THE MYSTERY OF PIETY
THE MYSTERY OF PIETY
“And confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh, has been justified in the Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among the nations, has been believed on in the world, has been received up in glory”, 1 Timothy 3: 16.
As the truth of God’s house, and of what is here in the Spirit, gets place with us there is sure to be the confession that the mystery of piety is great. We begin to get a profound conviction of the greatness of what came here in Christ — of what was manifest in flesh when He was here. The apprehension of it is the hidden spring of piety in the soul. Nothing is more important than that piety should be vigorous. It has become a form with most, but we have to give evidence of the power of it. In order to this we have to consider what has been manifested in flesh.
God’s great thought from the beginning was to set Himself forth in man. He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, Genesis 1: 26. But Adam was the figure of One to come. God intended to have a visible Head and Centre for His universe, in whom what He is should be set forth. God being a Spirit is the invisible God, and though certain invisible things can be perceived through the things that are made — His eternal power and divinity — this does not make God known. If we see a table or a watch we are convinced of the ability and skill of the workman who made them, but they do not make known to us what kind of man he is, and this is what we should like to know if we had to have very important dealings with him. But God would like His creatures to know what He is in His character and nature, and to this end He has manifested all that He is in a blessed Man come in flesh. Christ was:
‘the Image in man’s lowly guise
Of the Invisible to mortal eyes’.
There was a lowly Man here who could say, “Before Abraham was, I am”. He was in the humblest circumstances so as to be within the reach of all, but He was “over all, God blessed for ever”. It was a Man speaking, acting, feeling, loving, hating, but so as to give full manifestation of what God was. The grace, the truth, the righteousness, the holiness, the compassion, the power of God, were all there. The superiority [p. 186] of goodness over evil was there in perfect kindness to those who were evil, and in power to relieve them of every burden. When that comes to be cherished in the heart of saints it becomes the mystery of piety. It is obvious that the things mentioned in 1 Timothy 3: 16 are not put in historical or chronological order, for He was not preached among the nations until after He had been received up in glory. But I believe the different statements are put in the spiritual order in which they form the mystery of piety in the souls of saints. We have to be initiated into the mystery of piety, for it lies in the knowledge of certain things which are not really known to men in general, though they may have the terms of them in word. But as spiritually known they form the hidden spring of piety in the souls of believers.
What was manifested in flesh in Jesus was not justified in any public way. It was hated and rejected, or left alone, by men. It had no honour from men, but there was an unseen divine Person who justified every feature that was manifested in Jesus. Think even of the thirty years of the Lord’s private life before He entered upon His public ministry! What effect did it have on those who knew it best? “Neither did his brethren believe on him”, John 7: 5. They thought He was beside Himself; they were not at all prepared to justify Him. But it was all justified by the Holy Spirit coming upon Him; whatever men might think, He was evidently approved of God. Then every act of power that He did was by the Spirit; at every step of His way in service and testimony here He was justified in the Spirit. Now are we prepared to move in such a path as that — not to look to be justified by men, even our nearest relations, but to be justified in the Spirit? That, I believe, is the true character of piety today.
Then piety takes account of the angels. All that was manifested in the flesh in Jesus appeared to angels. There are many unseen spectators of what is of God and for God in this world. What a sight did they behold when Jesus was here! How gladly did they acclaim His birth, and minister to Him after His temptation, and strengthen Him in the garden! The holy angels have never had to learn obedience; they are unfallen creatures who have never left their first estate. But they have seen the One whom they worship come into this world and learn obedience. They have wondered to see Him take up creature perfection and a bondman’s form.
[p. 187] They have never known what it was to obey at the cost of suffering, but they have seen this in Jesus. They have been deeply interested in the sufferings of Christ. They have sat at the head and the feet where His body lay in death. Many thousands of angels would have been at His side in a moment, if He or the Father had spoken the word, to sweep aside every adversary, but they had to be spectators of a self-sacrificing love that would not spare itself — that would save others but not Himself.
We may be sure that the angels look to see in the saints that which corresponds, in some measure at least, with what they saw in Jesus. Piety would not forget that they are looking on. The all-various wisdom of God is being made known to them through the assembly. So that, if a woman is to cover her head when she prays, it is “on account of the angels”, 1 Corinthians 11: 10.
Then piety takes account of all who come into the range of God’s testimony of grace. The actual fact of His having been preached among the nations is here stated. Piety would ever be true to that; we have to see that we do not belie it in our ways before men. Men far from God have had Jesus preached to them. A Christian walking in piety would not give the impression that he was out to seek his own advantage at other people’s expense. All our practical ways with men are to be in the light of what has been preached to them. Gehazi by his covetous conduct spoiled the testimony of free grace to the gentile. We must ever remember that the standard has been set in what has been preached, and piety will be in correspondence with that.
Then piety regards the fact that the One preached has been believed on in the world. There is such a thing as “the household of faith”. Those who have believed are of deep interest; piety would look out for them, and rejoice to have its links with them. Each one who has believed forms part of God’s treasure here, and is to be regarded and loved. For those who have believed on Christ, in a true sense, have done with man after the order of Adam; they do not believe on that man; they believe on the Man at God’s right hand, who is the image and glory of God.
Finally, we read, “has been received up in glory”. The heavens have received Him. Piety keeps ever in view that Christ has been received up. A great turning point in Luke’s gospel is “when the days of his receiving up were fulfilled”, chapter 9: 51. Heaven is at present Christ’s place, and our names are written there. Piety is concerned about what can be received up. Receiving seems to imply that He suited the place He was received to. It is not that He was received into glory, but “received up in glory”. He was received up in that condition. Piety cherishes the thought of all that was received up, and of the condition in which it was received up. We have in view the prospect of being “caught up”, and when we are translated it will be in the condition of glory. Enoch was translated, but before this he had the testimony that he pleased God. He was, in his day, a wonderful expression of piety.