The Cipher and the Cross: Why the Gospel Doesn't Need a Secret Key
Thomas Jefferson built a clever device to keep wartime messages safe. In this episode of GodNAmerica, I use that "wheel cipher" as a picture of how Scripture can feel layered and symbolic - and why the core message of Christianity is the opposite of a secret code. This post walks through the history lesson, the Bible connection, and the practical call: don't encrypt the gospel - declare it.
I start with a founder I have always admired: Thomas Jefferson. I describe him not only as a statesman, but as an inventor, philosopher, architect, and lifelong student of science and language. In the late 1700s (I point to around 1795), long before computers or modern encryption software, Jefferson designed a mechanical way to protect military and diplomatic communications.
The device I describe is often called a wheel cipher. It used 36 wooden disks with letters around the edge. Each disk could rotate independently, and the disks could also be placed in a particular order. That order - and the way the disks were rotated - served as the "key." When the key was set correctly, a readable message could be arranged across the wheels. But to anyone without the key, the same wheels could produce a string of nonsense.
One detail I emphasize is the long reach of the idea. I explain that the U.S. Army later rediscovered Jefferson's design and adopted it in 1922 under the name "M-94 cipher device," and that it was used through World War II. In other words, something Jefferson created by candlelight at Monticello became a tool of national defense generations later.
That historical story matters to me because it highlights a purpose for secrecy that is not about deception. In the way I frame it, a cipher can protect the truth from enemies who would twist it or destroy it. Then I pivot to the heart of the episode: in some ways, the Bible can feel like that.
I tell listeners, "Welcome to GodNAmerica, where we link the faith of our fathers to the freedom of our nation." With that purpose in mind, I compare Jefferson's cipher to the way God's Word contains profound truths that can seem hidden to the casual reader. Scripture is not always written like an instruction manual. At times it is written like a story, a poem, a prophecy, or a parable - and those forms can carry meaning in layers.
Jesus openly acknowledged that dynamic. In Matthew 13:13, He explains that He speaks in parables because some will see and still not perceive, and some will hear and still not understand. In the episode, I also point to books like Daniel and Revelation as examples of prophetic imagery and symbolism. Those passages can feel like locked doors if a reader expects everything to be immediately obvious.
In my comparison, the "key" for understanding Scripture is not a clever trick or a private decoder ring. The key is the Holy Spirit. The point is not that God is playing games with people. The point is that spiritual truth is spiritually discerned, and a person who is not seeking God can look straight at the words and miss what they mean.
At the same time, I make a sharp distinction that I don't want anyone to miss: the most essential message of the Bible is not hidden behind a cipher at all.
I call attention to John 3:16 as an example of plain language. God's love, Christ's gift, and the call to believe are presented openly. I stress that God did not encrypt the plan of salvation. There is no special code required to discover that Jesus saves. The message is offered with clarity and with grace.
That clarity is important because it is easy to get distracted by the wrong kind of "mystery." I warn that some people chase secret meanings and hidden riddles while overlooking the most significant truth God has already placed right on the surface: salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the episode, I summarize that core message simply - Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again.
I also explain why the gospel can still feel "hidden" to some people even when it is clearly spoken. I quote Paul to make the point: if the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). In other words, the obstacle is not that the message is encoded; the obstacle is that unbelief keeps the message from being received. A person can be surrounded by light and still shut their eyes.
This is where I return to the cipher comparison one more time, but I change the direction. Jefferson's device reminds us that some messages do need protection in times of war. But God's gospel does not need protection. It needs proclamation.
Jesus gives that outward-facing pattern in Matthew 10:27: what He tells in the dark should be spoken in the light, and what is whispered should be proclaimed from the housetops. In the episode, I connect that to two groups who believed their message was worth the risk. I say the early Patriots took public stands for liberty, and the early Church took public stands for truth - even when it cost them dearly.
I use the Apostle Paul as a picture of that courage. Paul was imprisoned for preaching, yet his message still reached the world. The chains did not silence the truth, and they did not "encrypt" it either. The gospel kept moving because God intends it to be shared, not sealed away.
From there, I bring the conversation into the modern world. We live in an age of digital encryption, passwords, and hidden data. Secrecy can be a tool for protection when something valuable is at risk. But I argue that too many Christians have treated their faith like classified information. We keep convictions private when the culture needs to hear them. We stay quiet when we were called to speak.
In the episode, I describe that as placing the gospel behind a new kind of cipher: compromise, comfort, and silence. The message hasn't changed, but the way we handle it can make it harder to see. Sometimes the "code" isn't in the Bible at all - it is in the way believers talk only in insider language, or avoid clear truth so nothing feels confrontational.
I contrast that with Jesus' direct command in Mark 16:15 to preach the gospel to every creature. Then I make a connection to the theme of the show: just as Jefferson's invention helped preserve the nation, bold proclamation of truth helps save and maintain its soul. In a time of misinformation, spiritual confusion, and moral decay, I argue that the answer isn't complicated. The truth still sets people free. It doesn't need to be decoded; it needs to be declared - and then believed.
Near the end, I bring in 2 Corinthians 4:6 to underline the image of light. God shines light into darkness, and He intends that light to be visible through His people. So I close with a straightforward appeal: don't hide the light, and don't encode the gospel with insider talk. Walk in truth, speak with courage, and let your words and your life proclaim the clearest message ever given.
The episode ends where it began - with the link between faith and freedom. I remind listeners that "the truth of God and the freedom of man walk hand in hand," and I summarize the theme in one line: truth needs no cipher.
Application
Keep the gospel message clear and central. Practice saying it in plain language: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again. Aim for clarity over complexity.
Ask for the right "key" when reading Scripture. Before you read, take a moment to pray for the Holy Spirit's help to understand and apply what you are reading.
Resist the distraction of "secret-only" Christianity. When a conversation starts drifting into hidden clues and endless speculation, bring it back to what God has made plain: repentance, faith, and the promise of new life in Christ.
Replace insider talk with understandable words. When you use church terms (grace, salvation, repentance), add a short explanation so a new listener isn't left guessing.
Move one step toward proclamation this week. That could look like sharing a verse publicly, telling a friend what Christ has done, or speaking a clear truth when silence would be easier.
Identify your personal "cipher" and break it. If compromise, comfort, or fear has been keeping you quiet, name it honestly and take one concrete action that pushes back against it.
TL;DR
I use Thomas Jefferson's wheel cipher as a picture for how messages can be protected and misunderstood.
Jefferson designed a 36-disk cipher in the late 1700s, and I describe how it later influenced U.S. military communication (the M-94 device).
Some parts of the Bible are layered and symbolic, and Jesus explained the use of parables (Matthew 13:13).
Daniel and Revelation include prophetic imagery that can feel "coded" to a casual reader.
The Holy Spirit is the key for understanding spiritual truth.
The gospel itself is not encrypted; it is offered plainly (John 3:16).
If the gospel feels veiled, the problem is not the message but the refusal to receive it (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
God's truth is meant to be proclaimed openly (Matthew 10:27; Mark 16:15), not hidden behind compromise, comfort, or silence.
The call is simple: don't hide the light - declare the truth and live it.
Devotional Questions
Jefferson used a cipher to protect messages. In what ways can people "hide" important truth today without realizing it?
Jesus spoke in parables (Matthew 13:13). What is a parable, and why do stories sometimes help truth land deeper than a lecture?
The episode says the Holy Spirit is the key to understanding Scripture. What does it look like to ask God for help before reading the Bible?
John 3:16 is presented as a clear message of salvation. How would you explain that verse in your own words to someone your age?
Matthew 10:27 talks about speaking in the light what we hear in the dark. What is one truth from God you can share more openly this week?