This is the only place where this phrase occurs in the New Testament. The “mystery of righteousness” (godliness) is Jesus Christ living within the believer. The word mystery (secret) is found twenty-seven times in the New Testament. We “must faithfully embrace the mysteries of our faith while keeping a clean conscience” (v. 9). Although Paul did speak Greek, his native language was Aramaic, which is difficult to translate into Greek. The Aramaic word used here for mysteries is ‘arza. This is the Aramaic word for a cedar tree. A cedar tree has deep, firm roots. So must our faith be rooted
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