Rev D W B Somerset
(4) Christ preached as Saviour to men. “Preached unto the Gentiles.” The preaching and reception of the gospel brings in several mysteries, the first of which is “the mystery of the gospel” itself: “Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” (Rom 16:25-26); and, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph 6:19).
The gospel is not something that could have been discovered, or even dreamt of, had God not provided it and revealed it. One of the purposes of the Old Testament period was to prove beyond doubt that there is no other way of redemption or recovery for the human race. The Jews did not find it by works nor the Gentiles by wisdom: “For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor 1:21). Note too the place given to “preaching”: this strange method that the world thinks “foolish” and counterproductive, but which God has chosen that His power in conversion might be made evident. God speaks to the soul through the human preaching of the Word.
Following on from the mystery of the gospel and of preaching, we have the surprising reference to the Gentiles. Why the Gentiles? This is one of the
1This Theological Conference paper deals with the use of the words, “mystery” and “mysteries” in the New Testament. It gives the biblical meaning of a mystery as “something which was hidden and unobserved but has now been disclosed”. It goes on to state, “We view the ‘mystery of godliness’ (1 Tim 3:16) as the great mystery, and then group all other New Testament mysteries under the six heads that Paul gives there”. Last month’s section covered three of the six points: “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels”.
things – along with the justification of Christ, already mentioned, and His being seen of angels – that makes it almost impossible that Paul was quoting an uninspired hymn. A mere human writer would have neither the understanding nor the boldness to mention the Gentiles without the Jews. Such a reference might seem inadvisable and offensive on a sensitive subject.
The distinction of Jew and Gentile takes us back to the Divine purposes and to the doctrine of election: “the mystery of God’s will”: “Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him” (Eph 1:9-10). God’s purpose is to gather redeemed men and holy angels in Christ, that they might form one great family with Christ as the Head. The holy angels are more easily gathered, being holy already, but the gathering of men is a hard work, because they are depraved, and scattered since the Tower of Babel, and contrary to each other and to God. The mystery of men being gathered in Christ is completely contrary to the natural course and appearance of this world.
To give us an outward representation of election and reprobation, God divided the world of old into Israel and the Gentiles. Israel gave a picture of God’s chosen people, and the Gentiles of the rest, who are passed by and left to themselves. Then in Israel herself and in Judah, and in the Jews of Christ’s time, we get multiple illustrations of the same thing: “the few” who profit from the means of grace, and “the many” who continue in unbelief even under the greatest privilege. “Many are called but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14).
Then in the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities and in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the casting off of the Jews, we see examples of the severity of God, and how little regard He has for outward things in the absence of spiritual. “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Rom 11:22). This casting off is a mystery: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom 11:25). It is a wonder that God should work in this way, so different from the ways of men. “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:32-33).
There was to be a hardening and casting off of Israel in the days of the early Church, when the gospel went to the Gentiles, and this was to continue
for a long period but not permanently: it was “in part” or temporary. During this period, the gospel was to be sent to the Gentiles, and this also was a mystery. “How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power. 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; 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” (Eph 3:3-9).
The gospel going to the Gentiles shows the compassion of God for a lost world. The Gentiles give us a picture of man in his most ignorant and sinful state, neglected by God for centuries; and yet from this dark mass of corrupt sinners, God would take a multitude to Himself, and make them glorious through the Lord Jesus Christ. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13). Furthermore, we see the power of Christ in uniting those that were at variance: “For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Eph 2:14).
While the Gentiles are being gathered in – the work under way when Paul was writing – the Jews were languishing as branches broken and cast away; but God has a purpose for them too. His covenant faithfulness abides: “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? . . . For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? . . .
“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. . . . For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all. . . . For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given
to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:11-36).
(5) Christ believed on in the world. “Believed on in the world.” It is God who has ordained who will believe the gospel, but we have already referred to the doctrine of election. Richard Sibbes sees a number of elements of wonder in Christ being “believed on in the world”. He sees the wickedness and enmity of the world; the weakness of the parties through whom the gospel was proclaimed; the unappetising nature of the gospel message to corrupt human nature; the rapidness of the conquest in the early days of the Church; the abasement of the Son in the form of a Servant in whom the proud world was constrained to believe; and the wonder of faith itself in the stony heart of man.2
The wonder of faith is worthy of special attention. We have the gift of faith to those “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). Sibbes comments that it is easier to make a world from nothing than to cause such a heart to believe. We have the effect of faith in uniting the soul to Christ. We have the life of faith, being sustained here in this world: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20). And then we have the reward of faith at the Day of Judgement.
The effect of faith in uniting with Christ, the life of faith and the reward of faith are combined in one of the mysteries mentioned elsewhere, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”: “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:26-27).
Both the substance of the mystery, and the riches of the glory of the mystery, is the spiritual union and indwelling of Christ with His people; with His presence in their hearts being a foretaste and seal of the glory on which they set the hope of their souls. Christ’s presence is a mystery: who would suppose that ordinary believers here in this world are united with the Son of God in heaven, and that Christ is living in them? The world does not believe this, and it is a wonder to believers themselves, yet it is a truth that they experience daily. And because Christ is dwelling in their hearts, certainly they hope, with a sure and scriptural hope, that one day they will dwell with Him in glory, “the hope of glory”. Who would suppose that a frail, broken, feeble believer was an heir to glory? Yet so it is.
2Sibbes, Works, vol 5, pp 517-519.