Mystery of Godliness II - Purpose. How to Read.
How this Study Began and How to Read it
Studying this whole issue has its beginning in my normal everyday bible lecture. In November 2018 God opened up my eyes - again - that without Him we can not do anything. And that the fruit we need to bring - according to John 15 - is not more converts.Because Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Not the branches plucked into other branches. Every branch that is not staying in Him (or possibly so to say: which is depending on other branches) will be cut off. At a December’s night in 2018 I went through Ephesians and was quite tired. Still God in His grace opened my spiritual eyes to the fact, that Paul calls the gentiles‘ inclusion into God’s salvation plan and into the body of Christ >The mystery of Christ<. But I knew the mystery of godliness according to 1 Timothy 3:16: That God manifests in flesh, is justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among Gentiles, believed in the world, received up in glory.
For some years I have been made aware of the fact that God’s word is very consistent in its language. So I looked for the connections between this popular verse (1. Tim 3:16) and the body of Christ, the assembly. I began to check many passages for the word “mystery” and marked several common issues. I was quite in awe about the findings. The result is this document. It consists of collections of biblical information which is - to the majority - ordered by the issues I could find out.
While scanning Ephesians and Colossians for all mentions of “mystery” I realized a group of attributes/phrases that belong to it and occur on several other places. So let’s start with a color-coded chart to study our bible passages in the coming times and posts!
Color-Coded Checklist
| |
| Color | Attribute/Concept |
| -------------------- | The mystery and its revelation to chosen ones |
| -------------------- | Gospel (election+justification and salvation without works) and its preaching |
| -------------------- | Reference to biological terms or symbols |
| -------------------- | Unification (by/in Christ) |
| -------------------- | God’s purpose and will |
| -------------------- | Intercession in favor of the elect |
| -------------------- | Praise towards God |
| -------------------- | Fullness and riches of God |
Turquoise will mark all hints of the fact that the gospel in itself is a great mystery which is hidden and was revealed to the holy prophets, apostles and the chosen ones.
With the yellow label “gospel” I want to show every trace of God choosing us to be justified and saved without human effort and works of the law. And its preaching to the world.
The green color shows findings of terms that refer to living creatures like plants, growth and humans. This will help to reveal the mystery of godliness.
Most of the times the biological perspective implies a unification in/with Christ. Because without Him we cannot do anything as testified in John 15. But the purple color will bring to the front all the other places where in/with Christ everything, everyone or the elect are unified under Him.
Every red text is showing how God’s eternal will from the beginning of the heavens and the earth on is working in the mystery of godliness and within us. And where God’s eternal will is connected to any other of the color-coded aspects.
Dark blue words show you that God is not working in automatisms. But His will is connected to the pre-created works and prayers of His saints. These prayers are important for getting the mystery of the gospel out in braveness and accuracy in order to see it being revealed to the Gentiles. It also is important to have the saints grow into the full maturity of the understanding and love of this mystery - which is Christ in them.
God’s not a debtor of any man. There are not many other circumstances that call for a glorious praise - as the mystery of godliness does. Pink is marking praises and invite to search the context for the exact reason for the praise. You will be surprised!
Possibly orange will make your mind expand the most. God’s almost incredible and glorious richness of His mercy, strength and love is seen so much when Jesus came to earth. And when He dwells in us. Whatever God has in heaven, he wants to have in His elect.
This chart is important. Please keep it in front of you permanently. Because once you understand the pattern, you will find a group of specific attributes connected to the mystery in many of the passages talking - even in other places like the Gospels and even the Old Testament - beginning with the creation.
In this 2nd post I try to put together God’s purposes with the mystery. In the coming ones I try to skim over several sub-issues I found out that are related to the mystery: After I finish giving you a glimpse of the mystery, I will go into detail regarding two special sub-issues: unification and biology. Focusing on unification will help to see the authority and identity of Jesus’ disciples, while the biological focus will - apart from seeing the unification issue again - help us to see more of God’s way how Christ’s body grows up, which is His bride which is the assembly of the saints.
I already shared a short summary of the content in the form of a Q&A. If you want to have the greater picture first, try to see it here.
I highly encourage you to read all these posts together while prayerfully studying the books Ephesians, Colossians, and all other passages that are covered. There is no way and also no sense in trying to understand the Word of God without being directly fed by it.
I pray that this study will bless many people. But now, let's really get started with the first chunk:
1. The Purpose of the Mystery
In Ephesians 1:9 we read, that God formed His will according to His good pleasure. He is good and wants good things to happen. Everything what God does, will also come back to Him to glorify Him. It’s the same here. The Father chose – as an act of honor, respect and trust – to eventually put everything under the feet of Jesus for 1000 years. After this, the government will be given to God the Father.To achieve this, Jesus came down, manifested in the flesh, lived righteously under the law, was crucified, died and resurrected by the Spirit to prove Him the righteous Son of God. And all of this glorifies the Father Himself. But He also has good plans with His chosen ones to rescue, justify and keep them. The mystery is very strongly connected to the gospel. Without the gospel’s salvation no mystery can exist. In fact, the gospel in itself even is called the mystery. So, how can you be in Christ if you did not put Christ on (Gal 3:26-28) and were not baptized into Jesus and His death (see Rom 6:1-7)? How can Jesus be in you if you were not filled with the Holy Spirit when you believed and consequently got baptized? (compare Eph 1:13 with the report of Ephesus’ baptism Acts 18:18-Acts 19:7). Since the gospel is the mystery you will find many texts in this study series that will talk about the purpose of the salvation, justification and calling of the saints. In the beginning possibly it will seem arbitrary why or how I put these things together. If this is the case I ask you to prayerfully go through the introducing Q&A in the attachment first and test it according to the presented Bible passages.
1.1. God shows the greatness of His riches
As you can see here, God lets His glory shine. Because no one lights a candle and puts it under a bushel. The following phrases are conclusions of the referred Bible texts.
Eph 1:6: in the Beloved the Father accepted us to the praise of the glory of His grace
Eph 1:10: in the dispensation of the times the Father gathers together everything under heaven and earth under the one, Jesus
Eph 1:12: the ones first trusting in Christ shall be to the praise of His glory
Eph 3:10: now by the gathering (ekklesia) the principalities are shown the manifold wisdom of God (Therefore we can not afford to be a weak, defeated church. It would misrepresent the Father.)
Eph 2:4-7: By bringing us from death via Christ’s salvation to authority in the heavenlies, God will show in the times to come the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Jesus
1.2. Sanctification and Eventually Perfection of the Chosen Ones
Yes, it is about the gospel! Without Jesus shedding His blood instead of us and cleansing us, there is no way for us. Without being born again out of water and Spirit, there is neither a way of entering the Kingdom nor to be partaker of the mystery which is God living in and working through our dead bodies. I share three random points:
1 Jn 3:5: Jesus manifested to take away our sins
Eph 5:25-27: Jesus wants to present himself a bride that shall be spotless and without blemish
So the will of Jesus is cleanness of His body. This is only possible by Jesus fully changing us into His image:
Eph 3:19: by knowing the love of Christ we shall be filled with all the fullness of God = Jesus himself in us (also check Eph 1:22-23)
A very helpful Bible passage to see the apostolic calling upon Paul is Col 1:21-Col 2:3. This calling is absoulutely about saving, cleansing and perfecting the called out people. Therefore I quote it in total:
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 1:21-Col 2:3)
Now, this is very important: Jesus wanted to present us holy, blameless and above reproach by staying in the faith and the hope of the gospel. Paul’s task as an apostle is to fulfill the word of God. The word of God is called: hope of the gospel. The hope of the gospel is called: the mystery. The mystery is called: Christ in you, the hope of glory. Then Paul goes on to describe his task: to preach this Jesus. But since he already explains how Christ is working in them, the task of presenting them perfect in Christ is to let Christ grow stronger in them. Therefore he preaches, teaches and warns every man in order to have the men perfected in Jesus. And this is Paul’s wish towards Colossae and Laodicea connecting to his task: “being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God” (in Col 2:2). These two wishes (knowledge and love) will follow us over and over again in this study. Only by these two things, there is growth and perfection in Christ.
Col 1:21-Col 2:3
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Why is this an important aim to present men perfect in Christ Jesus? The ekklesia shall be resistant against deception and the members will build up each other, as presented in the next verses in Colossians (see Col 2:1-5). As also in Ephesians: There shall be no more deception going on but holding truth in love and growing in all things into Jesus so that the gathering edifies itself in love (check Eph 4:14-16).
List of all posts concerning the series "Mystery of Godliness":
Mystery of Godliness I - Introduction. Q&A.Mystery of Godliness II - Purpose. How to Read.
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