Is God’s Will Shrouded In Mystery?
Why is the Bible sometimes so hard to understand? We may read something like, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38) and depending on where you go to church the pastor, reverend, or priest may tell you that it means different things. Some will say that you receive the Holy Spirit before baptism and some will say after. Some will say that you get baptized because you already have the forgiveness of sins and others will say that you get baptized to get the forgiveness. Which is it?
Often times, you will hear folks say things like, “God’s will is shrouded in mystery. Who can know the mind of God? You just need to find out what the Bible says for you.” Is this valid? Is God’s will relative and subjective? Is there a right way and a wrong way of following Jesus? If so, who can be saved?!
Doesn’t the Bible Talk About the Mysteries of God?
You may have been taught or haven even noticed in reading the Bible that there are mysteries written throughout the New Testament. The words “mystery” or “mysteries” is found in the New Testament about 27 times, but here’s the kicker: every time it’s used the reader knows what the mystery is! If you look at all of these passages, you’ll notice that every one of these mysteries is about God’s will and every passage is about making that mystery known! Ephesians 3:4-6 is a good example:
“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
It won’t be long before you notice a trend when studying the “mysteries of God.” The revealed mystery is basically that from the very beginning of time, God planned for Jesus to die on the cross so that all people (Jews and Gentiles) can be saved. This is no mystery to us, but for the Jews of the first century this was a shock. They had believed that God would always be united with the Jews only, but are surprised when they hear God had planned all people to be saved all along.
What about “Who Can Know The Mind of God?
No, I haven’t forgotten about Romans 11:34 and 1 Corinthians 2:16, but for these passages I would ask those who single out these verses to please read the context. The context of Romans 11 is talking about (surprise!) the Gentiles being included in God’s salvation. 1 Corinthians 2:16, however, is different. The context of verses 11-16 shows us that is impossible for a natural man to know God’s will, but for those who have the Spirit of God these things can be known. Because a Christian has the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, they can understand the Lord’s thoughts. This is not a miraculous process of divine telepathy. It is by reading the Words that God gave the apostles and prophets who wrote the Bible.
The Secret’s Out
For a Christian who has interpreted the scriptures the way God planned for them to be interpreted, there are no mysteries in God’s will. Since before creation, God planned for Jesus to come to earth and die on the cross for our sins (Ephesians 1:4). In order to make it to heaven we must take the narrow road (Matthew 7:13) and the majority of people will not find it (Matthew 7:14). There will be many sincere and devout religious people who will not find this road (Matthew 7:21) all because they didn’t really love Jesus (John 14:15). But there is hope for the Christian (1 Peter 1:3).
In order for you to become a faithful Christian who has the guarantee of heaven you must:
1. Hear the Gospel (Romans 10:17) “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
2. Believe the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6) “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (See also Romans 1:16; John 3:16)
3. Repent of Your Sins (Luke 13:3) “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (See also Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; 2 Peter 3:9)
4. Confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9) “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (2 John 1:7; 1 John 4:3)
5. Be Baptized (Acts 22:16) “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (See also Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21; John 3:3-5; Matthew 28:19; Colossians 2:12-13)
6. Obey God (Hebrews 5:9) “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” (John 14:15; 2 John 1:6; Luke 6:42; Matthew 7:21; James 2:24-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8)
God’s will is no secret. It’s not shrouded in mystery nor is it hard to understand. When you think things have to be more complicated than they are remember 1 Timothy 2:4: “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” You can know the truth. Please consider obeying the gospel, God wants you to be saved and loved you enough to die on the cross for you. I love you too and hope you’ll make the right choice.
Yours in Christ,
Zack