Eph. 3:3b …there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 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; 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, 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. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 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;
The word “mystery” in the New Testament is used 27 times, of which Paul pens 21 times. Its literal root word meaning is “to shut the mouth.” It carries the idea of something hidden now revealed, but it also carries the idea of being stunned, thus “shut the mouth” because the heart or the key to a thing has been disclosed. In other words “the whole secret to a thing” has been revealed. Paul uses the word mystery 3 times from verse 3-9, and refers to his insight into the “mystery of Christ.” Colossians 2:2 says that Christ Himself is God’s mystery. In Ephesians 3:9, Paul says that he was given the grace to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ. In verse 16–17 of that same chapter Paul says that he prays for us to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
You see, Christ, His indwelling presence, is the secret of God revealed to humanity’s redemption and restoration from the Fall. Jesus’ finished work on the Cross, and our union with Him which was accomplished at the Cross, is the great undoing of Satan’s evil plan to destroy those God’s created to carry His likeness and bear His image. We were recreated, born again, through the solution of Calvary. This manifold wisdom of God referred to in versus 10 is that Jesus took fallen humanity to the Cross and fallen humanity was crucified in Him. For those who put their faith in Jesus that reality becomes their experience. Now the person that they once were no longer exists, but now they are New Creations because they’re in union with Christ and the unfathomable riches of Jesus are theirs to live as the supernatural New Creations they’ve become. If you are a Christian then you are a supernatural being because you are in union with a supernatural person, and His unfathomable riches or yours to draw from day by day. You see, Colossians 1:27 refers to the “mystery” and says that the “glory,” or the best part of the mystery, is that Christ lives in us as our hope of glory. As human beings we were created for glory. At the Fall the enemy stole that destiny from mankind, but because of The Cross and the indwelling presence of God’s great mystery, which is Jesus Himself, we are once again restored to walk in glory through experiencing the unsearchable riches of Jesus lived out by His life in and through us. This is our redemption. This is our identity, and this is our pre-destiny being realized. This is our daily source of joy unspeakable, full of glory.