"For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
In today's quote, Paul again refers to the "mystery of God". In the third verse of the quote he identifies what that mystery is about. The mystery of God concerns the necessity and structure of the "Godhead" or the Holy Triune which is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The mystery of God is the method by which He planned for and provided eternal salvation to all the generations of mankind from the very beginning.
Through the first dispensation of time, God the Father dealt one on one with His chosen people either directly or through their own appointed representatives. During that dispensation God established a book of laws that we today commonly refer to as the law of Moses. Those laws provided that if the Hebrew people would, or could, obey them to perfection, they could achieve eternal salvation on their own. However, God knew that mankind would be unable to obey those laws and therefore created a master plan, or "operation" whereby all those who continued to worship and maintain absolute faith in Him would be provided a means of eternal redemption, even though they could not live their lives to perfection as required by the law.
In the second dispensation, by the grace of God the Father, Jesus was sent to deal directly with the people and to live a perfect sin free life in total obedience to the law wherethrough He became the only qualifier to be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of those who would place their faith in God through Him.
Jesus was subsequently sacrificed and died on a Roman cross, was entombed, rose again on the third day, as was prophesied, to rule over that spiritual death that God imposed upon all those who rejected Him from the beginning. By Jesus' overcoming of that spiritual death, the opportunity was given to all mankind to immerse themselves by faith into Him, therethrough also overcoming the spiritual death.
In the third dispensation, after Jesus had ascended back to the Father in heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to work for and with those who would put their faith in Jesus Christ to. That same Holy Spirit is with us today and seals the salvation of all those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.
The above dispensations make up the "operation of God". His identity in each of the above dispensations make up what is the Holy Triune or the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the name into which we are to immerse all converts; "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, immersion them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:".
This is an abbreviated version of the "mystery" of God, I hope, at least, it might inspire some to further study the bible in its entirety. ~
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