1 Timothy 3:16: The Mystery of Godliness
2021-10-03
Verse 16
This sentence starts with “And,” so it stands to reason that it is somehow connected to the previous verse. Previously we talked about the church being God’s house, God’s congregation of people, and the pillar and ground of God’s truth. This verse completes this thought: this mystery centers around the person of Jesus Christ. The church is His body.
The power of the church is “great.” It is huge, and mindboggling. Because of the great thing God has done in raising Christ from the dead and establishing His church, it is “without controversy.”
First, “God was manifest in the flesh.” God became a human being, Jesus Christ. Jesus was not an ordinary man; He started a whole new human lineage by being born of a virgin.
Most modern translations rely on a small number of manuscripts that say “He” rather than “God” as the subject. Nonetheless, the context declares that the subject of the clause must be God. The only masculine antecedent in the context is God. This is a clear declaration of Jesus’ deity.
Jesus was “justified in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit confirmed who He was by many miraculous signs.
Jesus was “seen of angels.” Angels were present at His birth and ministered to Him after His temptation by Satan. They were there when the tomb was empty, proclaiming His resurrection to the women.
Jesus was “preached unto the Gentiles.” Part of the mystery is the incorporation of the Gentiles with the Jews into one body, the church.
Jesus was “believed on in the world.” The ends of the earth knew of Jesus within a generation of His ascension. The Gospel still goes forth today.
Jesus was “received up into glory.” He is now at the right hand of the Father. The power of the church comes from His glorious enthronement in heaven.