Reference: I Timothy 3:16
Many times in the four gospels of Matthew,Mark, Luke, and John, we find Jesus speaking in parables unto the people. Inthe thirtheenth chapter of the book of Matthew the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke unto the people inparables and Jesus told them that "Becauseit is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but tothem it is not given."
When Jesus came to this earth he chosetwelve disciples so that he could teach them all the mysteries concerning God'skingdom. He dwelled with the disciples for three and one half years. During thethree years and a half that Christ spent with the disciples, he told them ofhis crucifixion and death. Christ did not reveal all the truths concerningGod's kingdom while he was with them. He told them that he would send themanother Comforter that would dwell in them and he would lead them into alltruth.
Before Christ ascended back into heaven,he gave his disciples a commission to carry out. This commission was to go intoall the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This gospel that he toldthem to go and preach was the very mysteries concerning the kingdom of God.These truths that the Holy Spirit revealed unto the disciples were truths thatwould lead a believer into the position that the Bible calls holiness orgodliness.
We are told by the apostle Paul in II Timothy 3:16-17that "All scripture is givenby inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instruction in righteousness:: That the man of God may beperfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
From these scriptures we can see thatGod's holy word of truth are for the sole purpose of leading a believer to thegoal of perfection. The goal of perfection is the mystery of godliness spokenof in our text of I Timothy 3:16.
The apostle Paul tells us that great isthe mystery of godliness. Godliness is a mystery, because it takes theHoly Spirit to reveal and to lead a person to this position. Very few peoplerealize today that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation,meaning that it will transform a persons life into the very image of JesusChrist. This transformation takes place in a progressive manner. It seems thatnearly everybody today has been led to believe that becoming this new creationin Christ is done in an instant of time when Christ is confessed and believedon.
The average teaching in today's religiousworld is that holiness and godliness is achieved, but that nobody canunderstand the mystery of it. The average confessing christian today maybelieve that they are christians, but they have no knowledge of it's mysterywhatsoever. Just to believe that you are righteous without coming to theknowledge of the truth concerning this position, this will only give you amental knowledge of being something without actually being what you think youare.
Religious leaders in the churches todaywill teach their converts that Christ's righteousness is imputed unto them whenthey accept him as their Lord and Saviour, but they are not taught the truthsof God's word revealed in the gospel. They are not taught these truths simplybecause the religious leaders are blind themselves from the mysteriesconcerning the kingdom of God. Jesus said if the blind lead the blind, thenboth shall fall into the ditch. If you will check the doctrines being taughttoday behind the average pulpit you will find out that righteousness is said tobe imputed to a person and they cannot comprehend it with their mind, but thatthey are only to accept it by faith, believing that they are righteous. Thisonly gives a person a mental concept without possessing true righteousness intheir daily lives.
Righteousness is not a concept of the mindjust believing that you are righteous. Righteousness is a life that is livedand experienced. The average confessing christian today has only a mentalbelief of being a christian without manifesting the christian life throughtheir mortal flesh. Confessing christians today are told that they arerighteous because they have accepted Christ as their Saviour. They are led tobelieve that nobody can live a life of righteousness and so are forevermoreconfessing their sins and that the blood of Christ covers them.
They believe that God cannot see their sinas long as they acknowledge that Christ died for them and that his blood wasshed for all the sins they commit throughout the rest of their life. They liveand manifest a carnal life believing that Christ is their Saviour. The onlydifference in them and an outright sinner is that the sinner does not confessto be a christian. They think they are alright as long as they repent daily oftheir sins.
If Christ was their life they would notcontinue to live in and manifest the works of the flesh, because it would beChrist being manifested in the flesh and Christ is no sinner nor is he aminister of sin. The mystery of godliness is Christ being formed in usin a daily process. We are told by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:5 that we waitfor the hope of righteousness through faith and the Spirit.... To wait for thehope of righteousness means that we will be revealed our position by theleading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads us into all truth and it is thistruth that gives us perfect assurance before Almighty God. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16-17 that within thegospel of Christ is revealed therighteousness of God from faith to faith. Our faith increases as we are taughtthe revealed truths of God's word.
God's righteousness is a way of life andthis is the life that Christ lived while he was on this earth. Every true bornagain child of God is a person that Christ indwells and it will be Christliving their life for them in the flesh. This is why Paul could say the he wascrucified with Christ, but nevertheless he lived, yet it was not him thatlived, but rather it was Christ in him and the life he now lived was by thefaith of the Son of God that loved him and gave his life for him...
Christ becomes our life as we walk in andobey the truth of God's revealed word. If the religious world could understandthat Christ is formed in us in a daily process, then many of them could come tothe knowledge of the truth that would set them free. The coming of Christ inthe flesh was a great mystery and it's just as great a mystery of him coming inour flesh in the day and age we live in.
The apostle John tells us in his epistleof I John 4:1-3 that many false prophets would rise and deceive many notbeing able to confess that Christ is come in the flesh. John tells us thatevery spirit that does not confess that Christ is come in the flesh, then thatspirit is not of God. To confess that Christ is come in the flesh isreferring to the present day that we live in. Listening to the average preacherand teacher in today's religious realm easily proves that Christ is not inthem, because all you can hear them confess is their sins that they commit.
If Christ was their life and dwelled intheir flesh, then they would not be confessing their sins, but rather theywould be proven to be of God by their word of testimony. We are overcomers bythe word of our testimony. A person who continually confess their sinsis not saved.....