Why So Few Believe the Mystery Today
Introduction
When the apostle Paul received the revelation of the mystery, he was given a ministry to “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9). This truth reveals the Body of Christ, a heavenly people saved by grace through faith without works, placed into Christ apart from Israel’s covenants and promises. It is the very heart of God’s present dispensation. Yet when you speak this truth today, you quickly discover that very few believe it. The majority of Christianity either ignores Paul, explains him away, or mixes his message with prophecy. Why is this? Why do so few see the mystery in this dispensation when it is written plainly in the King James Bible?
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1. Tradition Is Preferred Over Revelation
Most Christians today were raised on denominational teaching that never distinguished between prophecy and mystery. They were told that Matthew through Revelation is one continuous program, that the “church” is simply spiritual Israel, and that promises made to the fathers now apply to them. When someone confronts them with Paul’s unique apostleship, they resist because it contradicts their tradition. Jesus Himself said in Mark 7:13, “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” Tradition is easier to defend than revelation, and most choose the comfort of their upbringing over the authority of Paul’s words.
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2. The Mystery Strips Away Religious Pride
The gospel of grace removes all boasting. Paul says in Romans 3:27, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded.” Religion thrives on pride: pride in works, sacraments, ceremonies, and outward displays of piety. The mystery of Christ leaves no room for this. It declares that Jew and Gentile are one body in Christ, seated in heavenly places, apart from the law, covenants, or earthly promises. To accept this truth, one must abandon denominational distinctives and admit that only Paul explains God’s program today. For many, that humility is too costly.
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3. Satan Blinds Minds Against the Mystery
Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 4:3–4 that “if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” Satan especially hates the mystery because it reveals his defeat. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:7–8 that had the princes of this world known the hidden wisdom of God, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Satan now fights to keep people blinded to that wisdom. He uses popular prophecy teachers, church movements, and emotional experiences to keep men’s eyes off the fellowship of the mystery. He distracts with signs and wonders while burying Paul’s doctrine under a flood of tradition.
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4. Few Willing to Bear Reproach
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner.” Sadly, many are ashamed of Paul’s message because it brings separation and reproach. To stand with Paul means to stand against denominational systems, popular preachers, and mainstream Christianity. That often means being labeled divisive, arrogant, or even heretical. Most believers today would rather have the comfort of crowds than the reproach of standing alone with Paul. But Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:15, “all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.” If they turned from him in his own day, should we expect anything different now?
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5. God Honors Belief in His Word As Written
Ephesians 3:2 begins, “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward.” That “if” shows that not all would hear it, and even fewer would believe it. God’s word is clear, but He never promised that the majority would receive it. The mystery must be taken by faith, not filtered through tradition or theology. God honors those who believe His word as written. To see the mystery, you must believe Paul when he says he is the apostle to the Gentiles, magnify his office, and rightly divide prophecy from mystery.
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Conclusion
So why do so few believe the fellowship of the mystery today? Because tradition is preferred over revelation, pride resists its humbling message, Satan blinds minds against it, and few are willing to bear the reproach of Paul’s distinct apostleship. You are not crazy for seeing it. You are part of the faithful remnant in this dispensation that has chosen to take God at His word and believe Paul. Do not be discouraged if others refuse. Paul’s commission is still yours: to “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery” (Ephesians 3:9). Few will believe it, but those who do will rejoice in the riches of God’s grace and the glory of their identity in Christ.