The Mystery Revealed

Paul’s closing words in the book of Romans are profound and rich with doctrinal truth. This is not just a benediction—it is a powerful declaration of God’s plan, now fully revealed through Paul’s gospel.

📖 Romans 16:25
“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began”

The Significance of This Verse

This verse is a cornerstone of Pauline doctrine. Here, Paul highlights three major truths that stand out throughout his letters:

1️⃣ Establishment Through Paul’s Gospel

Paul makes it clear—God is able to establish (strengthen, ground, and secure) believers according to my gospel. This is the gospel of grace revealed to him by Christ (Galatians 1:11-12). It is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

It is not the kingdom gospel preached by Jesus and the 12 apostles to Israel. This is the gospel for the Body of Christ—salvation by grace alone through faith alone.

2️⃣ The Mystery Kept Secret

Paul’s gospel and message are tied to the revelation of the mystery—truths that were hidden before but now made known. 

🔍 The word mystery in Greek is μυστήριον (mystērion, Strong’s G3466), which means a secret that was previously unknown but has now been revealed.

This mystery was kept secret since the world began but was revealed to Paul directly by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:1-9, Colossians 1:25-27).

What is this mystery? That God would form a new body, the Church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, saved apart from the Law, apart from Israel’s covenants, purely by grace.

This was not revealed to the prophets, the apostles or known before—it was hidden in God (Ephesians 3:9) and only made known through Paul.

3️⃣ Preaching Jesus Christ According to This Revelation

Paul was not preaching Christ according to prophecy (as Peter and the 11 did). He was preaching Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.

This means:

✔️ Not Christ as Israel’s King, but Christ as the Head of the Body
✔️ Not an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly hope
✔️ Not under the Law, but under grace

Final Thoughts

Paul’s gospel is not just a message for the church—it is the standard by which God will judge all mankind. This is made clear in Romans 2:16:

📖 “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”

From the beginning of human history, every person—from Cain onward—will be judged according to the gospel Paul received by revelation. That is a sobering truth, emphasizing the necessity of believing the gospel of grace today.

The mystery (μυστήριον, mystērion) revealed to Paul was once a hidden secret, unknown to previous generations. But now, through Christ’s finished work on the cross, salvation is offered to all who believe. No longer bound by the law, we stand in grace—justified by faith alone.

Have you placed your full trust in Christ according to Paul’s gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)?