The Bible is a book with many items, but within the many items there is a center, the kernel. When we look into the whole Bible, it may be very hard to find the kernel if we stay with our mentality and do not exercise our spirit.
It is just like the physical life in our body. We can see the parts of the physical body such as the skin, the meat, the bone, and the muscle, but we cannot see the physical life. Regardless of what kind of instrument we would use, we could never see that life with our eyes. Humanly speaking there is no way to see it and no way to make it manifest to our view. However, we all know that this does not mean that there is not such a thing as physical life. The human physical life is more than real. If it were not real, we could not speak and move. We have all the parts, but our ability to move is not in the physical, visible realm. It is in something that is invisible. The Bible is exactly the same. This is why many top scholars after reading the Bible see nothing of the kernel. They see history and part of science. Others see some doctrines, stories, and prophecies, such as the big image with a golden head in Daniel. The things concerning God’s mystery and God’s economy can only be revealed in our spirit. When we exercise our spirit, then all these things will rise up within us as a vision.
In my path of over fifty years of Christian life, I have passed through many things. I am grateful for God’s mercy that His grace has kept me in His presence. But I can testify that one thing which preserves me all the time is a clear vision. A clear vision is the real preserving power. The Bible has so many items, and Christianity has such a long history of nearly two thousand years. The Christian religion has many books with thousands of opinions and concepts. We are in the Lord’s recovery, and sooner or later some of the opinions will touch us. For instance, suppose you meet a Christian teacher. He may talk with you in a very nice way and ask if you know what the seventy weeks are in Daniel 9. You may be quite interested and like to listen, but this will cause you to be trapped. This dear one may be a very eloquent speaker with a phonetic presentation to attract you to the seventy weeks. Fifty years ago I heard many messages on the seventy weeks. Also, messages were given on the 1,260 days, the 1,290 days, and the 1,335 days. These are all in Daniel. This is in the Bible, and this is the holy Word, but we may be trapped by a hunger for knowledge.
The two books to Timothy must be put together as one. The verses we have read are the very kernel of these two books. In these verses we have the word mystery mentioned again, but here the mystery is of godliness. This is not another mystery; this is the same mystery which is the mystery of the universe, the mystery of God, and the mystery of Christ. All of these are different aspects of one mystery, and this mystery in the two books to Timothy is called the mystery of godliness. This word godliness means god-likeness, likening God, or like as God; that is, we have the appearance, the expression, and the manifestation of God. The manifestation of God is called godliness. So the mystery of godliness means that God in His mystery can be manifested and expressed. First Timothy tells us that godliness is God “manifested in the flesh” (3:16). The mystery of godliness is God manifested in human beings. The mystery of God and the mystery of Christ are just God manifested in humanity. God manifested in humanity is the mystery of godliness. How much is implied and expressed in such a short word!
Home | First | Prev | Next