1 Timothy 3:14-16

IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUCTIONS 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Text 3:14-16

14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; 15 but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen of angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Thought Questions 3:14-16

101.

Why didn-'t Paul instruct Timothy before leaving him at Ephesus?

102.

What things are referred to in 1 Timothy 3:14?

103.

In what way is the church the house of God?

104.

In what sense is the church the pillar and ground of the truth? What truth?

105.

Explain the use of the term mystery as used by Paul.

106.

When was Christ manifest in the flesh?

107.

Give the meaning of the expression, justified in the spirit.

108.

Give occasions when Christ was seen of angels.

109.

Why mention that He was, preached among the nations?

110.

Is the term world different from nations as used here?

111.

Was Christ received up into glory or in glory according to 1 Timothy 3:16?

Paraphrase 3:14-16

14 These things I write thee, although I hope to come to thee soon, to give thee more complete instruction concerning thy behavior.
15 Or if by any accident I am obligated to tarry long, I have written these things, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is neither the temple at Jerusalem, nor the temple of Diana at Ephesus, but the church of the living God, consisting of all believers, and which is the pillar and support of the truth.
16 Thou oughtest to behave properly in the church; for confessedly most important is the doctrine of the gospel which is kept therein; namely, that to save sinners by his death, the Son of God was manifested in the flesh; was justified through the Spirit, who raised him from the dead; was, after his resurrection, seen of the apostles his messengers; was preached to the Gentiles as their Saviour; was believed on in many parts of the world; was taken up into heaven in a glorious manner.

Comment 3:14-16

1 Timothy 3:14. Wherever Paul was when he wrote this letter he anticipated a visit to Timothy. We like to believe he had been in prison at Rome, then was released, and went into Macedonia from whence he wrote this letter. This letter seems to take on an official tone here. The words here written, i.e. from 1 Timothy 1:1-20; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; 1 Timothy 3:1-16 are to be used in the place of the personal presence of the apostle.

1 Timothy 3:15. In my absence, be it short or long, these instructions are to be read and followed. The student should note that the American Standard Version refers to the behavior of men, and King James Version to Timothy. The absence of the pronoun in the original makes either one of them correct. In either case the meaning turns out the same. Timothy's behavior was to be a pattern for others. The household of God is alluded to in 1 Timothy 3:5, and is here specified, It should not be necessary to say the expression house of God has no reference to a church building. In the New Testament the house of God. consistently refers to the people. We are a habitation of God in the Spirit. In contrast to the dumb, dead idols worshipped in Ephesus and Asia, this is the called out of the living God.

The difficulty in understanding the church as the pillar and ground of truth can be explained as: pillar, supporting the truth by defending it against its enemies; and the ground of the truth, in the sense of preserving it through the centuries.

1 Timothy 3:16. Shall we connect this verse up with the truth of 1 Timothy 3:15 b, i.e. pillar and ground of the truth?If so then 1 Timothy 3:16 will be an enlargement of the truth. Or, shall we associate this with the work of the deacons and elders? If we do this, then what we shall say here in 1 Timothy 3:16 is the motivation for the work of these officers, We prefer the latter emphasis. Some have thought this verse to contain the words of an early Christian hymn. The words of the hymn by common consent were accepted as expressing in few words the heart of the Christian faith. Here is more or less a statement of faith. The words mystery of godliness can be understood as meaningrevealed mystery of living like God wants us to. We explained mystery in 1 Timothy 3:9. It is used in the same sense here.

Manifest in the flesh:Note please, the different phases of Christ's life and work emphasized in these expressions: First the incarnation: Manifested carries the thought of unveiling, He who existed in the form of God chose to empty himself and be clothed with flesh. He was both concealed and revealed. God was seen in human flesh. Emmanuel was His name, God with us. It was the flesh He chose as a medium of manifestation. It was in the flesh He unveiled deity. We like to think of Bethlehem as associated with this expression; but we could not appreciate Bethlehem without a knowledge of the rest of the truth in this verse.

Justified in the Spirit:We take the word spirit to refer to the inward man, and not to the Holy Spirit. As to His flesh He was veiled and unveiled. It was a humble garment that scarcely concealed the glorious person. As to His spirit: He made claims of divinity that need vindication. He was not a liar. This vindication was provided by His miracles; but most of all He was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Thus all that the inward man claimed was upheld or justified.

Seen of angels: We can not resist the desire to share with you the words of Simpson on this phrase: If Sheol was strangely moved at the arrival thither of the once resplendent son of the morning, little wonder that heaven was stirred by the descent to our sphere in voluntary self-abnegation of the only-begotten of the Father. With what tremulous interest must these legions of His have followed the steps of His humiliation from the throne of awful majesty to the cross of agonizing shame! And how, as the infernal plot against Him thickened, must they have witnessed with amazement the non-intervention of Omnipotence on His behalf! Far more than twelve legions of angels must have waited breathlessly for that signal to flash across the upper skies which should snatch heaven's Darling from the -power of the dog-'. Surely the resurrection daybreak dawned on them as well as on the dazed disciples -like some sweet summer morning after a night of pain-' and the triumph of His re-ascension, escorted by their bright squadrons homeward, had been to them its meridian glow. But imagination must fold her fluttering wing, lest we incur the Colossians-' rebuke (Colossians 2:18) for prying into angelology! Enough to know that these unseen spectators from another world have drunk in the vision of the -Word made flesh-' and can be summoned to bear record to its supreme reality. (Ibid.)

Preached among the nations or Gentiles: If we attempt to follow the life of our Lord in these expressions, we will now say we are discussing the results of His mission on earth. He was born in Bethlehem or manifested in the flesh, He was active in a miraculous, model ministry, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, thus justified in the spirit. All through His earthly advent He was seen by angels; The answer is: So He could be preached among the nations. How important then that we preach the gospel to all the nations, The Christians of Timothy's day fulfilled our Lord's purpose, We now are as provincial as the Jews of Paul's time. The Jews were accused of believing the Messiah was sent but for one people, and we deserve the same condemnation! We do not say it, but we do practice it!

Believed on in the world:We take the former phrase to refer to the cause, and this phrase to the result. We have read the learned discussions of these phrases, as divided up into couplets and formed into interrelating arrangements; we have felt that such discussions were rather arbitrary in their conclusions.

The exaltation of our Lord is surely seen in the response of men from every nation.

Received up in glory. Please note that this does not say He was received up into glory. This has reference to His home, not His home-coming. From the Mount of ascension Jesus returned to share the glory He had with the Father before the world was made.

Fact Questions

77.

Where was Paul when he wrote this letter?

78.

What indication of an official tone is here observed?

79.

What instructions are to be read and followed?

80.

Who is to know how to behave himself in the house of God?

81.

In what sense is the church the pillar and ground of the truth?

82.

How shall we relate 1 Timothy 3:16 with 1 Timothy 3:15? Show also its connection with 1 Timothy 3:14.

83.

How shall we fit together the six phrases of 1 Timothy 3:16; or should we attempt to see any order in this verse?

84.

Explain in your own words the meaning and relation of each of the six expressions,