What Is the Meaning of "the Fellowship of the Mystery" Ephesians 3:9?
1) Direct Answer
“The fellowship of the mystery” is the shared participation believers have in God’s once‑hidden plan now revealed: that the one God, who was manifested in Jesus Christ, would indwell a redeemed Body made of Jews and Gentiles as one new man. It is communion in the very Life and purpose of Christ—Christ in you—uniting us to God and to one another as His Bride.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Ephesians 3:3–6, 9–11: The mystery was revealed to Paul “that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel,” and his commission was “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery… to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers… might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.”
- Colossians 1:26–27: The mystery “hid from ages… now made manifest… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
- 1 Timothy 3:16: “Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh”—first in Christ, then through Christ in His Body.
- Ephesians 2:14–16: He broke down the middle wall, making “one new man” in Himself.
- Ephesians 5:30–32: We are “members of his body… This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
- 1 John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 1:9: We are called into fellowship with the Father and His Son, and with one another in that same Life.
- John 17:21–23: “That they all may be one… I in them,” the very nature of this fellowship.
- Revelation 7:9–17; 20:4: This one Body called out of every nation is the Bride who will reign with Him.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- “Mystery” means God’s plan hidden in Himself, now revealed by the Spirit—not learned by human wisdom.
- “Fellowship” means sharing—communion, participation—in that revealed Life and purpose.
- Put together: God’s purpose was to reveal Himself in Christ, then in Christ’s Body by the Holy Ghost. When that Life enters a believer, he becomes a fellowheir, of the same Body, and a partaker of the promise. That is real fellowship—not around creeds or organizations, but around the revealed Word and the indwelling Life of Christ. Through this living union, the church displays God’s manifold wisdom to spiritual powers.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, this fellowship is Christ-centered, Spirit-given, Word-governed, and Bride-forming. It is God having the preeminence in a people—Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Fellowship
60-0611B §17
Now we have tried organizing to fellowship. You break off with another group when you do that. All right, we try to educate them to fellowship, and what do we get? Well we get a bunch of educated idiots. That's horrible for a preacher to make a statement like that, but that's the truth. Something happened to me a few weeks ago, and I'm determined by the help of God never to be negative on anything any more, to [unclear word] my heart out [unclear word] no matter what it costs. Be sincere and down to the bottom of i...
Christ is the mystery of God revealed
63-0728 §99
Now you see the secret? What to? To restore fallen Eve. As she was a pre-figure of the church. And now notice, as God opened up the side of Adam and took out Eve by his own flesh and blood, and divided his spirit from masculine to feminish---to feminish and put it in Eve, took the rib from under his side and made Eve out of it; so God did the same thing, taking out of the side of Christ the blood and the water, (and Christ is the Word), and taking the Word and making up His church---Eve, see. Back to Himself again...
Christ is the mystery of God revealed
63-0728 §53
Now, for a text, I want to take out of there this for a text, basing it upon the entire Bible, but I want to title this "Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed." Christ being the mystery of God revealed. Now, I took it in order as a Sunday school lesson so we could all read together and have this fellowship together.
Fellowship
55-0501A §28
We know that there's radio going through here now. There's television going through here now. I can't pick it up. But it's in another world. And so is there angels of God placed around in this room watching this afternoon. The angels of God are encamped about those who fear Him. Jesus is all-present, all the time, watching over us. And we know that that's to be the truth. I think of when Elijah down there at Dothan, when Gehazi went out and looked over and said, "Oh, the whole Syrian army, look at them. They've don...
Fellowship by redemption
55-0403 §34
...No matter where you're at; if you're in the poolroom, if you're in a gambling hall, there is somebody, invisible, watching you; if you're standing persecutions for the name of the Lord's sake. No matter what it is, mark anyone you wish to, and watch; the man will reap what he sows, every time. If he's doing wrong, he'll never get by with it. If he's doing right, he has got to come into glory with it. You just can't beat it; it's God. He's here. He knows the very depths of your heart. He knows who you are and everyt...