Bible Phrasing: 1 Timothy 3:14–16

First Timothy 3:14–16 provides a complementary purpose statement to the one found in chapter 1:3–5:

3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

From the onset, Paul's concern for the church is evident in his concern for false teaching infiltrating the ranks of the Christians at Ephesus. Timothy's assignment was to manage the false teaching by issuing a love-filled charge to these false teachers. The charge sometimes resulted in Paul's handing over people to Satan (see 1 Timothy 1:20). In order to prevent the propagation of false doctrine, Paul issued a remedy: prayer. Much of chapter two deals with this topic, with an important caveat related to the gender of the congregants. Men have their specific set of instructions for behavior, as do the women of the Ephesian church. 

Chapter three provides a further strategy for how Timothy might combat false teaching at Ephesus: qualified teachers. These qualified teachers must meet certain characteristics, which include specific behaviors (manage responsibly, act above reproach, and hold fast to sound doctrine). These two chapters and the strategies for combatting false teachers reach a coherent summary in 1 Timothy 3:14–16. Paul wants the church to behave properly by practicing prayer and installing biblical leaders. These initiatives will help Timothy (and ultimately the church) to combat false teaching effectively. 

First Timothy 3:14–16 can be divided into three parts: part 1 deals with the specific purpose for Paul's writing. He states plainly that the purpose for his writing is so that Timothy may know how one ought to behave in the household of God. This household is the church of the living God, which is a pillar and buttress of the truth. Apparently, Paul is seeking to arrive in Ephesus eventually ("if I delay"), but in the meantime, Timothy has been appointed to handle some of these issues prior to Paul's arrival. 

The second part is 3:16a: the formula that introduces the confessional statement. Paul calls "godliness" a mystery, and describes it with an emphatic "Great indeed." The "we" likely refers to Paul and his companions, but certainly does not preclude the Christians at Ephesus or Timothy. 

The confession of godliness turns out to be Jesus Christ. Paul makes six statements that are formulaic and include six passive verbs (manifested, vindicated, seen, proclaimed, believed on, taken up), six prepositions, and six nouns. Each verb signifies a moment in Christ's redemptive timeline:

manifested --> incarnation

vindication --> resurrection

seen --> in full glory

proclaimed --> through the Gospel message

believed on --> through faith in the Gospel message

taken up --> to reign in heaven forever 

Each noun also forms a complementary progression between the realms of existence, both large and small: 

in the flesh (human realm -- small scale) --> in the Spirit (spiritual realm -- small scale)

in the Spirit (spiritual realm -- small scale) --> by angels (heavenly realm -- large scale)

by angels (heavenly realm -- large scale) --> to the nations (human realm -- small scale)

to the nations (human realm -- small scale) --> into the world (human realm -- larger scale)

into the world (human realm -- larger scale) --> in glory (heavenly realm -- larger scale)