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The Importance Of The Church I Tim. 3:14-16 - Lesson Seven
1 Timothy 3:14-16 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: (15) But if I tarry long, that you might know how you ought to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The Summary
Paul has been released from his first imprisonment in Rome ( AD 62) and is on his fourth missionary journey. He wrote his son in the faith, Timothy, from Macedonia (I Tim. 1:3) advising him to stay in Ephesus and await his arrival (2:14). At the end of chapter three Paul gives the reason for his instructions to Timothy thus far; 1:1 to 3:13. Paul is hoping to return to Ephesus to help Timothy,but just in case he is delayed for a good while, Paul tells Timothy how to conduct himself in the house of God towards false teaching, foolish talking, the implementation of prayer and its importance, proper dress and demeanor for women, male and female roles concerning authority and teaching, and qualifications for bishops and deacons.
Think about it.Even Paul made plans but knew his plans and God’s plans could be two different things. Do you allow for the latter? (Ps. 20:4 compare Ps. 140:8; Prov. 16:9)
The church is called the “house of God,” because it is that in which he dwells. Formerly, his unique residence was in the temple at Jerusalem; now that the temple is destroyed, it is the church of the living God, among his people.
- The Greek word for church is Ek-klesia = “The called out”. It can mean assembly and is used as such in the bible. (Mt. 18:17; Acts 7:38, Acts 19:32, 39,41) It is also a term used for the universal inclusion of all believers “in” Christ. (Eph. 1:22)
The church/house of God is also the pillar and ground of truth
a.Paul impresses Timothy with a deep sense of the importance of correct conduct in relation to the church, especially concerning the necessity of care and caution in the selection of proper officers.
b.Paul seems to be telling Timothy that the truth of God (that revealed truth which he had given to save the world) was entrusted to the church. It was designed to preserve it pure, to defend it, and to transmit it to future times; and every one to whom the administration of the affairs of the church was entrusted, should engage in this duty with a deep conviction of his responsibility.
The Hymn?
(16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
The Apostle Paul penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and said the following were “without controversy.” In other words, these were foundational truths that everyone should agree on.
What is the “Mystery of Godliness”?
The Apostle Paul, when he described the “mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4), also set forth a definition of a mystery. He wrote that it is a truth “which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (3:5). In other words, it is a Biblical truth that is revealed for the first time by the Holy Spirit.
The mystery of godliness is Christ Himself; that godliness, hidden in ages past, has now been revealed, and is seen not to be an abstract ideal, a mere attribute of a personality, but actually a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The mystery of godliness was manifested in the flesh, not a burning bush, not in a pillar of cloud alone, but in actual human flesh.
Let’s look at each of the six lines of a supposed hymn proclaiming the Person, earthly life and work of the Lord Jesus.
The hymn of Paul?
Many believe, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote down the last six lines of I Timothyin the form of a hymn so people could sing it and remember it. Whether or not this is true is of no real importance. The real importance is the doctrinal truths set forth in the words.
16 cont…God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Line One - God was Manifested in the Flesh
The Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the foundational doctrinal truths of the Christian Church. This song begins, “God was manifested in the flesh.”
There is a discussion among textual critics whether the word “God” is in the original text of I Tim. 3:16, or if it’s the Greek word “Who” or “He”. The overwhelming testimony of the Early Church Fathers, based on the manuscripts that they had in their possession, is that the word “Theos” (God) was the word originally penned by the Apostle Paul (Miller 1979: 137).
Even if the word “Who” was in the original manuscript, to whom is the pronoun referring too? In the preceding verse, there are three nouns: “the church,” “the Living God,” and “the truth.” Which one is in grammatical agreement with the masculine pronoun “Who”? The nouns “church” and “truth” can be ruled out because they are feminine. Thus leaving the masculine noun “living God” to be in grammatical agreement with the masculine pronoun “Who.” “Thus, it can be safely concluded that ‘the living God’ is the direct antecedent of the ‘who,’ and could read, ‘The living God … who was manifest in flesh’” (Rowell 1957: 76). Either way, God was manifested in the flesh!
In one line, the Apostle Paul sets forth the great doctrinal truth of the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ – God took on human flesh. Theologians call this the “Hypostatic Union” because perfect humanity was united with undiminished deity, and joined in one Person forever. This is a truth our finite minds might find hard to grasp, yet it is clearly taught in the Scriptures.
The dual nature of Christ – fully God and fully man, is attested to in the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the New Testament. The prophet Zechariah describes the return of the LORD (Yahweh) to the earth at the end of the Tribulation period. In chapter 12, he predicted that the LORD would fight for Jerusalem. In verse 10, he says, “And I the LORD/Yahweh will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication [the Holy Spirit]; then they will look upon Me the LORD/Yahweh whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” When was the LORD (Yahweh) pierced? The piercing of the LORD was outside the walls of Jerusalem in AD 30 when the Lord Jesus was crucified on Calvary’s cross in order to pay for all our sins (John 19:33-37). The Apostle John wrote at the beginning of the Revelation of Jesus Christ: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen” (1:7). John confirmed the words of Zechariah that one day, the people of Israel will recognize their Messiah when He returns to earth.
The prophet Isaiah sets forth the dual nature of the Messiah in the “Immanuel section” of his book (Isaiah 7-12). He predicted that Messiah, the Lord Jesus, would be born of a virgin in Isaiah 7:14. The Gospel writer Matthew quotes this passage in the account of the birth of the Lord Jesus and said: “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (1:22, 23). This was fulfilled when Jesus dwelt among men and walked upon the earth (John 1:14; I John 1:1-2).
A few chapters later, Isaiah predicted, “For unto us a Child is born (His temporal humanity), Unto us a Son is given (His eternal deity)” (9:6a). A few lines later, Immanuel is called the Mighty God. The Apostle John begins his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [His deity]. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us [His humanity], and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:1, 14).
The dual nature of the Lord Jesus is seen in John chapter 4. In His deity, His omniscience knew all that the Samaritan women had done (4:16-18, 29), yet in His humanity, He thirsted for water (4:7). In chapter 11, it was His omnipotence that raised Lazarus from the dead, yet in His humanity, He wept over the death of His friend (11:30).
The Book of Hebrews demonstrates the superiority of the Lord Jesus, and His sacrifice for sins, over the sacrificial system of the Temple in Jerusalem. In chapter 1, the deity of the Lord Jesus is set forth and in chapter 2, His humanity. In chapter 1, it is written; “But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever’” (1:8, quoting from Psalm 45:6). Yet in chapter 2, a commentary on the humanity of the Lord Jesus from Psalm 8 is given: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (2:9).
The Scriptures set forth at least eight reasons why God became a man in the Person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first reason is to reveal God to man (John 1:1, 14, 18). The second, is to reveal a Perfect Man as an example for believers to follow when going through persecution (I Peter. 2:21). The third reason is to provide a sacrifice for sins (Heb. 10:1-10). The fourth reason is that He destroyed the work of Satan (John 16:11; Col. 2:13-15; Heb. 2:14; I John 3:8). The fifth reason was to fulfill the Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7:10-16; Luke 1:31-33; Rev. 19:16). The sixth and sevenths reasons are so that He could be both a Prophet (Deut. 18:15-18) and High Priest (Heb. 2:16, 17; 7:1-8:1; 9:11, 12, 24). The final reason is so that He could shed His blood for the remission of sins (Heb. 9:22).
Only God manifest in human flesh could be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for all our sins and offer us the free gift of eternal life when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Sin-Bearer Savior (I Peter 1:18,19; John 3:16; Eph. 2:8,9; I John 5:13).
Line Two - Justified in the Spirit
The second line of the Mystery of Godliness Hymn is that He was “justified in the Spirit.” The justification referred to here is obviously not theological justification such as Paul discusses in the epistle of Romans. The Lord Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, God Himself, needs not to be justified. He is holy, guileless, undefiled, separate from sinners’ (Heb. 7:26). But His holiness, His absolute sinlessness, His deity needed to be vindicated” He was vindicated by the Spirit at His baptism, temptation in the Wilderness, during His public ministry and Resurrection from the dead.
At the baptism of the Lord Jesus, John the Baptizer, was telling the people they need to repent (change their minds) for the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. When Jesus saw John baptizing in the Jordan River, probably near Jericho, He too was baptized in order to “fulfill all righteousness”, i.e. to be identified with His people Israel (Matt. 3:15). As He was immersed into the water’s of the Jordan River, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove and a voice from Heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21, 22). The entire Triune God was present at the baptism of the Lord Jesus at the beginning of His earthly ministry and He was vindicated by the voice of the Father and the sign of the Holy Spirit.
Immediately after His baptism He was led by the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness (Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1) where He was tested for forty days by the Devil. These tests were not to see if the Lord Jesus would sin, but to demonstrate that the Lord Jesus could not sin, would not sin, and did not sin, because in Him was no sin (James 1:13; Heb. 4:15; II Cor. 5:21). During His public ministry “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).
The ultimate vindication was at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Lord Jesus was “born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:3-4). The entire Triune God was involved in the resurrection of Jesus: the Father (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12), the Son (John 10:17, 18), and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11; I Pet. 3:18).
Line Three - Seen by Angels
The third line of the Mystery of Godliness Hymn is that He was “seen by angels.” Paul wrote to the church at Colossae that the Lord Jesus is the Head of all principalities and power, which included the angelic beings (Col. 2:10).They beheld Him even before the Incarnation. (Isa. 6:1-3).
The angelic beings worship the Lord Jesus (Rev. 5:11, 12; Heb. 1:6; Phil. 2:9-11), yet Peter points out that angels desired to look into His sufferings and glories, but they could never appropriate it for themselves (I Pet. 1:12).The book of Hebrews declared that the Lord Jesus was made a little lower than the angels while He walked among men (Heb. 2:9). Even then, the angels observed Him.
The Angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would have a Child by the Holy Spirit and He would be the Savior of the world (Luke 1:26-38). An angel confirmed to Joseph that the Child that Mary was carrying was of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20). At the birth of the Lord Jesus, the angels announced the glad tidings of His birth. (Luke 2:8-14).
After the Lord Jesus was tested by the Devil for forty days, to prove that He could not sin, did not sin, and would not sin, the Devil departed from Him and the angels came and ministered to Him (Matt. 4:11).
As the Lord Jesus agonized in Gethsemane, He prayed: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” An angel came from heaven to strengthen Him in this trying time (Matt. 22:42, 43). Yet at the crucifixion, there were no angels to strengthen Him. This event He had to bear alone. Just prior to going to Golgotha, Jesus had said to the chief priests that the time had come for the power of darkness. This seems to imply that Satan and his hoards were at the crucifixion (Luke 22:53). Yet it was at the Cross where Jesus triumphed over them and they were defeated (Col. 2:15).
An earthquake occurred at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an angel of the Lord rolled back the stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. As he sat on it, the women appeared at the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. The angel reassured them that Jesus was not there because “He is raised as He said. Come; see the place where the Lord lay” (Matt. 28:2-6; Luke 24:1-6).
Forty days after the resurrection, the Lord Jesus took His disciples to the backside of the Mount of Olives and there He ascended into Heaven. As He went up, two men in white apparel (apparently angels) said: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into Heaven” (Acts 1:9-11). When the Lord Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives at His second advent after the seven year period of Tribulation (Zech. 14:4, 5), He will come with His saints (the Church) and the angels who will gather His elect (the believing remnant of Israel that survives the Great Tribulation) from the four corners of the earth (Matt. 24:31; 25:31; II Thess. 1:7).
He was seen by angels and they had an important role in His earthy life and ministry.