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. (I Timothy 3:16 NKJV)
This is almost like a poem or words to a song for the way that it is laid out. It's not characteristic of Paul's long sentences and wordy paragraphs. Perhaps it could have been a song that was sung in the early church that Paul alluded to here. At any rate, it lays out in a nutshell some of the great teachings of our faith.
God was manifested in the flesh.
Who was born of the Virgin Mary? Jesus. Who did Jesus claim to be? God!
Justified in the Spirit.
Who come down and rested on His shoulder when he was baptized? The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Who did He send as the Comforter after He ascended into heaven? Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit proves and vindicates that Jesus is Who He said He was. The Holy Spirit justifies His claims.
Seen by angels.
He was seen by angels before He came to earth.
Preached among the Gentiles.
His salvation included the Gentiles
Believed on in the world.
Many have believed on Him.
Recieved up into glory.
He ascended back into glory where He had come from.
It is interesting to note that each two lines corresond to each other.
The first two lines have to do with flesh and Spirit.
The second two lines have to do with angels and men (Gentiles)
The third two lines have to do with the earth (world) and heaven (glory)
So, do you like mysteries? This is a mystery for those who have not come to faith in Christ. But those who are saved and have read The Book know the end of the story. Yes, there are some things that are hard for our finite minds to grasp right now, but one day we will understand it all. But the fact remains, we know the end of The Book and how it all goes down...and the Lamb wins! In fact, the Lamb has already won in God's program, although to us it seems like a work in progress.
No comments:
Post a Comment