And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels… (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV)
God manifested in the flesh is the most outstanding truth in the entire Bible. The Apostle John first wrote this truth in John 1:14, stating “the word became flesh.” However, in 1 Tim. 3:16, Paul repeats the same truth with the words “God was manifest in the flesh.” The essential fact in both passages remains: God became a human being. No event recorded in Scripture or history is so amazing.
Though 1 Tim. 3:16 doesn’t focus on the details of the incarnation, it reveals what happens after God became a human being. Paul uses the word “manifest,” which means to make something visible. The invisible God, whose essence no human being can perceive, became visible in the flesh, meaning, as a human being. Paul says it is a great mystery.
The mystery, however, did not end with Jesus, the man. God’s will is still to manifest Himself in the flesh. Jesus, God in the flesh, is in heaven. Nevertheless, Christ, the Holy Spirit, is here to manifest God in the flesh in His people. God is seen in the flesh today when we experience and express His virtues and excellencies through our thoughts, emotions, desires, words, and actions. Therefore Scripture says we are a chosen generation and peculiar people in 1 Peter 2:9.
Read more: Great is the mystery of godliness.
Meditate
What is the meaning of flesh as used in 1 Timothy 3:16 above? Job said he would see God in his flesh in Job 19:26. What does this mean after reading the devotional above?
Apply the Word
Jesus is God in the flesh, and this truth is the mystery of Christianity. Though Jesus is no longer on earth, God’s desire remains unchanged: continue to dwell and live here on the planet through His people. Feast and enjoy the experience of His presence and power!
Pray
Ask the Father to help you experience and express Him in the flesh.
