Ephesians 3:3-5 "How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in 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 by the Spirit;" back to Ephesians (1:9-10 and 2:11-22), the author briefly mentioned "the mystery" that God had revealed to him. To elaborate, the mystery is defined as the unity of Gentile and Jewish Christians in God's family, with further details provided by the writer. Paul did not acquire his understanding of the gospel during his studies under Gamaliel but rather through divine revelation by the Holy Spirit during his time in the Arabian Desert for three years, seeking God's truth. Paul would never have sought for the truth about Jesus, had he not encountered the great Light on the road to Damascus.
Paul aimed not only to announce the mystery but also to elaborate and elucidate it. By providing these explanations as an integral part of Christian life, he hoped that Ephesian believers, as well as all future believers, would grasp his divinely inspired understanding of the mystery of Christ when reading them. In the Old Testament, there were many truths hidden and later revealed in the New Testament that are called mysteries. Here is one: Jew and Gentile brought together in one body in the Messiah. Paul not only wrote of the mystery that, in Christ Jew and Gentile become one in God’s sight and in His kingdom and family, but also explained and clarified that truth. He realized that spiritual knowledge must precede practical application. What is not properly understood cannot be properly applied. Paul had just casually mentioned it before, and now he will go into greater detail about his encounter with Jesus Christ and with his subsequent study through the teaching by the Holy Spirit. Some of the things, pertaining to Jews and the Gentiles, had to be unlearned of Paul, because in the law, the Jews thought of all Gentiles as unclean heathen people.
"In past generations, this truth was not revealed: While God had promised a universal blessing through Abraham (Genesis 12:3), the complete significance of this promise was only fully understood when Paul wrote about it (Gal. 3:28). Although Isaiah 49:6 had foretold salvation for all races, it was Paul who elaborated on the realization of this prophecy (Acts 13:46-47). Paul unveiled a revelation that even the most eminent prophets had not grasped: that within the church, comprising all the redeemed since Pentecost, there would be no distinctions based on race, social status, or spiritual standing. The extension of divine salvation blessings to the Gentiles had been acknowledged since Genesis 12:3. Therefore, the potential for Gentiles to receive salvation was not a hidden truth. However, a mystery that had not been previously revealed in the Old Testament was the unity of Jewish and Gentile believers as equal members of the body of Christ. This mystery has now been disclosed to His holy apostles and prophets."
Here, Paul is referring to the different eras, particularly the times of the Old Testament, in which the Law of Moses prescribed numerous rituals and sacrifices, offering limited personal communion with God. Christianity stands in stark contrast to the legalistic nature of the law, as it found its fulfillment in Jesus, freeing Christians from its constraints. The term "sons of men" encompasses all of humanity, not exclusively the Israelites. Prior to the era of the Church, even the most esteemed prophets had only a partial understanding of the revelations that Paul now elucidates. The insights from the Old Testament concerning this mystery can only be fully grasped when viewed through the lens of the New Testament. Human comprehension of divine matters was previously limited. Describing someone as a son of man denotes their human nature. Through Jesus' atonement, Christians have been welcomed into God's family, transitioning from sons of men to sons of God. As children of God, they are guided by the Spirit, not by earthly desires.
The true significance of God's promise to Abraham, that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3), remained unknown until Paul revealed that the Scripture had foreseen the justification of Gentiles through faith, God proclaiming the gospel to Abraham in advance, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you" (Gal. 3:8). Similarly, the full meaning of Isaiah's prophecy, "I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth" (Isa. 49:6), was not understood until Paul explained that it referred to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) to both Gentiles and Jews (Acts 13:46-47). The Old Testament clues were a mystery because they lacked sufficient information. This is why early Jewish Christians, including the apostle Peter (see Acts 10), struggled to fully accept Gentile believers as equals. Paul addressed this concern in his letter to the Ephesians by emphasizing and elaborating on this important truth. May God blessed the hearer and doer of His Holy Word.
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