Unsearchable...just what does that MEAN?

[Christine]

"Unsearchable" can be "so deep that it can't be understood completely."

"....fleshly people have a block on spiritual understanding. That could allow God to hide things in the OT -- and we could see their truth even when others couldn't."
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We are confusing revelation with illumination.

The Holy Bible testifies that it may be understood; so does God ("....whoso readeth, let him understand..."- Mt. 24:15 and hundreds of others). The Holy Bible is not some "dark, mysterious, spooky, shadowy thing." The LORD God wrote it so it could be understood-hence REVELATION. Illumination is concerned with understanding that which has been revealed already. And we must not confuse, or equate, "understandable" and "not fully understood", and certainly not with revelation.


"Hid" means "Held in silence"-not revealed previously in the OT-hence, hid in God. If it was held in absolute silence, it could not be referring to the OT. It means absolutely silent-NOT REVEALED. Compare other usages of the very same word: Luke 9:36 20:26 /Acts 12:17 15:12,13 21:40 /Romans 16:25/ 1Co 14:28,30,34/, Rev. 8:1. There can be no doubt that this does not merely mean "sort of understood." If it was revealed, to whatever extent, then it was not held in silence

Paul does not refer to the term "mystery" as we understand from the "lenses" of our "modern culture", i.e., something that cannot be understood. It's not called the Mystery because Paul is being "sneaky or coy about it." It's called the Mystery because it was previously unknown, but now (in Paul's epistles) it is openly manifested, and to be understood. The mystery is not " something to be solved", and has no reference to "understandability", "illumination", since Paul says we can understand it. Paul openly explains it, and expects us to understand it NOW-a few examples:

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." 1 Cor. 2:12

" Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:.." Eph. 1:9

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,.." Eph. 1:17,18


"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: " Eph. 3:1-10


"And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,..." Eph. 6:19

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;.." Col. 1:9

"Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:.." Col. 1:27

[big al 11]

Hi Christine,
 Unsearchable...just what does that MEAN?
 'Unsearchable' is a word which comes from a Greek word which has at its root a meaning of foot prints or tracks left by an animal or person, or in our case here the riches of Christ. Its componded with a word which means 'not'. So its literal meaning comes to mean 'not trackable', because there were not 'tracks' left.
 So, if you were to try to 'track' the mystery in the old testament, or the Gospels etc. you couldn't find a footprint or a track of the  riches of Christ which PAUL proclaims amoung the Gentiles(nations). You can find the riches of Christ as pertains to Israel and the nations under the Kingdom program, but you cannot trace or find what was later revealed only to Paul.

[Christine]

Amen, al, amen!

When God tells us that something was HID IN HIM, and KEPT SECRET, thats just what He means!

Aren't you thrilled that Paul is the "due time testifier" and that what was once hidden  "is now made manifest to the saints."

Yeeee haw!