Tag: mystery

Ephesians 6:19 – Pray for Paul?

Posted on by Will

and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Truth to Learn

All of us need prayers, especially regarding our ministries.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “utterance” is logos, which is derived from the verb legō, meaning “to speak or to say something intelligible.” Thus, logos refers to “something spoken” and is often translated as “word, saying, or discourse.” It is expressed here in the singular. Therefore, we could translate this as “a message” or “a word.”

 “Boldly” is translated from the Greek word parrēsia, which is a compound word made up of pas, meaning “all” or “every” and rhēsis, meaning “the act of speaking.” Therefore, this word means “all speaking” or “all freedom or frankness of speech.”

The words “make known” are from the verb gnōridzō, which is based on the same root as ginōskō, meaning “to know.” Gnoridzō means “to make known” or “to declare.”

“Mystery” is transliterated (carried directly from one language to another) from musterion. In the New Testament this word refers to something that has been hidden in the past but which is now being made known.

Meaning Explained

After Paul finished his description of the Christian’s spiritual armor, he told us that we need to pray constantly with all kinds of prayers and that we need to be watchful. Our enemy doesn’t like it when we talk to our Commander-in-Chief, because he knows that it will make us stronger.

While on the subject of prayer, the Apostle now asks for prayer for himself as well. There are two specific requests that Paul makes. The first is that he might be given something to say. The second thing he asks for is that he might boldly open his mouth to make known the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do these seem a little strange to you? They do to me.

Here we have one of the greatest evangelistic preachers of all time asking others to talk to God about giving him something to say and to give him boldness to say it. This is the very same person who boldly stood before some of the greatest thinkers of his time at the Areopagus (see Acts chapter seventeen) to proclaim the Gospel message.

If there were ever a person that we didn’t think needed prayer, it would be the Apostle Paul, especially prayer for boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. Perhaps the reason that Paul was so successful in his proclamation of the Gospel was because he had a lot of people praying for his ministry!

Also notice the subject matter of Paul’s prayer request. What he asks for is something that will result in glory being given to God. He’s not asking for his own sake, he’s asking for something that will result in God getting all the praise.

Application

Next time you’re in a group that is about to pray and prayer requests are expressed, notice how many of those requests are focused on personal issues. I’m not saying that Aunt Suzie’s arthritis or the Jones’ financial problems aren’t appropriate for prayer, but how much glory will God receive when those requests are answered? Instead, let us all learn to focus our prayers on things that will bring glory and praise to our God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:32 – Are You Faithfully Married?

Posted on by Will

This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Truth to Learn

The relationship between Christ and Christians is precisely like a marriage relationship.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “mystery” is musterion, which is derived from the verb muō, meaning “to shut the mouth.” In the first century a musterion involved a silence that was imposed on someone as part of an initiation. In the New Testament, musterion identifies something which was hidden in the past, but which is now being revealed to the church.

“Speak” is from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth.” In other words, it means “to relate some truth in a systematic or logical manner.”

Meaning Explained

What is this great mystery that Paul is now revealing? Is it the fact that a man is to leave his father and mother and be glued to his wife? That can’t be it, because Moses declared this fact thousands of years ago. According to what Paul declares in this verse, it is the mystery concerning Christ and the church. Paul has been teaching about how a husband and wife are to relate to each other within a marriage relationship. The wife is to submit herself to the authority of her husband. At the same time, the husband is to love his wife with a self-sacrificing love just as Christ has demonstrated for the church.

The great mystery now being revealed to us is that the relationship between a husband and wife is precisely like that of the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. The Israelites knew about the sanctity of marriage, and Moses taught them that when a man and a woman married they became as one. They believed that their Messiah was coming to save them and they worked hard to make themselves holy and righteous enough for Him when He finally comes. The devout Jews loved the Lord their God with all their heart and they submitted to His authority. What they didn’t know is that the relationship between the Messiah and His people (true believers) was to be precisely like that of a marriage.

The Old Testament prophets warned the Israelites about their idolatry and even likened idol worship to the sexual unfaithfulness of a married person. At Mt. Sinai, as He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, God declared:

You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3)

When we let anything in our lives become more important or more desired than a close walk with our Savior, we are acting unfaithful to Him. And, in Exodus 20:5 God made this point very clear: “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.”

When we recognize the fact that we, as born-again Christians, are in an intimate marriage relationship with God, we see why He treasures our faithfulness more than our works. When we submit to His authority, remaining faithful and focused on Him and Him alone, we see His acts of love more clearly. And, God has declared that He will never leave us nor forsake us, even when we act unfaithfully toward Him, because He loves us.

Application

How is your relationship with your Savior, your spiritual Husband? Are you submitted to Him and completely faithful to Him? If not, maybe it’s time to return and humbly submit to Him. Remember, He loves you with a perfect agapē love!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Ephesians 3:3 – Special Revelation

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:3  – Special Revelation

how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

Truth to Learn

Paul received special revelation from God regarding the salvation of the Gentiles.

Behind the Words

The word “revelation” is translated from the Greek noun apokalupsis. This word is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of kaluptō, meaning “to hide” or “to cover up.” Thus, apokalupsis refers to the uncovering or revealing of something.

“Mystery” is transliterated from musterion (or mysterion), which refers to something that has been previously been unknown but now is revealed.

The Greek word gnōridzō is translated here as “made known.” The word literally means “to become known” or “to gain knowledge.” It is written here in the aorist tense (action done at a point in time in the past) and the active voice (action done by the subject). Some of the better manuscripts have this word written in the passive voice (action done to the subject). So, the first part of this verse could be translated, “that by revelation the mystery was made known to me.”

The words “I have written already” are translated from the verb prographō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in place or time” and graphō, meaning “to write.”

“Briefly” is from the Greek word oligos which means “little.” It can refer to a small quantity, a short time span, or of small degree. In this case, it most likely refers to a small quantity.

Meaning Explained

There are two things that we want to take a look at in this verse. The first is, “How did Paul learn about the mystery?” and the other is, “What did he mean by ‘as I have briefly written already’?”

Before his conversion Paul (then called Saul) was an avid student of the Scriptures (the Old Testament). He was schooled under one of the greatest teachers of his day, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel. But, his greatest understanding of the doctrines of salvation by grace through faith were not taught to him by human teachers. Here’s how Paul explained it:

But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11-12)

This mystery was revealed to Paul by our Lord, Himself. That is what he is referring to in the first part of today’s verse. Now, what does Paul mean by the statement that he has already written briefly about this mystery? Some think that Paul is referring to a previous letter that he wrote to the Ephesians; however, there is no evidence of any such letter. The other possibility is that he is referring to what he wrote in verses nine through twelve of the first chapter of this letter, the mystery of God’s will regarding the salvation of the Gentiles.

Application

Unlike Paul, we have no need to receive special revelation from God, because we have His written word, the Bible. But, in order to understand God’s will for our lives, we need to read and study it daily.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Ephesians 1:9 – Lord Over All

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 1:9  – Lord Over All

having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

Truth to Learn

God is completely sovereign. He does according to His own will.

Behind the Words

The words “having made known” are from gnoridzō, which means “to make known” or “to certify.” It is expressed here as an explanatory participle tied to the phrase “which He made to abound toward us.”

“Mystery” is a transliteration (a word from one language spelled with the letters of another) of the Greek word mustērion. There are two trains of thoughts on the derivation of this word. Some believe that it is based on the verb muō, meaning “to shut the mouth.” Thus, it is something kept secret. Others believe that it is based on the verb mueō, meaning “to initiate;” that is, “to learn a secret.” Therefore, both schools of thought see mustērion as meaning “something kept secret.” In the New Testament it always refers to a truth which has previously been kept secret but that is now revealed.

“Will” is from the Greek word thelēma, which we learned back in verse five means “a determination” as opposed to “a desire.”

The Greek word translated “purposed” is protithēmi, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in position or time” and tithēmi, meaning “to place.” It is expressed here in the middle voice (action done by the subject to itself.) So, protithēmi literally means “to set before oneself.” By application it means “to purpose” or “to determine for oneself.”

Meaning Explained

In the opening verses of this letter Paul proclaimed a blessing on God because He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, He chose us before He created anything, and He predestined us to be adopted into His family. All this, we learned, was done to showcase God’s marvelous grace, through which we have redemption and forgiveness. Now he tells us that through this grace God makes known to us a truth about His will (His determined plan). He calls this truth a mystery.

The Apostle Paul talks about mysteries no fewer than seventeen times in his New Testament letters. These mysteries include: the mystery of the rapture (1Corinthians 15:51), the mystery of Israel’s spiritual blindness (Romans 11:25), the mystery of the gospel message (Romans 16:25, Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 4:3), the mystery of the church being the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:32), the mystery of Christ indwelling presence (Colossians 1:26, 27), the mystery of lawlessness in the end times (2Thessalonians 2:7), the mystery of the faith (1Timothy 3:9), and the mystery spoken of here. So what is this mystery of God’s will? Paul tells us more completely in Ephesians 3:3-6 where he says: “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel.”

Why has He revealed the truth of this mystery to us? Paul says it is simply because God thought it was a good thing to do; therefore, He decided to do it.

Application

This is yet another example of God’s sovereignty. God is not constrained to do or not do anything. He acts as He wants to and is answerable to no one. He is Lord over all!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 16:25 – Stabilizing Power

Posted on by Will

Romans 16:25 – Stabilizing Power

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began

Truth to Learn

The power of God is revealed in the gospel message.

Behind the Words

“Him who is able” is from the word dunamai, from which we get the word dynamite. It refers to “one who has the power, ability, or authority to do something.”

The word translated “establish” is stēridzō, which means “to set firmly in place.”

“Revelation” is from the Greek word apokalupsis. This is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “away from” and a form of kaluptō, meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” Therefore, we can see that this word means “to have the cover taken away,” that is “an uncovering” or “a revealing.”

“Mystery” is translated from musterion, which refers to “a sacred mystery, something that was previously hidden but which is now made known.”

The word “secret” is translated from the Greek verb sigaō, meaning “to keep silent.”

Meaning Explained

In the past there has been much debate among Greek scholars as to whether this and the following two verses belong here or at the end of chapter fourteen. A number of reliable manuscripts have it at the end of fourteen, but a number of others have it placed here. Nearly all English translations present it here at the end of the epistle.

This benediction (a formal proclamation of blessing and praise) to God is basically a summary of Paul’s entire ministry. Paul gives this praise to “Him who is able to set us firmly in place.” That is, God is the only one who has the power and authority to make our salvation and subsequent walk with Him firm and secure. This secure salvation is the result of the gospel message. Paul refers to it as his gospel because it is the message that was given to him to deliver to the Gentiles.

This gospel (good news of salvation from our sins) is communicated by the preaching of Jesus Christ. That is, salvation comes from hearing about and believing that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. As proof of His sinless life and the acceptance of His blood as payment for our sins he rose from the dead and is alive today.

Paul refers to this gospel message as “the mystery which was kept silent since the world began.” He calls it this because even though it is alluded to throughout the Old Testament (from Genesis through Malachi), it was hidden from the Jews and hidden from the rest of mankind until revealed to the world by Jesus Christ, Himself.

Paul will continue with this benediction in the next two verses.

Application

Every Christian should get a tingle of excitement when talking about the gospel message. Through it the power of God to save sinners from the just penalty of their sins is communicated. The proclamation of the gospel opens up hearts and transfers the citizenship of lost souls from the family of doom to a firm place in the family of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 11:25 – The Wondrous Mystery

Posted on by Will

Romans 11:25 – The Wondrous Mystery

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Truth to Learn

God has secrets (mysteries) and He reveals them to whomever He wishes at a time of His own choosing. We who know the secret of the gospel message need to share it freely with others.

Behind the Words

The word translated “ignorant” is the Greek word agnoein. It is a compound word made up of a, meaning “not” or “without” and the infinitive form of noeō, meaning “to perceive, to understand, or to know.” So agnoein refers to a lack of knowledge or understanding.

“Mystery” is a transliteration of musterion. This word is derived either from muō, meaning “shut,” like a mouth that is shut, or it is from mueō, which means “to initiate or to learn a secret.” So, musterion refers to information that has been kept a secret, but which is now being revealed.

The word translated “blindness” is the Greek word pōrōsis, which refers to something that has become hardened or petrified. It is often used to refer to physical blindness, but here it refers to the insensitivity of perception.

“In part” is from the Greek word meros, which means “a division, a share, or a portion.”

The word “fullness” is from plērōma, which refers to “completeness or fullness.”

Meaning Explained

This verse starts off with a classic Paul-ism; “For I do not desire … that you should be ignorant.” What he means is, “You currently are ignorant of something and I am going to inform you so that you will no longer be ignorant.” Ignorance has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence or ability to think, it simply refers to a lack of knowledge. Invariably, when Paul uses this expression, he includes the familiar adelphoi or “brothers,” probably to soften the blow of telling them that they are ignorant.

What is it that these Roman Christians are ignorant of? It is “this mystery.” This thing previously unknown is that blindness has happened to part of Israel. So the mystery that Paul is revealing is that part of Israel (a large part) has become mentally hardened so as not to perceive the truth of the gospel until the fullness (or completion) of the Gentiles has come in.

What Paul is telling us is that the sovereign hand of God has prevented many of the Jews from believing in the Messiah during His first advent, so that the gospel message could be spread abroad to the Gentile nations. At some point in the future (very near, perhaps) all of the elect Gentiles will have been gathered in by God and He will once again turn to the Jews. This will happen during Daniel’s 70th week.

Application

Do you recall what the Great Commission says? Go into the whole world and preach the gospel. Why? We need to share the gospel message so that all of the Gentile nations will have an opportunity to hear it, to believe it, and be saved. It is our responsibility to spread the gospel. If we are not witnessing to the unsaved, we are not spreading the gospel.

Are you fulfilling your commission from God?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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