Bible Truth #224 - Ephesians 3:8-9

Ephesians 3:8-9

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Verse 9 confirms the point I made in Bible Truth #223 about the Gentiles who lived before Christ walked the earth. God hid the mystery (Christ) from hundreds of millions of people. This is the very definition of mystery - information that is not known, nor can it be known, until God reveals it. If the mystery of the unsearchable riches of Christ was hidden from them, AND IT WAS, there was certainly no “availability” of salvation to them either. Hence, to their knowledge there was nothing to accept or reject.

The Arminian theory of salvation states that information about Jesus Christ (His virgin birth, sinless life, shed blood, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead) is presented to one who is lost and then that person makes a decision whether to accept or reject Christ as their Savior. The problem: Arminian soteriology does not, and can not, explain how the lost were saved before Christ came to the earth.

Some may try to say that Romans 1:20 answers that problem, not only then but also today for the thousands who die every day without ever hearing the Gospel. Sorry, as I explained in Bible Truth #78, #81, and #373, Paul writes in Romans 1:20 there is only enough evidence in nature for man to acknowledge God the Creator, NOT God the Savior. The Gospel is NOT in nature.

Others who believe in decisional salvation will say that Paul was telling us in verse 9 that the mystery which was kept hidden is now revealed to each and every man. Unfortunately no. When the King James translators wrote “all men” in this verse, they wrote it from the Greek word pas (Strong’s #3956), which can be used two ways:
1) individually - each, any, every, anyone, etc... OR
2) collectively - some of all types or groups.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks Arminians have, and anyone who believes in decisional salvation, is that they believe the Greek word pas can only mean individually (each and every) every time it is used. Besides studying the word itself which should clear it up, I give several examples of “all” being used collectively (some of all types) in Bible Truth #330. The truth may be argued but it can never be refuted.

Bottom Line: The unsearchable riches of Christ was a mystery that God kept hidden in Himself for millennia and He reveals it today only to His Elect. (1 Corinthians 2:14)