 |  |
#10. The unique character of the
Dispensation of the Mystery.
pp. 155 - 158
1. "Is the Mystery of Eph. 3: 3 something revealed for the first time through the
Apostle Paul, after the setting aside of Israel, in Acts 28:, or was it known
before?"
2. "Is the Mystery of Eph. 3: 3 peculiar in its teaching, or is it merely a development of
the Gospels and the Acts?"
3. "Is the Mystery of Eph. 3: 3 the logical outcome of the Gospel of Matthew, the
Epistle to the Romans and the ministry of Peter and Paul as set forth in the Acts, or
was it revealed for the first time when logic failed and a crisis had been reached?"
The word "mystery" is not confined to the prison epistles. The word occurs in the
N.T. 27 times. Three of these occurrences are found in the Gospels, and four in the
Revelation. The remaining 20 are exclusively used by Paul. Neither Peter, James, John
nor Jude have anything to say about a mystery of any kind. Paul, and those with him,
were "stewards of the mysteries of God". Ten of the references made by Paul to the
mysteries occur in Ephesians and Colossians. The other ten are found in Romans,
I Corinthians, II Thessalonians and I Timothy. Let us now seek a scriptural answer to
the three questions given above:--
1. (a) Is the Mystery of Eph. 3: 3 something revealed for the first time, (b) through the Apostle
Paul, (c) after the setting aside of Israel, in Acts 28:, or (d) was it known before?
Opinions are valueless. All we desire is the pronouncement of the Word of God on
the matter. Let us turn to Eph. 3: In verse 3 the apostle says:--
"By revelation He made known unto me the mystery as I wrote before briefly."
The superior knowledge of the "mystery of Christ" which the apostle had received
was his credentials for being believed in the more exclusive realm of the mystery itself.
Our first question deals with the time of the revelation of the Mystery. Let the apostle
himself tell us:--
"Unto me . . . . . that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ, and to enlighten all as to what is the dispensation (R.V.) of the Mystery, which
hath been hidden since the ages by God" (Eph. 3: 8, 9).
The Lord once said, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead", and we feel the same applies here. As we
have dealt with this subject in the April number, we refer the reader to the article there for
fuller detail.