Secrets Revealed In Scripture And Judgment
Secrets Revealed in Scripture and Judgment
The concept of secrets revealed in Scripture is closely tied to the idea of God's judgment. According to Romans 2:16, God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ [1]. This theme is echoed in Psalms 44:21, which asks if God would not discover the secrets of the heart [2].
In Scripture, secrets refer to things that are hidden or unknown to humans, but are revealed by God. The Bible contains "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" that were not fully understood under the old covenant but are now revealed through the Gospel [7]. The book of Revelation contains a sealed book that is opened by the Lamb, symbolizing the revelation of God's secrets [3].
The judgment of God is a recurring theme in Scripture, and it is closely tied to the revelation of secrets. According to Torrey's Topical Textbook, the judgment is a day appointed by God when He will judge the secrets of men [4]. This judgment is administered by Christ, who will judge the living and the dead [4].
The Reformed tradition, as represented by John Calvin, understands the judgment of God to be a manifestation of His righteous will. Calvin notes that God's judgments are a "great deep," and that His ways are not always comprehensible to humans [6]. Similarly, John Gill interprets Romans 2:16 as referring to the judgment of God on the secrets of men, which includes their thoughts, intentions, and actions [5].
The Patristic tradition also emphasizes the importance of the judgment and the revelation of secrets. Tertullian notes that the Christian doctrine is often referred to as a "secret system" of belief, but that it is actually widely known and proclaimed [8].
Sources
- King James Version “[KJV] Romans 2:16 — In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
- Psalms “Psalms 44:21 (BSB) — would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?”
- Revelation “I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals. -- Revelation 5:1”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Judgment, The — Predicted in the Old Testament -- 1Ch 16:33; Ps 9:7; 96:13; Ec 3:17. A first principle of the gospel -- Heb 6:2. A day appointed for -- Ac 17:31; Ro 2:16. Time of, unknown to us -- Mr 13:32. Called the Day of wrath. -- Ro 2:5; Re 6:17. Revelation of the righteous judgment of God. -- Ro 2:5. Day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. -- 2Pe 3:7. Day of destruction. -- Job 21:30. Judgment of the great day. -- Jude 1:6. Shall be administered by Christ -- Joh 5:22,27; Ac 10:42; Ro 14:10; 2Co 5:10. Saints shall sit with Christ in -- 1Co 6:2; Re 20:4. Sh”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 2:14: In the day when God shall judge,.... These words are to be read in connection with Rom 2:13, and express the time when both Jews and Gentiles will be judged, called a "day", both because of the clearness and evidence of the judgment that will be made, and because a certain time is fixed, though not known, which will surely come; also the matter of the judgment, which will be, the secrets of men: whether good or bad, which are only known to God and themselves, and which may have been done ignorantly by them; "for God shall bring every work into judgment with every se”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 33: them explain to what effect Scripture declares, that “his Judgments are a great deep,” ( Ps. 36:7 ). For when Moses exclaims that the will of God “is not in heaven that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us? Neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea and bring it unto us?” ( Deut. 30:12, 13 ), because it was familiarly expounded in the law, it follows that there must be another hidden will which is compared to “ a great deep.” 185 It is of this will Paul excl”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 13:11: He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven--The word "mysteries" in Scripture is not used in its classical sense--of religious secrets, nor yet of things incomprehensible, or in their own nature difficult to be understood--but in the sense of things of purely divine revelation, and, usually, things darkly announced under the ancient economy, and during all that period darkly understood, but fully published under the Gospel (Co1 2:6-10; Eph 3:3-6, Eph 3:8-9). "The mysteries of the kingdo”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. VII.: Moreover, since he frequently calls the Christian doctrine a secret system (of belief), we must confute him on this point also, since almost the entire world is better acquainted with what Christians preach than with the favourite opinions of philosophers. For who is ignorant of the statement that Jesus was born of a virgin, and that He was crucified, and that His resurrection is an article of faith among many, and that a general judgment is announced to come, in which the wicked are to be punished according to their des”