Christians are to conduct themselves in the house of God in such a way that God is honored and they are a testimony to Him (cf. 1 Timothy 3:14, 15). But how can this become true? How can we respond to God’s thoughts? How can we live godly lives? The answer is: We must know the Lord Jesus, who has revealed God, and have daily fellowship with Him.

People of this world can see the effects when a person lives for God; they do not understand where the power for godliness comes from. We, children of God, know the secret of living in the true fear of God. It is a great secret because it is about a great person: Jesus Christ. Those who know, love, and imitate Him will honor God through their lives.

In 1 Timothy 3:16, the apostle Paul describes six great things about the Lord Jesus, the mediator between God and man, which we will look at in turn.

God was revealed in the flesh.

In the eternal Son of God who became man, we have the full revelation of God. Jesus appeared in the place where man’s sin is everywhere to be seen. In the fullness of time, He was born of a virgin (Gal 4:4; Mt 1:23). He did not simply take on a human form, as we find several times in the Old Testament (Jos 5:13-15, etc.), but He became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14). The whole love and glory of God was revealed in the man Christ Jesus. And we can still see His divine “footprints” in the Gospels today.

Justified in the Spirit

Christ became flesh, became true man, but He was not a sinner! He knew no sin, He did no sin, and sin was not in Him (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). The power of the Holy Spirit characterized his whole life: The Spirit worked in His conception (Lk 1:35), in His entire ministry (Lk 3:21, 22; 4:1, 14, 18), in His sacrifice on the cross (Heb 9:14) and in His resurrection (Rom 1:4). Jesus was thus proven righteous, who had come in “the likeness of the flesh of sin” and had been treated as a criminal by men (Rom 8:3; Lk 22:37).

Seen by the angels

The angels, who take note of what is happening on earth (1 Cor 11:10; Eph 3:10, etc.), saw their Creator in Jesus for the first time. With what interest they will have followed the holy path of the Son of God across the earth! They were present at many important “stations” in the life of the Lord Jesus: at His birth (Lk 2:9-15), before the beginning of His public ministry in the wilderness (Mk 1:13), in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk 22:43), after His resurrection (Jn 20:12), and at His ascension (Acts 1:10.11). Angels watched Him on earth, and they still see the glorified man in heaven.

Preached among the nations

Angels see the Lord Jesus Christ, but people hear the message of Him who is in glory. The preaching of Jesus Christ cannot be limited to the narrow confines of Israel: This wonderful person whom God has fully revealed must be made known to all nations, for God is not the God of the Jews alone, but also of the nations (Rom 3:29, 30).

Believed in the world

The message of the gospel is believed “in the world”, but not “by the world”. In other words, not all people believe the good news, but there are some in the world whose faith arises from the proclamation of the word of God (Rom 10:17). Christ does not yet reign visibly on Mount Zion: that is why people believe in Him.

Taken up in glory

The Son of God, who came in grace into our misery, was taken up in glory. The path of this glorious person, who perfectly revealed and glorified God, could only end in glory! “If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and immediately he will glorify him,” writes John in his Gospel (John 13:32).

Our testimony

If we want to make God known in His house on earth and present His truth, then we must know the Lord Jesus Christ, imitate Him, and hold fast to what the Scriptures say about Him. Only through the Lord Jesus can we live a godly life. He is the starting point and the source of strength to live with God and serve Him. Let us therefore occupy ourselves more with Him who lived on this earth and is now in heaven!