According to AI, the word “mystery” or “mysteries” appears 27 to 31 times in the Bible (depending on the translation), with all occurrences in the New Testament. Translated from the Greek word mysterion, the term refers to something once hidden but now revealed by God, such as the “mystery of the kingdom of God” spoken of by Jesus.
Two concepts in the New Testament remain the greatest mysteries to me: the Trinity and the hypostatic union.
Perhaps many Christians struggle to understand them as well. Throughout history, attempts to explain them have sometimes lapsed into heresy. I suspect the famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis may have been among those who struggled.
Recently we visited the island of Aegina in Greece. Our guide pointed to a house overlooking the sea and mentioned that Nikos Kazantzakis, who wrote many controversial works, used to live there.
Although Kazantzakis was deeply spiritual, he struggled to find the truth in religion, a tension reflected in his books, such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Christ Recrucified. He questioned Christian morals and values and seems to have had difficulty accepting that Jesus Christ could be both God and human simultaneously.
Was Christ part God and part man? No—that has long been considered heresy. The Chalcedonian Definition of AD 451 affirms that Jesus Christ is fully (100%) God and fully (100%) man, in one person, without confusion, change, division, or separation of the divine and human natures.
Most of us may scratch our heads and ask, “Doesn’t 100% plus 100% make 200%?”
As humans, we can never fully grasp this mystery. Unlike God, we are limited by time and space. Spatially, we cannot be in two places at once, nor can we exist as two separate persons.
The Trinity and the hypostatic union reveal an important truth about God: He is not confined by time and space. These teachings are so far beyond our human experience. They must be a revelation from God.
God is far beyond us. If we try to explain God with our limited minds, we may go astray.
Note: Discussions of doctrine, including the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union, appear frequently in my books. If you’re interested, please take a look at Blazing China (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD9P49HW) as an example.
