 all agree with this definition).  The New Testament (NT) use of the term refers to things not known or understood by the prophets of the Old Testament (OT) but revealed in the NT.  Here are some of the mysteries:

·        Matt. 13:11; Mk. 4:11; Lk. 8:10: The Mysteries of the Kingdom (that there would be two comings of Christ with a time of undetermined length between).

·        Rom. 11:25: The Mystery of Israel’s partial blindness during that time.

·        Eph. 5:32: The Mystery of the Church, the Bride of Christ, during that time.

·        1 Cor. 15:51: The Mystery of the catching away of the Church (1 Th. 4:13-18).

·        Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:3: The Mystery of the gospel of Christ (how both the sufferings and glory of Christ are fulfilled; cf. 1 Peter 1:11-12).

·        Col. 1:26-27: The Mystery of the indwelling Christ.

·        2 Thess. 2:7: The Mystery of lawlessness (how sin increases in this time).

·        1 Tim. 3:16: The Mystery of godliness (how Christ is our Righteousness).

All of these mysteries are part of the one “Mystery of God” (1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:9-10; Rev. 10:7).  What the world does not understand is that God has determined, before time began, to exalt His Son.  It is always helpful to read Psalm 2 at this point.  In that Psalm we see how the rulers of the world want nothing to do with the boundaries God has places around them (v1-3).  So they arrogantly decide to remove them.  God laughs at them!  And then He announces that He will establish His King on His holy hill of Zion (v4-6).  That King will be His Son (v7-9).  To Him God will give the nations as an inheritance.  He will rule the nations.  Man’s only choice is to bow before the Son, to kiss His ring as one would come humbly before any sovereign (v10-12).  All things must and will be gathered together in Him.  

Paul refers to this in 3:22-23 when he says: all are yours.  And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.  We belong to Christ because we have bowed the knee to Him already.  Our future will be at His side, ruling with Him in the kingdom promised to Him by His God and Father!  As this mystery (and all the related mysteries) was at the center of Paul’s ministry, so it should be in the preaching and teaching of the Church today.  Christ will be exalted.  This is the point of the gospel: to bring all who will believe into a relationship with Christ in which HE is exalted more and more.  To the praise of His glory! (Ep. 1:6,12,14).