By Rev Dr Isiah Dhliwayo
Christian life is centered in the mystery of the incarnation of Christ, the union of God and man. However, the redemption of man is not considered to have taken place only in the past, but continues to this day through theosis-:”Just as we have born the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49).
Christians today further carry on the expectation that the great Christ-mystery entails a cataclysmic series of events in which God will return to earth to redeem his people and raise the fallen to life just as Christ was raised (1 Cor 15:51; cf. Eph 1:10).
Foes and friends alike confess that the mystery of godliness is great: it is no rippling rill of dogma, but a broad ocean of thought, no molehill of discovery, but an Alp of revelation, no single beam of light but a sun shining at its strength.
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” — 1 Timothy 3:16.
The unknown is often scary.
It is normal to fear what we do not know.
Sometimes that fear stops us from exploring.
And keeps us from enjoying the treasures of life.
For Christians, Christ is the great mystery. Human in every way, he is at the same time God come among us. To know Jesus is to know God.
In the Catholic church, the Latin term is mysterium fidei, “mystery of faith”, defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997) to mean a mystery hidden in God, which can never be known unless revealed by God
The Sacraments, or Sacred Mysteries are the most important means by which the faithful may obtain union with God, provided they are received with faith after appropriate preparation.
Accordingly, Kallistos Ware stated in The Orthodox Way:
A mystery is ..” revealed for our understanding, but which we never understand exhaustively because it leads into the depth or the darkness of God. The eyes are closed – but they are also opened”
Life is an unanswered question, a suspended chord; to be lived, not solved; experienced, not mastered.
Intriguingly, the only mystery yet to be reveled is the one pertaining to Christ and His church, what Paul designated as the “great mystery” in Ephesians 5.
Our Lord’s manhood was no phantasm, no myth, no mere appearance in human shape: beyond all doubt “the Word, was made flesh, and dwelt among us”
“Reason teaches us that he who made us, who is our preserver, and at whose word we are so soon to return to the dust, should be the first object of our thoughts.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 13)
Even while on earth, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God in secrecy and mystery (Gk. μυστήριον, Mark 4:11 [= Matt 13:11; Luke 8:10]). After all, it is Christ himself who is, who embodies, the great unveiling of Israel’s god to humankind (Col 2:2). For in him, both God’s plans and God’s person are made manifest.
God’s wisdom and ways are always far beyond ours. Very often in life, God will call us to walk an unknown and mysterious path. Life does not always make perfect sense from a purely rational perspective. Very often, we must allow our human reason to be informed and led by God’s supernatural plan.
©July 2024
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