After losing his sight the day he was converted on the road to Damascus, Paul then recovered his physical sight, to then gain spiritual insight from Christ for us. As we will see in this article, our coming to ‘see’ spiritually is the result of God-given ‘revelation’ that automatically produces ‘faith’ in us.

In Eph. 3 (below) Paul, as “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13), notes how he preached the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” These riches of the Cross were what Paul came to ‘see’ by revelation from “the Spirit of Christ,” and this is what he preached among the Gentile “body of Christ,” bolstering their “faith.”

Ephes. 3:8-9 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; ⁹And 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:

The limitless “riches of Christ” had never been “traced out” (“unsearchable” is better translated as “untraceable,” for the Greek word, ‘anexichniastos.’). Why had this information not been traced out before, by Peter, James, or John?  It’s because this could not have been known by anyone until it was first revealed by the ascended Christ to Paul. Paul was called to bring this “mystery” gospel (‘secret’ gospel) – “the gospel of the grace God” … to us Gentiles. Ephes. 3:2-3 … the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me (Paul) to youward: ³How that by ‘revelation’ he made known unto me the mystery (secret)…

“Mystery,” from the Greek “musterion,” means “secret.” Paul calls the “gospel of the grace of God” that Christ from heaven gave him to preach, “the mystery” and also “my gospel.” Paul says his gospel had been “kept secret since the world began” (Eph. 3:9, Rom. 16:25, Col. 1:26-27).

What was this secret? This secret was that “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” would come to indwell believing Gentiles as their new life. God has promised in Ezekiel 37:14 to do the same in the believing Jews at Messiah Christ’s return, at the end of the Tribulation. Though He no doubt knew, Jesus of Nazareth never revealed “the mystery (secret)” concerning His ultimate indwelling of Gentile believers.

Col. 1:26-27 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you (all the believers), the hope of glory:

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Jesus said “No man can come to me, except (unless) the Father which hath sent me draw him…” (Jn. 6:44). We exercise ‘objective faith’ when we believe and receive Paul’s “mystery” gospel as Lydia did here.

Acts 16:14 a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto (held in mind) the things which were spoken of Paul.

We receive Paul’s gospel message unto salvation by exercising ‘objective faith.’ We hear, our heart leaps, we believe. We may then grow to “see” Paul’s truth in greater fullness only “by revelation” in accord with “the word of truth.” This seeing by revelation spontaneously brings about what we can call ‘subjective faith,’ we ‘see truth as being for us personally.’ Our objective faith became subjective through the addition of ‘Holy Spirit revelation.’ This is the work of “the faith of (from) the Son of God.” This then is faith that God dispenses into us. Subjective faith dispensed into us is part of the new relationship we enjoy in this age of “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2), to have faith in what was given to Paul… for us.

The “Spirit of truth” as the “rhema” word of God, which electrifies or enlivens the “logos” (the written “word of God”), making “the word” to be a living word to you personally and for you… in that moment… of enlightenment.  

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. ¹⁰ But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; (so) that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural (Gk. psuchikos, soulish) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-14