Day 1027: Holding up the truth - 1 Timothy 3 vs 14-16

14-15 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:14-16 English Standard Version.

The apostle Paul had been on his way to a region called Macedonia when he urged Timothy to remain in Ephesus because some people there were twisting the message of the gospel. He reminded Timothy that the ambition of those who've believed the gospel should be to live in love that flowed from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5) Today's reading picks up on that theme. Timothy was to teach believers how Christians should behave, and he was to be a model of such behaviour himself. Why was such behaviour so important? (vs 14-15)

Because the Church has a vital role in the world! The Greek word translated as 'Church' means a people who’ve been 'called out' of the world and its ways, and 'Household of God' implies that they are now like God's family. As such, the Church has a solemn responsibility to lift up the truth from God about Jesus Christ, and to be the mainstay of that truth. Christians have been called out of the world, to lift up God's truth both in the world, and to the world.

Why I say this truth is essentially about Jesus is because of what Paul goes on to say in vs 16. He speaks there firstly of 'the mystery of Godliness'. ‘Mystery’ means it was something that would've remained hidden if God hadn't made it known. We see this mystery being made known in the Gospel of John. We read that: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We (i.e. Jesus' disciples) have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1&14) That's surely what Paul means when he says “He was manifested in the flesh.” He is speaking of Jesus.

Paul then goes on, in just a few words, to sum up what happened after Jesus came in the flesh. John's gospel tells us that when Jesus came to His own people, the Jewish nation, they didn't receive Him. In fact, they went on to condemn Him as a criminal, and crucify Him. But He was vindicated by the Spirit of God. That was seen when the Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Him at His baptism (Matthew 3:16), but it was also true of when the Holy Spirit raised Him from the grave. In another of Paul's letters, he said to Christians “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:11)

We know from the gospels that Jesus was ‘seen by angels’ when He was in the world. They announced His birth (Luke 2:9-14), and strengthened Him when He was praying in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:43) They were also present to announce His wonderful resurrection from the tomb, and this was a very important part of the message that was later 'proclaimed among the nations'. It was the message of a risen Saviour that the disciples took into the world, which led to many then, and through the ages, to believe on Him.

The other important part of the truth about Jesus which we are to uphold in the world, is that He was 'taken up in glory.' The disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven, and Paul tells us that God “seated Christ at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:20-21)

These things make up the vital truth concerning the ‘mystery of Godliness’ which we are to cling to. Oh how important this is in our generation. There’s still so much darkness in the world and, sadly, many Churches have turned away from this truth that Paul wrote about. Psalm 11:3 asks an important question. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” May we ever uphold the truth - and may our behaviour always match up to the truth that God has given us to hold up to the world.