In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul makes an amazing and astonishing revelation. In it he writes:
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by Angels, Preached among Gentiles, Believed in the world, Received up in glory” (1st Timothy 3:16)
If we observe closely the way this great mystery begins and ends, it echos the words spoken by the Master to His disciples when he said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The Lord Jesus spoke these words of victory after He had captured death with His resurrection. The inspired Paul explains to his son in the faith that understanding this marvelous mystery is necessary because it would reveal to him “how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1st Timothy 3:15). The wise counsel of the apostle to his beloved Timothy (and also to all who read his words) is masterfully illustrated in his use of imagery. Observe that the apostle describes the church as both a pillar and a ground of the truth. Paul’s use of architectural language links the words spoken by the Lord and the manifestation of this great mystery being taught to Timothy. In a building, the pillar is the large column or post that supports the weight of the roof and the ground is the base that holds the column in a firm and balanced place. In ancient times, Roman and Greek architecture was most commonly recognized for the design of their temples. For the most part, these structures were distinguished by the elegant and sophisticated use of a series of columns and bases that held the edifice in place. These enormous structures were craftily made with the intent of mesmerizing the eyes of all who passed by the temple with its enormity. However, the magnificence of these buildings is found in the strength and capacity of the columns’ and bases’ ability to hold such a tremendous amount of weight at very high altitudes! Because they were temples to honor their “gods,” it is very probable that the intent behind making them so tall was to show the temple as a link between Olympus (the heavenly realm of the Greek gods) and the earth. It is here where the apostle’s use of imagery becomes evident. We must recall that these magnificent structures were everywhere during the life of the apostle and erosion or time had yet to take its toll on them. One of Paul’s favorite teaching methods commonly seen in his writings is that of figurative illustration. In other words, the apostle consistently used an image known by his readers to represent his lesson for an easier understanding. In his letter to Timothy, Paul makes use of the image of a Greek temple’s architecture of columns and grounds (bases) to represent the link between God and man. Wisely, the apostle interpreted the intent of the Greek architects and applied it in a spiritual form. Once more, it is wise to notice that the purpose of the column and ground is to hold up the massive roof of the temple. With this literal interpretation in mind, Paul’s teaching begins to make its presence. Before he reveals the great mystery of godliness, he paints the church as a house. He then confirms that this house, or God’s church, is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” This is how he demonstrates the link between God and His creation. The responsibility of the church is to uphold Jehovah God’s truth. However, it is unwise not to reveal what truth serves as the enormous roof that the pillar and ground are steadily holding up. This truth is irrefutably seen by what Paul has dubbed as the great mystery of godliness. In a single name, Paul speaks of Jesus. Although it is very simple to see this lesson, there is much depth to this enlightenment. To limit his lesson to simply say that he speaks of Jesus is to do an injustice to the purpose of his lesson. Once more, his majestic use of the literary tool of teaching by figurative illustration is to manifest the sophistication of God’s plan of salvation for all of humanity. We must also keep in mind, as we read this pericope, that during Paul’s tenure in this world there were many who challenged the idea of God being made flesh. The most notorious promoters of this deadly teaching were those who belonged to Gnosticism. This irreverent group of men argued that it was impossible for God to take a physical body. They reached this erroneous conclusion because their belief was that spirit is pure and good, whereas matter was defiled and evil. Hence the motive why they dismissed the doctrine of the incarnate Word. It is also why the apostles found it important to vehemently cease this unfruitful thought. What the Gnostics failed to understand is that proclaiming this idea was not only false, but it was destroying any hope of obtaining God’s grace. Debunking this divine truth would not only make the Master a liar and a deceiver, but it also contradicted His triumph over death in His resurrection. The threat of this false doctrine is that it severs the only link man has to God (1st Timothy 2:5, Colossians 2:9-10). Therefore, here is the truth that Paul teaches the church must uphold steadfastly. If Jesus roamed the earth as just another man, then the wages of mankind’s sin is still unpaid; if He roamed this earth as a phantom (as the Gnostics proclaimed) then His sacrifice was nothing more than a mirage and death was never conquered. The doctrine of resurrection becomes nullified if this Gnostic conclusion were to be true. Understanding how venomous this devilish doctrine really is, the apostle illuminates how God’s plan of salvation hinges off of Jesus’ humanity. It began with God coming to this world and taking the form of man and it ends with Jesus man returning to His divine form of God (Philippians 2:5-11). This is the essence of Christianity! The undeniable truth that Jesus was God before He came to this world to live as a man, and continues to be God after He left this world, dying as a man is the source of mankind’s faith (John 1:1-5, 14-18). This is the truth that His one, true church must uphold firmly, so that all of humanity may awe in its presence. Therefore, it is imperative to understand that the sole path to the Father, runs through Jesus, who is the incarnate Word (John 14:6).