I worked in my front yard some time ago, wearing earbuds to listen to Bible teaching. But when I went to the backyard to retrieve something, I lost my wireless connection at a certain point. I had no idea how high-frequency radio signals transmit and receive data from a technical standpoint. All I needed to know was that I would lose my connection and the teaching if I passed a certain point.
A mystery surrounds godliness. Parts of the Bible seem almost unintelligible and may be meant to be that way. We can fail to understand parts of the Bible yet still believe them to be true, or we can understand parts of the Bible but not believe them.
This situation is somewhat like God. He gives us all the information, coupled with faith, to believe Him. Most commentators interpret the section of verse 16 above—“He was manifested in the flesh and vindicated by the Spirit”—to mean that Jesus was God and human and was vindicated by the Holy Spirit who raised Him from the dead.
People recognized Jesus in His glorified body. They could touch Him. Thomas put his finger into Jesus’ hand and side. Jesus ate food yet appeared in a room without going through an open door. What kind of body can do this? We cannot explain His resurrected body with our natural laws. It is a mystery. We must accept the supernatural to believe in Jesus.
The Bible teaches that Christ was both fully God and fully human. How does that work mathematically? It doesn’t, but our natural laws do not limit God. Humility reveals that the creature can never totally understand the Creator, and the finite mind can never completely grasp the infinite knowledge of God.
Our understanding is always limited on this side of glory. But the mystery of godliness can be an asset to our faith rather than a detriment.
Let God teach you more about the mystery of godliness.
Ken Barnes has had a twenty-five year career in educational pursuits. He has taught in various public and private schools in Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Virginia. He also worked for seventeen years with Youth With A Mission as a school leader, recruiter, and director. Ken holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places. He currently is a speaker, blogger, and freelance writer. Ken lives with his wife Sharon in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Visit Ken at https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/