Saturday, April 6, 2019

Married to Christ (Part 7 of 7)

The Apostle Paul worked hard ... that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3 ESV)



Has my heart been "knit together in love?" Have I reached "all the riches of full assurance of understanding?" How about "the riches of full assurance of the knowledge of God's mystery?"

Paul and I are referring to my spiritual, Christian marriage to Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." He is the bridegroom. The church, His body, of which I am a part, is the bride. Together, the two have become one.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32)

In today's verses from Colossians 2, we have the word "mystery" again. In Part 1 of this "Married to Christ" series of posts, I quoted from Ephesians 5, which is often used as marriage seminar material. I attempted to show that earthly marriage was merely used as a metaphor for the "profound mystery," which was the real subject. This "profound mystery" is what Paul was emphasizing in this passage, not the earthly marriage.

I used to believe that the cliche "God moves in mysterious ways" applied whenever the word "mystery" was used in Scripture. I assume whatever was a mystery was unknown and couldn't be known. More often than not, I'd skip over it, or at least tread lightly thinking I was not going to be enlightened to what it really meant. I'd find out in the next life.

But, after quite a bit of study, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and sound teaching and reasoning from Scripture, I came to understand how the original Greek word translated as "mystery" applied to the profound thought Paul was communicating. It was not known or even hinted previously, but now it is revealed in its entirety. The hidden treasures of full assurance of the knowledge of God was being revealed, and I was missing it. Until now.

Unlike the genre of movies where certain knowledge is forbidden and remains shrouded, like a passing shadow, its usage here in Scripture describes something previously hidden but now fully revealed. This is special information that God has been saving up. Now He "desires all people to be saved and to come to the [full, accurate] knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4).

This mystery is unprecedented unity with God the Father and Christ, His Son, and through all of us sharing the same Holy Spirit.

That is why I say I am married to Christ, whose work, not my effort, made this all possible according to the will of the Father. Am I happily married? You bet!