Ephesians 3:5

The mystery was unknown before God revealed it to the New Testament apostles and prophets. Prophets may be a more specific description of apostles here (cf. Ephesians 2:20). That means God did not reveal the church in the Old Testament. Specifically what is the mystery in view here?

Traditional dispensationalists, as distinguished from "progressive dispensationalists" and covenant theologians, have understood the mystery to be the church, the body of Christ. [Note: E.g., Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism, pp. 133-34; Gary W. Derickson, "The New Testament Church as a Mystery," Bibliotheca Sacra 166:664 (October-December 2009):436-45.] By "traditional dispensationalists" I am referring to normative dispensationalists, which some "progressive dispensationalists" have subdivided into "classical" and "revised" dispensationalists.

"Paul then, is explaining, not limiting the mystery there set forth [by his reference to the equality of Jews and Gentiles]. The concept must stand that this whole age with its program was not revealed in the Old Testament, but constitutes a new program and a new line of revelation in this present age." [Note: J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, p. 137. See also Charles C. Ryrie, "The Mystery in Ephesians 3," Bibliotheca Sacra 123:489 (January-March 1966):25.]

"At least four defining characteristics of the church are described as a mystery. (1) The body concept of Jewish and Gentile believers united into one body is designated as a mystery in Ephesians 3:1-12. (2) The doctrine of Christ indwelling every believer, the Christ-in-you concept, is called a mystery in Colossians 1:24-27 (cf. Colossians 2:10-19; Colossians 3:4; Colossians 3:11). (3) The church as the Bride of Christ is called a mystery in Ephesians 5:22-32. (4) The Rapture is called a mystery in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. These four mysteries describe qualities that distinguish the church from Israel." [Note: Fruchtenbaum, pp. 117-18.]

Amillennialists, covenant premillennialists, and progressive dispensationalists say that the mystery is not the church itself but the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the church. [Note: E.g., Morris, pp. 87-89, 93.]

"The mystery referred to in the ’dispensation of the mystery’ (Ephesians 3:9) is the relationship of Jews and Gentiles to Christ and to one another. This relationship is the distinguishing characteristic of the church." [Note: Craig A. Blaising, "Dispensations in Biblical Theology," in Progressive Dispensationalism, p. 121.]

"The mystery of Ephesians 3:6 may thus be summed up as the coequal participation of the Gentiles with Israel in the full messianic salvation that is realized in the crucified and risen Christ and made effective to both through the apostolic proclamation of the gospel. This truth of the unity of Gentiles and Israel in the church, which has already been introduced in connection with the ’mystery of his will’ (Ephesians 1:9-14, esp. Ephesians 3:12-13) and elaborated in Ephesians 2:11-22, stands behind all of the teachings of the epistle as the central theme." [Note: Robert L. Saucy, "The Church as the Mystery of God," in Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church, pp. 136-37.]

These two groups of interpreters view the church differently. Traditional dispensationalists understand the church to be an intercalation or parenthesis in God’s kingdom program. Some of them refer to the church as the mystery form of the kingdom. They see the church as a hiatus in God’s dealings with Israel on the earth. Consequently the church is a new entity, not simply the continuation of the Old Testament theocracy. [Note: See Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today, pp. 133-34; idem, Dispensationalism, pp. 124-25; John F. Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom, pp. 232-37; and James M. Stifler, The Epistle to the Romans, p. 254.]

Amillennialists, covenant premillennialists, and progressive dispensationalists view the nature of the church differently. They believe the church is a progressive stage in the historical unfolding of God’s kingdom program on earth. It is from this progressive unfolding of the dispensations or economies in God’s earthly kingdom program that the term "progressive dispensationalism" comes. [Note: See Craig A. Blaising, "The Extent and Varieties of Dispensationalism," in Progressive Dispensationalism, p. 49.] They stress the continuity between the past, present, and future rules of God over the earth. Non-dispensationalists typically refer to the church as the "new Israel." This view stresses the discontinuity between Israel and the church in the past and in the future.

Was the mystery revealed in any sense in the Old Testament, or was this revelation something entirely new in Paul’s day? Traditional dispensationalists respond that neither the church as a distinct entity nor the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the church was previously revealed. They appeal to the meaning of "mystery" for support. "Mystery" (Gr. mysterion) in the New Testament refers to "’a truth which was once hidden but now is revealed,’ ’a truth which without special revelation would have been unknown.’" [Note: J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 166.] "As" (Ephesians 3:5) does not mean that God had revealed it previously but now revealed it more fully in Paul’s day, as the context (Ephesians 3:9; cf. Ephesians 2:16) and Colossians 1:26 make clear. God had not revealed anything about the church in the Old Testament.

Amillennialists, covenant premillennialists, and progressive dispensationalists say yes and no. The church was revealed in the Old Testament, not by that name but as a future stage in the earthly kingdom of God. Nevertheless the equality of Gentiles and Jews in one body (Ephesians 2:15-16) was new revelation.

". . . it [the mystery] was new and unknown in a relative sense only, being in its essentials an important theme of prophecy from the time of Abraham . . ." [Note: Oswald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church, p. 97. See W. Harold Mare, "Paul’s Mystery in Ephesians 3," Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 8:2 (Spring 1965):83.]

". . . a ’mystery’ need not even have been unknown or unappreciated previously, except perhaps relatively so . . ." [Note: J. Barton Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ, p. 126. See J. Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 2:448-49.]

"A mystery may be hidden in the sense that its truth has not yet been realized." [Note: Robert L. Saucy, The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism, p. 150. See his ch. 6, "The Church and the Revelation of the Mysteries," for a fuller explanation of the progressive dispensational interpretation of the mysteries.]

The correct interpretation depends on a proper identification of the mystery and an accurate understanding of the nature of the church.

The question of whether or not the Davidic (messianic) kingdom has already begun relates to the answer. Traditional dispensationalists say that it has not since the Davidic kingdom is an earthly kingdom and therefore Christ will only begin to reign over it when He returns to earth. Amillennialists, covenant premillennialists, and progressive dispensationalists say that the messianic kingdom has begun since Christ is now enthroned in heaven.

These groups, however, interpret the nature of the messianic kingdom differently. Some amillennialists say the messianic kingdom is Christ’s heavenly rule. Others say that it will be His earthly rule in the new heavens and earth. Covenant premillennialists and progressive dispensationalists say that the messianic kingdom is a two-stage rule. Christ now rules from heaven through the church, and in the future He will return and reign on earth. Thus there is an "already" aspect, and there is also a "not yet" aspect to the messianic kingdom.

If the Davidic kingdom is an exclusively earthly reign of Messiah, then it seems that the church is not just a segment of this kingdom. Messiah would need to be present to reign over this kingdom. Unquestionably He exercises universal sovereignty presently, but this seems to be different from His reign as David’s heir over David’s earthly kingdom. The church enters into many blessings because of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, not because He rules as the Davidic king from heaven now. Some of these blessings are identical to what believers will enjoy when Christ returns to reign on the earth. This should not lead us to conclude, however, that the church is the first stage of Christ’s messianic kingdom.

I believe that the mystery in view here is the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the church (Ephesians 3:6). [Note: Cf. Hoehner, Ephesians, pp. 432, 501.] But this is only one mystery concerning the church that the New Testament reveals. Taken together all these mysteries present the church as a distinct entity in God’s plan and not just one aspect of the messianic kingdom. Neither the church nor the present equal relationship of Jews and Gentiles was revealed in the Old Testament, though Gentile blessing was. God had revealed His purpose to bless Gentiles along with Jews from Genesis 12:3 onward (cf. Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 61:5-6).

Note that Paul said God revealed the mystery to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. He did not just reveal the church to Paul. Ultradispensationalists claim that the church could not have begun before Paul appeared on the scene since he was the apostle through whom revelation concerning this mystery came. [Note: Cornelius R. Stam, Acts Dispensationally Considered, 2:17-19. For a brief discussion of ultradispensationalism, see Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today, pp. 192-205; or idem, Dispensationalism, pp. 197-207.]