Contemplating the Mystery of the Church

In the New Testament, the Greek word musterion means something that is beyond natural knowledge ... something that has been opened to us by divine revelation through the Holy Spirit. In Colossians 1:26 Paul expounds on this idea: "The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints." Something that had previously been undreamed of is now wide open and revealed to the saints -- an open secret.

In Ephesians 3, which is in my mind one of the most mind-boggling chapters in all of Scripture, Paul is captivated by the mystery of Christ and the Church. He leads off by stating "this mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus." The open secret, which heretofore had been entirely misunderstood, is that Jews and Gentiles are "heirs together," "members together," [a concept so foreign that F.F. Bruce states Paul had to coin a new word, sussoma, to describe it, as no existing word could adequately describe the mystery of Gentiles being on the same footing with Jews], and "sharers together" -- fellow partakers.

This mystery came about from their new double union with Christ and with each other. John extolled this phenomenon in 1 John 1:3 -- "We proclaim to you what have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ." The closer they were to God, the closer they were to each other. Certainly no Jew or Gentile had ever to that point conceived of such a mystery in his or her wildest dreams! And for Paul, this remained an abiding wonder and joy throughout his life.

To whom, and to what end, did Paul focus his message? Ephesians 3:1-13 reveals three directions. First, it was Christ to the Gentiles -- "to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" [v. 8b]. To Paul theologically, Christ was everything. "But we preach Christ crucified," he told the Corinthians, "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" [1 Cor. 1:23-25]. Specifically, he preached "the unsearchable riches of Christ" -- literally, "the riches that cannot be tracked."

Paul's second focus was to inform the world of the Church -- "to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things" [v. 9]. Paul was to enlighten all humanity regarding this miracle of Jews and Gentiles becoming a new humanity or as R. Kent Hughes calls it "a new race ... a third race." Approximately thirty years ago Johanne Lukasse of the Belgian Evangelical Mission came to the realization that evangelism in Belgium was going nowhere. The country had become impervious to the gospel for a long list of reasons which included many centuries of traditional Catholicism, the rise of multiple cults and just a growing agnosticism among many others. Driven to Scripture, he came up with a new plan. First, he gathered together a heterogeneous group of believers: Belgians, Dutch, Americans -- whoever would come. Second, he had them rent a house and live together for seven months. Naturally, friction soon developed which, in turn, sent them to prayer, and happily, to victory and love. Following this, they began to see amazing fruit. Outsiders called them "the people who love each other," for they were living out the words and promises of Jesus: "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must also love one another. All men will know you are my disciples if you love one another" [John 13:34, 35].

It is as we live out the mystery of this new humanity that we will win the world for Christ. It is to brothers and sisters that the world is drawn. I see this so clearly in the lives of my children. Ariel has such a tight sisterhood with a group of six or seven other freshman girls that she met at Campus Crusade their first week on campus last August that it truly is a marvel to behold. These girls provide such a constant source of encouragement and support to each other that it lifts up even my heart as I watch it happen up close as well as via these social networks. Ashley and Alli have each had similar experiences, Ashley with a group of six girls that she grew up with and remains close to, and both Ashley and Alli through Campus Outreach [a local-church based college ministry] at UNF. I also see this in the vibrant fellowship group ministry in my local church, Four Oaks Community Church, where four years ago we fully committed to a small group model of Bible study, Christian fellowship and ongoing accountability relationships ... basically New Testament community. It is through relationships such as these that we realize that dynamic evangelism will take place as we preach and live out two things: Christ and the Church. Paul calls us to the power of the two in concert.

The third purpose for Paul's opening the mystery comes as a total surprise to me and I am sure many: to inform the angels! "His [God's] intent was that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" [vv. 10-12]. Hughes notes that "here it will help us to imagine a cosmic drama. The theater is history. The stage is the world. The actors are the Church. The writer is God, who directs and produces the drama. And the audience? Cosmic beings -- 'the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.'" Mackay describes the history of the Christian Church as "the graduate school for angels." And John Stott adds, "It is through the old creation [the universe/cosmos] that God reveals his glory to humans; it is through the new creation [the church] that he reveals his wisdom to angels."

The inescapable conclusion is that the angels watch us because we are part of the mystery! Peter described in 1 Peter 1:10-12 how the prophets searched intently to understand the prophecies regarding Christ which have now been revealed in the gospel, adding at the end of v. 12, "Even angels long to look into these things" [literally, the angels stoop to look]. This passage creates a word picture of angels bent over and intently observing the teachings and actions of God's people. The inference in these two passages of Scripture is that God has not revealed his complete plan for history and the reconciliation of the universe to the angels, so they observe us to learn about it. Angels, we know, are messengers of God. But they also watch over his people. They have seen the greatness and wisdom of creation. They have navigated the immense distances of space. They have watched God's people from the beginning -- Abraham and Moses, the blood-drenched offerings and clouds of smoke in the Tabernacle and the Temple, and on and on. They have seen the advent of Christ -- the incarnation, crucifixion, death and resurrection of their blessed Lord. Yet there remains much to learn. They wonder just how will it consummate?

And as they watch the Church, God reveals his "manifold wisdom" [literally, many-colored wisdom, a rare poetical adjective used in the Septuagint to describe Joseph's coat of many colors -- Genesis 37:3, 23, 32]. The many-colored fellowship of the Church, that variegated new humanity of Jews and Gentiles -- multiracial and multicultural -- shows the many-shaded wisdom of God. Through studying the Church, the angelic host observes the reconciling work of Christ, which is the model for the reconciliation of creation when everything on Heaven and earth will be brought together in him [see also Col. 1:17-22].

All this demands a view of the Church so high that it defies belief really! The Church, a product of God's reconciling work, will, in fact, be an agent in the ultimate cosmic reconciliation! This mystery keeps even the angels watching. Our text calls us to recognize and revere the immense centrality of the Church. John Stott has suggested that this includes three grand facts. First, the Church is central to history. The open secret is that the Church, the new humanity, a multiracial, multinational new race, will rule in the universe along with Christ and the angels, and that amidst the swirling tides of militant Islam, a spreading Marxism, and the ever-present virulent materialism, only the Church will survive history.

Second, the Church is central to the Gospel. Ephesians teaches that the complete gospel involves both the preaching of Christ and the mystery of the Church. Christ died and rose from the dead not only to save us, but also to create a single new humanity which will be His eternal bride. This means that the local manifestation of the Church, the church that we attend, is very important. It is the new humanity watched by both the world and by angels. When it preaches Christ and lives as the Church, souls are inevitably drawn to Christ the Head.

Third, the Church is central to Christian living. The text ends with Paul alluding to his suffering: "I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which were for your glory" [v. 13]. Paul was willing to pay any price to see the Church go forward. As an apostle, he saw his sufferings as the Church's glory. The bottom line is, despite its imperfections, attendance and participation in the local church is not optional in Paul's mind. Paul's gospel was and is Christ and the Church.

A Consideration of What it Means to be "In Christ"

"In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory." -- Ephesians 1:11, 12

Note that this is the second time in the first twelve verses of Ephesians that Paul sounds the chord of Divine Election and again it launches him into celebration. Evidently, he found this doctrine to be immensely comforting as should we. But the real comfort comes, I think, when we begin to grasp just what it means to be found "in Him" [in Christ].

To be begin with, Paul is very clear that the root of this miracle is the wonder of becoming "in Christ" as he states in v. 13, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." Just in this passage of Scripture alone, Paul uses this phrase or its theological equivalent nine times. And Paul uses the term "in Christ" or "in Christ Jesus" in his letters at least 169 times. This term was never found prior to Paul and is rarely seen outside of his writings in the New Testament, so clearly this concept is central to Paul's theology and one of his great gifts to the Church. But what does it mean?

Kent Hughes states that first and foremost, "it indicates a radical transformation." Paul develops this in 1 Cor. 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" He is radically, fundamentally new. Not only that, but "the new has come!" and, as the Greek perfect tense stresses, will continue to remain. Being "in Christ" is nothing less than being made alive. In fact, Paul elaborates "... so in Christ all will be made alive" [1 Cor. 15:22]. This is nothing short of total spiritual change.

Being in Christ also brings a radical reorientation -- a movement from external righteousness to inward righteousness which thus radicalizes our conduct. As a result, though the world hates, those in Christ forgive; while the world lusts for more, those in Christ are content.

From my perspective, "in Christ" far outstrips the term "Christian" in describing Christianity or those who follow Christ. Aside from the fact that "Christian" is used only three times in the New Testament [Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:16] that title has become somewhat amorphous over the years as it can be associated with a specific cultural affinity, or the "western tradition" or even be on one side of a barbed wire fence killing those on the other side. But "in Christ" invites no such abuse, because it demands reflection on a dynamic living relationship. No wonder Paul loved it! "For to me, to live is Christ," said Paul in Philippians 1:21.

Secondly, Hughes continues by claiming that being in Christ brings "a dynamic unity of cosmic dimensions." The heart of this unity is that we become members of the Body of Christ. Spiritually there is an organic relationship with Him. We are literally seated in the "heavenly realms" with him [Eph. 2:6] -- we are there because we are in Him. Through this union we also enter into a profound oneness with other believers. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" [Gal. 3:28]. And it was this dynamic unity that so astounded the ancient world. And it is this very "in Christ" that conquers the world. Sadly, there is much in professing Christianity which seems to deny this dynamic unity which Christ brings. In the United States alone, there are more than 30 different Baptist denominations and more than 20 different Methodist denominations -- not to mention the tens of thousands of independent Baptist churches. Nevertheless, the fact remains that those truly "in Christ" can experience a friendship which surpasses all others in its depth of understanding, commitment and comfort. And this should be the norm for the Church as Jesus prayed in His High Priestly prayer on the eve of his death: "Holy Father, protect the by them power of Your Name -- the Name You gave Me -- so that they may be one as We are One" [John 17:11].

Lastly, our being "in Christ" should bring the deepest satisfaction if for no other reason than it is not possible to find fulfillment outside of Christ. As Jesus Himself declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." [John 6:35].

Could there be a more enticing menu? Transformation, union, satisfaction! This fare meets every need. Be still my soul and know that He is God and know who I am "in Him." Stop settling for second or third best. Stop walking so far below my calling. The days are growing short.

Pondering Redemption

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment -- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ." -- Ephesians 1:7-10

What does Paul mean when he writes that we have "redemption through His blood?" Redemption is the payment of a price or a ransom, and in this case the price was Christ's own blood, and its object was our very souls. All humanity was in the slave market of sin and thus powerless to affect self-deliverance, but Christ purchased His Church with an infinitely valuable price as the Scriptures repeatedly attest: "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed ... but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" [1Pet. 1:18, 19]. "[Jesus] entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" [Heb. 9:12]. "[Jesus came] to give His life as a ransom for many" [Mk. 10:45]. Our redemption cost the whole life of Christ -- an astonishing mystery which the prophets puzzled over and which the angels 'long to look into' [1Pet. 1:10-12].

"And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.'" [Rev. 5:9, 10] We, too, will sing this song with the angels, but the best part belongs to us because we are twice His, having been both created by Him and then redeemed by His blood!

Concomitant with redemption is forgiveness [v. 7]. As a believer, the Apostle Paul remained profoundly aware of his sinful life apart from Christ and that he was "the chief of sinners" to use his own words. But along with this conviction was the profound knowledge that he was also forgiven. Even ancient man was aware of his sin. The brilliant Roman philosopher Seneca called himself a homo non tolerabilis, 'a man not to be tolerated.' Furthermore, he despaired that what mankind needed 'was a hand to lift them up.' The tragedy for Seneca is that there was, and is, a hand to lift him up -- complete forgiveness of sins -- though he was unaware of it. The Scriptures sing of this in glorious harmony from start to finish:

...as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. [Ps. 103:12]

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." [Is. 44:22]

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." [Jer. 31:34]

You will hurl all our inequities into the depths of the sea. [Micah 7:19]

"This is My blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." [Matt. 26:28]

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [1Jn. 1:9]

Total forgiveness is something to celebrate! It is far beyond anything positive thinking, psychotherapy, hypnosis or the power of suggestion can provide. It is complete, extending to both the conscious and unconscious sins in our lives ... and it is only possible through Christ!

Lastly on top of both grace and discernment [vv. 7-8], Paul concludes by focusing on the future blessings of redemption. The redeemed see that a new order is coming. Paul Hodge claims that this was a "mystery," a secret, in times past, not because it was incomprehensible, but because it was undiscoverable by human reason. It could only be known through divine revelation. What is this "mystery?" Paul relates it simply as, "when the times will have reached their fulfillment" [i.e. at the appropriate time], God will "bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ." As believers, we know this to be true. We do not share the despair and pessimism of the world, such as G. N. Clark who stated at his inaugural lecture at Cambridge, "There is no secret and no plan in history to be discovered. I do not believe that any future consummation could make sense of irrationalities of preceding ages." But the redeemed know otherwise. History is going somewhere. Why do you think it is even called HIS-STORY in the first place? All will make sense when everything is brought under the headship of Christ.

Paul says in Colossians [1:16] that "all things were created by Him and for Him." -- or toward Him as some have it [my preferred translation of this verse]. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All things came out of Him, and all things will return to Him. Thus all creation is moving toward its consummation in him as described in Romans 8:19-21 -- "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed ... the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" [see also 2Pet. 3:10-13; Matt. 19:28]. Thus all redeemed souls, all the universe, and all the faithful angelic hosts -- literally everything in Heaven and on earth -- everything material, everything spiritual, everything within, without, above, and below -- will be united in Christ. This is the blessing of the universe! To the praise of His glorious grace.

Thoughts On What It Means To Be Adopted By God

"In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will -- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves." Eph. 1:5-6

Did you know that in the entire corpus of the Old Testament, God is referred to as "Father" only fourteen times in all of its 39 books? And these references tended more toward the impersonal rather than the deeply personal use of "Abba" [basically "Daddy"] as found in the New Testament. In the Old Testament the term "Father" was used more in reference to the nation of Israel rather than to any specific individual. But when Jesus came on the scene, he addressed God only as Father. The Gospels record Jesus using the term "Father" more than sixty times when referring to God and He never used any other term except when quoting Ps. 22 while on the cross. Kent Hughes asserts that "no one in the entire history of Israel had spoken or prayed like Jesus. No one!" But this amazing fact is only part of the story, because the word Jesus used for Father was not the formal word. It was the common Aramaic word with which a child would address his or her father -- "Abba." Shocking and yet very refreshing.

Even more remarkable, however, is the fact that Abba became both the subconscious and the conscious refrain of the elect, who were "adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ." We find Paul making this point himself when he writes, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" [Rom. 8:15, 16]. He continues, "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir" [Gal. 4:6, 7].

Do we [do I?] have a "spirit of adoption"? Do we [do I?] sense that God is our [my] Father? Do we [do I?] think of Him and address Him as our [my] "Dear Father"? If not, we must make sure that He really is our spiritual Father and heed the words of Scripture and receive Him. "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" [John 1:12]. Dr. J.I. Packer considers our grasp of the Fatherhood of God and our adoption as sons and daughters to be of the most essential importance in our spiritual lives. He says, "If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his father. If it is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that make the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. 'Father' is the Christian name for God."

That name, 'Abba, Father,' testifies to the reality of our adoption. The richness of our adoption will also be revealed in a very public way in the future. Paul says, "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed" [Rom. 8:19]. The day of our investiture as sons and daughters is coming, but He is our loving Father right now! Our adoption is complete, and we are eternally God's sons and daughters. We were predestined for this before the foundation of the world, "In love ... in accordance with His pleasure and will." This ought to be the melody of our hearts continually.

I have been parked out here in Ephesians 1 and 2 as well as Colossians 1, 2 and 3 the past three weeks or so contemplating just what it means to be "a child of God, hidden with Christ in God, seated in the heavenlies, dead and already resurrected. Putting to death those things belonging to my earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived." Once lived or are living? So many mysteries for us to ponder.

And thus, I am also convicted that I too often walk far below my calling. And on top of that I've felt very much like Tevye of Fiddler on the Roof renown ... all too quickly losing my grip on my daughters [like they were mine to hold on to in the first place]. I believe it was John Calvin who said "the human heart is a perpetual factory of idols." Sadly, I've found that all too true in my own life. And even the things that God means for blessing [like children] can all too easily become idols in themselves. For the record, Ashley just married; Alli is very seriously considering a one to two year stint beginning late this summer/early fall as a missionary teacher overseas; and Ariel has accepted a position to spend the summer as a camp counselor for a Christian camp, Camp Living Stones, in Tennessee. A lot for a shell-shocked daddy to process in a less than a month's time. Just call me Tevye!