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The instructions in vv.14-15 tell people how to conduct themselves in God’s household. The importance of God’s house is emphasized by its description as the church of the living God and the pillar and foundation of truth. These terms could be used to describe a literal, physical temple, but here the focus is on the function served by the church rather than a physical description.
The hymn in 3:16 defines the mystery of godliness. “Mystery” applies to truth we could not apprehend unless God revealed it to us. “He” refers to Christ, making the whole hymn a song of praise to Jesus. Body is better translated flesh (sarx). Vindicated (Gk., “justified”) recognizes that Jesus' claims about himself and his ministry are proved by the Spirit. In the Greek all the verbs are aorist passives and all but one phrase uses the preposition in, which creates a rhythmic quality. The aorist passive indicates that these are accomplished actions.