The Greatest Mystery of the Bible

After Jesus finished teaching a crowd assembled at the water’s edge, He left the sea and the people behind and gathered in private with His closest disciples. They were still struggling to understand one of His parables, so they asked Jesus to explain it.

“To you,” He answered, “it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables” (Mark 4:11).

What is the mystery Christ mentioned, and why were most people prevented from understanding it? The answer is part of the greatest mystery of the Bible!

The Greek word for mystery

The English word mystery comes from the Greek word mystērion. Mystērion and its variants appear 27 times in the New Testament. Although we derive the English word from the Greek, the words’ meanings are not the same.

According to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, in the New Testament mystērion “denotes, not the mysterious (as with the English word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation.”

Vine’s goes on to explain that the New Testament mystērion can be understood only by those people in whom God’s Holy Spirit works.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible clarifies the meaning, stating that the word “often refers to a misunderstood part of the Old Testament that, with Christ’s coming, is now unveiled.”

Critical to understanding these mysteries, then, are Jesus Christ’s first coming to earth and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.

A mystery determined before the ages

In a letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul compared worldly wisdom with the wisdom of God, explaining that he and his companions in the ministry “speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7).

Note that this wisdom existed “before the ages,” that it had been “hidden,” and that even as Paul addressed the subject, he spoke about it “in a mystery.” What this means is that the mystery pertains to something God had long before determined, but that His full intent had remained hidden from humans up to that time.

The preceding chapter sheds some light on this mystery. Paul wrote about the inability of both Jews and gentiles to believe in a crucified Messiah. That concept was “to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23).

A crucified Messiah is at the core of this mystery. In essence, the Jews looked for a conquering Messiah, one who would restore their nation to its privileged position among the nations of the world. On top of that, crucifixion was considered a curse, an unthinkable fate for their version of the Messiah.

For the gentiles, there was a sharp divide between the physical and spiritual realms. They could not conceive of a god becoming human, or even caring enough about humans to do so. (See our article “Christ Crucified: Stumbling Block, Folly or Wisdom of God?” to learn more about this subject.)

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul confirmed that the coming of Christ was essential for the mysteries of God to be understood: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest” (Romans 16:25-26).

What are the main mysteries of the Bible?

Most of the 27 uses of mystērion and its variants in the New Testament deal with truths that have long been hidden from most of humanity and even from most of God’s chosen nation Israel. (A handful of uses in the book of Revelation, however, refer to specific symbols in John’s visions.)

For instance, Paul uses the word in reference to the resurrection and transformation of the saints at the return of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). At the time of Christ’s ministry on earth, many of the religious leaders, mostly Sadducees, did not believe in the resurrection.

All of these mysteries are connected to His plan. In fact, God’s plan of salvation is the greatest mystery of the Bible. In another epistle, Paul used mystērion in reference to the intimate relationship between Christ and the Church, comparing this relationship to marriage (Ephesians 5:32). Although some Old Testament passages refer to Israel as a bride (Jeremiah 2:1-2, 32), the image was used to highlight the nation’s idolatry (verse 11). In Paul’s use, the emphasis is on the closeness, or intimacy, of the marriage relationship as a picture of the spiritual relationship.

“The mystery of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7) is another hidden truth to which Paul alludes. For anyone who believes in an all-powerful and loving God, the existence of evil is perplexing, particularly the evil of the end times.

Paul also wrote about God’s extension of His grace to the gentiles as a mystery in light of the hardening of hearts among the people of Israel (Romans 11:25). In fact, Paul felt “great sorrow and continual grief” for his own people (Romans 9:2). He even said, “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren” (verse 3).

So these are some of the main mysteries discussed in the New Testament. Is there a thread that links them? Yes!

Revealing the greatest mystery of the Bible

That thread is God’s plan of salvation! All of these mysteries are connected to His plan. In fact, God’s plan of salvation is the greatest mystery of the Bible.

Salvation comes through a crucified Christ, and salvation includes the resurrection and transformation of the saints of God. Salvation includes acceptance into an intimate family relationship with God. And God’s plan of salvation is established according to His timing and grace. (To learn more about God’s plan of salvation, see our article “Plan of Salvation: How God’s Festivals Reveal His Plan.”)

Jesus, in His earthly ministry, began to reveal this mystery. In a prayer recorded by one of His disciples, Jesus thanked God for hiding His identity and mission “from the wise and prudent” and for revealing “them to babes” (Matthew 11:25).

Not everyone understood, even in the presence of Jesus Christ. Not everyone understands even now. The apostle John wrote of the inability of some people to understand the mysteries of God, even after the appearance of Christ in the world: “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5).

Clearly, the coming of Christ in the first century, though a prerequisite to understanding, is not the only factor to unlocking this mystery.

The Holy Spirit and the mysteries of God

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote of “the mystery . . . which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:3-5). This mystery was not revealed until after the Word had become flesh, and even then, only through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

By coming into this world and dying for us, Jesus paved the way for humans to have God’s Holy Spirit dwell within them (Romans 8:9). That’s why the night before He was crucified, Jesus promised His disciples that they would be given the Holy Spirit, which “will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).

What does this mean for you and for me?

We can come to understand the greatest mystery of the Bible, God’s plan of salvation. Doing so does not require graduate degrees in biblical studies or theology, but there are some conditions that must be met.

First, no one can understand these mysteries or begin this journey of faith unless God the Father draws that person (John 6:44). Second, a person must believe in Jesus and His message (John 7:38; Mark 1:15).

Third, that individual must recognize his or her sins and repent of them (Acts 2:38). Fourth, that person must be baptized (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:27), and finally, a minister of Jesus Christ must lay hands on that individual, praying for the person to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18). That Spirit is a down payment on salvation (Ephesians 1:14).

If you go through this process, you can grow in the most important wisdom and knowledge (Ephesians 1:17-21). And you can develop a deeper understanding of the greatest mystery of the Bible: God’s wonderful plan of salvation!

With this understanding, you can come to appreciate why some people are called now but others aren’t. You can know the purpose of the resurrection and transformation of the saints. You can even come to know why such a wonderful God allows evil in our present world.

As a result of understanding the mystery of God’s plan of salvation, you can take joy in the sure promises of God in calling you to be part of His family.

Study further in our free booklets Change Your Life and From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You.