“The House Of God, Which Is The Church Of The Living God, The Pillar And Ground Of The Truth.”
SIH’s Think On
These Things: 1 Tim 3:14-15
1Tim 3:14-15
14) These
things write I unto you, hoping to come unto you shortly:
15)
But if I tarry long, that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of
the truth.
One of the most
underappreciated, ignored and abused of all of the gracious gifts that God has
given to His people is the gift of the local assembly of believers. The importance of the Lord’s local churches
on earth cannot be overemphasized. Here
in our text, we find several different truths about the Lord’s churches on
earth that help us to understand their importance and benefit for the child of
God.
These
things write I unto you, hoping to come unto you shortly: But if I tarry long,
that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in
Paul wrote this letter
to the young pastor, Timothy, as Paul was sitting in prison unable to
physically visit and instruct Timothy. This
teaching involved explaining the lifestyle that should be exhibited by members
of the Lord’s churches. It would be
Timothy’s responsibility, as overseer of the assembly, to instruct the members
and work towards the propagation of these truths.
Paul now describes the
local assemblies of the Lord using four different descriptions. These descriptions teach us the importance of
the local assemblies for the people of God.
the
house of God,
Paul begins by
describing the local church as the “house of God”, or the “dwelling of God”. This title emphasized to us that the local
church is where Christians are to gather to meet with their Lord in worship, commune
with Him through instruction and prayer, and enjoy fellowship with other
members of the family of God. (It is much like our dwellings of today where
families come together to meet, be nourished and enjoy communion one with
another.)
which
is the church of the living God,
Paul now gives the local
church the title “of the loving God”. In
other words, this is the TRUE place of worship among many false religious assemblies,
who center on the worship of a dead, false “god”. Christ’s churches are the places where the
TRUE God can be found and worshipped.
the
pillar and ground of the truth.
Finally, Paul calls the
Lord’s assemblies “the pillar and ground of the truth.” This emphasizes for us
the role of the local assembly in upholding and supporting the Word of God. The
term “pillar” reveals to us that the local assembly is to hold up the Word for
all to see; while the term “ground” teaches us the local assembly is to support,
preserve and defend these same truths.
As Christians, we have
been so wonderfully blessed in being given a place where we can meet together
as members of God’s family and enjoy communion, fellowship, with our Lord and
His people. It is in the same place that we can unite together in service for the
Lord, accomplishing more as a team than what we can accomplish as individuals. Let
us all thank the Lord today for the privilege of membership and attendance in
His local assemblies.
May the
Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.
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