Theology Is Mystery

Theology Is Mystery

 

Romans 11:33–36 NKJV

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ³⁴“For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” ³⁵“Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” ³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

 

“Depth” points to how little known yet profound God is! The world in its wisdom does not know God. It is impossible for unregenerate people to fathom God or know him. For those of us that do know him, we don’t fully comprehend him. If God could be fully understood by humans, that is a strong indication that someone made him up. People press Christians all the time to defend the doctrine of the trinity because they think that makes Christianity illogical. God can only be 1 or 3 gods in their estimation. They have no category for mystery, for a God that cannot be fully comprehended by humans. That is an indication that God has not been invented by someone and that he decided to reveal himself to some people. 

 

For those that acknowledge the Lord, they will question his motives, his words, his deeds, and his wisdom. But who has known the mind of the Lord? If we cannot fully comprehend who he is, what makes you think we can read his mind and know his secrets? Creation cannot instruct its Creator. God decides to reveal his wisdom to us and we struggle to understand and agree with it because it is superior to us and beyond us.

 

Moreover, nobody can add to God’s worth by giving him something he didn’t have. God created everything and all we are belong to him. This is also terrifying and should inspire worship within us. Our sin is a considered debt to God and there’s nothing we can do to pay God back. There is no law keeping or sacrifice you can give God to to escape his righteous wrath on your life. But God sent Jesus who paid the debt for us so that we could be reconciled to God. 

 

All things belong to him, start and end with him. This is a mystery. 

 

Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV

²⁹ “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

 

God knows everything and we do not. God chooses to reveal some of what he knows to us and we learn from his wisdom. Wisdom is involved in God’s decision to keep some things secret. We have the desire to know everything but we are finite with limited brain capacity. We are smart and capable of knowing very much, but omniscience is a virtue that only God possesses. 

 

God Holds Mysteries

God demonstrates his omniscience by revealing secrets to select individuals that he trusts to communicate it faithfully to others. We see this in Joseph’s story at a smaller level when he interprets the dreams of his two prison mates.

 

Genesis 40:8 (NCV)

⁸ “God is the only One who can explain the meaning of dreams.”

 

We see God’s omniscience on bigger display with Daniel regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. God gives dreams as a method of communicating his plan to humanity. 

 

Babylon was the most powerful nation on earth when Judah went into exile and was carried off. Daniel and his friends were among the captives. They were considered the best of the best and after 3 years of Babylonian education, they were given government positions. Even though they were government officials in an evil government, they remained faithful to the God of Israel. 

 

God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a nightmare that shook him awake. In a frenzied panic, he demanded his smartest servants to tell him the dream and interpret it. Of course, nobody can do this unless they receive a revelation. Those that couldn’t do this would face a death sentence. Then God intervened.

 

Daniel 2:17–19 (ESV)

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, ¹⁸ and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

 

What was that mystery? The mystery was the dream, but it was also the message of the dream, the message revealing God’s plan concerning the most powerful nations of the earth from Daniel’s time onward. 

 

Mysteries of the Kingdom

The mystery of God’s kingdom is foggy in the Old Testament but made clearer by Jesus and even clearer by Paul. 

 

Matthew 13:11–13 (NKJV)

¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

 

Jesus has just explained the reaction the crowds had to his preaching. Jesus taught them with many parables, and most people walked away confused, without bothering to ask Jesus what he meant. The parable Jesus told was a story where a farmer scattered the same seed on 4 different soils and only one terrain yielded growth. The seeds represents the mystery of God, the terrains represent the listeners, and the point is that few people, you could say 1 out of 4 people will get the mystery.

 

A mystery is a secret plan that God reveals to a person that they wouldn’t otherwise have known. The same word “mystery” appears in Daniel (Aramaic raz) that appears here in Matthew (Greek musterion). This is demonstrated when Peter confessed Jesus to be God. 

 

Mystery of God’s Son

Matthew 16:13–17 (NKJV)

¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” ¹⁴ So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

 

Jesus affirms Peter’s declaration that Jesus is God’s Son, acknowledging that the Father revealed this directly to Peter. The teaching that God has a Son was completely new. This is where the doctrine of the second person in the trinity is starts. It starts with a revelation from God. Apparently, no human has thought of this idea, and to this day, the idea of a trinity is nonsensical to people who don’t get that this teaching is a mystery. To them, God is either three or he’s one; he cannot be three in one. This passage is spectacular because it shows the truth of how people considered Jesus (and still do), with a contrast with Peter’s confession on which the Church was born. 

 

Often in ancient Greek cults, knowledge was hidden, and the only way to obtain such knowledge was through an initiation rite, perhaps where cultic stories where rehearsed. Adherents were sworn to secrecy upon the penalty of death, which is why little is known about such cults. God however, doesn’t hide knowledge because he is power-tripping. God is more than happy to reveal his will to anyone who will listen and submit to him. Revealing his plan is a gracious thing for God to do and this inspires worship within Daniel. 

 

Mystery of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV)

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God

 

The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches us what God said and enables us to understand the Bible. Those who deny that the Holy Spirit is God show that they don’t have God’s Spirit, and they show they don’t know the Word of God. To adapt the words of Jesus, the mystery has not been revealed to them. 

 

Mystery of the Gospel

As we trace this theme of mystery throughout the Bible, it is very general in the Old Testament, specifically Daniel. Then it gets clearer as Jesus preaches about the kingdom of God. Paul is the biblical author that speaks the most clear about the mystery.

 

1 Corinthians 4:1 NLT

¹ So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.

 

Paul lets us know that there is more than one mystery. As we’ve already seen, God’s plan is a mystery, so is his Son, and so is the kingdom that he brings. In short, all of God’s work is mysterious. Unless God reveals these mysteries to you, you simply won’t get it. You will be on the outside looking in and you will label all of this as illogical. 

 

Matthew 11:25–27 (ESV)

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

 

Jesus tells us that the Father hides things while the Son reveals them to some people. The people God reveals them to are not the smartest people or the most studied, but the humble, the children. And Christians are the children of God. 

 

How Mysteries Are Revealed

English Standard Version Ephesians 3:3–6

the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 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 of Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 

Paul teaches that God’s revelation is progressive. Doctrine doesn’t become something else, but it evolves over time as God reveals various elements of his plan to people that have not otherwise been disclosed. God revealed the truth about Christ in redemptive history. 

 

1 Corinthians 4:5 NKJV

⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

 

God is the only one who able to reveal truth because he is the only one who is all-knowing. This is why he is able to disclose hidden things.

 

Who Mysteries Are Revealed To

Colossians 1:25–26 (NKJV)

²⁵ I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶ the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

 

That truth, or mystery is the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation. This is not revealed to Jews, cults, Hebrew Israelites, or pagans. This truth is only known by the Christians. 

 

Psalm 25:14 NKJV

¹⁴ The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.

 

Proverbs 3:32 NKJV

³² For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.

 

Amos 3:7 NKJV

⁷ Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

 

Unbelievers are blind because of their own stubbornness, and ultimately God has not revealed the truth to them because they reject his word. 

 

What Is The Mystery?

1 Peter 1:10–12 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹²To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

 

Peter remarks that God has been working a plan of salvation since the beginning, and its mysterious to the rest of us because we have to learn about it and God is the only one who is eternal, seeing this plan from beginning to end. 

 

Ephesians 1:7–10 (NKJV)

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ⁹having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

 

Note the constant theme of God being the only one who can reveal mystery and the people to whom he reveals it. Most people will not know the mystery. 

 

Mystery Revealed To Paul

Galatians 1:15–16 (ESV)

¹⁵ He… ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles

 

Paul wasn’t one of the twelve apostles who walked with Jesus. But Jesus personally revealed himself to Saul of Tarsus (later known as Paul) and commissioned him as an apostle. 

 

Acts 9:15 NKJV

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

 

Jesus revealed himself to Paul and chose him to proclaim his gospel to both the Israelites and the Gentiles. The Hebrew Israelite cult claims that the Gentiles are the Jews from the Diaspora. That cannot be possible since Paul’s ministry obviously focused on making disciples for Jesus from the Roman empire, planting churches in Modern-day Turkey. 

 

Response to Mystery

People have mixed responses to Jesus when he preached about the kingdom of God and performed the signs of the kingdom. The gospel writers Matthew and Luke use the word θαύμαζω (thaumazō) which is a neutral term. “Amazed” could explain people’s awe at a miracle (Matthew 15:31, Luke 11:14; Luke 24:41), or critique (Luke 11:38).

 

 

Mystery of Evil and the End

People have been asking throughout human history about the problem of evil. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying that evil is in the world because of sin wrecking the world through sinful people. God is waiting for many to repent, but some will end up as reprobates. 

 

In addition, there is a broader aspect of the mystery of evil, which is deeply rooted in eschatology. 

 

1 Corinthians 15:51–53 NKJV

⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

 

This is Paul’s teaching about the end of the world. History culminates with the resurrection of believers to new bodies. This will happen instantly, and Paul labels this as a mystery. A mystery is what seems illogical to the unbeliever. 

 

Revelation 10:7 NKJV

⁷ but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

 

The seventh trumpet is the end of the world represented in an apocalyptic vision. This is when the mystery is revealed because it is accomplished. The mystery isn’t a static truth, it is an event that brings God’s salvific work in the world to complete. 

 

Conclusion

Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV

²⁹ “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

 

We need to be ok with not having all the answers. We cannot explain mystery unless God speaks to us. Even with the witness of Scripture, some doctrines are hard to fully explain like the trinity, the virgin birth, etc. and all of that falls in the category of mystery because God does what he does and his will and ability far exceed our ability to fully understand him. 

 

God bless!