1 Timothy 3:14
“The Church and the Mystery of Godliness”1 Timothy 3:14–16
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain
Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain
Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain
Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain
- ΤαῦτάTautaThese thingsG3778D-APNDemonstrative pronoun Accusative Plural Neuter
- σοιsoito youG4771P-2DSPersonal pronoun Dative 2nd Singular
- γράφωgraphōI am writingG1125V-PAI-1SVerb Present Active Indicative 1st Singular
- ἐλπίζωνelpizōnhopingG1679V-PAP-NSMVerb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
- ἐλθεῖνeltheinto comeG2064V-2AANVerb 2nd Aorist Active Infinitive
- πρὸςprostoG4314PREPPreposition
- σὲseyouG4771P-2ASPersonal pronoun Accusative 2nd Singular
- τάχει·tacheispeedG5034N-DSNNoun Dative Singular Neuter
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Greek, not the KJV's wording. Why?
This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Greek word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Greek word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “charity” where the gloss reads “love”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.
Words in [ ] are added by the English.
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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers 1 Timothy 3:14–16. He set out his notes in a four-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.
He concludes the chapter with a particular direction to Timothy. He hoped shortly to come to him, to give him further directions and assistance in his work, and to see that Christianity was well planted, and took root well, at Ephesus; he therefore wrote the more briefly to him. But he wrote lest he should tarry long, that Timothy might know how to behave himself in the house of God, how to conduct himself as became an evangelist, and the apostle's substitute. Observe,
I.Those who are employed in the house of God must see to it that they behave themselves well, lest they bring reproach upon the house of God, and that worthy name by which they are called. Ministers ought to behave themselves well, and to look not only to their praying and preaching, but to their behaviour: their office binds them to their good behaviour, for any behaviour will not do in this case. Timothy must know how to behave himself, not only in the particular church where he was now appointed to reside for some time, but being an evangelist, and the apostle's substitute, he must learn how to behave himself in other churches, where he should in like manner be appointed to reside for some time; and therefore it is not the church of Ephesus, but the catholic church, which is here called the house of God, which is the church of the living God. Observe here,
1.God is the living God; he is the fountain of life, he is life in himself, and he gives life, breath, and all things to his creatures; in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17:25, Acts 17:28.
2.The church is the house of God, he dwells there; the Lord has chosen Zion, to dwell there. "This is my rest, here will I dwell, for I have chosen it;" there may we see God's power and glory, Psalm 63:2.
II.It is the great support of the church that it is the church of the living God, the true God in opposition to false gods, dumb and dead idols.
1.As the church of God, it is the pillar and ground of truth; that is, either,
(1.)The church itself is the pillar and ground of truth. Not that the authority of the scriptures depends upon that of the church, as the papists pretend, for truth is the pillar and ground of the church; but the church holds forth the scripture and the doctrine of Christ, as the pillar to which a proclamation is affixed holds forth the proclamation. Even to the principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Ephesians 3:10.
(2.)Others understand it of Timothy. He, not he himself only, but he as an evangelist, he and other faithful ministers, are the pillars and ground of truth; it is their business to maintain, hold up, and publish, the truths of Christ in the church. It is said of the apostles that they seemed to be pillars, Galatians 2:9.
[1.]Let us be diligent and impartial in our own enquiries after truth; let us buy the truth at any rate, and not think much of any pains to discover it.
[2.]Let us be careful to keep and preserve it. "Buy the truth, and sell it not (Proverbs 23:23), do not part with it on any consideration." [3.] Let us take care to publish it, and to transmit it safe and uncorrupted unto posterity. [4.] When the church ceases to be the pillar and ground of truth, we may and ought to forsake her; for our regard to truth should be greater than our regard to the church; we are no longer obliged to continue in the church than she continues to be the pillar and ground of truth.
2.But what is the truth which the churches and ministers are the pillars and grounds of? He tells us (1 Timothy 3:16) that without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. The learned Camero joins this with what goes before, and then it runs thus: "The pillar and ground of the truth, and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness." He supposes this mystery to be the pillar, etc. Observe,
(1.)Christianity is a mystery, a mystery that could not have been found out by reason or the light of nature, and which cannot be comprehended by reason, because it is above reason, though not contrary thereto. It is a mystery, not of philosophy or speculation; but of godliness, designed to promote godliness; and herein it exceeds all the mysteries of the Gentiles. It is also a revealed mystery, not shut up and sealed; and it does not cease to be a mystery because now in part revealed. But,
(2.)What is the mystery of godliness? It is Christ; and here are six things concerning Christ, which make up the mystery of godliness.
[1.]That he is God manifest in the flesh: God was manifest in the flesh. This proves that he is God, the eternal Word, that was made flesh and was manifest in the flesh. When God was to be manifested to man he was pleased to manifest himself in the incarnation of his own Son: The Word was made flesh, John 1:14.
[2.]He is justified in the Spirit. Whereas he was reproached as a sinner, and put to death as a malefactor, he was raised again by the Spirit, and so was justified from all the calumnies with which he was loaded. He was made sin for us, and was delivered for our offences; but, being raised again, he was justified in the Spirit; that is, it was made to appear that his sacrifice was accepted, and so he rose again for our justification, as he was delivered for our offences, Romans 4:25. He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, 1 Peter 3:18.
[3.]He was seen of angels. They worshipped him (Hebrews 1:6); they attended his incarnation, his temptation, his agony, his death, his resurrection, his ascension; this is much to his honour, and shows what a mighty interest he had in the upper world, that angels ministered to him, for he is the Lord of angels.
[4.]He is preached unto the Gentiles. This is a great part of the mystery of godliness, that Christ was offered to the Gentiles a Redeemer and Saviour; that whereas, before, salvation was of the Jews, the partition-wall was now taken down, and the Gentiles were taken in. I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, Acts 13:47.
[5.]That he was believed on in the world, so that he was not preached in vain. Many of the Gentiles welcomed the gospel which the Jews rejected. Who would have thought that the world, which lay in wickedness, would believe in the Son of God, would take him to be their Saviour who was himself crucified at Jerusalem? But, notwithstanding all the prejudices they laboured under, he was believed on, etc.
[6.]He was received up into glory, in his ascension. This indeed was before he was believed on in the world; but it is put last, because it was the crown of his exaltation, and because it is not only his ascension that is meant, but his sitting at the right hand of God, where he ever lives, making intercession, and has all power, both in heaven and earth, and because, in the apostasy of which he treats in the following chapter, his remaining in heaven would be denied by those who pretend to bring him down on their altars in the consecrated wafers. Observe, First, He who was manifest in flesh was God, really and truly God, God by nature, and not only so by office, for this makes it to be a mystery. Secondly, God was manifest in flesh, real flesh. Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, Hebrews 2:14. And, what is more amazing, he was manifest in the flesh after all flesh had corrupted his way, though he himself was holy from the womb. Thirdly, Godliness is a mystery in all its parts and branches, from the beginning to the end, from Christ's incarnation to his ascension. Fourthly, It being a great mystery, we should rather humbly adore it, and piously believe it, than curiously pry into it, or be too positive in our explications of it and determinations about it, further than the holy scriptures have revealed it to us.
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"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. 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."
That he may not plunge Timothy into dejection by giving him orders about such matters, he says, I write thus not as though I were not coming, but I will indeed come, still in case I should be delayed, that thou mayest not be distressed. And this he writes to him to prevent his being dejected, but to others in order to rouse them to greater earnestness. For his presence, though only promised, would have great effect. Nor let it seem strange that, though foreseeing everything through the Spirit, he was yet ignorant of this, and only says, I hope to come, but if I tarry, which implies uncertainty. For since he was led by the Spirit, and did not act from his own inclination, he was naturally uncertain about this matter.
These things I write to you, hoping to come to you soon; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
These things I write to you. In order that the arrangement concerning these matters may not throw Timothy into gloom because Paul is no longer present, see what Paul says: "But if I am delayed." Since he was led by the Spirit, and did not know where the Spirit was ordering him to go, therefore he always hesitates.
which is the Church of the living God. Whoever is a house, is the Church of the living God; not like the Jewish temple, but a pillar and foundation, that is, a confirmation of the truth. For the temple, he says, was a foundation of the types of truth. And rightly so, "of the living God." For do you not notice, he said, that it is filled with men: for it excels through God, and is built by Him, and has Him as its inhabitant.
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This verse
Paul tells Timothy that he is writing these instructions for the church while he hopes to come to him in person soon.
“These things write I unto thee,”
“These things” (taûta) are the instructions just given about overseers and deacons. Paul writes as an apostle to a young leader facing false teaching in Ephesus.
“hoping to come unto thee shortly:”
Paul plans a visit soon, though verse 15 allows for delay. A letter could guide Timothy and the church until he arrived.
Passage study1 Timothy 3:14–16
The Church and the Mystery of Godliness
Summary
Paul has just set out who may serve as overseers and deacons. Now he tells Timothy why he has written: he hopes to come soon, and if he is delayed, Timothy will know how people ought to conduct themselves in the house of God. That house is the church of the living God, which holds up the truth and gives it a firm base. Then Paul names that truth in six short lines that have the ring of a hymn: 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. The order of the church matters because of whose house it is, and the truth the church holds up is Christ himself.
Why Paul put these things in writing
“These things” (taûta) points back to the instructions Paul has just given, the qualifications for overseers in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and for deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8–13. Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus, a leading Roman city and a centre of the worship of Artemis (Diana), whose temple was counted among the seven wonders of its day. False teachers had also risen inside the church itself, men taken up with fables and endless genealogies (1 Timothy 1:3–7). Paul had warned the elders of that same church that grievous wolves would come in and that men would arise from among them speaking perverse things (Acts 20:28–31). Timothy was a young leader with a heavy task, and Paul gave him an apostle’s instructions in a form he could keep and point to.
The verb for “write”, gráphō, is the ordinary word for writing. Its early sense was to scratch and then to draw, and in time it came to mean writing of every kind. What gives these lines their weight is the apostle who wrote them and the God who inspired him. This letter became part of the Scripture that, as Paul later tells this same Timothy, “is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
Why Paul wrote before he came
Timothy needed guidance at once. While he waited for Paul, error and confusion could take root, and a written word could be read to the whole church in Ephesus and kept for the churches that came after. So the letter met an urgent need of that moment and also served the long purpose of God, who has given these instructions to his household in every generation.
Paul’s hope to come shortly
Paul writes “hoping to come unto thee shortly”. The verb elpízō means to hope, to expect or to trust. Here it is the expectation of a visit, a real plan that Paul holds while knowing, as the next verse says, that he may be delayed. “Shortly” is táchion, the comparative of tachýs, “swift”, used as an adverb: “more quickly”, “sooner”. Paul wanted to be with Timothy in person, to teach and encourage him face to face, as travelling apostles commonly returned to the churches they had founded. The same warmth shows when he tells the Philippians that he hopes to send Timothy to them, “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state” (Philippians 2:19–20). Written instruction and personal care belong together in the way God shepherds his people.
Christ’s word until he comes
Christ has done for his church what Paul did for Timothy, and far more. He has given his word and has sent the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, “that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16–17), until he comes again in the same way the disciples saw him go (Acts 1:9–11). He is head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:22–23), he said “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), and his promise is “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Paul’s order for the church finds its meaning in the Lord who owns it.
The house of God, the church of the living God
“But if I tarry long” allows that Paul’s visit may be delayed, so these instructions are meant to guide Timothy for as long as Paul is away. Their purpose is “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself”. The “thou” is Timothy, yet the conduct in view belongs to the whole household: the order of worship (1 Timothy 2:8–12), the character of its leaders, and the way all of God’s people live together.
The word for house, oîkos, means a dwelling, and also a family or household. Here it is God’s household, the people who belong to him as his children and among whom he lives. Jewish and Gentile believers alike knew the Temple as the place of God’s dwelling, and Paul now gives that name to God’s people. He says the same to the Ephesians, who are “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God”, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”, growing into “an holy temple in the Lord” and “an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22).
That house is “the church of the living God”. The word ekklēsía means an assembly or congregation, an assembly duly summoned. This assembly belongs to the living God, who acts, speaks and leads his people, and in Ephesus that name set him apart from the idols in the temples around them.
What does “the pillar and ground of the truth” mean?
The church holds up God’s truth in the world and gives it a firm footing. Paul uses two pictures from building that his readers knew well. A pillar, stŷlos, supports a structure and lifts it where it can be seen. The ground, hedraíōma, is a support or base, often rendered “foundation” or “bulwark”, the firm footing that keeps a building from falling. Together they describe a church that keeps the truth standing and visible, preserving it, proclaiming it, defending it and living it, so that the gospel reaches each generation whole.
The truth itself is God’s. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The church supports and displays what God has given, as a pillar holds up a roof that someone else designed, and its authority rests on its faithfulness to that word.
This is why order and leadership matter so much in this letter. Paul warns Timothy against those who teach other doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3–7), sets what is “contrary to sound doctrine” against the gospel (1 Timothy 1:10), and tells him that a good minister is “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6). A church with faithful leaders and godly conduct keeps the truth in plain view, and its health bears on how the gospel is heard.
At the centre of that truth stands a person. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), and “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). Christ is the chief corner stone on which the household is built, and the church holds up the truth by proclaiming him, which is exactly what Paul does in the very next verse.
Great is the mystery of godliness
“Without controversy” means that this is beyond dispute among God’s people. It is the truth they all confess. The word mystḗrion, “mystery”, means a secret once hidden and now made known by God, a truth he has opened to those he gives it to. The mystery here is Christ himself, God revealed in his Son.
Godliness, eusébeia, comes from a word meaning “well-revering”. It is true reverence and devotion to God, a disposition of the heart that shapes the whole of life. Calling the gospel “the mystery of godliness” ties it to the verse before. Paul has written about how to behave in God’s house, and now he shows the truth all such godliness grows from. Right living in the church rests on who Christ is and what he has done.
The six lines that follow are balanced and rhythmic, each built on a verb in the passive, and they have the shape of a hymn or confession of faith that the church may already have used in worship, easy to remember and full of praise. They trace Christ’s whole course, from his coming in the flesh to his return to glory.
God was manifest in the flesh
This is the incarnation. God himself became visible and took a true human nature in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and truly man. John says it in the same breath: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The invisible God was seen, heard and touched, and because Christ is both God and man he is the one mediator between God and men.
Justified in the Spirit
The verb dikaióō means to render, that is, to show or to regard, as just or innocent. Christ was always righteous, and here his righteousness is publicly declared and shown. The Holy Spirit confirmed his sinless life and his claims, most of all by raising him from the dead, as Paul writes that he was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3–4).
Seen of angels
Heaven watched what God did in his Son. Angels sang at his birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13–14), and they saw his life, death, resurrection and ascension. The work of Christ concerns heaven as well as earth.
Preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world
The gospel first made known among the Jews was carried to every nation, as Jesus commanded: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). And it was believed. Paul tells the Colossians that the gospel had come “in all the world” and was bringing forth fruit (Colossians 1:6). In the face of opposition, people of every background put their faith in Christ, and the spread of that faith shows the power and the divine origin of the message.
Received up into glory
The last line is the ascension. After his resurrection Jesus was taken up bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9–11) and exalted to the right hand of God. The word for glory, dóxa, carries the sense of dignity and honour, of splendour made plain, and of the praise and worship that are due. Christ returned to the majesty that was his, and he reigns there as Lord of all until he comes again.
The household and its hope
In these three verses God gives his church written instruction for the time between, a name to live under, and a truth to hold up. The church is his house and the assembly of the living God, and he lives among his people. Its conduct and its order matter because it carries the truth that God has made known, and that truth is a person: the Son who came in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached and believed throughout the world, and now reigns in glory. The church stands as a pillar for that truth, and the whole house rests on him.
1 Timothy 3:14 This verse
“These things write I unto thee,”
“These things” (taûta) are the instructions just given about overseers and deacons. Paul writes as an apostle to a young leader facing false teaching in Ephesus.
“hoping to come unto thee shortly:”
Paul plans a visit soon, though verse 15 allows for delay. A letter could guide Timothy and the church until he arrived.
1 Timothy 3:15
“But if I tarry long,”
The instructions are meant to hold for as long as Paul is away.
“that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself”
The letter’s purpose: right conduct and order among God’s people, beginning with Timothy as their leader.
“in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,”
God’s household and his own assembly. The title “living God” sets him apart from the lifeless idols of Ephesus.
“the pillar and ground of the truth.”
The church holds up God’s truth and gives it a firm base, keeping it visible and whole in the world.
1 Timothy 3:16
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:”
Undisputed among believers. The once-hidden secret, now revealed, is the gospel from which all true godliness grows.
“God was manifest in the flesh,”
The incarnation: God made visible in Jesus Christ, fully God and truly man.
“justified in the Spirit,”
Christ vindicated and shown to be righteous by the Holy Spirit, above all in his resurrection.
“seen of angels,”
Heaven witnessed his coming and his work.
“preached unto the Gentiles,”
The gospel carried beyond Israel to the nations.
“believed on in the world,”
People throughout the world put their faith in him.
“received up into glory.”
The ascension, Christ exalted to the right hand of God, where he reigns.
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