The mystery of The Christ is one of the most important revelations given to the Church, mainly because it involves not only how to be saved, but also how we are to live out our salvation.
In Ephesians 3:3 and 4, Paul writes about this mystery that was given to him by a revelation from God. As the steward of the dispensation of grace, God gave Paul instructions concerning how the household of grace is to live, Ephesians 3:2. These instructions are given in the revelation of this mystery. Paul writes concerning the mystery of the Christ so that we can understand what his insight is.
Since Paul is the steward of the dispensation of grace, the mystery of The Christ is a part of this period in time. It is something that was not revealed to any other generation. In Scripture, seven dispensations are revealed (Innocence, Conscience, Government, Promise, Law, Grace, Fullness of Times). In each of these dispensations, mankind is given instruction by God through a steward. The Church exists in the dispensation of grace and is therefore subject to the standards God gave concerning the Mystery of The Christ
Since we now have insight into what is the Mystery of The Christ it is no longer a mystery to those to whom it has been revealed. A mystery in Scripture is something that was hidden, but now God has made it known, Ephesians 3:5 (which was not made known in other generations to the sons of men, just as now it has been revealed through His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit).
The Mystery of the Christ has to do with the fact that anyone who believes the gospel for salvation is taken out of Adam and placed into The Christ; a new creation in which the old has passed away and all things have become new, 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Christ is the head of this new creation and the Church is the body, Ephesians 1: 22, 23).
In 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 Paul clearly states what a person believes to be saved. “For I delivered unto you that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”. This gospel is not a message that will bring shame because it contains the inherit ability of God to save all who believe, Romans 1:16.
Some translation do no include “The Christ”; however, it is in the original Greek manuscripts
Through this gospel the righteousness of God is revealed out from faith and into faith. “Out from” refers to the Jews coming out of one faith and into another. “Into” refers to the Gentiles, who had no faith, coming into a faith.
Faith is always based upon a promise. It is in fact taking God at His word (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 8:24-25). The Jews have a promise of land, health, wealth, and happiness. Those who are saved today go out from that faith into a new faith – a new covenant built upon better promises, Hebrews 8:6. Gentiles who had no hope for they were without a promise from God and therefore could not have faith, are now included in the promise that God has given the Church.
This is the only message that has the inherent ability to save. There are a lot of false gospels being spoken today within the Churches. Many of them have to do with asking God for forgiveness of sins to be saved, making Jesus the Lord of your life, accepting Jesus into your heart, or having a relationship with Jesus. Along with these false gospels are very influential individual who claim to be Christians that are standing before large crowds basically saying that if you want a successful life you have to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. They write quotes from Scripture on their bodies, pray in public, do good public deeds, and speak to inspire people about Jesus, but when it comes to their testimonies, because they are basing their salvation on a different gospel (one which isn’t really a gospel, 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6) they are not saved, nor will anyone who is listening to them be saved by the message they bring. No matter how “nice” or “godly” they may seem to appear, living a life that expresses your faith in God is not done by a quote, but by actions. Peter writes concerning expressing your faith in 1 Peter 3:15, not by wearing shirts with Christian quotes, crosses, tattoos, or writing scripture quotes on your body for the world to see, he says “… always ready to make a defense to anyone who asks concerning the hope that you have…”. In the context of 1 Peter you are asked because of your lifestyle, not your quotes.
In the Christ neither Jew nor Gentile are under the Mosaic Law. This include any portion of the Mosaic Law. Throughout Scripture God is very clear that anyone living by the Law lives by the entire law (all 613 commandments) or dies by the Law, Galatians 3:12. Since we are not under the Mosaic Law we are able to bring forth fruit unto God. This fruit is a result of living a life lead by the Spirit and using the fruit from the Spirit (The fruit is the character of Christ. When producing the fruit we are living out a quality of His life.).
