"The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament shows
His handiwork."
Psalm 19:1
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THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS
In a letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul said,
“…I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
“God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.” 1Timothy 3:15-16
JESUS CHRIST: The Mystery of Godliness Revealed
In this lesson we’ll take a closer look, line by line, at 1Timothy 3:16.
- God was manifested in the flesh
- Justified in the Spirit
- Seen by angels
- Preached among the Gentiles
- Believed on in the world
- Received up in glory
1. The Word Becomes Flesh
“And the Word became 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.” John 1:14
“… the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us …” 1 John 1:2
“He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you …” 1 Peter 1:20
“And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.”
1 John 3:5
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
2. Justified in the Spirit
“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.” Matthew 3:16
“… and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Romans 1:4
3. Seen by Angels
“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.” Matthew 4:11
“Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” Luke 22:43
“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.” Matthew 28:2
4. Preached Among the Gentiles
“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.’” Acts 10:34 (Preaching to Cornelius’ Household)
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
“‘But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.’” Romans 10:16-18
5. Believed on in the World
“… but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith…"
Romans 16:26
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
2 Corinthians 1:19-20
"… the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth…” Colossians 1:5-6
“… if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” Colossians 1:23
6. Received up in Glory
“Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” Luke 24:51
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9
Jesus came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.
As a child growing up in a large denomination, I heard and believed what I was taught about Jesus Christ without every hearing that you must be born again. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I believed and received Him as my Lord and my Savior. Grace and faith produced the spark of eternal life that turned my life into liberty and in one moment I was drastically changed, set free from the kingdom of darkness, translated into the Kingdom of the Son.
I found and embraced my reason for living: Jesus!
The Mystery Now Revealed to the Saints
“… the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations,
- but now has been revealed to His saints.
- To them God willed to make known
- what are the riches of the glory
- of this mystery among the Gentiles:
- which is Christ in you,
- the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:26
Suggested Assignment
Go over the scriptures in this lesson several times this week.
One or more of them will stand out to you.
Meditate on that scripture to get it down into your spirit.
That happened to me this week. The scripture below has captured my attention and curiosity, leading me to further research. Digging for hidden treasures has rewards!
“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 10:18
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