The big mystery of NT times is not so much mysterious in our day, but then again, we are some 2,000 years later after the mystery was revealed!
There was major tension, major conflict, major discussion around one issue when the Gospel first exploded on the scene post-pentecost. The stirring question of the day was this: Are Gentiles included in God’s plan of salvation or is this just for the Jewish people?
Paul answers the question and puts an end to this mystery. Eph 3:6 – “The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” In Paul’s day, those were explosive words that sent vibrations throughout the Christian community! Just to prove how provocative this revelation was, the very first Church Council (Acts 15) met for the sole purpose of reaching a conclusion on “the Gentile question.”
Thankfully, the council followed the evidence of the Spirit’s work and not tradition or prejudice (as so often we do!). The mystery is this: the Gospel message of salvation is not tied to one ethnic group but is for every ethnic group on the planet! This is how God will bless all nations through Abraham! The Gospel will sprout from the Jewish people, the Messiah will be a Jewish man, and from the Jewish people, this message of redemption will travel to the ends of the earth! Again, not so much mysterious for us today, but Oh isn’t it glorious! Imagine if the Gospel were only for the Jews! How hopeless we would be! But thanks be to God, it was his plan from the beginning to save Jew and Gentile! The scope of the Gospel has never been a mystery to God, and is no longer a mystery for the Church!
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