"He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ" - Eph 1:9
Merriam-Webster defines the word mystery as "profound, inexplicable, or secretive quality or character."
The New Testament does not redefine this word, however it does reorient our relationship to it.
There are many things beyond the comprehension of man, but surely nothing is a mystery to God.
God knows all things.
In 1 Cor 2:16, Paul tells us that we have "the mind of Christ."
Peter tells us that through Christ we have been granted the ability to partake in the divine nature. (2 Pe 1:4)
The mission of Jesus was to bring the Spirit of Truth down to earth and to enable us, by faith, to incorporate Him into our very beings.
Mysteries are incomprehensible to man.
But not to God.
And through Christ, we have been given access to the very mind of God.
Paul prays for the Colossians and Laodiceans that they may "reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery..." (Col 2:2)
The New Testament makes clear that the comprehension of mysteries is no longer inaccessible to man. Rather, through divine revelation in Jesus Christ, the veil covering these mysteries has been torn and our minds have been granted entry into the secrets previously hidden from mankind.
Paul goes on to identify "God's mystery" with the person of Christ Himself:
"...God's mystery which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col 2:2-3)
Christ is the master key unlocking all mysteries and revealing their treasures.
The esoteric and occult seekers of Truth view life as a journey of ascent. They believe the thirst for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding can be quenched only by achieving higher and higher states of consciousness.
Christ flips everything on its head.
Through His example Christ taught us that the way up is down.
He revealed that humility, surrender, and self sacrificial love is the key to accessing life.
His Cross has become the north star for all real seekers of Truth.
No longer must we attempt to "figure out" the great mysteries of humanity - questions such as,
Why does the universe exist?
What is the meaning of life?
Why am I here?
These mysteries will be revealed - no, have been revealed - in the person of Jesus Christ. The work is finished. All that remains is for us to empty ourselves, making room for this Spirit of Truth to dwell within us.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:5-11
Today is the feast of Saint Bonaventure. He is a great Franciscan Theologian who wrote journey into the mind of God. A day to celebrate the great adventure
We just finished watching a documentary about lost civilizations. Of course, they are still mysteries. But it made it clear that the Theory of Evolution and lack of Biblical knowledge were huge roadblocks in further understanding. One thing was obvious, there was a worldwide flood, and it was catastrophic even if this guy never mentioned the Bible. When you think about it, this mystery pales compared to the mystery He has revealed to us who believe.