Unveiling the Mystery of the Gospel (Part 2 of 5)

Unveiling the Mystery of the Gospel (Part 2 of 5)

The Revelation of the Mystery

"...according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest..." — Romans 16:25b–26a

The Transition of Ages

In this portion of the passage, Paul introduces the concept of the "mystery" (mysterion). In the context of Romans and the wider New Testament, a mystery is not a confusing riddle to be solved by human intellect, but a sacred secret that was once hidden in the counsel of God and has now been revealed by His decree. The doctrine here is one of Progressive Revelation: the truth that God did not reveal His entire plan for humanity at once, but unfolded it over time, reaching its peak in the person of Jesus Christ.

Extracting the Truth in Context

Paul emphasizes two distinct timeframes: "since the world began" and "but now." By stating that this mystery was "kept secret," he is acknowledging the period of history where God’s plan was present in seed form but not fully understood. To understand this in context, one must contrast it with the nature of prophecy; while the Bible records that "prophecy was spoken since the world began" regarding the coming King and His earthly kingdom, this specific "mystery" was strictly "kept secret since the world began." This distinction reveals a dispensational shift: prophecy dealt with what was foretold to man, whereas the mystery dealt with what was hid in God. This manifestation is not a change in God’s mind, but the scheduled fulfillment of His eternal purpose. In the context of the whole passage, this revelation is the very content of the "preaching of Jesus Christ" mentioned previously. While the entire plan of God is to preach Jesus Christ, we must recognize that we today are to preach Him according to the revelation of the mystery, which is a very specific gospel. This provides the intellectual and spiritual substance that God uses to "stablish" the believer; we are made firm by understanding that we are part of a plan that spans from eternity past to the present day.

Unveiling the Mystery of the Gospel (Part 1 of 5)

Unveiling the Mystery of the Gospel (Part 1 of 5)

The Power that Establishes the Believer

"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ..." — Romans 16:25a

The Doctrine: Divine Establishment

In the closing of his letter to the Romans, Paul shifts from the logic of justification to a final declaration of God’s sovereignty. The Greek word for "stablish" (sterizo) means to fix something so firmly in place that it becomes immovable. Within the context of this entire letter, Paul is teaching that spiritual stability is a work of God, not an achievement of man. After sixteen chapters of explaining the depth of human sin and the riches of God's grace, Paul concludes that the only way a believer can remain firm in the "obedience of faith" is through the external power of God.

Extracting the Truth in Context

This "stablishing" does not happen in a vacuum. Note the specific boundaries Paul sets: "according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ." God does not stabilize us through vague spirituality or emotional experiences; He uses the objective truth of the Gospel. This is the same power Paul referenced in Romans 1:16—"for it is the power of God unto salvation." Furthermore, to be stablished, one must be anchored in the "preaching of Jesus Christ." This isn't just preaching about Him; it is the proclamation that He is the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan. In context, Paul is asserting that your stability is directly tied to your understanding of the Gospel he has just spent sixteen chapters explaining. If you are not grounded in the doctrine of Christ, you cannot be "stablished."

The Faith of Christ

The Faith of Christ

Did You Know… the phrase “the faith of Christ” appears in the KJV, but is missing in most modern translations?

It’s found in verses like Galatians 2:16, Philippians 3:9, and Romans 3:22. 

Here’s Galatians 2:16:

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…”

Notice—it doesn’t say “faith in Christ,” but “faith of Christ.” That’s a profound difference.

Modern versions often change it to “faith in Jesus Christ,” which shifts the focus to our belief. But the KJV preserves a deeper truth: we are justified by His faithfulness, not ours. It’s His perfect obedience, His trust in the Father, His finished work that secures our standing.

In this age of grace, salvation is not about our performance or even the strength of our faith—it’s about Christ’s faithfulness, received by grace through faith.

So when you read “the faith of Christ,” let it remind you: your assurance rests not in how tightly you hold on to Him, but in how perfectly He held fast to the Father—for you.

Understanding the Process of Salvation in Romans (Part 7 - Much more then, being now justified)

Start this lesson series here: 
Understanding the Process of Salvation in Romans (Part 1)

Understanding the Process of Salvation in Romans (Part 7 - Much more then, being now justified)

If you have been following this study, you should be well aware that we have been looking at justification, which is the first step of the broader term called salvation. Romans 5 is a transitional chapter that moves us out of Romans 1 to 4, concerning justification, and into Romans 6 to 8, which leads us into the beginning of sanctification. 

Word statistics in the KJV helps to confirm this fact because it is interesting to note that if you search for all spelling variants of justification, there are 29 entries scattered about in Paul's epistles. Out of those 29, 25 of them are in Romans and Galatians, and 4 additional entries in the rest of his epistles. In Romans there are 17 matches where 15 are in Romans chapters 1 to 5 and 2 in Romans 8. There are 8 in Galatians, because Paul's letter to them is to do with correcting their wayward understanding of salvation: see Gal.3:2-3. The point I'm making is that the believer is educated in the foundational understanding of justification in Romans, and then corrected in its practice in Galatians. So, barring these two books, Paul never teaches directly about justification again, because a believer, even by the end of Romans 5, should have settled on the truth of justification and moved past this serving of 'milk', into 'meatier' truths in the curriculum of Paul's doctrine.

As mentioned in the closing statements of part 6, I'd like to expound on something important in Paul's closing statements concerning justification. Let's first read the passage and then I want to provide some interesting insights in these verses,

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth [entrusts, commits] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  MUCH MORE then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be SAVED FROM WRATH through him.  (10)  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, MUCH MORE, being reconciled, we shall be SAVED BY HIS LIFE.  (11)  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Types of Death in the Bible

Types of Death in the Bible

When you read verses like the following, what does Paul mean when he says we must be dead to sin, or we have become dead to the law, or when sin revived, he died? This is obviously not physical death, otherwise Paul could not write the epistles in which we read these things. What death is he talking about, and what other types of death do we learn about in the Bible?

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 7:4  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 

Rom 7:9  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 

There are many types of death depicted in the Bible, not just physical death.

• there's physical death (we all know what this is!!)
• there is the eternal (the second) death which an unsaved man dies and go to the hell 
• there is spiritual death in which an unsaved man (while he lives) is alienated from the life of God
• there is positional death: a saved man’s union to the death of Christ; the moment you believe the gospel (ie: baptized into his death) 
• there is functional death: concerning something that doesn't operate or function the way it's supposed to: 

Can man's free will control or affect the eternal plan of God?

Can man's free will control or affect the eternal plan of God?

QUESTION:

Does our free will in this temporary earth have control over God’s eternal purpose or will?

ANSWER:

From God’s point of view, his eternal purpose is set. Nothing will ever be able to change the outcome of God’s plan because the Word says, “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name”, Ps 138:2, and, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”, Mat 24:35. Thus, God’s word is settled, and from its pages we know that at the end of God’s plan there is a new heaven and a new earth, and we know there is an eternal lake of fire. The plan ends with two final outcomes, salvation and restoration or wrath and destruction.