50 Days of Wisdom

In American tradition, Easter music runs a far second to Christmas music. We think of Christmas and Easter as the two great quasi-religious holidays in our country. And we can hardly count all the music that is written around the Christmas season and the Christmas theme. But when it comes to Easter music, it’s much more limited. However, in 1 Timothy 3:16 there is an Easter song, penned by the Spirit of God through the apostle Paul, and sung by the early church. It may be the first Easter song ever, the first resurrection hymn. “He who was revealed in the flesh/Was vindicated in the Spirit/Beheld by angels/Proclaimed among the nations/Believed on in the world/Taken up in glory.” Simple yet profound. This hymn stands, as it were, above all other hymns. Six lines affirming the centrality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, even though the word “resurrection” doesn’t appear. But it’s still the resurrection that’s the essence of the hymn and the heart of the Christian faith. Now, this hymn has an important prelude to it: “And by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness.” That phrase “common confession” can be translated “without controversy.” You say, “Well, what is without controversy?” It is this: that every Christian who lives, has lived, or ever will live, will affirm the truthfulness of that statement. It’s a common confession to all true Christians. “Great is the mystery of godliness.” If you don’t say that and believe that, you’re not a Christian. Listen, the mystery of godliness is not a doctrine, a creed, a theology, or a principle. The mystery of godliness is a person. It is He. And who is He? Well, the word “mystery” means to reveal what was hidden, to unfold what was not disclosed. And "godliness" means holiness. So, in whom was perfect holiness revealed? Jesus Christ. He is the mystery of godliness. He is holiness revealed. The secret, the veiling of God’s holiness, was revealed in Jesus Christ. Christianity, then, is not a system of ceremonies, a creed, a system of doctrines or theology, or a plan for how to do good deeds. Christianity is the affirmation by common confession that God—Holy God, perfect God, righteous God—came into the world revealed in a person. That’s the heart of Christianity. Great is the truth that Holy God is revealed. That is Christianity. And that’s the most astonishing thing in all the realms of religious truth—that God should become a man; that Holy God, that godliness, as borne by God, would be revealed, manifested, unveiled, and demonstrated in a person. Jesus is that person. Therefore, it’s a common confession to sing this hymn, especially on Easter, Resurrection Day, as Paul and Timothy did with the early church, about the fact that Jesus is God revealed. He is the mystery of godliness unfolded. And the testimony to that truth is given in this six-line hymn. Each of these lines proves this confession to be true. Now, it’s one thing to say that Holy God is revealed in Jesus, and great is that revelation. It’s something else to verify it. And so, the Holy Spirit has written a hymn of verification, a hymn of attestation, a hymn of evidence, and a hymn of proof that indeed He is the secret of holiness unveiled. And isn’t it interesting that what may be the first Easter song ever written begins with a prelude that only genuine Christians can truly comprehend: “And by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness.” Repent and believe! GTY.org (80-81) - A Resurrection Hymn

Today's Wisdom

May 30, 2026

Day: 933

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My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, “I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen