God’s eternal purpose was settled before He ever laid the foundation of the world. Central to that purpose is the new creation—the Body of Christ—a reality so profound that God Himself kept it hidden as a mystery until the appointed time. This is not a peripheral doctrine; it is the very heart of God’s plan, and to misunderstand it is to miss the glory for which we were created.
The Mystery Hidden for Glory
Scripture is clear: the wisdom concerning the Body of Christ was “hidden in God,” not to be revealed until after Christ’s resurrection. This was not concealment for its own sake, but a deliberate act of God to reserve the unveiling of His masterpiece for those who are in Christ. The world remains blind to this reality; only those who have received the Spirit can see what has now been made known.
“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.” (Mark 4:11)
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:7)
To be in Christ is to be brought into God’s inner circle, entrusted with the mystery that was kept secret for ages. This is not a matter of intellectual attainment or religious striving; it is a matter of revelation—God making known to His children what was always in His heart.
The Body of Christ: Children and Joint Heirs
This new creation is not a club or a movement. It is the very Body of Christ, comprised of those who have received the Spirit of adoption. We are not merely forgiven sinners or improved versions of our old selves. We are God’s children—joint heirs with Christ Himself. The Spirit does not bring us back into bondage or fear; He testifies directly to our spirit that we are sons, able to cry out “Abba, Father.”
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:15-16)
This is not a metaphor. It is a legal and spiritual reality. To be a joint heir with Christ is to share in everything He has received from the Father. This is the foundation of our assurance and the source of our confidence before God.
God’s Habitation and Workmanship
The Body of Christ is not just a collection of individuals; it is God’s building, His holy temple, and His habitation in the Spirit. We are being “fitly framed together” and “built together” for God’s own dwelling. This is not the result of our labor, but the outworking of God’s own craftsmanship. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works—works that He prepared beforehand, not as a test of our worthiness, but as the natural expression of our new identity.
“In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21-22)
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
The Bema Seat: Rewards for the Sons
The culmination of this mystery is the Bema seat judgment—a subject often shrouded in misunderstanding and fear. But for the believer, the Bema seat is not a tribunal of condemnation; it is the place where God dispenses rewards to His glorified sons. These rewards are not arbitrary; they are tied directly to the building up of the Body of Christ. Every work that flows from our position as God’s workmanship, every act that contributes to the edification of the Body, is recognized and rewarded by God Himself.
To neglect or distort this truth is to rob the gospel of its power. If we reduce the Christian life to mere moral improvement or religious duty, we forfeit the glory of our inheritance and the assurance of our sonship. We lose sight of the finished work of Christ and the unique privileges that belong to those who are in Him.
What Is Lost If This Is Denied
If you set aside the mystery of the new creation—if you treat the Body of Christ as an afterthought or reduce it to a metaphor—you undermine the very foundation of justification, inheritance, and sonship. You turn the gospel into a system of works and strip the believer of confidence before God. The assurance that comes from knowing you are a joint heir with Christ, built together as God’s habitation, and destined for reward at the Bema seat is lost. The fullness of Christ is exchanged for the emptiness of human effort.
The Fullness of Christ—Now Revealed
The Body of Christ is His fullness—the very expression of God’s purpose and glory. This is not a secondary issue; it is the apex of God’s revelation. To see yourself as God’s workmanship, His child, His heir, and His habitation is to stand where God intended you to stand: in the center of His eternal purpose, secure in Christ, and confident of reward.
“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:23)
Do not settle for less. Do not allow the mystery to remain hidden from you. God has revealed it for your glory—embrace it, and walk in the good works He has prepared for you as a son and heir.
Read more: Christ As Righteousness, Sanctification, and Reward
