Mystery
The Biblical Meaning of Mystery
The English word "mystery" typically suggests something puzzling or impossible to understand. The biblical Greek word, however, carries a very different meaning. It refers to a secret that was once hidden but has now been made known by divine revelation. The key idea is not incomprehensibility but disclosure: what was concealed in God's purposes has been unveiled to those whom He has chosen to receive it.
This distinction is crucial for understanding how the New Testament writers use the term. When Paul speaks of the "mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19) or the "mystery of Christ" (Colossians 4:3), he does not mean that the gospel is bewildering. He means that God's plan of salvation, long hidden in the divine counsel, has now been revealed through the coming of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of the apostles.
Mystery in the Old Testament
The Hebrew Scriptures do not use a direct equivalent of the Greek word for mystery, but the concept is present. God is understood as one who conceals and reveals according to His purposes. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever" (Deuteronomy 29:29). God shares His plans with His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7) and grants understanding to those who seek Him.
The book of Daniel provides the most significant Old Testament use of the concept. When King Nebuchadnezzar demands that his wise men not only interpret his dream but tell him what he dreamed, Daniel declares that there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries (Daniel 2:28-29). The Aramaic word used here corresponds directly to the Greek term. Daniel credits God alone with the ability to disclose deep and hidden things (Daniel 2:22, 47). This usage establishes the pattern: mysteries belong to God, and He reveals them to whom He will.
Mystery in the Teachings of Jesus
Jesus used the concept of mystery when explaining why He taught in parables. To His disciples He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them" (Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10). The parables simultaneously revealed truth to those with ears to hear and concealed it from those who were hardened. The mysteries of the Kingdom were divine truths about God's reign that Jesus disclosed to His followers through His teaching and presence.
This dual function of revelation and concealment reflects a consistent biblical pattern. God's truth is not available through human wisdom alone but requires divine disclosure and a receptive heart. The humble and faithful receive insight, while the proud and resistant remain in darkness.
The Mystery of Christ in Paul's Letters
The apostle Paul uses "mystery" more than any other New Testament writer, making it a central category in his theology. For Paul, the supreme mystery is God's plan of salvation accomplished in Jesus Christ. This mystery was "kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people" (Colossians 1:26). It encompasses several dimensions.
First, the mystery is that the Gentiles are included alongside Jews as full heirs of God's promises. "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 3:6). This was a revolutionary revelation that shattered ethnic and religious barriers.
Second, the mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27), expressing the intimate union between Christ and believers. The indwelling presence of Christ in those who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, is the heart of God's previously hidden plan.
Third, Paul speaks of the mystery of the gospel itself: that God was reconciling the world to Himself through the death and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-2, 7; Romans 16:25-26). This wisdom was hidden from the rulers of this age, who, had they understood it, would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).
Additionally, Paul describes specific eschatological mysteries, such as the transformation of believers at the last trumpet: "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51). He also speaks of the mystery of Israel's partial hardening and eventual salvation (Romans 11:25-26).
Mystery in Revelation and Other Writings
The book of Revelation uses "mystery" in its own distinctive way. John speaks of the mystery of the seven stars and seven golden lampstands (Revelation 1:20), the mystery of God that will be accomplished when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet (Revelation 10:7), and the mystery of Babylon the Great (Revelation 17:5, 7). In each case, the meaning is something hidden that is being disclosed through the prophetic vision.
The letter to the Ephesians also speaks of marriage between husband and wife as a profound mystery that refers to Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). First Timothy describes the "mystery of godliness" as the incarnation and exaltation of Christ: "He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16). Second Thessalonians warns of the "mystery of lawlessness" already at work in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:7).
The Revealed Mystery and Christian Faith
The biblical concept of mystery affirms that human beings cannot discover God's deepest purposes through their own reasoning. Salvation, the inclusion of the Gentiles, the union of Christ and the church, and the future transformation of believers are all truths that required divine revelation. Yet once revealed, these mysteries are not obscure. They are meant to be proclaimed openly and understood by faith. Paul's mission was precisely to "make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery" (Ephesians 3:9). The gospel is a mystery made known, an open secret that transforms everyone who receives it.
Biblical Context
The concept of mystery appears in Daniel 2 (God revealing the king's dream), in Jesus' teaching about the secrets of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11), and extensively in Paul's letters (Romans 11:25; 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 15:51; Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-6; Colossians 1:26-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:16). Revelation uses the term for prophetic visions being decoded (Revelation 1:20; 10:7; 17:5-7).
Theological Significance
The biblical concept of mystery teaches that salvation and God's eternal purposes are not discoverable through human wisdom but require divine revelation. This underscores both God's sovereignty in choosing to reveal His plans and the necessity of faith to receive them. The central mystery of Scripture, Christ crucified and risen for the salvation of all peoples, demonstrates that God's ways transcend human expectation. The revealed mystery calls believers to humility before divine wisdom and bold proclamation of the gospel.
Historical Background
The Greek word for mystery was deeply rooted in Greco-Roman religious culture, where it referred to secret rites and initiations in groups like the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Orphic cults, the Egyptian worship of Isis, and Persian Mithraism. These mystery religions offered emotional religious experience and the promise of salvation through secret knowledge. New Testament writers deliberately reappropriated this vocabulary, insisting that the Christian mystery was not a secret reserved for an elite few but a truth revealed for all nations. Unlike pagan mysteries that depended on secrecy, the Christian mystery demanded public proclamation.