I Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
It is even true in our day, that “godliness” is a mysterious thing. The word “godliness” is translated from a word that means ‘living a life of worship’ toward God. It is mysterious because the world around us cannot imagine why the Children of God would deny themselves all the available carnal pleasures and licentious behaviors that appeals to our natural body and human way of thinking. It is mysterious because the world around us cannot understand what joy there is in listening to some Preacher preach for an hour on a beautiful Sunday morning when there are some many other things to enjoy in life or on Wednesday evening listening to the Pastor explain some Parable in the Bible when there are movies to watch and rest is desired. [And, we must be careful to not alter the Lord’s Church, in any way, in an effort to attract in those who are carnally minded.] But, for those to whom the Lord has given Spiritual Life, it is no mystery at all, for at the instant of Spiritual Birth they are given “the fruit of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23); and, within this blessed “fruit” there is both “love” and “faith”. That is, we are given “faith” to know God in a loving way by which we sense and experience His “love” for us and yearn to show our God-given “love” for Him. And this love compels us to show our “love” for Him by our obedience to Him (John 14:15) and to ever learn more and more about Him. Living in godly obedience to the Lord is the outward evidence of what the Spirit of God has done within a person. Paul explains it this way, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (II Corinthians 5:14-15). The “mystery of godliness” is indeed a “mystery” to those who have not been “born again” (John 3:1-8) because they simply cannot understand why anyone would do such boring things and deny themselves such obvious pleasures; it is a great “mystery” to them. But for the Children of God, it makes perfect sense, for it is all about Jesus Christ “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:” (I Peter 1:8).