Devotion #6: The Great Reveal
As we conclude our study of the book of Romans, Paul gives a picture of the Gospel to his readers. In Romans 16:25-27, he says, “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith - to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” He refers to the Gospel as a “mystery that was kept secret for long ages,” but now “has been made known to all nations.” Jon Courson, in his commentary, sheds some light on this usage of the word “mystery” in saying that it is not something that cannot be figured out, but instead, something that at one time was hidden.
If you have spent much time in the metro Detroit or Flint area, you have probably seen vehicles driving around with parts of them covered up with what looks like huge black and white camouflage stickers. Sometimes, it makes them look like zebras with a black-and-white pattern. I remember asking my dad about this at a young age, and he told me that these were new vehicles out for testing. The stickers made it so that cameras could not capture the actual shape of the new model vehicle before it was to be revealed.
As I think back to that, I see similarities to this mystery that Paul refers to in his conclusion to Romans. Like the designers who created the new model vehicle but are not ready to reveal it yet, so God foreknew the coming of Christ and the revelation of the Gospel through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Paul first refers to this mystery of the Gospel in Romans 11:25, “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” This mystery is that you and I (assuming we are not Jewish) now have an opportunity to be saved through faith in Christ as Gentiles. In Christ, we are grafted into salvation as part of God’s glorious redemption plan. All along, God knew what He was doing. He is not only the designer of His plan, but also the sustainer. As Paul concludes, he reminds his readers once again of God’s foresight and blueprint all along. Nothing we do is outside of God’s sight, and nothing can separate us from Him!