November 2026
“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”
—Colossians 1:26
In this one verse there is a wealth of information given to the reader. The apostle gives us insight to the plan of God, which was formulated long before man was ever created.
Let’s begin with looking at the word mystery. The Greek word is musterion and denotes, in general, something hidden or not fully manifest. Paul speaks of the mystery of the relationship between Christ and His church as being great (Eph. 5:32).
In I Timothy 3:9, we read of the “mystery of the faith,” which refers to the mystery of the cross, which was not at all understood until its revelation was given to Paul.
As well, in Paul’s writings, the word mystery is sometimes applied in a peculiar sense to the calling of the Gentiles. The fact that Gentiles could be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of Christ by the gospel is called “the mystery,” which is what Paul is speaking of in Colossians 1:26.
A simple explanation of “mystery” would be “a truth that was once hidden in God’s plan but has now been revealed by the Holy Spirit.”
The phrase “even the mystery which hath been hid,” tells us that God’s plan of redemption through Christ’s death on the cross existed before the world began but was not fully revealed during Old Testament times regarding the inclusion of the Gentiles. Though there were prophecies given that should have been understood by Israel regarding the Gentiles, they couldnever fully comprehend what or to whom the Scripture referred.
In Genesis 12:3 we read, “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” In Genesis 22:18 it says, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” And in Isaiah 42:6 it says, “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness…and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.” There were a few other verses as well, however, in this we understand that the mystery was hidden from Israel, but the promise was always present.
Then, in Acts 10, we see the mystery begin to unfold with the great vision given to Peter.
So this mystery is the revelation of Jews and Gentiles being united in one spiritual body. Unfortunately, the inclusion of the Gentiles served as a stumbling block to many Jews in the early church.
The text in Colossians 1:26 then says, “from ages and from generations.” “Ages” refers to eternity past, even before man was created. “Generations” have to do with the time frame of man, from the time of the Jews to the giving of the new covenant to Paul.
Then we read, “but now is made manifest.” The word manifest means “revealed, made viable, or brought into the light.” What had been concealed in types, shadows, and prophecy was now openly proclaimed through Paul and the other apostles.
So Paul’s task now is to give full meaning to God’s plan and God’s Word; to tell all that the Gentiles are now fellow heirs and partakers of Christ. No wonder Paul was misunderstood and even opposed by some Jewish Christians. They had become so sectarian that they couldn’t accept the fact that Christ had died for those whom they despised, but the glorious truth of the gospel is “whosoever will.”
Paul then concludes this verse with the phrase, “to his saints.” In the new covenant, saints are not merely a special class of exceptionally pious and holy people, but every single person who has ever been saved is now a “saint.”
So the great central truth teaches us that God’s eternal plan of salvation, once concealed through the ages, has now been fully revealed in Jesus Christ. What was once a shadow is now revealed.
Aren’t you glad that God’s plan for redemption was not just for one group of people, but for the whole world?
