The Mystery of Godliness
living. Godliness is doctrine incarnated. It is truth lived out in the daily rhythms of life. This is why Paul can say that bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:6 again connects doctrine with personal nourishment and spiritual formation. Timothy himself was to be nourished in the words of faith and good doctrine. The nourishment metaphor indicates that doctrine is food for the inner man. A malnourished believer will inevitably be a weak and unstable believer. Conversely, the believer who feeds consistently on sound doctrine develops spiritual strength, discernment, and endurance.
The Mystery of Godliness Later in 1 Timothy, Paul anchors godliness in the person and work of Christ: "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" (1
Timothy 3:16). The mystery of godliness is the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. This indicates that all true godliness is Christ-centered and Christ-dependent.