Read with Me
1 Timothy 3:14-16 (HCSB)
I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Listen with Me
Paul has given Timothy some pretty clear instructions about quelling false teaching and choosing leaders for the Church in Ephesus. Here he tells him why. Even though his plan was to come to Ephesus soon, he was still working hard among the Churches in Macedonia, and he knew that often things took more work and more time than he planned. He didn’t want these problems to just continue until he got there, because problems are most easily solved earlier rather than later.
Paul identifies the Church as a household of God, not the “house” of God as many people think about churches today, primarily thinking about a building. Instead, Paul always saw the Church as the community of the kingdom, the people of God gathered together for worship, for work, and for support.
At this point, Paul moves to an inspired exposition on Jesus himself, the source of all godliness in the Church, because he had become a human being, had lived a sinless life, had died and risen again, and had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven so that He Himself could live in the hearts of His people.
Paul points this out in six declarations
- Jesus was manifested in the flesh, meaning that He had appeared in a body. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-11, this necessitated leaving His glory in heaven, emptying Himself of most of His divine qualities, and becoming as dependent on God the Father as any other human being. Jesus was not a mere theophany, God appearing to be human. He was the word made flesh, a real human being.
- He was vindicated by the Spirit. Jesus had been reviled and discredited by the Jewish leadership. But when He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and poured out the Holy Spirit on all who believed in Him, it proved He was who He had always claimed to be: the divine Son of God.
- He was seen by angels, not only observed while He ministered on Earth, but praised after His return to glory (Revelation 5:11-13).
- He was preached among the nations and believed on in the world. The ever-increasing number of believers in Jesus was due to the testimony of those who had been saved and transformed through faith in Him, and who even then were sharing their stories around the world.
- He was taken up in glory. Jesus was exalted to the right hand of the Father. The glory He had possessed as God the Son was restored to Him. And until He returns, He will remain there interceding for all His followers (Romans 8:34).
Pray with Me
Father, I am forever grateful that Paul didn’t just talk to those he was mentoring, but that he also wrote to them so that we can benefit from his wisdom today. Thank you, Lord, for these divine and wondrous mysteries made plain in Your word, so that we can continue to do our part in growing Your kingdom and exalting the name of Jesus. Amen.