Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 30. 2Ti 2; Passages of the

Title: Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 30. 2Ti 2; Passages of the "gospel," and the "mystery."

 

 

JOH 17:17-18

"Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

 

2TI 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,

 

2TI 2:9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

 

2TI 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

 

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2TI 1:6 And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh [keep blazing] the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

 

2TI 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

 

2TI 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed [do not become ashamed] of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

 

2TI 1:9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

 

Paul's argument is that since God saved us and called us at a definite point of time, that should strengthen our faith in the continuance in the future of His gifts of power to us.

 

The call of God here is, of course, that effectual call into salvation in which the sinner called, willingly accepts the salvation God offers him. This calling guarantees the qualification, ability, and opportunity to live as one who is holy or sanctified. Yet neither salvation or holy living would be by man's works, but by God's grace - all that God freely gives to the believer. This policy of grace was decreed by God from all eternity as angelic and human history were planned.

 

2TI 1:10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

 

"holy calling" (vs. 9) is an election set apart from the world and the flesh. Not of our works but of His purpose and grace in Christ Jesus. This is now revealed: the mystery.

 

"Holy" is the Greek adjective hagios. Sanctify is the Greek verb hagiazo. "Saint" is the Greek noun hagios. These are all of the same word and so of the same position and experience. A saint is holy and sanctified. A saint has been made qualified to walk holy and sanctified in this life through the word of God and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

 

This position in Christ through the grace gifts that are in accordance with God's purpose was not existent in the OT but has now been revealed as verse 10 states. It has been revealed in the person of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He was the first to be and live in such a way and His way, truth, and life have now been graciously given to the Church, to every Church age believer. The NT calls this revelation the mystery.

 

"mystery" - musth,rion[musterion] = the content of that which had not been known before but is now revealed to the initiated. The initiated are those believers illumed by God the Holy Spirit.

 

The ancient world had many pagan religions with rites and ceremonies that were only known to the initiated in the cult, who took a vow of silence so as to not reveal the cult's secrets. Our English word has come to mean something unknown, but in the Bible, the word means a revelation that is only known to the initiated. The believer is initiated into the things previously unknown, which is the inheritance in Christ and the call in Christ, but the believer must be illumed by the Holy Spirit, by not grieving or quenching the Spirit (and recovering in grace when this occurs), for the revelation of the mystery to him personally.

 

ROM 16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,

 

ROM 16:26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;

 

ROM 16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

 

1CO 2:6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

 

1CO 2:7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

 

1CO 2:8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

 

1CO 2:9 but just as it is written,

"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him."

 

1CO 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

 

Compromising with the world system will mean no revelation of the given mystery.

 

This is why it is so important that we are sanctified from the world in the truth, for if we are not, we may attempt to reveal the mystery through words and lifestyle in a way that compromises with the system of the world and we will be terrible witnesses and the message, or good news, will remain unclear. It will be a muddled message with some right vocabulary and a lot of wrong power and motivation that denies the complete dependence upon God the Holy Spirit for its revelation and practice.

 

1CO 15:50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

 

1CO 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

 

1CO 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

 

EPH 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

 

EPH 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love

 

EPH 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

 

EPH 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

 

EPH 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,

 

EPH 1:8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight

 

EPH 1:9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him

 

EPH 1:10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him

 

EPH 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

 

EPH 1:12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

 

EPH 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation —  having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

 

EPH 1:14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

 

EPH 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — 

 

EPH 3:2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;

 

EPH 3:3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

 

EPH 3:4 And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

 

EPH 3:5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

 

EPH 3:6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

 

The Scofield Bible has a valuable note: "That the Gentiles were to be saved was no mystery (ROM 9:24-33; 10:19-21).

 

The mystery 'hid in God' was the divine purpose to make of Jew and Gentile a wholly new thing — 'the Church, which is His (Christ's) body,' formed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit (1CO 12:12,13) and in which the earthly distinction of Jew and Gentile disappears (EPH 2:14,15; COL 3:10,11).

 

The revelation of this mystery, which was foretold but not explained by Christ (Matt 16:18 "upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it."), was committed to Paul. In his writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the Church." [end quote]

 

Imagine what this message meant to the Gentiles. They were no longer excluded from the glory and riches of God's grace! During the Old Testament dispensation, a Gentile had to become a Jewish proselyte in order to share in the blessings of Israel. But in the new dispensation, Jews and Gentiles alike are saved by faith in Jesus Christ (ROM 10:12-13). No wonder the Jewish false teachers opposed Paul. He dared to say, "There is no difference!"

 

EPH 3:7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.

 

EPH 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

 

EPH 3:9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things;

 

EPH 3:10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

 

EPH 3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

 

EPH 3:12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

 

EPH 3:13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.