Summary
The Apostle Paul declared in Ephesians 3:3-9 that the “mystery of Christ” was hidden from all past generations until revealed to the apostles after Christ’s resurrection. Book of Mormon prophets living 600+ years before Christ explicitly preach this mystery with New Testament clarity. This contradicts the Bible and undermines the Book of Mormon’s claim to ancient origin.
What is the “mystery of Christ” according to Paul?
In the New Testament, “mystery” means a divine secret that was previously hidden and requires divine revelation to be known. The mystery of Christ is the full inclusion of Gentiles as equal members in God’s people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 3:3-9 Paul emphasizes four critical points:
- Paul received the revelation of this mystery by revelation (v.3).
- The mystery is that Gentiles become fellow heirs and equal members only through Christ and the gospel (v.4, 6)
- No one knew this mystery earlier. No exceptions are given.
- Note the timing: “not made known” (past) vs. “now revealed” (present) vs. “for ages hidden in God” (v.9)
The full text:
“that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.” (3:3-9)
When does Paul say this mystery was revealed?
The mystery was revealed to the apostles by the Holy Spirit in the decades following Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension.
Paul’s language is comprehensive:
“which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit… and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things” (Ephesians 3:5, 9)
The UBS Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians clarifies: “The Greek phrase ‘in other generations’ is a way of referring to the past, with no limitations (compare Col 1:26 ‘the secret hidden from the ages and from the generations’).”1
Paul repeats this theme throughout his epistles:
“the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” (Colossians 1:26)
“the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now has been disclosed, and through the Scriptures of the prophets, in accordance with the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations” (Romans 16:25–26)
Did Old Testament prophets know this mystery?
No. They prophesied by God’s Spirit, but the mystery remained hidden until it was revealed to the apostles.
The Old Testament prophesied of Christ (Isaiah 53:5; Psalm 22; Micah 5:2), promised salvation (Joel 2:32; Jeremiah 31:31-34), and spoke of Gentiles being saved (Isaiah 49:6; 56:6-7; Amos 9:11-12). But even with these prophesies, how it would happen was still hidden in God (Ephesians 3:9). It was foreshadowed without being openly revealed.
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar.” (Hebrews 11:13)
So while Old Testament prophets gave true revelations by God’s Spirit (1 Pet 1:10-12, 2 Pet 1:20-21), yet they themselves did not fully understand everything they declared. They trusted God’s promises despite not yet understanding their fulfillment in Christ.
Did Jesus’ disciples know it before the resurrection?
No. Even after walking with Jesus, they did not know the mystery until it was revealed.
Jesus showed His disciples where Scripture testified of Him and opened their minds to understand (Luke 24:27, 44-49). Yet they still had to wait for the mystery to be further revealed.
Peter walked with Jesus and heard him explain the Scriptures. Yet in Acts 10, he needed a vision repeated three times about Gentile inclusion (Acts 10:13-16). Only then did Peter say he “understands now” (Acts 10:34).
Christ’s coming was the event. The mystery was then revealed by the Holy Spirit in the years following his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
What does the Book of Mormon say about this mystery?
Book of Mormon prophets, living 600+ years before Christ, demonstrate clear knowledge of the mystery with explicit declarations.
Lehi in ~600 BC:
“Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world. And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.” (1 Nephi 10:4-5)
Revealing the mystery:
“And it came to pass after my father had spoken these words he spake unto my brethren concerning the gospel which should be preached among the Jews, and also concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief. And after they had slain the Messiah, who should come, and after he had been slain he should rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles.” (1 Nephi 10:11)
Gentiles receiving the gospel:
“And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer.” (1 Nephi 10:14)
Baptism in Christ’s name:
“And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.” (2 Nephi 9:23)
Do LDS scholars acknowledge this clarity in the Book of Mormon?
Yes. LDS scholar Grant Hardy writes:
“Lehi’s use of ‘Messiah’ is something of an anachronism (especially since he views him as redeemer of the whole world, not just of Judah; cf. 1 Nephi 10:4-5), but the entire Christology of the BoM is anachronistic in the same way. One of the primary themes in the BoM – and one of the ways in which it augments the Bible – is its insistence that some prophets had a clear knowledge of Christ before his birth.”2
For discussion
- What is the “mystery of Christ”?
- What was hidden from all “past generations” that God revealed for the first time to the apostles?
- What does Paul mean when he says this mystery was “now revealed”?
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