What’s the Big Deal?
Dearly beloved of God, had the adversary known what God had in mind concerning the mystery of God, which He kept secret since the world began, the adversary never would have crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. God did not make it known in other ages; it was hid in God, Who created all things.
What’s the big deal about the mystery of God concerning Christ? For starters, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in the mystery of God concerning Christ!
Under the old covenant, Gentiles were formerly called uncircumcision and were without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and being without God in the world.
Now in Christ Jesus Gentiles who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that God raised him from dead have been become near by the blood of Christ. He made both [Jews and Gentiles] one. He ended the hostility to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.
He reconciled both unto God in one body by means of the cross. Now those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have become members of the body of Christ, the Church, and all the members are filled with all that he accomplished.
In Christ dwells all the fullness of the divine nature bodily and we are completely filled in him, and blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in Christ.
Through Christ both have access to the Father by one spirit. Under the old covenant of the law, a prophet, or a king, or someone God wished to communicate with may have had the spirit from God on them, but now in Christ Jesus every believer in Christ is born again of the spirit of God.
Every member of the body of Christ has the spirit of sonship. We received the gift of holy spirit at the time of the new birth. We are born again of incorruptible seed. Now we have us access to God as our Father and we have become His beloved children.
The adversary did not foresee this. We are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and we are of the household of God.
God is building us together unto a holy sanctuary in the Lord, in whom we are being built together for a habitation of God through the spirit.
God has now revealed the revelation of the mystery concerning Christ. The Gentiles are fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the promise of the Father in Christ by the gospel.
Now through the Church the multifarious wisdom of God could now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm in accordance with the purpose of the ages, which God accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has made known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory!
In Christ we are holy and without blemish in God’s sight. God accepted us in the beloved one. Now we stand before God in Christ Jesus, who was made not only wisdom from God to us, but also justness and sanctification and redemption.
Now we are saved and have a hope of glory. We will obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ; it’s a mystery no longer. That’s the big deal, dearly beloved.
We will never again come into condemnation. God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been saved from the wrath to come.
I would say that the mystery of God concerning Christ is quite a big deal, wouldn’t you? Now we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus on the basis of his accomplishments. Now it is Christ in you, the hope of glory, and all of this is by the grace of God to us in Christ Jesus!
It will take the coming ages for the Father to display the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus; the gathering together up to meet the Lord in the air is only the beginning of the glory to come.
Rejoice, and live with peace in your heart, and thanksgiving for what the Father has reserved for us in Christ Jesus, dearly beloved of God; he is coming!