Gospel Mystery

Mystery, sometimes perceived as ignorance, must be included in any analysis of faith.  Mystery as it is used in Scripture refers to the silence about God by God.  We can only philosophize about the matter – otherwise it wouldn’t be useful mystery with which we are dealing.  Perhaps God doesn’t mind that we make some sacred guesses based on what we do know from Scripture (revelation), experience (history), and conscience (Holy Spirit), but we must know they are studied guesses not to be written in indelible memory or that we hold God to them.  Even if by accident, we are going to come down on some truths in our search.  Mystery remains.  God appears to enjoy our search, and sometimes reveals blessing in that search.   If there is no mystery about God, we would likely be mesmerized with fear about how to manage the information.  That fear in us of God is recognized by God and is mentioned favorably in Scripture.  The main reason for the mystery is that God is so complex by human perception and knowledge that we could not perceive his dimensions any more than an animal can discern the reflective mind of mankind that permits control and understanding.  The Christian objective is to follow the Great Commission of Christ to circulate the gospel to the world in sufficient effectiveness that it signals clearly the redemptive story. 

However, to join a mystery is not to agree that Christians are mystified.  Much is known in a mystery.  There are factors of beginnings, and there are endings.  If there were not we would not have a mystery as we perceive mystery.  In a murder case, the victim is known, and some details are noted.  The end, the death of the victim is verified.  The mystery is in how the matter came to this point – who, what, when, where, and by what means.  It remains a mystery of motive and fact until it is solved, and it may never be solved in the course of the box canyon of human knowledge and effort.  The end of the mystery of God is funneled to mankind through Jesus Christ in the meaning of Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit.  The father sent the Son, the Son sent the Holy Spirit and the whole will devolve on the day of parousia.  The details of the mystery will be known on the arrival of a second appearance of Jesus Christ – Parousia. The church failing that Commission is not serving the God-ordered purpose related to persuasion for God in word and conduct related to the redemptive purpose of Jesus Christ.  Without Christ as the motivation of Christian action, the church fails even when it engages other activity that serves the human needs of the world.  Further, that failure introduces an alternative order, called Christian, thus creating an alternative that may seem to be genuine to the ministry of Jesus Christ.  Competition is created within the community identified as Christian.  Some persons/institutions identified as Christian because they do christianly things may not pass muster as biblical Christian work.  Nevertheless, we applaud good works to mankind.

To repeat – joining the mystery is not to say that we are mystified.  Humanizing the gospel in the incarnation of Jesus bridges the gulf between that which is in nature and that which extends to the kingdom of God.  There is some relief through prayer and faith that makes the journey possible over a route that is too narrow, too fearful (humble) a way for some persons.  Much is known in a mystery.  There are factors of beginnings, and there are endings.  If there were not we would not have a mystery.  In a murder case, the victim may be known and some details are noted.  The end, the death of the victim is verified.  The mystery is in how the matter came to this point.  What was the motive?  Why did the murderer bother? It remains a mystery until it is solved, and it will not be solved in the course of human research. The point is that the mystery is known in the mind of God, and his will/plan for his children is well formed.  His love, the motive of God, as the love of a meaningful father on earth, is focused on the child’s benefit.  It is interesting that the Apostle related the mystery to wisdom, and we know that wisdom is highly regarded in Scripture as the evidence of maturity – both human and spiritual.  The person encountering the mystery accepts what is given and works with that available.   There is wisdom that leaves to faith the right of God to give to us that he wants to give and withholds that he wills to withhold.  We will be pleasantly surprised how everything turns out in the denouement.