Understanding the un-understandable

* Contents of the mystery

- Usage of the word in the Bible: The word mystery is used in the Bible 25 times. Daniel uses 6 times, the rest in the New Testament Scriptures (the Apostle John uses 4 times in Revelation, all the rest used by Paul in Romans, 1Co, Ephesians, and Colossians). 

- Meaning:

something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.

Ex. "the mysteries of outer space" (google definition)

- Contents: as used by the Apostle Paul, the mystery of God is Jesus Christ.

* Fruit the mystery

- Spring Fountain of the True Godliness: Jesus Christ is the source from which true godliness springs (into the lives of the members of the church, namely believer.)

- Operation: In 1 Timothy 3:14-16 the Apostle Paul explains the unexplainable stating Jesus (who is God himself) became flesh vindicated (or justified) in the Spirit, seen by the angels, preached onto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and rose again/received/taken up in glory.

 Matthew Henry's commentary says it well: 

The church is the house of God; he dwells there. The church holds forth the Scripture and the doctrine of Christ, as a pillar holds forth a proclamation. When a church ceases to be the pillar and ground of truth, we may and ought to forsake her; for our regard to truth should be first and greatest. The mystery of godliness is Christ. He is God, who was made flesh, and was manifest in the flesh. God was pleased to manifest himself to man, by his own Son taking the nature of man. Though reproached as a sinner, and put to death as a malefactor, Christ was raised again by the Spirit, and so was justified from all the false charges with which he was loaded. Angels ministered to him, for he is the Lord of angels. The Gentiles welcomed the gospel which the Jews rejected. Let us remember that God was manifest in the flesh, to take away our sins, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These doctrines must be shown forth by the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

- Oneness: the net effect of the work of the mystery is (as Paul states) to form one new creation out of two (that is Jews and Gentiles). 

- All in all: The outcome/end purpose of the operation through the mystery is that the God the Father be all in all (creations, man, animals, nature). 

- Present operation: as Jesus said before his suffering, that is, "from now on you (the high priest sitting in the bench) will see me seated at the right hand of the mighty God and come on the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62), presently Jesus who is the head of the church works to fulfill the will of God, that is, to save all through the gospel of Jesus, the mystery of God.