“God was manifested in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit”
(1 Tim 3:16, NKJV)
At this point we clearly understand that the bronze altar is the place where the “mystery of godliness” is made manifest. 1 Tim 3:16 (CEV) states it as follows – “Here is the great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that he pleased God, and he was seen by angels. Christ was preached to the nations. People in this world put their faith in him, and he was taken up to glory.”
In what is clearly “the doctrine which is according to godliness” (1 Tim 6:3) we find a clear delineation of how it is possible for us, ordinary, fallen human beings, to “be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). According to Paul, in his letter to Titus (1:1, LITV) we, as the elected ones, can now receive the ‘full knowledge of the truth according to godliness”.
We have focused on the first of these facets from the teaching of Day 220 up until now – God who had come to earth as a human being. The long excursion we embarked on to arrive at this point was to cover all aspects related to his BIRTH. We are now moving along to the second aspect, “God … justified in the Spirit”, which will mainly focus on the DEATH of Jesus the Christ. All aspects of his life – his childhood, adolescence, early adulthood (which we know very little about due to a lack of written historical records) – as well as his period of ministry, starting in his thirtieth year (which we know much about) are ALL in preparation of his death. He could truly say – “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4).
But before we look at the crucifixion it is necessary to point out how Jesus was prepared, throughout his life, to eventually take up a sacrificial role (Zeph 1:7). In Heb 10:5-7 this is made clear – “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’”
The expression “God was justified in the Spirit” comprises of different aspects which we will need to examine before making the link between that and Christ’s death. The Analytical-Literal Translation points out how complex that phrase is – “God was revealed in flesh, justified [or, shown to be righteous] in spirit [or, by [the] Spirit] …”
Justification is then the first point we should look at; the entire gospel of Jesus Christ to some extent weighs on this dense concept. It is essential for us to truly get to the bottom of this highly important term, understanding why it is knowledge that is imperative for us to have if we are to be partakers of the godly nature. For that we need the guidance and illumination of the Holy Spirit, for ONLY the Spirit of God can make the concepts of righteousness, vindication and justification clear to us.
- Sela: Attempt to formulate definitions of the three concepts listed in the sentence above.
- Read: 2 Chr 31; Job 30; Isa 11
- Memorise: Isa 11:1-2
- For a deeper understanding: Read chapter 7 of Michael Cassidy’s Getting to the heart of things: Reflections on Christian basics.
