Mystery Solved by Bryan Craig
When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Ephesians 3:4-6
I love abiding with Christ and how He loves to teach me things from His Word through His Spirit. Every day, there is a treasure chest available to us of gold nuggets of wisdom, grace, insight and inspiration. As I write this, it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but I’m using a devotional I’ve used for years, Every Day With Jesus by the late Selwyn Hughes. The devotional is in a 2-month format, and I have several of them I’ve collected through the years. I re-use them or share them with others. I don’t pay attention to the dates. I just go through them one day at a time. The one I used today happens to be from April 10, 2020. First of all, it was right in the middle of COVID… strange to think where the world was back then. And it happened to be Good Friday of 2020.
In keeping with Good Friday, the main passage of Scripture was Ephesians 3, talking about the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. It really struck me this morning, as Paul described all of this as a “mystery” that was hidden for ages from men in other generations and he even says it was hidden from “rulers and authorities in heavenly places.”
What is the mystery?
That through Jesus Christ, we who are Gentiles (non Jews) are part of the same body, the “chosen people” and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. Because of Jesus, we who choose to believe in and follow Jesus are adopted into the royal, holy family. Generations of people before us thought God was far away, and we could not draw close to Him, other than through good works and sacrifice.
In Romans 3:21-22, Paul says it this way:
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
For thousands of years, it looked hopeless, even to those in heavenly places. Sin had stained the world, and it looked unredeemable. Romans 8:22 says “The whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Yes, it was apparent that something was missing. It was a mystery, UNTIL Christ came! He came in flesh and achieved what no man had ever been able to do…to live a holy, sinless life. He was the ONLY ONE who could be offered as the final sacrifice on the altar, shaped like a Cross, so that we could gain access to the Father and receive our adoption.
Another compelling verse:
“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:23-29
Do you understand what a big deal this is? This is an eternity-changing truth for you and me. Back to Ephesians 3, Paul calls this truth “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” For all of us who have been called to faith in Christ, we can never tire of keeping our eyes on Jesus and His sacrifice. As a matter of fact, our church fathers talk about the importance of “brooding” the Cross. To brood means “to think deeply about something that makes one unhappy.”
But as I read and contemplate the Cross on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, my “brooding” is creating a thankfulness like no other. I realize that everything good in my life has come from God, through Christ, and I am so thankful. I’m thankful for my family with whom I will gather for Thanksgiving, but I’m also thankful that I’m invited to the Lord’s table, to be one of His sons and one of His disciples.
For me, the mystery is solved, but I realize there are many who are still in the dark. I pray I can help them solve the mystery and be released from their groaning and find their thankfulness.