Why Pastors Hide the Mystery
Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:9, “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” The fellowship of the mystery is the very truth God revealed to Paul, the Body of Christ, salvation by grace through faith alone, and our complete position in Christ apart from Israel’s law, covenants, or kingdom promises. Yet in pulpits across the world this truth is rarely heard, let alone preached with clarity. The question naturally arises, why do pastors and teachers hide this mystery from their congregations? The answer falls into two main categories. Some do it ignorantly, while others do it willfully.
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Some Pastors Hide the Mystery Ignorantly
The sad reality is that many pastors simply do not know what the fellowship of the mystery is. Their training comes from seminaries or denominational systems that focus heavily on the gospels, the Old Testament, or Acts 2 as the beginning of the “church.” They have never been taught to rightly divide prophecy from mystery or Israel from the Body of Christ. As a result, they preach Israel’s kingdom gospel as if it were the gospel of grace.
Paul foresaw this type of ignorance. In 1 Timothy 1:7 he wrote, “Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” Many pastors quote verses about enduring to the end, keeping commandments, or walking in the light from John’s epistles, completely missing that those letters are directed to Israel’s prophetic remnant, not to us today. Because they do not understand Paul’s distinct apostleship, they cannot make others see it either. Their ignorance blinds entire congregations to the truth that salvation today is complete and immediate by believing the gospel of Christ’s finished work (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
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Some Pastors Hide the Mystery Willfully
Others, however, know about Paul’s distinct message but choose not to preach it. Why? Because to do so would mean dismantling their denominational traditions and financial systems. If they taught that tithing, water baptism, or priestly confession had no place in the Body of Christ, it would upend the very structure that supports their ministries. For them, tradition and financial stability outweigh the truth of Scripture.
Paul encountered the same problem in his day. In Galatians 2:4–5 he warned about “false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour.” He also described some as those “whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake” (Titus 1:11). Sadly, there are pastors today who knowingly avoid Paul’s mystery message because it threatens their position, influence, and income. They prefer the safety of tradition to the cost of truth.
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The Consequence of Silence
Whether hidden in ignorance or withheld willfully, the result is the same. Believers remain blind to the truth of their complete identity in Christ. Instead of resting in unconditional forgiveness and present salvation, congregations are placed back under Israel’s prophetic program. They are told to claim promises that were never given to them, to practice ordinances that do not apply to them, and to endure under conditions that were never theirs to bear.
The consequence is confusion and instability. Paul described this danger in Ephesians 4:14, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” When the mystery is hidden, saints remain spiritual children, never grounded, and always vulnerable to denominational errors.
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The Final Rebuke
So yes, many pastors hide the fellowship of the mystery. Some do it because they do not know any better. Others do it because they fear losing control, position, or money. But in both cases, the outcome is tragic. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:3, “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” To hide the mystery is to hinder souls from being established in God’s truth for today. It robs Christ of His glory as Head of the Body and it robs believers of the assurance, identity, and peace that comes from understanding the dispensation of grace.
God gave Paul a stewardship, a dispensation, to reveal this truth. And if pastors refuse to preach it, they are not just failing their congregations, they are failing the Lord Himself. The fellowship of the mystery is not an optional doctrine, it is God’s message for this present age. Silence is disobedience.
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Conclusion:
The fellowship of the mystery remains hidden in many pulpits today, either through ignorance or through willful suppression. But God has made it clear that our responsibility is to proclaim it. As Paul wrote in Colossians 1:25–26, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”