Mystery Now Revealed

​Hidden knowledge, mysteries accessible only to the inner circle, special rituals to gain knowledge, and an air of overall secrecy.  These are all elements of Eastern mysticism which was creeping its way across Asian Minor where Colossae was located and is also infiltrating our 21st century American culture and society today.  

​The Colossians were dealing with the myths and false teachings that there was some inner knowledge, deeper truth, and hidden mystery that could only be found through certain rituals and lifestyles.  But Paul wrote that while the mystery of God was hidden for many generations and ages, it is so no more.   

“…the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 
​To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
~Colossians 1:26-27

​Revealed to All
The mystery of God was hidden for many years and only revealed to a select few, yet even those few did not fully understand what was to come.  Throughout the Old Testament age, God gave hints and prophesies of His plan but no one was privy to all the details.  The godly men and women of the Old Testament, the prophets and kings, leaders and judges, generals and priests, not one of them knew what God had in store.  It was hidden, it was mysterious, and it was totally unknown.
 
But it’s no longer!  Through the arrival of Jesus on earth, the mystery and plan of God was made fully known and continues to be spread due to Christ’s command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  Jesus is the image of God and therefore fully reveals all that God is—His love, His grace, His mercy, His justice.  If we have doubts or questions about God and His character, we can look to Jesus and find the answers. 
 
The mystery is revealed to all through Jesus Christ and is accessible to anyone who has the desire to look.
 
Revealed in You
But what was and is this mystery?  In generality, it’s God’s plan of salvation and purpose for mankind, but in essence and simplicity, the great mystery now revealed is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Stop and ponder that phrase for a moment.  Did the truth sink in?  Christ in you.  Divinity at home in mortal, sinful man.  God with us.  Or, as Paul put it in a letter to the Corinthians, treasure in jars of clay.  This is mind-blowing!
 
We are unworthy of such a gift, yet this was part of God’s plan and part of the mystery that has been revealed through Christ.  Not only did God intend to rescue and redeem us by Christ’s blood but He also intended us to be indwelt by Christ’s spirit. 
 
So while the mystery of God is revealed to all through the person of Jesus Christ, it is also revealed in us.  Therefore, we should not become deceived by talk of hidden mysteries, deeper knowledge, and other elements of Easter mysticism, for we possess the full revelation of God’s mystery.  Instead, may we walk in confidence of God’s plan and purpose and revel in the riches and glory of this mystery, which is Christ in us—in you, in me—the hope of glory.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
~II Corinthians 4:7