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.
Ephesians 3:4-6 (ESV)
God has a plan for His creation (Eph 1:11). A plan that He established before creation (Eph 3:11). He has been working out this plan in His own time. And He has made His plan known to us, but not all at once.
Different stages of the unveiling of God’s plan can be identified in the Scripture, including: to Abraham, to Moses and Israel, through the Old Testament prophets, and through Jesus and His apostles. Through all that, God’s plan has never changed. And there is never any contradiction from one stage of revelation to another. It’s more like the unveiling of a completed sculpture. As the curtain is slowly removed, we are able to see it more fully.
And nowhere that I know of is this idea of progressive revelation made more explicitly clear than in Ephesians 3:4-6. The mystery of Christ had been hinted at through the Old Testament prophets (1 Pet. 1:10-12). But it was only fully revealed by the Holy Spirit to the New Testament apostles and prophets.
What is this mystery that can be found in the pages of the Old Testament and revealed in the New? It is, at least in part, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ Jesus of the promises made to Abraham (Gal. 3:29). We are, Jews and Gentiles alike, members of the same body (Eph. 2:11-22). God does not have one plan for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. In Christ, we are one people.
