The Mystery of Godliness
The Mystery of Godliness
I Tim 3:16
1. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to his beloved son Timothy out of great concern for what was happening in the Ephesian church. His chief concern was the impact some false teachers were having upon the saints.
2. An example of that false teaching is found in 4:3. These teachers were forbidding others to marry and commanding them to abstain from certain foods. In other words, these false teachers were promoting a godliness that could be obtained by fleshly means, through bodily discipline and human effort.
3. But it was not only the false teachers and their followers that Paul was writing to admonish. It was Pastor Timothy himself.
4. You see Timothy had failed to confront these teachers and thus was not fulfilling his ministry, which was to teach correct doctrine and refute those who oppose that doctrine.
5. But not only was Timothy failing to confront these teachers, we will see later that Timothy himself was in danger of being seduced by these teachers. Timothy himself was being seduced of a godliness that comes through fleshly means.
6. Paul’s words in 3:15 form a mild rebuke. The “you” here is in the singular. “I hope to come to you soon, but if I am delayed, I write so you may know how to conduct yourself in the household of God.” It was Timothy that needed to learn how to conduct himself as a pastor. Should not Timothy have known this by now?
7. Now in confronting Timothy Paul knows this will be read to the church, so the Apostle is admonishing all of us as well.
8. Though the false teachers believed that they had found a way to godliness through their own works and disciplines, Paul begins v. 16 “without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” Without controversy means that these truths are agreed upon without dispute, no questions are raised.
9. Godliness, or sanctification, is a mystery. It is a great mystery no less. The term “mystery” does not mean that this doctrine is so esoteric that only the initiated few can attain to it.
10. The term “mystery” means it cannot be understood by the wisdom of this world. Its wisdom is antithetical and foolish to the wisdom of this world. If you could produce godliness through human means and bodily discipline, it would hardly be a mystery. Mystery here means supreme significance.
11. The mystery of godliness is the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ applied to you for sanctification.
12. Every believer must support the truth How?
13. Paul quotes from what seems to have been a common hymn or confession of the church. In the Greek it reads very much like a song; that is why most of your translations indent the contents of this confession.
14. The mystery of godliness begins with the incarnation of Christ. “He was manifested in the flesh.” Godliness is a person. Here was the only righteous man, the only one who possessed true godliness. The righteousness that pleases God was the Son of God become man, Jesus Christ. Paul is lifting the minds of the Ephesian Christians off themselves and on to Christ.
15. Philippians 2:6-7 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
John 10:30 – I and my Father are one.
John 4:25-26 - The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
16. The second phrase of this confession is a little more startling. “He was justified in the Spirit.”
17. Some of the more recent translations were uncomfortable with the idea of Jesus receiving justification so they translated that word “vindicated” instead of “justified.” The word in the Greek can be translated “vindicated.”
18. The idea would be that Jesus was vindicated, or proved to be everything that He claimed. He was vindicated from the charge that He was a blasphemer and sinner.
19. But the translators of the King James Version were more willing to step out and suggest the word be translated in its most common meaning, “justified.” And they were right. Justification is God’s declaring someone personally righteous.
20. Do you see why this would cause the later translators discomfort? We don’t usually think of Jesus as needing justification. When was Jesus justified? Was He not always righteous?
21. Jesus was justified at His resurrection. At Calvary He became sin; He took on our sin and was punished as a sinner. His resurrection was His justification. At His resurrection the Father declared Him righteous, those sins laid on him were no more, forever forgotten by the Father. II Cor. 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Isaiah 53:10 - Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
22. Jesus did obey the Father perfectly; so at the resurrection Jesus was filled with the Spirit of glorification, thus the phrase, He was justified in the Spirit.
23. Jesus as the glorified man merits the rewards for His perfect righteousness. Jesus was justified. But because those sins on him were ours, it was not only Jesus that was justified at His resurrection, but you were justified at His resurrection.
24. I know the common definition of justification is when you place your faith in Christ you are declared righteous, and of course that is true; but that declaration of God has its ground in Christ’s own justification. In other words, before it was declared in heaven it was accomplished on earth. Christ’s justification was your justification.
25. How sure is your salvation? As sure as the Father declared the Son righteous at the resurrection, that is how sure your position is in Christ.
26. This confession is arranged in three couplets, each one recounting an accomplishment of Christ on earth and an accomplishment in heaven. Jesus was manifested in the flesh, on earth, and justified in the Spirit, in heaven. In the second couplet we begin in heaven and go to earth.
27. “He was seen by angels.” In Colossians Paul teaches that upon His ascension the heavenly beings beheld Christ in His resurrected glory, thus beheld by angels. At birth – Luke 2:8-14; After temptations Mt. 4:11 After his resurrection – Mt 28:2-7; Acts 1:10-11.
28. The next stanza in the second couplet shows the results of His work here on the earth; “He was preached among the Gentiles, or the nations.” The establishment of the church around the world and its preaching of the gospel are part of what Christ has already accomplished.
29. Do you see where Paul is going? Don’t lose his train of thought; he is still explaining the mystery of godliness.
30. We as a church do nothing that Christ has not already purchased for us. He not only purchased our salvation but our good works also. To follow Christ is to enter into His finished work for you.
31. You say, “Well, now that seems somewhat mysterious.” Now you’re getting it. Remember the beginning of the definition of sanctification in our shorter catechism: “Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace.” It is a gracious work in us by Christ and through Christ.
32. The last couplet begins on earth and ends in heaven. This back and forth from earth to heaven brings home the cosmic scope of the work of Christ.
33. “He was believed on in the world.” Christ did not die to make salvation possible so you might choose him; Christ saved you on that cross. He purchased your faith with His own blood. All responses to the gospel are the result of His work that He already accomplished. The Lord Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church for the purpose "that the world may believe that Thou sent Me" (John 17:21). As the church functions according to godliness (1 Tim. 3:15) and edification (Eph. 4:12-16), then unbelievers will be convicted as they see the living God being manifested in the assembly
34. Here is the warning to Timothy not to boast in any positive results from his ministry. Christ already secured these results at His death and resurrection. Timothy only enters into Christ’s finished ministry.
35. Finally the last stanza, “He was received up in glory,” of course speaking of His ascension.
36. This confession is chronologically backwards. It has the ascension listed after the expansion of the church and response of the nations to the gospel. We would expect the ascension to come first, and then the expansion of the church. Why the reverse order?
37. The reverse order underscores Paul’s point. We can take credit for nothing. The witness of the church throughout the ages comes before the ascension because it was all accomplished by Christ at the cross. It is the same reverse order that Paul uses in I Corinthians 1:30: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
38. Sanctification before redemption? Christ became for you sanctification. Great is the mystery of godliness!
39. Does this mean we don’t do anything? If Christ did it all, do we then do nothing?
40. I will answer your question with a question. Did the knowledge of Christ’s finished work for our sanctification cause the Apostle Paul to do nothing? God forbid. It is only as you humble yourselves of all your fleshly attempts to produce your own godliness can you do anything.
41. Your works, your habits, your disciplines cannot produce true godliness. They can produce an outward form of godliness, but none that has any true power.
42. As you know Christ, as you meditate upon His person and His work, as you pray for Him to increase as you decrease, you will become more and more godly. These means the wisdom of the world cannot fathom.
43. Godliness does not come through fleshly means.
44. You cannot program spiritual life change. Christ works out His own godliness in each of His children through His means and in His timing. You cannot rush your brother’s sanctification nor can you rush your own.
45. “Great is the mystery of godliness.” The world looks at us and cannot understand that our righteousness comes from another source. They may try to imitate our ways outwardly, but they will find no power in those imitations.
46. Our sanctification comes from heaven itself. It is hidden in Christ. Christ has already accomplished every good work we will do. We simply enter into His work by faith.
47. Paul was a man of good works, but he knew those works were just an outward expression of Christ’s work in Him.
48. If someone should ask you the secret to your godliness, what would you say? We know what the Apostle would say. “He was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.”
*Paul takes away from Timothy and the church any striving in the flesh. It is only by accepting the Apostle’s definition of godliness that we can heed the admonition, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” Amen.
This verse teaches us the centrality of Christ, the wonder of Christ, and the challenge of Christ.