The first purpose statement describes Christ’s work: He came to redeem. You should never divorce the truth of the incarnation from redemption. There are two major aspects involved in our redemption: the removal of the curse and the restoration of the inheritance. Paul explained the first aspect of Christ’s work of redemption in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.'” Our savior fully satisfied the wrath and curse of God against sinners in order to deliver us from the eternal punishment of sin. On the basis of this work, God justifies his people. 

Many things in life fill us with wonder; our world is full of profound mysteries, but the greatest mystery of all is the mystery of the incarnation. One of the profoundest statements of this mystery is 1 Timothy 3:16: “And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”(1) This verse concludes a section in which Paul’s has discussed the church and her office bearers. As the church is the pillar and support of the truth, the focus of her life and message is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul began with a declaration of the mystery of godliness: “And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness.” By the phrase, “by common confession,” he stated that this mystery is to be the bedrock of the church’s witness. By this phrase, he taught that it is without controversy; something that is confessedly true. He was not referring to the church’s confession, but that which is a core belief beyond debate. In other words, if one is a Christian, one must be committed to the truths spelled out in this statement.

Paul called this undeniable truth “a mystery of godliness.” In Romans 16:25, 26, Paul explained what he meant by mystery: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations leading to obedience of faith.” A divine mystery is not some esoteric phenomenon, but rather a truth decreed from eternity and prophesied in the Old Testament, but only fully discoverable by apostolic revelation.

This particular mystery that was unfolded darkly in the Old Testament is the humiliation and exaltation of God incarnate with the subsequent incorporation of the Gentiles into the Church. The mind boggles at this mystery of the incarnation and its implication; it carries us beyond the limits of the abilities of our comprehension. The gospel is a mystery, but a mystery revealed clearly in the New Testament.

Notice as well the goal of this message. Paul wrote earlier, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). So he called this truth “the mystery of godliness.” It is not a mystery that tickles the brain of the intelligent or of the secretly initiated; it is not a mystery that leads to abstract discussion, although our minds are stretched by the truths of Scripture and we enjoy thinking about the wonderful doctrines of the Word of God. This truth, like all of God’s truth leads to godliness. We find here the essence of what is called experiential Calvinism. All the truths of the Bible are to be embraced in a way that produces godliness and worship. Consequently, the very contemplation of this mystery is to be transforming.

Paul unfolded the mystery in the second half of the verse: “He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” The format of this statement is in itself interesting, for it appears to be a liturgical statement–either a confession or a hymn. It is, perhaps, the most intricate piece of poetry in the New Testament. We see the careful artistic design of this verse in its grammatical construction, three couplets in six lines, with each line having the same grammatical construction. The first couplet deals with Christ’s work accomplished; the second, made known; and the third, acknowledged.

Furthermore, each couplet states a contrast between earth and heaven: “revealed in the flesh”–earthly, “was vindicated in the Spirit”–heavenly; “Beheld by angels”–heavenly, “proclaimed among the nations”–earthly; “Believed on in the world”–earthly, “taken up in glory”–heavenly.  Finally, the statement begins with Christ’s humiliation and ends with his exaltation. All in all, this stylized structure makes a memorable statement about the incarnation.

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