Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The word mystery means something concealed or not revealed. The world is filled with mysteries. I would guess that the bulk of science is occupied with trying to solve mysteries. Tremendous resources have been committed to solving the mystery of life’s origins. Medical science is always trying to conquer the mystery of virus, infection and aging. Politically, world leaders have been trying to find the path to utopia and world peace. The willingness of mankind to die for causes like nationalism or loyalty to despot leaders has been a mystery to political scientists. We have more resources than ever before to study the earth, observe the heavens, and unearth the past, but few mysteries have been solved. If anything, the more knowledge man obtains, the more new mysteries appear.
Observation of the daily workings of life causes us to ask the question “why”. Mankind has never been content to leave a mystery unsolved. Herein lies the problem mankind has when it comes to seeking God. If things observed are attributed to God, then the mystery of how they work and why they work will only be answered when God is ready to reveal them. This leaves man in a subservient and powerless position. Mankind wants to solve problems now and by his own devices. Waiting on God to give answers and having to make a passionate appeal to him won’t do. It was decided long ago in the garden that man would be equal to God and could go alone on ruling the world’s affairs. This reality has now evolved into mankind building the case that there is no God.
God created us with five senses to experience and function in this physical world. We cannot experience God or understand the spiritual realm by these five senses. He gave us a sixth sense to experience him and function in the spiritual realm. That extra sense is “faith”. Faith is the ability to believe in the unseen and the unction to seek it out. In Hebrews chapter eleven we are told that faith is the evidence and substance that proves there is more than meets the eye about life. The fact that we have the capability to believe is evidence that there is something to believe in. In Ephesians chapter two we learn that faith is a gift from God. He has enabled us to seek him and believe in him.
Mystery and faith are essential partners in believing that the gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s answer for mankind’s salvation. Before you can believe that Jesus was God incarnate, who came to the world and so loved us that he died and suffered for our sins, you must accept the mystery surrounding God. He has never revealed his motives and mind to us. He has never explained how it all works on the earth and in the heavens. When we are told to walk by faith it means we are to trust that he is providing each day what we need. Faith is to trust that God is in control and that there is nothing mysterious to him. He created it all and knows all about it. Faith is to have peace and calm that there is nothing God cannot control or do.
Does faith require that we do not seek to eradicate disease, work for peace and seek more wisdom about life and its challenges? Of course not, faith in God will lead to a better understanding of how to fix the things that trouble us. The Bible is filled with philosophical and scientific answers. The Bible also has warned us that sinful man will not walk by faith but will seek out his own way. God’s perspective is that the purpose of life is to find him and repent of unbelief and sin. Man’s perspective is to rule the world by his own wisdom and receive the glory for doing so. There are many problems with this thinking but one of the greatest problems is that man cannot tolerate mystery. We cannot be saved and have the wisdom of God until we embrace the mystery of God and trust him with it.
