:nono:
If Paul was truly revealing something that had never been known he could not have claimed it was made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets which was for him what we refer to as the Old Testament. Paul was teaching a new covenant but it came from the same God so contained the same mysteries that Old Testament Prophets had taught.
Once again what was really new was that now Gentiles could be part of the covenant community.
__
Nope.
"which was kept secret since the world began"
Again, much of the confusion in "Christianity" stems from failure to rightly divide the word of truth(2 Tim. 2:15), mainly in not distinguishing in the divisions in the Bible, the most important being the 2 following main divisions:
The prophetic program- which is God's purpose to establish a literal, physical, earthly, Davidic, Messianic kingdom("...as the days of heaven upon the earth."-Deuteronomy 11:21), with Jesus Christ as the king of kings, ruling over the twelve apostles, who will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel, who will rule over the nations of this earth,
from
The mystery program- which is God's purpose to form a spiritual body of believers called "the Body of Christ", with Christ as the Head. This body will be perfectly "conformed to the image of His Son" and will rule and reign with Christ in the heavenly places("..made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."-Eph. 2:6) This program was revealed to the apostle Paul by the risen, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus Christ from heaven via progressive revelation. ____________________________________________________
Notice the prophetic program was
SPOKEN about since the world began-Luke 1:68-70; Acts 3:21-24
While the mystery program was
Kept SECRET, hidden since the world began (Ephesians 3:5,9; Colossians 1:26).
Recognize the differences.
And do not confuse revelation, with understanding.
.
The Holy Bible testifies that the book can be understood; so does God ("....whoso readeth, let him understand" Mt 24:5)-. the Holy Bible is not some "dark, mysterious, spooky, shadowything." The LORD God wrote it so it could be understood-hence REVELATION. Illumination is concerned with understanding that which has been revealed already. And we must not confuse, or equate, "understandable" and "not fully understood", and certainly not with revelation.
Mystery:
"Hid" means "Held in silence"-not revealed previously in the OT-hence, hid in God. If it was held in absolute silence, it could not be referring to the OT. It means absolutely silent-NOT REVEALED. Compare other usages of the very same word: Luke 9:36 20:26 /Acts 12:17 15:12,13 21:40 /Romans 16:25/ 1Co 14:28,30,34/, Rev. 8:1. There can be no doubt that this does not merely mean "sort of understood." If it was revealed, to whatever extent, then it was not held in silence
Paul does not refer to the term "mystery" as we understand from the "lenses" of our "modern culture", i.e., something that cannot be understood. It's not called the mystery because Paul is being "sneaky or coy about it." It's called the mystery because it was previously unknown, but now (in Paul's epistles) it is openly manifested, and to be understood. The mystery is not " something to be solved", and has no reference to "understandability", "illumination", since Paul says we can understand it. Paul openly explains it, and expects us to understand it NOW-a few examples:
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." 1 Cor. 2:12
" Having
made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:.." Eph. 1:9
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,.." Eph. 1:17,18
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me
the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read,
ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
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; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: " Eph. 3:1-10
"And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly,
to make known the mystery of the gospel,..." Eph. 6:19
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and
to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;.." Col. 1:9
"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 what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:.." Col. 1:27
Read it-perhaps this will open your eyes re. one of the aspects of the mystery:
1 Cor. 2:
"7But we speak
the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1 Cor. 15:1-4, the dbr, we know now. But it was hidden in the book. The 12 did not know it, "the princes of this world," i.e., satan and his gang, did not know it either. The LORD God hid it from everyone. And why? Satan's goal was to exterminate the seed. The LORD God, in His "wisdom," let the serpent think that by crucifying His only begotten Son, "the Lord of glory," that Satan would "win." But the LORD God tricked him! Had satan and his minions known the resulting ramifications of what the death, burial, resurrection accomplished, he would not have done it!
Perhaps a secular example will drive home the point. Superman tricks General Zod.
"He switched it...he(Superman) did it to them(General Zod and his gang)...."-Lex Luther
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUORL-bvwA0
Get it? The LORD God hid the gospel of Christ on purpose-He tricked them! Part of the mystery-the mystery of the gospel.
Mystery-hid.
lain: