GETTING ROMANS 16:25-26 RIGHT

[Doug]

[Romans 16:25-26 KJV] 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

There are those who say this passage says that the mystery was revealed by the scriptures of the prophets.

How should this passage be read?

It should be read as saying;

"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,"

First, it is "according to the revelation of the mystery".

Secondly, it is " by the scriptures of the prophets".

What is the mystery? In short, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to Paul that we could be justified freely by his redemption; revealed was the church, the body of Christ, one new man, with Christ as the head.

The scriptures of the prophets do NOT reveal, nor contain the mystery. God did not hide the mystery in the prophets to be revealed by him to us thru Paul.

[1Corininthians 15:3-4 KJV] 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

As seen in verse 3 above, Paul received his gospel by revelation from Christ, and so it can be said it is "according to the revelation of the mystery,".

Paul's "my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, by the scriptures of the prophets" can be seen in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 above. That Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he rose again, was "according to the scriptures". His death and resurrection was found in the prophets. The mystery that it was for our justification was not.

The prophets did not contain hidden mystery.

 

[LoveYeshua]

The passage in Romans 16 is often used to claim that Paul alone was given a hidden mystery, separate from what God had already revealed through His prophets. But Scripture shows us that the mystery of God’s plan of salvation was not locked away only for Paul. Jesus Himself explained that everything about Him was already written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. After His resurrection, He told His disciples: “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44). Then He opened their understanding so they could see it clearly.

The prophets had already foretold His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. Isaiah wrote: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities… and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6). David spoke of His resurrection when he said: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10), which Peter later confirmed was about Christ (Acts 2:25–31). Even Hosea declared: “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.” (Hosea 6:2).

So the so-called “mystery” was not unknown, nor absent from the prophets. What was hidden was the understanding, because many had hardened hearts and did not believe. That is why Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15). The mystery is not that the prophets never revealed these things, but that people’s eyes were closed until Christ Himself opened them.

When Paul or others speak of a mystery being revealed, it simply means that what was foretold is now made clear in Christ. Jesus said plainly, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17). And again, “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16).

Therefore, the right way to read Romans 16:25–26 is not to imagine that God hid His plan from His prophets and revealed it only to Paul. Rather, the mystery is the plan of salvation through Jesus, which was long written in the prophets, but only now fully manifested in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The gospel is not “Paul’s gospel,” but the everlasting word of God revealed through His Son.