1 Timothy 3:14–16
14 3:14I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 3:15if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 3:16Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He1 was manifested in the flesh,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Section Overview
Paul now explains his purpose for writing this letter: to teach Timothy and the Christians in Ephesus how they ought to behave as a church. All of the foregoing instructions concerning men and women in worship and concerning elders and deacons are to the end of ordering God’s household rightly. This short section explains what that household is and the message upon which it is built.
Section Outline
TABLE 6.4: 1 Timothy 3:16 as a “Subversive Echo” of Artemis Worship
| 1 Timothy 3:16 | Acts 19:28, 34, 36 |
|---|---|
| Undeniably | Cannot be denied |
| great is | Great is |
| the mystery | Artemis |
| of godliness. | of the Ephesians. |
I do not suggest a formal literary dependence in illustrating these parallels. However, both Paul and Luke knew of the events narrated in Acts 19, and unless one denies the historicity of the Acts account, it seems likely that Paul is using this confession as a tailor-made rebuttal of what his readers in Ephesus might be hearing from adherents of the Artemis cult. The Ephesians claim that Artemis is “great.” Paul asserts that the revelation of Jesus Christ is “great.” The Ephesians claim that the greatness of Artemis “cannot be denied.” Paul asserts that the greatness of Christ is “undeniable” (Gk. homologoumenōs; ESV “we confess”). The Ephesians claim that the image of Artemis “fell from the sky.” Paul asserts that Jesus Christ came down from heaven in the sense of being “manifested in the flesh.” But, whereas Artemis only “fell down,” Christ has been “taken up in glory.” Whereas Artemis is “of the Ephesians,” Christ has been “proclaimed among the nations.” In short, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the true and greater story. The myth of Artemis is just that: a parochial myth.
“Manifested in the flesh” refers to the incarnation of Jesus. “Vindicated by the Spirit” refers to the resurrection, as the Spirit of God was active in raising Jesus from the dead (cf. Rom. 8:11). “Seen by angels” refers to the fact that Jesus’ resurrection had heavenly witnesses. “Proclaimed among the nations” refers to the spread of the gospel in the world, and “Believed on in the world” refers to the response of the nations to that gospel. “Taken up in glory” is likely a reference to Jesus’ ascent into heaven, from which he will one day return. This great revelation of Christ’s redemptive work is far superior to anything on offer in the Artemis cult or any other religion.
Response
God has called every single local church to be a pillar and support of the truth in a world running away from that truth. There are far too many churches that are slowly drifting away from the truth and accommodating themselves to the world. But this is not what God has called his church to do. A church might muddle along without faithful elders and deacons for a time. But that is not a long-term strategy for survival but rather a short-term situation until God’s order can be restored and maintained in God’s house. And that order involves qualified elders leading, qualified deacons serving, and a believing congregation holding fast to the mystery of godliness.