The incarnation of the Lord Jesus is the central event of human history. When we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating far more than a babe born in Bethlehem. We are rejoicing in the fact that God came down to earth as our Emmanuel. Jesus is “God with us.”

The Apostle Paul celebrates this fact in one of the most unusual verses in his epistles. Near the center of his first letter to Timothy, at the end of chapter 3, Paul breaks out into a six-line doxology:

“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” (I Timothy 3:16).

Prior to this verse, Paul had been discussing the roles of pastor and deacon and the important qualifications that men desiring these offices ought to exemplify. Then suddenly, with no transitional words, he gives Timothy these lines extolling the incarnation of the Son of God.

Paul continued in the next chapter to warn Timothy of the insidious danger of false teachers infiltrating the church. For many Bible scholars, however, it seems that these lines of praise fit neither with the topic before nor the topic afterward. Instead, these affirmations stand alone as one of the earliest examples of a Christian hymn of praise.

The Old Testament is filled with songs of praise. The Song of Moses, the Book of Psalms, the Song of Solomon, and several songs in prophetic books such as Isaiah 12 and Habakkuk 3—all were clearly written not only to be read but also to be sung by the people of God. Likewise, it can be and has been argued that the New Testament also contains hymns and songs to be sung by the saints.

Several factors can be observed about I Timothy 3:16 that set it apart as a hymn of song. Paul’s six-line hymn stands out from its context. It is arranged in Hebrew poetic form, although written in Greek. It has a musical quality that flows naturally from the incarnation of Christ to His ascension. Finally, this song has actually been sung by God’s people in various ways throughout Christian history.

Paul introduced the hymn with this brief introduction: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” His words “without controversy” can be literally rendered “confessed by all.” Paul presented something that should be universally confessed by Christians—it is a creedal hymn, a hymn stating basic and foundational truths that every Christian can and ought to affirm.

Here is a closer examination of the lines of Paul’s song on the incarnation:

God was manifest in the flesh

A central truth of the incarnation is that immortal God became flesh. In order to be our Redeemer and our Great High Priest, Jesus had to be God. But He also had to be a mortal man. The first line of this hymn affirms this central truth of Christianity, apart from which there is no salvation.

Justified in the Spirit

The word justified means “declared righteous.” Paul affirmed that the Spirit of God declared the Son of God righteous. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are separate and distinct Persons of the Trinity, yet They work together in our Redemption.

Seen of angels

Paul placed the angelic witness as an important truth in his hymn of praise. It was an angel that proclaimed the glad tidings of Christ’s birth in the fields surrounding Bethlehem: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). A great army of angels were the ones who testified of His glory: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Likewise, it was angels who told the astonished women at the empty tomb that “He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:6).

Preached unto the Gentiles

This little line summarizes the record of Acts, the proclamation of the Gospel to the Gentile world, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that the Gentiles would come to the light of the Gospel and kings to the brightness of the rising of the Messiah. Jesus is truly the “desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7), and His name is now known in the distant corners of the globe. We, who do not have a Hebrew heritage, have a part along with the Jewish people in the redemption offered through the Savior of the world.

Believed on in the world

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Not all believe, but we can thank God that when the Bible is preached, some believe. The name of Jesus is sung and there is a believing remnant in every land. One day the name of Jesus will be sung by “every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

Received up into glory

The ascension is one of the important doctrines that Paul highlighted in his hymn of praise. Have you ever noticed that there are many hymns about the birth of Christ, many about His death, and quite a few about His resurrection? However, only a handful of hymns exist regarding the important doctrine of the ascension, the glorious truth that Christ has ascended to the right hand of the majesty on high, praying for His people in the place where “he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Perhaps we should add this hymn to the list of songs that we sing! This hymn has been translated and rendered into English meter in such a way that it can be sung to any tune with a pattern of 7s, such as “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” (although with this tune the last two lines need repetition):

God in flesh was manifest,
Justified by Spirit’s power,
Seen of angels, heavenly hosts,
Preached to Gentile multitudes,
Trusted in throughout the world,
Into glory now received.

Consider carefully the words of the songs you sing as praise unto our gracious God. Are they Scriptural? Do they praise the great “Three in One”? Every part of our salvation involves the work of the Godhead. Praise to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!