“The Mystery of Christ,” Part 2

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

In my last post, I discussed the importance of reading and re-reading God’s Word so that we can come to an understanding of the Mystery of Christ. (3:4) In this post, we see that Paul continues to explain what this mystery is. When we hear the word “mystery,” one of the things that comes to mind is “mysterious,” a hidden secret, our own English word “mystery,” which originates from the Greek word “mustḗrion“ (μυστήριον). Strong’s Lexicon (3466) defines the word as follows: a mystery, secret, of which initiation is necessary; in the New Testament, the counsels of God, once hidden but now revealed in the Gospel or some fact thereof; the Christian revelation generally; particular truths or details of the Christian revelation.

Now, the Apostle Paul had been given insight into many mysteries of God’s plan for salvation and how to live as a people that have been set apart for God’s service. However, Paul is referring to a specific “mystery of Christ,” namely, that it was God’s plan all along for His Son to come into the world to seek and save all who were lost—both from the children of Israel and from the Gentiles.

Remember, the Apostle Paul had been given a specific charge from the Lord to take the gospel to the Gentiles, of which these Ephesian believers had known personally. Many times, as we read the Bible, we must be careful to consider to whom the author was speaking, their audience. Not all of the commands that were directed to Jews living under the Mosaic Law Covenant apply to believers living under the New Covenant of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We must be careful not to “read someone else’s mail”.

In this case, the Apostle Paul is addressing first-century believers, and everything he tells them is directly applicable to us today in the 21st Century. So, Paul was explaining to the Ephesians that this truth of God’s grace of salvation has been extended to Gentiles as well as to Jews was monumental. Nothing like this truth had ever been given to God’s chosen people, the Jews, before. None of the Old Testament prophets, before or after the Law, knew this was God’s plan. That is why it was a mystery to everyone but God, through His providence, chose to reveal this truth to the Apostles, including Paul.

Many truths are discussed in this passage, including the “gift of God’s grace” that made Paul an apostle, specifically to take this good news to the Gentiles. We are told about the “manifold wisdom of God” in verse 10. In other words, the grace of God is beyond our comprehension, and I thank God that there is no limit to His grace. Are you not thankful as well?

Then, in verses 20-21, Paul tells us about another aspect of God’s grace: “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…” Remember, context really helps us to understand exactly what Paul is talking about, and the previous sentence in this letter is made up of six verses. So, we also need to back up and reread verses 14-19, in which we learn that it is Paul’s prayer that we would be strengthened with power through Christ’s spirit, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith, that we would be rooted and grounded in love, and that we would be able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ. So, when Paul says, “to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,” he’s saying a great deal.

Take a moment and understand what Paul is saying here. Paul tells us all the things we have in Christ from verses 14-19 (please re-read them); he then says that these things are really nothing compared to what God is able to do, is doing, and will do for the believer. There are no limits placed on our God; there is nothing that can box Him in. We have a GOD WHO IS “ABLE TO DO EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANT THINGS BEYOND ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK.” We need to remember this and start living our lives like we actually believe it is true. God has no limits, and we need to quit putting a box around what He can and will do. After all, HE is GOD.

Paul concludes the first three Chapters of Ephesians with “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” To all generations forever and ever, that is us folks. Paul was talking about and to us. This mystery of Christ, that the “called out ones” the Church, being made up of Jews and Gentiles, is fundamental to understand salvation and the love of our Father, His beloved Son and the Holy Spirit who indwells each and every one of us. Not only is it fundamental to our understanding of Salvation, but it is also fundamental to our walk with our Savior, our being “set apart” or sanctified to be used by God so others may know this vital mystery of Christ. No one comes to the Father except through His Son, and that everyone is welcome to come to the Father through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that is the mystery of Christ.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"