Mystery is an interesting word, a word that is very important to our understanding of the plan and purpose of God in this present age. In the Greek it is μυστήριον (mystērion) and, as you can see, the English word mystery comes from this Greek word. It occurs 27 times in the New Testament: the Lord Jesus once (but the same statement is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Paul 19 times in six epistles, and 4 times in the Book of Revelation.
What is mystery? The New Testament uses mystery in a way that is different than any way we might use it today. To us a mystery is a “whodunit”, a murder mystery where we try to guess who committed the murder before it is revealed at the end of the book or show, y’know, like Agatha Christie. (It’s funny we always say “Agatha Christie” - I’ve never actually read an Agatha Christie murder mystery! I have read Ellery Queen; same thing because it is the same genre.) On TV there’s Matlock, Murder She Wrote et al. A mystery could also be something I can’t figure out, as in: “It’s a mystery to me” or “Women are a mystery to me”, that is, something difficult or impossible to understand. Still another use is a mystery prize or guest that will shortly be revealed.
Mystery in the Bible is none of the above. We really need to start with a clean slate if we want to understand a biblical mystery. Well then, what is it? I’m happy to say Paul defined it for us:
Ephesians 3:3,5 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery . . . 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;
Colossians 1:26-27 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known . . .
So, a mystery is something that God had always planned to do but did not reveal to the saints in the Old Testament, which He has now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets, who spoke it to us. Simply put, a mystery is a truth previously hidden which is now fully revealed. These mysteries are related to His plan and purpose for the gospel age. This is exciting – God has made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself !(Ephesians 1:9)
My plan is rather simple – Look at mystery in each book it is found and briefly explain it. That’s it!
NEXT: Mystery of the Kingdom
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