“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself 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 manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Tim. 3:15-1615But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: 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. (1 Timothy 3:15‑16)).
The epistle of Timothy takes up every aspect of life. If you read it carefully you will see that there is hardly an aspect of life that is not mentioned. It brings before us how we should act with our relatives, how husbands and wives should act, and it even brings before us bodily exercise and everything that has to do with the handling of our material affairs. All this is brought before us because the world is looking on, and they should see people here who are seeking to walk in the wisdom of God a people who have found a secret in life, who have found direction for their pathway, and that in the Word of God. So it says, “The house of God, which is the church of the living God” the assembly, the “called-out ones.” God has called you and me out from a world that is under judgment. He has purposed us for glory. But He has left us here in this world to show forth His praise (1 Peter 2:99But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)).
First we read, “The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” This is the greatest responsibility for God’s assembly here upon earth. I believe that the assembly is responsible before God to be the support of the truth. We know that the church does not teach; the church is taught. Everything that you and I know is not because a certain group teaches it, but because the Word of God teaches it. There were special revelations that were given to the Apostle Paul what Paul in the Scripture calls “my doctrine.” There is a spirit of compromise on every hand giving up a little here and a little there. But the church is the pillar and ground of the truth, responsible to hold the whole truth of God that has been given to us. Paul told Timothy: “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust.”
In verse 15, then, we have the church as the body responsible to hold the precious truth of God and minister it. The gifts that God has given (Eph. 4) are to tell out these precious truths, and the church is responsible to hold the truth that has been given to us. The apostles and prophets laid the foundation, the evangelist goes out with the good news, and then those who are brought into the assembly find there are pastors and teachers to care for them.
In verse 16 it says, “Great is the mystery of godliness,” not, “Great is the mystery of God.” That is, we are not only to hold the truth, but our lives ought to be so Christ-like that it should be manifested to those we meet from day to day. What is “the secret [mystery] of godliness”? It is that people should see in us the life of Jesus. In 2 Kings 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.” The answer was, “Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” If Elisha were to see Elijah go up, it would be so; he would be Elijah’s representative. So we need to have our eyes on the Lord Jesus up there, so that we can be His representatives down here in this world. It tells us that when Elijah went up, his mantle fell, and Elisha, rending his own clothes, set them aside and put on the mantle of the man who had gone up. I believe that this is the thought here that the life of Jesus might be seen in us.
Here we have the secret of godliness: First of all, the Lord Jesus “God was manifest in the flesh.” What an example! He went through every kind of situation that we can go through and always acted for the glory of God His Father.
Let us look briefly at the points which are brought out here in connection with the Lord Jesus.
“Justified in the Spirit.” Too often we look for the approval of man. Sometimes people may laugh at us; they may say we are foolish in the things we do. But do we want to be accepted by the world or by the Lord Jesus? In His pathway He was “justified in the Spirit” while, as to the world, He was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” At the beginning of His path of service and at the end, at the mount of transfiguration, we see the Spirit of God coming upon Him. He was justified in the Spirit. I do not believe we will have peace in our souls if we always seek to be well thought of by men. It is good if what we do is just to please the Lord in obedience to His Word and the results are left with Him. This is the secret of godliness.
“Seen of angels.” We read in 1 Corinthians 4:99For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. (1 Corinthians 4:9) that “we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” Why do sisters wear a head covering? “Because of the angels.” In Ephesians 3:1010To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:10) we read, “That now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” The angels looked down and saw One, a Man, who was living only to the glory of God. So this is the secret of godliness: Are we acting in such a way as to present a display that is to the glory of God? The precious Saviour did. The Spirit could rest on Him in peace.
“Preached unto the Gentiles.” When the Lord Jesus was rejected by His people Israel, we read that He reached out in blessing to a poor Syrophenician woman (a Gentile). When we have felt rejected, do we give up? Do we throw up our hands and say: “Well, I tried, but it is no use.” When the Lord Jesus was rejected by the nation, He was the branch that went “over the wall” and reached out to the Gentiles. Let’s not give up. The Lord Jesus didn’t He went on in that pathway of love and at the end He was “cut off” and had “nothing.” But what has been the result? The blessing has reached out to a wider area. If you dam up a stream when there is plenty of water, the water just rises higher and flows out over a wider area. With the precious Saviour, it just made His grace go out over a wider area. He had come to glorify His Father, and nothing could stop the flow of love that went out of His blessed heart.
“Believed on in the world.” You and I may not see the result. At the end of the pathway of the Lord Jesus His disciples forsook Him and the nation cried, “Away with Him.” Paul told Timothy: The only way you can labor on and continue in the path is to look beyond this life and look to resurrection (1 Tim. 6:14-1614That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:14‑16)). He left the results to another day. Paul also said to Timothy, “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” We will never have understanding for our pathway unless we have the thought before us that there is One who has gone before and that what really counts is to have His approval.
“Received up in glory” (JND). How lovely to see, in Luke 24:50-5150And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50‑51), the precious Saviour with those disciples: “He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” What a glorious ending! His very last act was the blessing of the very disciples who had forsaken and fled from Him. May there be more of this spirit of Christ with us!
These two verses have brought before us the responsibility that we have in this world. We are like a model house. As the world and the angels look on, do they see that we are holding, standing for, maintaining and speaking the truth in love? And, as they watch our lives, do they see a manifestation of the life of Jesus in us? Though we surely have to humble ourselves that it is not always so, the Lord is still the same. We so often think of that lovely verse in Psalm 23, “He restoreth my soul.”
If these two verses in 1 Timothy in some measure have their fulfillment in us individually and collectively, how it will glorify that blessed One who did everything for us who went to Calvary for us. Whenever we get discouraged looking around at the weakness and failure, just think of that verse in 2 Thessalonians 1: “He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.” That will encourage us to go on, because that day is coming! What joy will then be ours. And how it will rejoice His heart! I believe that the Lord’s joy will exceed ours in that day. And, “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.”
G. Hayhoe (La Mirada, 1985)