The Mystery of God's Hidden and Revealed Nature
The concept of God's hidden and revealed nature is central to biblical understanding, often expressed through the term "mystery." A mystery, in this context, refers to something previously hidden but now disclosed [1, 9]. The Bible uses various terms that convey this idea, such as "secret" (Chorazin, Pelaiah, Zephaniah) [3, 5, 7] and "hidden" (Apocrypha, Habaiah) [4, 8].
The Apostle Paul frequently speaks of a "mystery" that was hidden for ages and generations but has now been revealed to God's saints [1]. John Gill interprets this "mystery" as the Gospel itself, containing truths that, though revealed, remain profound and beyond the full comprehension of the natural person [9]. This divine wisdom, though often appearing as folly to human understanding, is the sole product of God's wisdom [13].
One of the greatest mysteries of godliness is the incarnation of Christ: "God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory" [2]. This event, the union of divine and human natures in Christ, is a profound mystery that encourages both internal and external piety [14]. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary emphasizes that the dignity of Christ's person, being essentially superhuman, is central to this mystery [10].
While God reveals much about Himself, there remains an aspect of His nature that is concealed. As Proverbs 25:2 states, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; and the glory of the king to search out a matter." This suggests that God deliberately places mysteries before humanity, causing them to recognize the limits of their knowledge and acknowledge that "secret things belong to the Lord our God" [15]. John Gill notes that God's deep purposes, such as election, redemption, and calling, are hidden in His heart and would remain unknown unless He chose to reveal them [11, 12]. Humanity cannot fully discover God through searching; while creation points to a Creator, the full nature and perfections of God are beyond human comprehension [16].
Revelation, therefore, is an "uncovering" or "bringing to light" of what was previously hidden or only dimly perceived [6]. God has supernaturally revealed Himself and His purposes at various times, and these revelations have been committed to writing in the Scriptures, which are considered the revelation itself in written form [6].
Sources
- Colossians “Colossians 1:26 (BSB) — the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints.”
- I Timothy “I Timothy 3:16 (Geneva1599) — And without controuersie, great is the mysterie of godlinesse, which is, God is manifested in the flesh, iustified in the Spirit, seene of Angels, preached vnto the Gentiles, beleeued on in the world, and receiued vp in glorie.”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Chorazin — the secret; here is a mystery”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Apocrypha — hidden”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Zephaniah — the Lord is my secret”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Revelation — An uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF [532]GOD.) The Scriptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to the accurate presevation and propagation of the truth. Revelation and inspiration differ. Rev”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Pelaiah — the Lord's secret or miracle”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Habaiah — the hiding of the Lord”
- Colossians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Colossians 1:26: Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations,.... This is said, as explanative of the word of God; signifying that he did not mean the Scriptures in general, which are the word of God, and every part of them; some part of which is historical, another prophetical, another practical, and another doctrinal; nor the law, which also is the word of God, but the Gospel, called "the mystery", as it often is; because it contains things, which, though revealed, are mysteries to a natural man; and even to enlightened persons, who have the clearest view of t”
- 1 Timothy (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Timothy 3:16: And--following up Ti1 3:15 : The pillar of the truth is the Church in which thou art required to minister; "AND (that thou mayest know how grand is that truth which the Church so upholds) confessedly (so the Greek for 'without controversy') great is the mystery of godliness: (namely), HE WHO (so the oldest manuscripts and versions read for 'God') was manifested in (the) flesh (He who) was justified in the Spirit," &c. There is set before us the whole dignity of Christ's person. If He were not essentially superhuman (Tit 2:13), how could the apostle ”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 25:14: The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him,.... The secret of his purposes with them; as his purpose according to election; his resolution to redeem his chosen ones by his Son; his design to call them by his grace; his predestination of them to the adoption of children, and eternal life; which are the deep things of God the Spirit of God reveals; and all which are made manifest to them in effectual calling; and the secret of his providences is with them; some are made known to them that fear the Lord before they come to pass; as the destruction of Sodom and Go”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 12:21: He discovereth deep things out of darkness,.... The deep things of God, his own deep things which lie in his heart, wrapped up in darkness impenetrable to creatures, and which could never be known unless he had discovered them; such as the thoughts of his heart, which are very deep, Psa 92:5; the deep things of God, which the Spirit of God only knows, searches, and reveals, Co1 2:10; even his thoughts of peace, and good things for his people, which are many and precious, are known to himself, and made known to them, or otherwise must have remained in darkness, and out o”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 2:6: But we speak the wisdom of God,.... Not of men, not of the wise politicians, the learned philosophers and Rabbins; that which human wisdom has no hand in forming, nor in revealing, nor in propagating, and which is disliked and disapproved of by it: the Gospel is the sole produce of divine wisdom, and in which there is a glorious display of it; even in those doctrines which are the most charged with folly, as salvation by a crucified Christ, justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, satisfaction by his sacrifice, &c. in a mystery; it is mysteriou”
- 1 Timothy (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Timothy 3:16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness,.... What follows is so, the incarnation of Christ, his birth of a virgin, the union of the two natures, divine and human, in his person; this is a mystery, which though revealed, and so to be believed, is not to be discerned nor accounted for, nor the modus of it to be comprehended by reason: and it is a great one, next, if not equal, to the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the divine essence; and is a mystery of godliness, which tends to encourage internal and external religion, powerful and practical g”
- Proverbs (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 25:2: It is characteristic of the purpose of the book that it begins with proverbs of the king: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; And the glory of the king to search out a matter. That which is the glory of God and the glory of the king in itself, and that by which they acquire glory, stand here contrasted. The glory of God consists in this, to conceal a matter, i.e., to place before men mystery upon mystery, in which they become conscious of the limitation and insufficiency of their knowledge, so that they are constrained to acknowledge, Deu 29:28, that "”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 11:7: Canst thou by searching find out God?.... God is not to be found out by human search; that there is a God may be found out by inquiring into the book of nature, by considering the creatures that are made, who all proclaim some first cause or maker of them, who is God; but then it cannot be found out what God is, his nature, being, and perfections: an Heathen philosopher (i), being asked by a certain king what God was, required a day to give in his answer; when that was up he desired a second, and still went on asking more; and being demanded the reason of his dilatorines”