14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but [a]in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in (A)the household of God, which is the (B)church of (C)the living God, the (D)pillar and support of the truth.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:15 Lit if I delay

Reasons for Paul’s Instructions

14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church(A) of the living God,(B) the pillar and foundation of the truth.

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The Mystery of Our Religion

14 I hope to visit you soon. But I am writing these instructions, 15 so if I am delayed, you will know how everyone who belongs to God's family ought to behave. After all, the church of the living God is the strong foundation of truth.

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14-16 I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I’m delayed, I’m writing this letter so you’ll know how things ought to go in God’s household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

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14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but [a]in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in (A)the household of God, which is the (B)church of (C)the living God, the (D)pillar and support of the truth. 16 Beyond question, great is (E)the mystery of godliness:

He who was (F)revealed in the flesh,
Was [b](G)vindicated [c]in the Spirit,
(H)Seen by angels,
(I)Proclaimed among the nations,
(J)Believed on in the world,
(K)Taken up in glory.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:15 Lit if I delay
  2. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or justified
  3. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or by

Reasons for Paul’s Instructions

14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church(A) of the living God,(B) the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery(C) from which true godliness(D) springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh,(E)
    was vindicated by the Spirit,[a]
was seen by angels,
    was preached among the nations,(F)
was believed on in the world,
    was taken up in glory.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or vindicated in spirit

The Mystery of Our Religion

14 I hope to visit you soon. But I am writing these instructions, 15 so if I am delayed, you will know how everyone who belongs to God's family ought to behave. After all, the church of the living God is the strong foundation of truth.

16 Here is the great mystery of our religion:

Christ[a] 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 3.16 Christ: The Greek text has “he,” probably meaning “Christ.” Some manuscripts have “God.”

14-16 I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I’m delayed, I’m writing this letter so you’ll know how things ought to go in God’s household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

Read full chapter