Christology in Six Lines: An Exposition of 1 Timothy 3:16

By David J. MacLeod

David J. MacLeod is Chairman of the Department of Bible and Theology, Emmaus Bible College, Dubuque, Iowa, and is Associate Editor of The Emmaus Journal.

In the spring of A.D. 57[1] Paul had a farewell meeting with the elders of the Ephesian church. He had warned them of false teachers and abusive leaders (“savage wolves,” Acts 20:29) who would arise among them and harm the church. Now, just five years later (fall, A.D. 62), the church in Ephesus was being led astray by some of its elders, and Timothy had been left there by Paul to stop their influence.[2] The false teachers were involved in arguments and quarrels of various kinds, and they were proud, arrogant, and divisive. Furthermore they were acting out of greed for money (1 Tim. 1:3–7; 3:1–13; 6:3–10).

Even more serious was the fact that they were teaching doctrines in the church that were contrary to the Christian faith.[3] They promoted asceticism, extreme self-denial in which people were forbidden to marry and eat certain foods (4:3; 5:23). Also they focused on speculative doctrine instead of the clear and central doctrines of Scripture. In addition they were syncretistic, mixing false notions of paganism with the gospel. For example they apparently denied the future bodily resurrection of believers and argued for a kind of spiritual resurrection that was already past (2 Tim. 2:18). And apparently there was some kind of error in Christology.[4] Also there seems to have been some disorder of gender roles in the church meetings (cf. 1 Tim. 2:8–15).

So Paul wrote to Timothy to tell him to stay and oppose the errors in Ephesus. In chapters 2 and 3 he dealt with concerns relating to the disorders in the church.[5] He concluded this section of his letter by again reminding Timothy of his purpose. First Timothy 3:14–16 has been called “the very heart of the epistle,”[6] and “the culminating doctrinal point and the key to the [epistle].”[7]

The Introduction To The Hymn[8]

“By common confession,” Paul said, “great is the mystery of godliness” (v. 16). He wrote of “the confessed grandeur of the gospel in terms of [Christ] who is its reality.”[9] Possibly Paul saw his comment here as a triumphant answer to the pagan cry, “Great is Artemis [or Diana] of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:28, 34).[10] “By common confession” (ὁμολογουμένως) means “undeniably” or “most certainly so.”[11] Beyond all question the mystery of godliness is great (μέγα), that is, wondrous, sublime, or important.[12]

The term “mystery” (τὸ μυστήριον) is sometimes misunderstood. To many people a mystery is a riddle or an enigma. The pagan mystery religions had such mysteries.[13] They were secrets known to only a privileged few, secrets that were selfishly kept to themselves, secrets that were demonic lies. The term “mystery” is also used today of a certain genre of fiction, namely, mystery novels about crimes that seem unsolvable. But in the New Testament “mystery” means something that was inaccessible, something that people could not know by study or investigation. Instead, it was a secret that God revealed. It was an “open secret” or “revealed secret” available to all. The mystery in 1 Timothy 3:16 is God’s redemptive plan, which was revealed in Jesus Christ, the “mystery of godliness” (τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον).[14] The expression translated “godliness” has been taken in two ways. Some understand it to refer to conduct, that is, the duty a person owes to God.[15] They translate “godliness” as “piety.” However, it is more than just good behavior. It is “a new capacity or potential to live in a way that accords with the will of God.”[16] Jesus Christ is the source, power, and pattern of the kind of life that is acceptable to God.[17]

Others understand it (more objectively) to refer to the content or basis of Christianity.[18] A suitable translation for this view would be “the Christian faith.”[19] Jesus Christ is the saving revelation that lies behind the Christian faith. He is the essence of Christianity. He is the reason for the church’s existence.[20]

Still others combine the views, arguing that the term refers to both doctrine and life, truth as well as conduct.[21] The term in the Pastoral Epistles “implies a serious approach to life and [the Christian faith] by contrast with the frivolous disputations of the opponents (1 Tim. 2:2).”[22]

Line One: The Incarnation Of Jesus Christ

The hymn begins, “He who was revealed in the flesh [ὅς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί].” The six lines that begin here are almost universally understood to be a hymn,[23] either quoted by Paul or composed by him as he wrote this epistle.[24] There is much debate among students of this epistle over whether the hymn should be understood as having six parallel single lines,[25] as two verses of three lines each,[26] as three couplets,[27] or as a chiasm.[28] In the Greek text[29] the poetic or hymnic form is beautiful and clear.[30] The first option (six parallel single lines) seems most appealing because it has the merit of simplicity, and it allows for the most natural interpretation of the six lines, that is, the chronological telling of Christ’s story.

The six lines follow the sequence of events in the life of Christ.[31] The King James Version translates the first line, “God was manifest in the flesh.” Almost all translations[32] and recent commentators[33] agree that the original text read “who” (ὅς), not “God” (θεός, AV, NKJV).[34] Actually it makes little difference, for the expression could refer only to the preexistent Son of God.[35]

The first line speaks of Christ’s incarnation.[36] The doctrine of the Incarnation grows out of the implied teaching of Scripture that God is a triune God, that is, He is one God who eternally exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All Christians humbly confess that there is something “mysterious,” that is, incomprehensible about God’s revelation of Himself.[37] The eternally preexistent Son of God took on Himself a true human nature (“flesh,” σάρξ).

Incarnation means “in flesh” (ἐν σαρκί; Latin, incarnatio). The everlasting God came to this earth and became man.

The term “manifested” or “revealed” (ἐφανερώθη) presupposes a previous concealment.[38] The eternal Word “became flesh,” as John wrote (John 1:14). Unlike the false gods of paganism (e.g., Zeus), Christ did not masquerade as a man. He became a man.[39]

The verb “to manifest” here suggests two things: the objective reality of the Incarnation, and the revelation involved. Christ manifested or revealed God.[40] In London’s Trafalgar Square stands the statue of Lord Nelson, the great British admiral. The colossal column is so high, however, that it is difficult to make out what he looks like. At an exhibition in 1948, therefore, an exact replica was placed at eye level where all could see it. For the first time many had a close view of the features that they had earlier beheld from afar. That is what Jesus Christ did for God. He dwelt among us “and we beheld His glory” (John 1:14).

Line Two: The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

The second line reads “was vindicated in the Spirit [ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι].” Literally this line states that Jesus “was justified in spirit [or, by the Spirit].” Most commentators[41] agree that this refers to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.[42] The term “justified” (KJV) is not used here in the usual sense of acquittal. It means “vindicated” or “endorsed” (NASB, NEB, NIV, RSV).[43]

Some have taken the term “spirit” to be a reference to the Holy Spirit,[44] which is a possible interpretation. If that is what the verse says, then Paul’s meaning is that although the Lord was put to death as a malefactor, God vindicated Him and declared Him to be innocent and righteous when, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He raised Him from the dead.

More likely the word “spirit” refers to Christ’s human spirit. The structure of the verse seems to demand this second meaning. Line 2 (“in spirit”) is parallel to line 1 (“in flesh”).[45] The phrase “in flesh” (i.e., His human nature) suggests that “in spirit” refers to His human spirit.[46]

Christ’s human nature consisted of body, soul, and spirit. He had a body, a soul (the will, reason, and emotion), and He had a spirit (the seat of the spiritual life and communion with God).[47]

In this verse, then, the phrase “vindicated in spirit” most likely speaks of Jesus being vindicated in the sphere of His human spirit.[48] The verb “to vindicate” means to have one’s name cleared of blame or suspicion.[49] While on the earth (“in flesh”), Jesus appeared in lowliness and weakness. Yet He was Christ, the Son of the living God (Mark 14:61–62). In that sphere (i.e., in His earthly life), He was hated, rejected, persecuted, and murdered. In the other sphere (the sphere of His spirit) He was triumphantly vindicated.[50] At His resurrection His claim to be the Christ “was demonstrated and validated.”[51]

Christ’s earthly manifestation (“in flesh”) culminated in a criminal’s death, accompanied by horrible violence. But the Cross was not a defeat; it was a triumph over death and hell. By His death He defeated death, and His resurrection was His vindication. His name was cleared of all blame and suspicion, and He was shown to be the Christ, the Son of the living God.

On earth (“in flesh”), He was charged with blasphemy (Mark 14:64). But in the realm of His spirit He stood before a more august tribunal and was “made sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21), that is, all the punishment for sin was laid on Him by God, the Judge of all humankind. In His spirit Christ endured His most intense suffering, as He experienced the curse of sin as the great Sin-Bearer. And His resurrection vindicated His claim that He is the sinless Son of God.

Line Three: The Ascension Of Jesus Christ

Following His resurrection Jesus was “beheld by angels [ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις].” The word “beheld” is not the best translation of the verb ὤφθη (aorist passive of ὁράω). It almost always means the self-exhibition of the subject.52 That is, in Jesus’ situation it means that He showed Himself to the angels; He appeared to them (Matt. 17:3; Luke 1:11; Acts 7:2; Heb. 9:28).[53]

Most commentators[54] view this line of the hymn as a reference to Jesus’ ascension into heaven.[55] It suggests that the angels adored Him as they saw Him being exalted.[56] At His ascension the glorified Christ, having been vindicated, presented Himself to the angels. In His glory He was “a spectacle to angels.”[57] Chapman wrote that “Christ twice passed the angels by. He sank far below them in His humiliation; He rose far above them in His exaltation.”[58]

One can well imagine the tremendous interest with which these angelic potentates followed the steps of Christ’s humiliation from the throne of awesome majesty to the cross of agonizing shame. And as the infernal plot against Jesus thickened, they must have witnessed in amazement the nonintervention of God the Father on His behalf. Far more than twelve legions of angels (Matt. 26:53) must have waited breathlessly for a signal to flash across the sky for them to snatch the Son of God from the “power of the dog” (Ps. 22:20). They must have stood in stunned silence as God the Father allowed His Son to be nailed to a stake. Surely, therefore, the angelic host shouted for joy at the sight of one of their number rolling away the stone to reveal an empty tomb (Matt. 28:2) and when squadrons of angels escorted “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8) back to His heavenly home.[59]

Pastor Martin Niemöller (b. 1892) was arrested by the Nazis and sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. As he looked out from his cell one day, he saw that a fellow prisoner had scratched the Latin word vivit (“He lives”) in the gravel of the courtyard. In the midst of utter barbarism Niemöller was reminded of the One who had overcome death and made salvation available to all who believe.[60] Because of His resurrection and ascension Jesus intercedes for believers, representing them before God the Father and guaranteeing that one day they will be with Him.

The Head that once was crowned with thorns
Is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns
The mighty Victor’s brow.[61]

Line Four: The Proclamation Of Jesus Christ

That the risen and ascended Christ was “proclaimed among the nations [ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν]”[62] draws attention to a further element of God’s open secret (the “mystery of godliness”)—one that underscores the advance of the evangelistic mission to the world.[63] Instead of reigning over Israel at the present time, Christ is being preached[64] among the Gentiles (and Jews) in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Isa. 49:6).[65]

Over the centuries some missions activity has taken place, beginning with apostolic witness in the Book of Acts. But in the last two centuries thousands of missionaries have taken the gospel to scores of nations on every continent. This modern missions movement began with William Carey, who went to India as a missionary in 1793. For eight decades now the gospel has reached many more people through modern media. For example the first religious broadcast on radio was aired on January 27, 1921, over KDKA in Pittsburgh. Fifty years later the New York Times reported that there were five hundred thousand programs a year in over one hundred languages with the stated purpose of spreading the gospel. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America millions have come to Christ in recent years.[66] As Paul wrote, Jesus Christ is indeed being “proclaimed among the nations.”

Line Five: The Reception Of Jesus Christ

Paul’s hymn triumphantly adds that Jesus has been “believed on in the world [ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ].” This line is also concerned with the missionary task, and it states that the preaching of the gospel has been successful. It further confirms that the gospel message is worldwide in scope.[67]

As Neil has observed, Christianity is now “the worldwide religion.”[68] Unlike Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam, Christianity has been widely accepted by all nationality groups. Neil lists five aspects of its universality: (1) There is no major region of the globe where the gospel has not been preached. (2) Over 90 percent of the literate people of the world have at least some portion of the Scriptures available to them. (3) In every area where the gospel has been preached for a considerable length of time, some converts have been won, and in most of these areas indigenous churches have been started. (4) There is no religion from which Christianity has not won some adherents. (5) The gospel has made its appeal on every level of culture, from the highest to the lowest, from Brahmin priests to Chinese literati to Australian aborigines.[69]

The charge is often made today that for Christians to claim the uniqueness of Christianity is an arrogant claim for the superiority of the “white man’s religion.” The importation of Christianity into Africa and Asia, it is said, was no more than the importation of other elements of Western imperialism. Now that the days of imperialism are over, some suggest, why not leave the Africans and Asians to their own indigenous religions? Four observations should help allay these misconceptions.[70] First, some of the most ancient Christian churches in the world are based not in Europe but in Egypt, Ethiopia, and India. Second, Christianity did not begin as a white Western religion; it was brought to the West by missionaries. If there had never been a missionary movement, Christianity would never have reached Britain’s or America’s shores. Third, the Christian faith covers the globe. It is the most international and interethnic of the world’s religions. It is the main faith of much of black Africa, where it has experienced phenomenal growth numerically. Many of the strongest churches in Africa were founded by Africans, not Europeans. Since 1949 (when Western missionaries were expelled from China by the Communists) the church in China has grown from five million believers to an estimated seventy-five million. Fourth, the Bible originated in Israel, not Europe. In a sense God’s chosen land lies, both symbolically and actually, at the center of the nations, for it lies at the junction of the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Line Six: The Enthronement Of Jesus Christ

The hymn concludes on a victorious note: He was “taken up in glory [ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξη].” This line is probably the most puzzling to commentators. The first five lines of the hymn all seem to follow the chronology of Christ’s ministry from Incarnation to Resurrection, to Ascension, to the worldwide preaching and reception of the gospel. Many agree that a chronological interpretation would be best were it not for line six, because, they reason, line six seems to revert back to the Ascension.[71] In fact most commentators, assuming that the phrase refers to the Ascension, assert that the hymn does not give a strict chronology of Christ’s life and ministry.[72] Paul, many observe, spoke of the Ascension in line three and then returned to it in line six.[73] However, it seems preferable to recognize that Paul did intend a strict chronology here. As some scholars argue, the phrase “taken up in glory” refers not to Christ’s ascension but to His final victory at His second coming to earth (Phil. 2:10–11).[74]

Also it would be strange if the apostle told the story of Jesus with “no hint of eschatology” in his hymn.[75] The verse does not say, “taken up into [εἰς] glory.” It says “taken up in [ἐν] glory.” That is, the phrase does not speak of a change of place. Instead it describes the accompanying circumstances of an event. As one might say of a victorious general, “He entered the city in triumph.”[76] Pomp and majesty will mark Christ’s return and His assuming the throne of His ancestor David[77] in His earthly kingdom.[78] Jesus called this throne “the throne of His glory [θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ]” (Matt. 19:28).

Montgomery described it this way:

Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captives free,
To take away transgression,
To rule in equity.[79]

Conclusion

The church’s message centers in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is He whom the church proclaims, and it is of Him and to Him that the church sings her praises. The truths about Jesus Christ have evoked musical praise from His people for two thousand years.

A local church violates its character if it departs from the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the other hand a healthy church believes, guards, lives by, and proclaims the gospel.[80] The doctrinal truths relating to Jesus Christ are the reasons for the church’s existence. The teaching of the doctrine of Christ, focusing on His deity, incarnation, resurrection, ascension, and return is a sure answer to false teaching, deceptive cults, and corrupt theologies.

Notes

1. This date is suggested by Harold W. Hoehner (unpublished class notes, Biblical Introduction 901, Dallas Theological Seminary, n.d.). See also George W. Knight III, The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 53–54.
2. On the background of the Pastoral Epistles, see Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, New International Biblical Commentary (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1988), 7–8. In support of the hypothesis that the church is being misled by some of the elders, Fee offers this evidence: (1) The errorists were teachers (1 Tim. 1:3, 7; 6:3), and teaching was a task of elders (3:2; 5:17). (2) A significant part of the letter discusses the character, qualifications, and discipline of church leaders (3:1–13; 5:17–25), and many of the guidelines stand in obvious contrast to what is specifically said of the false teachers. It is noteworthy that two of the ringleaders were named and excommunicated (1:19–20).
3. As I. Howard Marshall notes, determining the exact nature of the false teaching in Ephesus is a speculative task. The best one can do is study the doctrinal texts in the Pastoral Epistles and “mirror-read” them for clues to the doctrinal error (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, International Critical Commentary [Edinburgh: Clark, 1999], 499).
4. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 95. A Christological error is implied by Paul’s placing this Christological hymn immediately before his denunciation of the heretics.
5. Ibid., 91.
6. Walter Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, International Critical Commentary (New York: Scribners, 1924), 42; and William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 2000), 214, 219.
7. Donald Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (London: Tyndale, 1957), 87.
8. Mounce lists several reasons why Paul quoted a hymn here: (1) Having mentioned the “truth” in verse 15, he now spelled out some of the essentials of the truth. (2) The hymn, as noted above, serves as a pivot between chapters 3 and 4, giving the reason Paul’s instructions must be followed, and looking ahead to his discussion of the error of the opponents. (3) The verse is key to understanding how the theology and ethics of the Pastoral Epistles are tied together. The Christian life (“godliness”) flows from the saving events in the life of Christ. (4) The hymn emphasizes the centrality of Christ in the gospel. Much of the Ephesian heresy was only words, and Paul knew that while words were necessary in the debate, it was imperative to assert that God’s truth was manifested in a person. (5) The hymn shows Christ living an exemplary life (“He was vindicated”), which serves as a practical guide of true godliness (Pastoral Epistles, 224–25).
9. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 182.
10. J. N. D. Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, Black’s New Testament Commentaries (London: Adam and Charles Black, 1963), 89; and Ronald A. Ward, Commentary on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Waco, TX: Word, 1974), 63.
11. Walter Baur, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2d ed., ed. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979), 569. As Knight points out, the adverb has both a positive aspect (“most certainly”) and a negative aspect (“undeniably”), yet both mean essentially the same thing (The Pastoral Epistles, 182). See also Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 522.
12. J. E. Huther, Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, Meyer’s Commentary on the New Testament (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1884), 130; and Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 522.
13. Walter L. Liefeld, “Mystery Religions,” in Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 4:330–33.
14. Benjamin B. Warfield, “The Mystery of Godliness,” in Faith and Life (1916; reprint, Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1974), 373; Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 88–89; and E. K. Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 60. The genitive τῆς εὐσεβείας is possessive, that is, the mystery pertains or belongs to godliness (Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament [New York: Scribners, 1903], 4:239; and J. H. Bernard, The Pastoral Epistles, Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1899], 62).
15. Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 326; and Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 182. Vine also says it refers to conduct, but not the conduct of Christians. Rather, it refers to godliness embodied in Christ and exhibited in His life on earth (W. E. Vine, The Epistles to Timothy and Titus [London: Oliphants, 1965], 61).
16. Philip H. Towner, “The Shape and Motive of Piety in Chinese Religious Tradition and the Biblical Tradition: Li and Eusebeia,” Jian Dao 5 (1996), 95–125, esp. 121.
17. William Kelly, An Exposition of the Two Epistles to Timothy, 3d ed. (London: Hammond, 1948), 72.
18. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 92.
19. The term describes “the core of the message of salvation” (Martin Dibelius and Hans Conzelmann, The Pastoral Epistles, Hermenia, trans. Philip Buttolph and Adela Yarbro [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1972], 61).
20. Warfield, Faith and Life, 380; and Kelly, An Exposition of the Two Epistles to Timothy, 72.
21. Marshall says the term includes both godliness and “teaching about what godliness involves” (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 143). See also Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 44; and Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 182.
22. Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 135–44, esp. 143.
23. On the hymn in 1 Timothy 3:16 see Reginald H. Fuller, The Foundations of New Testament Christology (New York: Scribners, 1965), 216–18; Reinhard Deichgräber, Gotteshymnus und Christushymnus in der frühen Christenheit, Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1967), 133–37; Jack T. Sanders, The New Testament Christological Hymns (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971), 15–17, 94–95; Robert H. Gundry, “The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” in Apostolic History and the Gospel, ed. W. Ward Gasque and Ralph P. Martin (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 203–22; Stephen E. Fowl, The Story of Christ in the Ethics of Paul: An Analysis of the Function of the Hymnic Material in the Pauline Corpus, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 36 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1990), 154–94; and Robert J. Karris, A Symphony of New Testament Hymns (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1996), 112–26.
24. The adverb ὁμολογουμένως (“by common confession”) probably suggests that Paul was quoting the chorus of a hymn well known to his readers (Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 44).
25. For example Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (reprint, Chicago: Moody, 1958), 3:333–34; and C. K. Barrett, The Pastoral Epistles, New Clarendon Bible (Oxford: Clarendon, 1963), 64–65.
26. For example Charles J. Ellicott, A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 2d ed. (Boston: Draper and Halliday, 1861), 68; Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 45; E. F. Scott, The Pastoral Epistles, Moffatt New Testament Commentary (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1936), 42; and Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 217.
27. For example Deichgräber, Gotteshymnus und Christushymnus in der frühen Christenheit, 136; Dibelius and Conzelmann, Pastoral Epistles, 63; and Kelly, A Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 90–91.
28. Walter L. Liefeld, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 143.
29. The text of the verse is as follows: Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.
30. The following elements of a hymn are obvious: (1) the introductory relative pronoun, (2) the aorist passive verbs, the aorist being the characteristic tense in hymns, (3) the deliberate assonance (very marked in the Greek) of the verbs, (4) and the parallel structure with each line ending in a dative preceded by ἐν, except line 3 where the ἐν is ommitted (Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 89; J. L. Houlden, The Pastoral Epistles [London: SCM, 1989], 85; and Max Zerwick and Mary Grosvenor, A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament, trans. Mary Grosvenor [Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1979], 631).
31. Alford, The Greek Testament, 3:334–35; Scott, The Pastoral Epistles, 42; and Barrett, The Pastoral Epistles, 66. Most commentators seem inclined to agree, but they have difficulty with line 6, as discussed later.
32. Darby reads “God” in his text but adds this footnote, “I do not enter on the criticism of this text. It very likely should be read ὅς.” The Revised Standard Version and the New International Version read “He,” and the New English Bible and the New American Standard Bible have “He who.”
33. See the discussions in Alford, The Greek Testament, 3:332; Kelly, An Exposition of the Two Epistles to Timothy, 72; Barrett, The Pastoral Epistles, 65; Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 214; and Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (London: United Bible Societies, 1971), 641. The earliest and best uncials (א*, A*vid, C*, etc.) support ὅς. The reading θεός arose either accidentally, through the misreading of OC as ΘC (the reading ΘC being an uncial abbreviation for θεός); or deliberately, to supply a substantive for the following six verbs; or deliberately, to provide greater dogmatic precision.
34. The Majority Text does read θεός (Zane C. Hodges and Arthur L. Farstad, The Greek New Testament according to the Majority Text [Nashville: Nelson, 1982], 629).
35. Simpson, ThePastoral Epistles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 61. The relative pronoun ὅς refers to ὁ Χριστός either implied in “mystery of godliness” or to a previous verse of the hymn (Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 45).
36. For example H. P. Liddon, Explanatory Analysis of St. Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897), 37–38; Huther, Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, 130–31; Bernard, The Pastoral Epistles, 62; Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 45; N. J. D. White, “The First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus,” in The Expositor’s Greek Testament, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1897; reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.), 4:119; Kelly, An Exposition of the Two Epistles to Timothy, 74; Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles, 61; Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 90; Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, 89; William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1957), 140; Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 93; Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 184; Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 524; and Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 227.
37. Donald M. Baillie, Out of Nazareth (New York: Scribners, 1914), 70.
38. Huther, Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, 131. “Although a doctrine of preexistence may not have been in the forefront of the author’s mind, the use of this particular verb in the passive is compatible with the doctrine” (Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 227; see also Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 524).
39. Scholars have detected the following delicate nuances in the phrase ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί: (a) a hint of the weakness or humiliation of Christ, (b) a suggestion of His crucifixion, (c) an emphasis on the mode of Jesus’ manifestation, that is, as a human being, or (d) an emphasis on the sphere of His manifestation, that is, the world or human existence. Marshall writes, “The most that can be said is that the historical event of the incarnation is in mind” (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 524).
40. White, “The First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus,” 119.
41. For example Vine, The Epistles to Timothy and Titus, 62; Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles, 61–62; Kelly, A Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 90; Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 94; Hendriksen, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, 140; Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 525–26; and Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 227.
42. Other interpretations have been offered: (1) Christ was proved to be righteous by the Spirit at His temptation and baptism (Alford, Greek Testament, 3:334). (2) He was justified in His claims by the Spirit’s enabling Him to expel demons and perform miracles (Bernard, The Pastoral Epistles, 63; Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 46; Kelly, An Exposition of the Two Epistles to Timothy, 74–75). (3) In spirit form, between death and His resurrection, Christ descended to the prison of fallen spirits and was vindicated before them (Gundry, “The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” 212–14).
43. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, 4:240; and Fowl, The Story of Christ in the Ethics of Paul, 159–64.
44. Alford, TheGreek Testament, 3:334; Hendriksen, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, 140; Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 184–85. Kelly argues that when the human spirit is intended, the definite article is used. He cites Matthew 5:3; 26:41; 27:50; Mark 2:8; 8:12; 14:38; Luke 10:21; John 11:33; 13:21; 19:30; Acts 19:21; 20:22, and others (An Exposition of the Two Epistles to Timothy, 74, n. 1). If the Holy Spirit was intended, then the preposition ἐν is instrumental (“by”). However, in the other lines of the hymn the ἐν is not used in an instrumental sense.
45. The ἐν in line two is most likely parallel to the ἐν in line one. Since the ἐν in line one is local, it is unlikely that the one in line two would be instrumental, that is, “by the Spirit” (Gundry, “The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” 211–12). Also in the New Testament it is normally God the Father, not the Holy Spirit, who is credited with raising the Son.
46. This is the view of Ellicott, A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 67–68; Huther, Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, 131; Bernard, The Pastoral Epistles, 63; Vine, The Epistles toTimothy and Titus, 62; Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, 89–90; Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 90–91; and others.
47. It seems clear that the apostle was speaking of the immaterial side of Jesus’ human nature (Ellicott, A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 67–68; and Bernard, The Pastoral Epistles, 63).
48. Eduard Schweizer, “πνεῦμα,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968), 416–17. Schweizer translates the phrase “in the sphere of the Spirit.” Gundry correctly observes that “ἐν πνεύματι denotes the individual human spirit of Christ as well as the general sphere in which His vindication took place [i.e., in the spiritual or heavenly sphere]” (“The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” 211). Other writers blend two possible meanings of “in spirit,” suggesting that the spiritual realm is characterized by the activity of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 228).
49. Robert T. Kendall, Meekness and Majesty (Fearn, U.K.: Christian Focus, 1992), 116–17.
50. Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (New York: Scribners, 1903), 4:241.
51. G. Schrenk, “δικαιόω,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 2 (1964), 215.
52. Ellicott, A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 68; Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 526; and Gundry, “The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” 214.
53. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, 4:241.
54. Ibid., 4:241; Huther, Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, 132; Barrett, The Pastoral Epistles, 65; Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 91; Houlden, The Pastoral Epistles, 86; Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 94; and Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 527.
55. Other commentators suggest that the phrase speaks of the angels watching the Lord during His incarnate life on earth (Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 46; and Ellicott, A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 68). However, the verb ὤφθη seems to rule against the view that Christ was watched or seen. Bernard says the verb suggests that the angels got a fuller knowledge of Him because of the Incarnation (The Pastoral Epistles, 63). Gundry says that the resurrected Christ was exhibited to the fallen spirits in prison (“The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” 215).
56. Barrett mentions the possibility that the “angels” refer to human messengers, that is, the apostolic witnesses of the Resurrection (The Pastoral Epistles, 65). However, very few New Testament occurrences of ἄγγελοι refer to people (Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24; 9:52; James 2:25). See Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 526–27.
57. White, “The First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus,” 119.
58. Robert C. Chapman, Choice Sayings (Glasgow: Pickering & Inglis, 1914), 45.
59. Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 62.
60. John Wood, “He Ascended on High,” The Witness (May 1980), 138.
61. Thomas Kelly, quoted by William Neil, ed., Concise Dictionary of Religious Quotations (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 5.
62. Commentators disagree on whether the translation should be “Gentiles” or “nations.” The New American Standard Bible, New English Bible, and New International Version all have “nations.” Possibly both ideas are included.
63. Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 527.
64. The verb κηρύσσω here means “to preach, proclaim.” The implied subject is Jesus Christ, and the first two lines of the hymn provide a rough summary of the message (ibid., 527).
65. Kelly, An Exposition of the Two Epistles toTimothy, 75–76.
66. Wilbur M. Smith, “Signs of the Second Advent of Christ,” in Prophecy in the Making (Carol Stream, IL: Creation House, 1971), 187–212.
67. Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 528.
68. Stephen Neil, Christian Faith Today (London: Pelican, 1955), 207.
69. Ibid., 207-8.
70. Howard Taylor, The Uniqueness of Christ in a Pluralistic World (Edinburgh: Rutherford House, 1994), 22–23.
71. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 93. The verb ἀναλαμβάνω seems to be an almost technical expression for Jesus’ ascension. See Acts 1:2, 11, 22, and the use of ἀνάλημψις in Luke 9:51. “If the ascension of Christ is in view, a straight chronological understanding of the piece comes to grief” (Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 528; see also Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 216, 226, 230).
72. For example Alford, The Greek Testament, 3:334; Huther, Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, 132; Ellicott, A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, 68; White, “The First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus,” 120; Bernard, The Pastoral Epistles, 63; Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles, 63; Kelly, A Commentary on thePastoral Epistles, 92; Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, 90–91; Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 94; Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 186; and Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, 4:241, n. 1.
73. Gundry, “The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16, ” 215.
74. Barrett, The Pastoral Epistles, 66; see also Adolf Schlatter, Die Kirche der Griechen im Urteil des Paulus (Stuttgart: Calwer, 1936), 114–15; Wolfgang Metzger, Der Christushymnus 1 Timotheus 3.16; Fragment einer Homologie der paulinischen Gemeinden (Stuttgart: Calwer, 1979), 131–32. Scott understands the line to refer to the final glory of Christ after the last judgment (Pastoral Epistles, 42).
75. Houlden, The Pastoral Epistles, 85; and John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 107.
76. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, 4:241–42.
77. In Revelation 3:21 the glorified Christ drew a distinction between His Father’s throne where He now sits, and His own (Davidic) throne, which He will assume in the future, that is, in the millennial age.
78. There is an inherent connection between the ascension of Christ and the enthronement of Christ in the millennial age. This may be illustrated in the premillennial interpretation of Psalm 2. Many premillennial writers believe that Psalm 2:8–9 will be fulfilled in the millennium (e.g., George N. H. Peters, The Theocratic Kingdom [New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1884; reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1972], 2:446; 3:189; and passim). However, the New Testament asserts that Psalm 2:7 was fulfilled at the resurrection-ascension of Christ (Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5). How can this be? Delitzsch provided an answer when he spoke of the “elasticity of the notion ‘today.’ “ “Today” Christ is ascended; “today” is the entire interadvent day of opportunity (Heb. 4:6–9), and “today” is the day of the final consummation and Messiah’s enthronement as Israel’s king (Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, trans. T. L. Kingsbury [Edinburgh: Clark, 1871], 1:65). In the present passage one might note the use of the verb φανερόω. It too has an “elastic” usage in the New Testament. It is used of Jesus’ incarnation (John 1:31; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 9:26; 1 Pet. 1:20), His post-resurrection appearances (Mark 16:12, 14; John 21:1, 14), and His second coming (Col. 3:4; 1 Pet. 5:4; 1 John 2:28; 3:2). Might there therefore be some elasticity to the word ἀναλαμβάνω?
79. James Montgomery, “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,” Hymn 359 in The Methodist Hymnal (Nashville: Methodist Publishing House, 1964).
80. French L. Arrington, Maintaining the Foundations: A Study of 1 Timothy (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982), 91.