Great is the Mystery of Godliness (1 Timothy 3:16)

1 Timothy 3:16 seems to be a mini-creedal statement about the earthly life of Jesus, either composed by Paul or quoted by him. It begins with the arrival of Jesus at his birth, closes with his departure, and makes six affirmations of him. In today’s sermon, we can think briefly about each affirmation, although each of them could be the basis of a separate sermon.

Introduction

We should note Paul’s preamble because he mentions three crucial details about the following affirmations: they together describe a revealed mystery, each highlights the greatness of Jesus, and they together form a common verbal confession of believers.

The term ‘mystery’ in the New Testament does not have the meaning that we usually give to the word. In a sense, it almost means the opposite of how we use it. The word was used in the first century to describe a revealed truth that had been previously hidden by God. We can think of another New Testament reference to a mystery which is clearer: ‘… the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints’ (Col. 1:24-26).

There is another detail to see and that is the apostle’s connection between this statement and godliness. Does ‘godliness’ refer to Jesus himself as the example of godliness or to the effect his mission has on his people? Some translate the phrase as ‘the mystery of our religion’. The verse is a description of the incarnation of Jesus, yet Paul says that it is the key for producing godliness. In other words, we cannot live in a Christlike way unless we have a right understanding of who Jesus is and confess our faith to others.

There is a connection between this verse and the preceding verse where the church is described as a pillar and base of the truth. In some ancient buildings, there was the foundation, several pillars, and a roof. The pillars revealed that there was a foundation. In the illustration, truth defines the foundation and the pillar – each is composed of the same thing. Sometimes inscriptions were engraved on a pillar with a message for people. The church has a message of truth to share, and it is stated in verse 16.

How are we to read the six affirmations? One way is chronologically, which is how I intend to do it, mainly because they seem to describe what happened to Jesus between his birth and his ascension. But they can also be read as three couplets. The first two – manifested in the flesh and vindicated by the Spirit – refer to his life on earth; the next pair – seen by angels (at his resurrection) and preached in the world – refer to witnessing to Christ; and the third pair – believed on in the world and received into glory – describe the reception that Jesus received, the first in this world and the second when he ascended to heaven. It is possible to interpret them that way.

Manifested in the flesh

This detail says that he became a real man and so was visible to his creatures. Before he became human, he existed as the invisible Son of God. Sometimes we marvel that the eternal God became an infant, a suitable response. Yet the wonder covers his entire human experience, even his human experience in heaven today.

To ‘be manifested’, however, means more that to be visible. It also means to be seen in a manner that reveals identity. I may see a person wearing different clothes. Depending on what they put on, I will recognise their interests or their occupations. In an incredible manner, Jesus in taking on humanity revealed he was the Son of God, even as he told his disciples that whoever had seen him had seen the Father. Think of how he described divine salvation through human lips. A real man and truly God. Great is the mystery of godliness.

Vindicated by the Spirit

The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus can be explored in many ways. Here the apostle describes the Spirit as the vindicator of Jesus. How did this occur? He vindicated Jesus when he descended on Jesus at his baptism, a sign from heaven that revealed divine approval of the thirty silent years he lived in Nazareth. The Spirit vindicated Jesus when he compelled the Saviour to go into the desert and defeat the devil and his strong temptations. He vindicated Jesus through enabling him to perform many miracles that were the evidence that he was the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament. He vindicated Jesus when he confirmed to the disciples that Jesus was the Son of the living God, even as Peter confessed him to be.

No doubt, it was the case that the most amazing place of vindication by the Spirit took place when Jesus was on the cross, suffering on behalf of his people. It was there that, through the eternal Spirit, he offered himself to God as a sacrifice for sin and he revealed the intensity of his love for God and for his people as he did so. The Spirit also vindicated Jesus when he raised the Saviour from the dead on the third day. Jesus had taught that he would die and then rise from the dead. In the New Testament his resurrection is connected to each of the divine Persons of the Trinity.

Seen by angels

We may wonder about the necessity of including angels because we may think that they would have seen the Son of God in eternity before he became a man. Yet it is the case that God in his essence is invisible to all creatures. They can only see him if takes on a temporary form, and one example of that would be the experience of the seraphim described in Isaiah 6 when the prophet Isaiah also saw a pre-incarnate theophany of the Son of God.

What was the first time the angels saw the Son of God? Was it not at Bethlehem at his birth? There, the infinite God that they had worshipped since their creation revealed himself in the form of an infant. We can see from their words to the shepherds what they thought of his arrival. He had come as the Saviour of sinners, as the Messiah, the Christ.

After that, angels saw him on many occasions. We can think of the angels who ministered to him after his period of temptation in the desert. Or what about the angel who helped him in the Garden of Gethsemane? What about his statement that legions of angels could have come to his aid if he has asked for them to do so? Then there are the angels that were present after he rose from the dead.

There must be a connection between ‘manifested’ and ‘seen by angels’. We can put it this way. It was not only the inhabitants of earth who were interested in the arrival of the Son of God on earth. The inhabitants of heaven were fully focussed on what took place in the earthly life of Jesus. We can note what Calvin said about this angelic observation: ‘When the Apostle says, that he was “seen by angels,” he means that the sight was such as drew the attention of angels, both by its novelty and by its excellence.’

Proclaimed among the nations

Some people look at this affirmation and the following one and wonder if they are out of sequence because they are mentioned before the final affirmation which refers to his ascension. The question to ask is whether he was proclaimed in different countries before he died. We find an answer to that question in the Gospels.

For example, we are told in the Gospel accounts that Phoenicians from Tyre and Sidon travelled to listen to Jesus. Samaritans from Sychar stated to Jesus that they believed that he was the promised Messiah. It is possible that the feeding of the four thousand took place in Gentile territory. Indeed, we known that Galilee was known as Galilee of the Gentiles. Jesus commanded the delivered demoniac from Gadara to spread the message of his deliverance to the people of that region, and the Gospels say that he did so many places (perhaps some present at the feeding of the four thousand had heard him). Some Gentiles attending the last Passover where Jesus was present desired to see him.

No doubt, these few encounters with Jesus can be seen as a foretaste of the much greater numbers that heard the proclamation of the gospel in various parts of the world after his ascension. Still, we should note the details that show how some Gentiles received help from his messages during his three years of public ministry. The ministry of Jesus included helping Samaritans and other Gentiles.

As Calvin noted, ‘God deigned to bestow on the Gentiles, who had hitherto wandered in the blindness of their minds, a revelation of his Son, which had been unknown even to the angels in heaven.’

Believed on in the world

This response, of course, is most miraculous. Spiritually dead sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles, trusted in Jesus for salvation. In the Gospels, there are many accounts of sinners of all kinds expressing their faith in him. A Roman centurion, a Jewish theologian (Nicodemus), a Samaritan woman, a blind man, a Gentile woman from Sidon, lepers, a dying criminal, and even his brother James and other family members who refused to believe in him initially. All those conversions should still be celebrated by us because they took place during the life of Jesus while on earth. And to them we can add the millions and millions of conversions that have taken place since then. Each one of them was a great miracle because each was brought from a state of spiritual death to one of life.

Taken up in glory

This is an obvious reference to the ascension of Jesus to heaven. Before then, it had been assumed that the reign of the Messiah would be from a throne somewhere on earth, in Jerusalem. Even although the Old Testament prophets had described incredible exaltation of the Messiah, it had not been possible for people to work out how it could be greater than all earthly kingdoms with their pomp. The ascension revealed how it could happen.

Jesus had informed his disciples that it would happen, but they had not grasped the meaning of his words. But when they saw him ascend from Bethany, and become enveloped in the cloud of glory, they saw what had happened to Jesus as he entered heaven. And they rejoiced with great joy, says Luke, as they returned to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the ascended Saviour went higher than even the disciples saw because in heaven the Heavenly Father invited him to sit at the Father’s right hand, the place of divine power and authority. And that is where he is today, and will be there until the day of his return.

Application

The obvious truth about this verse is that it is proper to worship Jesus. The verse also shows us how we can worship him. We can worship him with admiration of his person as God and man, we can worship him by using brief sentences in a sequence, we can worship him by selecting a specific time period of his saving work, we can worship him by thinking of what the angels saw, and we can worship him by thinking of his descent and his ascent. But we must worship him with words. Worship must be intelligent. And in our worship, there must be a recognition of the greatness of the Saviour. We often hear and maybe use the word mega. Paul uses mega here when he says ‘great is the mystery of godliness.’