Many churches have some statement of faith or confession that they adopt as a unifying belief. A common one is the “Apostles’ Creed”* (despite the name, it did not originate with the apostles, but came about in the fourth century). Some churches recite this in their worship services.

We might agree with the content of the Apostles’ Creed if we are careful how we define the terms. However, rather than adopting a man-made confession like this, we should go to the Bible. Paul expressed a statement of faith about Jesus in his first letter to Timothy:

“By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

He said this was a “common confession” among Christians, and these points were “without controversy” (KJV) in the first-century church. This is what they believed, and we must believe these things as well.

So what is this “mystery of godliness”? By using the term “mystery,” Paul referred to something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed. They all pertain to spiritual truth. In this article, we will examine this “common confession” and see what we should believe about Jesus.Continue Reading