Does Ephesians 3:5 say the mystery was made known or not made known to the sons of men?
Ephesians 3:5 says the mystery was not made known to the sons of men before it was revealed. The passage does not say it was made known; it says these things were not made known until God revealed them. God keeps the secret until ready, then expects mankind to believe it.
Les teaches that Ephesians 3:5 is enough to blow your mind if you read it carefully. It does not say the mystery “was made known”; it says these things “were not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed.” This introduces the concept of the secret God keeps until He is ready to reveal it, and when He reveals it, He expects mankind to believe it. Les also connects this to verse 8, where grace was given to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, which are beyond human comprehension, and verse 9, where the mystery—this body of truth—was hidden from the beginning of the world in the mind of God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. The same God of Ephesians 3 is the God of Genesis 1.
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
When was the mystery of Christ revealed according to Ephesians 3:5?
According to Ephesians 3:5, the mystery of Christ was not made known in other ages unto the sons of men, but it is now revealed to the holy apostles and prophets. This revelation came by revelation to Paul, not through seminary or theologians, and he wrote it for Gentiles.
Was the mystery of Christ known to people in earlier generations?
No. The mystery of Christ was not known in earlier generations. The context says it was not made known to the sons of men in other ages, and that this secret had been hidden in God from the beginning of the world, from Adam. It was veiled and covered up until revealed.
More Questions
What does the Bible mean when it says God kept a mystery secret until He revealed it?
God keeps a secret (mystery) hidden until He is ready to reveal it, and once He reveals it He expects mankind to believe it.
Was the mystery that Paul reveals in Ephesians 3 made known in the Old Testament?
The mystery of Christ that Paul reveals was not made known in other past generations, which reaches all the way back to the Old Testament, and Paul repeats it to make double sure we understand that it was never made known before.