A Secret Kept for Centuries

Scripture: He has kept this secret for centuries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plan are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory. Colossians 1:26-27

Observation: Paul - a man trained as the most knowledgeable Pharisee and thus is full possession of the knowledge of everything God has said in the law and prophets of the scriptures - declares that God all along had a secret he only hinted at for centuries. That secret is ... Christ, the Messiah, by which faith in him is the only hope of glory. He repeats this in v2:2, that "God's secret plan" is "Christ himself."

As a Pharisee, Paul knows God did not fully hide this secret. Rather, he revealed the nature of the secret over and over and over again, pointing to it through laws, rituals, blessings, promises, curses, and prophetic word. However, the advent of Messiah was withheld. That doesn't mean that faith and hope in Messiah didn't always exist, but that the full nature and message that came with Jesus wasn't completely revealed. There were things about the Christ that God clearly pronounced, and there were elements he absolutely kept secret.

Application: I wonder if there are elements of salvation that even today God is keeping secret. In no way to I believe he is withholding anything relevant to receiving salvation ... faith alone is clearly all we need, which should then drive our behavior and thoughts out of love and obedience to Jesus. But there are so many things we don't understand. Some are likely due to the limits of our understanding, but others are probably secrets withheld for a future time.

Paul shared with the church at Colossae this fact ... that Yahweh had a plan, declared that plan, but some details were secret. There are aspects of faith and the future God has shared with us - things like the 'rapture', or Jesus' return - that we think we know in general, but around which details are very, very unknown.

I hope such secrets are revealed soon, as this would likely indicate the next big change in God's plan for mankind. We could use that shift about now.

Prayer: Lord, your mysteries and secrets are marvelous and certainly born from your love for us. I look forward to learning more and more about you, and perhaps seeing a time when more of your secrets are revealed to us. Amen.