 |  |
mystery'. The bulk of the occurrences of gnorizo `to make known' is found in Paul's
epistles (18 refs: out of 24 in the whole N.T.). Gnorizo is used six times in Ephesians,
two references (Eph. 3: 10 and 6: 21) deal with making known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, and the making known by Tychicus the affairs of the Apostle.
The remaining four references are used exclusively of some phase of the Mystery:
"In all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of His will."
"How that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery."
"The Mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of
men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets."
"And for me . . . . . . . that I may . . . . . . . make known the Mystery of the gospel"
(Eph. 1: 9; 3: 3-5; 6: 19).
Three of these passages refer to related mysteries; one only to THE Mystery of the
present dispensation. The mystery of His will is found in the section of Eph. 1: that
deals with sin and its redemption. Sin did not come in the will of the Father (Eph. 1: 3-6),
but although unrevealed, we know that God was not taken by surprise. Although no
reference was made to the provision of a sacrifice for sin to Adam when he was warned
of the consequences of disobedience, that sacrifice had been foreordained as I Pet. 1: 19,
20 establishes. This is the mystery of His will. The mystery of Christ awaits our
attention in the section before us; the third reference is to the mystery of the gospel, but
whether this means that the gospel itself is a mystery, or weather it means that associated
with the gospel of grace there was attached a mystery, must be considered in its place.
The presence of `all my affairs and how I do' in this list of occurrences of gnorizo
may at first seem of little consequence, but a moment's consideration will suggest that if
"Mystery" and Paul's `affairs' come together by things that can be `made known', then a
mystery as used in the Scriptures, while it may defy the wisdom of man to uncover, is
intelligible and communicable as soon as it has been revealed. Here in Eph. 3: 3 we
have the Mystery par excellence.
Because the British postage stamp was the first to be issued, it does not bear the name
of this country--all other stamps, issued subsequently do. Because the British founded
the first Alpine Club, that is its title; all other Alpine clubs add the name of the country
responsible.
London is a great town, and for good or ill it contains thousands of monuments both in
public buildings and in the open air, yet a visitor boarding a taxi at any of the London
termini and asking simply for `The Monument' would be taken without demur to the
monument at the foot of London Bridge. All other monuments need some distinguishing
and differentiating title. THE Monument is that erected by Christopher Wren to
commemorate the great fire of London.
All other mysteries found in the N.T. are given a title `The mystery of the kingdom of
heaven', `the mystery of Israel's blindness' for example--this mystery of Eph. 3: 3
stands out above them all in importance, and must be treated accordingly. Just as the
New Covenant lies at the heart of the epistle to the Hebrews, and the great doctrine of
Justification is the life blood of the epistle to the Romans, so the Mystery is the great