CHAPTER ONE

THE MYSTERY OF GOD—CHRIST

Scripture Reading: Col. 2:2b; John 1:1, 14; Matt. 1:20b, 23; Heb. 2:14; Col. 2:9; Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15; Luke 7:13-14; Heb. 9:12; John 1:29; Rom. 8:3; 6:6; Col. 1:15, 20; Gen. 3:15; John 12:31; Eph. 2:14-16; John 12:24; Acts 2:23-24; 3:15; 13:33; Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 8:19; Heb. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Eph. 4:8; 2:6; 4:10; 1:23; Heb. 1:3b; Rev. 3:21; Heb. 2:9; Eph. 1:22; Acts 2:36; 10:36; 5:31; Rev. 1:5; Acts 2:17-18; 1 Cor. 12:13; Heb. 7:22; 9:15; 8:1-2; 1 John 2:1b; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:25-26; Rev. 1:13-16; 2:1; Acts 3:21; Rev. 19:7-9; 11:15; 20:4, 6; 22:1-3

1. Christ being the mysterious Word of God in eternity past—John 1:1:
1. The divine thought constituting the expression to be the Word that can be comprehended by man.
2. Presenting and explaining the mysterious being of God.
2. The invisible Word of God becoming visible flesh—John 1:14:
1. The mysterious God being conceived of His Spirit and begotten in the womb of a human virgin—Matt. 1:20b.
2. Then from the virgin's womb being born with humanity to be the mysterious God-man, in whom both divinity and humanity are mingled, and who is called Emmanuel—God with us—Matt. 1:23.
3. Putting on human flesh—Heb. 2:14a.
4. Bringing His mysterious divinity into humanity.
5. The mysterious fullness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in this mysterious God-man—Col. 2:9.
3. This mysterious God-man passing through human living in His humanity with His mysterious divinity:
1. Experiencing the sufferings of human life—Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15.
2. Expressing the divine virtues in His humanity by the mysterious attributes of God—Luke 7:13-14.
4. This mysterious God-man being crucified in His humanity with His mysterious divinity, dying an all-inclusive, mysterious death, thus accomplishing the eternal redemption of God—Heb. 9:12:
1. As the mysterious Lamb, taking away the sin of man—John 1:29.
2. As a mysterious man of flesh, condemning sin in the likeness of the flesh of sin, that is, in the form of fallen man, and dealing with the flesh of sin—Rom. 8:3.
3. As the mysterious last Adam, terminating the man of the old creation—Rom. 6:6.
4. As the mysterious Firstborn of all creation in the old creation, terminating the entire old creation and reconciling all the creation to God—Col. 1:15, 20.
5. As the mysterious brass serpent, bruising the ancient serpent and destroying Satan and his world—Gen. 3:15; Heb. 2:14; John 12:31.
6. As the mysterious Peacemaker, abolishing all the separating ordinances in the law (including all the different kinds of living, customs, and habits that cause divisions among mankind) through His mysterious death, thus making peace for all His Jewish and Gentile believers—Eph. 2:14-16.
7. As a mysterious grain of wheat, releasing the divine life in Him through His death, thus making us many grains of wheat of life, like Him—John 12:24.
5. This mysterious God-man, who was crucified, being resurrected from the dead with His crucified humanity by His eternal and immortal divinity—Acts 2:23-24; 3:15:
1. Bringing the humanity that He had put on into His mysterious divinity.
2. As the mysterious only begotten Son of God, in His mysterious resurrection, being begotten with His humanity as the Son of Man to be the mysterious firstborn Son of God—Acts 13:33; Rom. 8:29.
3. Causing all His believers to be resurrected with Him and to be brought forth as the sons of God to be His brothers, who constitute the church of God—1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 8:19; Heb. 2:11-12.
4. As the mysterious last Adam, becoming the life-giving Spirit in His mysterious resurrection—1 Cor. 15:45b.
6. This mysterious God-man, in His mysterious resurrection, ascending to the height with all the ones whom He resurrected—Eph. 4:8a; 2:6:
1. Offering to God the ones whom He resurrected; God giving them back to Him, and He giving them as gifts to the church—Eph. 4:8b.
2. Mysteriously filling all in all—Eph. 4:10; 1:23.
3. Mysteriously sitting on the right hand of the Majesty on high—Heb. 1:3b.
4. Mysteriously enthroned and crowned with glory and honor—Rev. 3:21; Heb. 2:9:
1. Glory—the splendor into which Christ's person, with divinity and humanity, entered.
2. Honor—the preciousness which the worth of Christ attained and the dignity which the position of Christ reached.
5. Mysteriously being Head over all things—Eph. 1:22:
1. All things being subjected under His feet.
2. Being Head over all things to the church.
6. Mysteriously being Lord and Christ—Acts 2:36:
1. Being Lord—Christ in His divinity with His humanity being Lord of all men and all things—Acts 10:36.
2. Being Christ—Christ being anointed by God to accomplish God's eternal economy.
7. Mysteriously being a Leader (Ruler) and Savior—Acts 5:31:
1. Being the Ruler of all the kings of the earth and arranging the world situation—Rev. 1:5.
2. In order to be the Savior of all kinds of men.
8. In such a mysterious ascension, pouring out Himself, the One who had entered into glory and attained to honor, as the consummated, essential, and economical compound Spirit upon all His believers, baptizing them into His mysterious Body, the church of God—Acts 2:17-18; 1 Cor. 12:13.
9. Mysteriously being the surety of the better covenant (the new covenant)—Heb. 7:22.
10. Mysteriously being the Mediator—the Executor—of the new covenant as a testament—Heb. 9:15.
11. Mysteriously being the Minister of the true tabernacle in the heavens, ministering heaven into us—Heb. 8:1-2.
12. Mysteriously being our Advocate with the Father, pleading for us—1 John 2:1b.
13. Mysteriously being the High Priest, interceding for us and saving us to the uttermost—Heb. 4:14-16; 7:25-26.
14. Mysteriously being the Son of Man as the High Priest walking in the midst of the golden lampstands (the churches)—Rev. 1:13-16; 2:1.
15. Heaven retaining Him until He comes to be the Bridegroom to marry His bride, His overcomers, and to set up His kingdom and reign with His overcomers—Acts 3:21; Rev. 19:7-9; 11:15; 20:4, 6.
16. Being the mysterious Lamb of God as the center of the New Jerusalem in eternity—Rev. 22:1-3.