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“And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16 HCSB).
1 Timothy 3:16 tells us that Jesus was “justified” (ASV, KJV, GNV) or “vindicated” (NASB, RSV, NIV) in the Spirit. We can understand and apply this reference in several different ways. For example…
- Jesus was vindicated in His righteousness. Perhaps the clearest expression of this declaration took place at Jesus’ baptism: “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'” (Matthew 3:16-17).
- Jesus was vindicated through His resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:4 directs our attention to this aspect of Jesus’ vindication when it tells us, “…he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord” (NLT).
- Jesus was vindicated as He overcame Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. Jesus overcame the devil’s enticement to sin by holding firm to the truth of God’s Word and applying it in the face of temptation (see Luke 4:1-14).
- Jesus was vindicated through His sinless life. In John 8:46, Jesus posed the following rhetorical question to a group of religious leaders who had been interrogating Him: “Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don’t you believe Me?” (HCSB). This implies that Jesus’ most formidable human enemies could not convict Him of sin due to the absence of verifiable evidence. The Epistle of 1 Peter underscores this reality when it says, “…Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.'”
- Jesus was vindicated through His miraculous works. As Jesus Himself said in John 5:36, “…I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
It was in this manner that we can say that Jesus was “…justified and vindicated in the Spirit” (AMP).