Chapter Five - The Dangers of The Mystery

The mystery is a wonderful doctrine that every believer should know and understand. Yet, we must realize there is a danger in people failing to respond to it properly.

The Danger of MISSING the Mystery

It is the will of God for every believer in this age to be enlightened spiritually that they might see the truth of the mystery.

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:8-9)

Sadly, many believers never see it. Why is that? Some do not see it because they are carnal. Carnal believers are not interested in the deep things of God and cannot bear the MEAT of the word.

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

Paul said that he only spoke about the mystery among those that were perfect. The word “perfect” is used here in the sense of being spiritually strong (2 Corinthians 13:9).  

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: (1 Corinthians 2:6-7)

Then there are those that have never been taught the mystery by their pastors and teachers and are therefore simply ignorant of this great doctrine. Every believer should study the word of God for himself. Yet, the average believer bases his doctrinal beliefs on what he has heard taught and preached at church. There are many sincere preachers that are simply ignorant about the mystery revealed through Paul. They, like Apollos, need to be shown the way of God more perfectly.

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. (Acts 18:24-26)

There are serious doctrinal consequences to missing the mystery. You will never really understand the word of God without recognizing the distinctiveness of Paul’s message and ministry (2 Timothy 2:7, 15). At the root of all the doctrinal confusion today is a failure to see the mystery. The mystery is the answer to Pentecostalism, Catholicism, Legalism, and many other “isms" we could name. 

There are also serious consequences practically speaking. If you do not understand what it means to be in the body of Christ you will never live the Christian life the way God intends. Notice in the following verses that spiritual understanding precedes being fruitful in every good work.

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Colossians 1:9-10)

The Danger of MISUNDERSTANDING the Mystery

The flesh is ever prone to extremes. There are those who after learning the truth of the mystery go to the extreme of believing that Paul did not receive the revelation of the mystery until after Acts 28:28. This extreme position is known as "Acts 28 Dispensationalism".  

Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:28)
   

This extremism is the result of misunderstanding Paul's ministry in the Acts period. We must keep in mind that Acts is a historical record of the transition period in which God moved from the nation of Israel to the body of Christ; from the gospel of the kingdom (Acts 2:38) to the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 13:38-39); from the ministry of Peter (Acts 1-12) to that of Paul (Acts 13-28). Acts is rightly called a transition book because one dispensation is fading out (Law) and another is fading in (Grace). The traditional view of Acts is that from beginning to end it is primarily the record of the birth and growth of the church of this present age. But the correct view of Acts is that from beginning to end it is primarily the account of the fall of Israel. It explains step by step why the chosen people had to be set aside and salvation sent to the Gentiles apart from them. We must understand that God did not set Israel aside overnight. He used Paul’s ministry to call out a remnant of Israel by grace (Romans 11:1-6) before He set the nation aside in blindness. That is why Paul went “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16) throughout his Acts ministry. The body of Christ began historically in the Acts period but there are some differences between Paul’s ministry during the transition and afterward. For example, it is evident that he no longer had the spiritual gift of healing after the Acts period (Philippians 2:25-27; 2 Timothy 4:20). 

The so-called "Acts 28ers" see the differences between Paul's ministry in Acts and afterwards and then jump to the faulty conclusion that the body of Christ had not yet been revealed. This is legitimate hyperdispensationalism (going beyond God's scriptural divisions and inventing your own) and leads to some serious doctrinal problems. It is possible to WRONGLY DIVIDE the word of truth.  

We do not have the space here to examine and expose the Acts 28 position. It is easy to refute the claim that Paul received the revelation of the body of Christ after Acts 28:28 by simply reading what he said about the body of Christ in his epistles that were written BEFORE Acts 28:28! The following verses were all written before Acts 28.

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5)

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:27-28)

There are also those who may not be "Acts 28ers" but go to the extreme of believing that only Paul's epistles contain doctrine for this age. They seem to forget that Paul himself said that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine" (2 Timothy 3:16). To overemphasize Paul's epistles to the neglect of the rest of scripture is extremism. There are divisions in the Bible but it is still ONE BOOK that reveals one God, one set of moral principles, and one plan of redemption.

The Danger MISUSING of the Mystery

The apostle Paul clearly says that the body of Christ is not under the law but grace (Romans 6:14). This teaching is a part of the revelation of the mystery. You will not find it outside of Paul’s epistles. Some misuse Romans 6:14 to teach that we do not need to take seriously the issues of separation and holiness. Yet in Romans 6:15-18 Paul teaches that grace makes us a servant of righteousness.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
(Romans 6:14-18)

Being under grace does not mean that we are without law! Though we are not under the law of Moses which requires such things as keeping the sabbath and bringing sacrifices (Colossians 2:14-17), we are to live by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

God sets a high standard of living for the body of Christ. The same grace that saves us also teaches us how to live for God.

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

(Titus 2:11-15)

Though we cannot lose salvation (Romans 8:28-39) there are serious consequences to being carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). For example, we can lose:
1. Joy and peace
2. Testimony
3. Rewards at the judgment seat of Christ