AM Bible Study Group; May 21, 2014
1 Timothy 3:14-16
Theme: Paul describes the qualities that are to characterize those who serve the church as deacons.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
We live in a world that is in increasing denial that there is such a thing as absolute, unchanging ‘truth’; or that such truth can be known, articulated, and conformed to. The Lord Jesus, in His day, had a discussion about that with Pontius Pilate. As Jesus presented Himself to the governor, his cynical response was, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). And yet, the irony of it all was that there, standing before the governor, was the answer to his question—’truth’ in human flesh! (see John 1:14, 18; 14:6). Truth can be known, because Jesus Christ—the word of God in human flesh—can be known (see 1 John 5:20).
And the church is in the business of declaring that absolute, unchanging truth. The role that the church plays in this fallen and unbelieving world is—in spite of the denial of truth that prevails in this present age—to ensure that truth is preserved; and that the people of this world constantly have a testimony of it declared to them. That much-needed role of the church is the theme of Paul’s closing words in 1 Timothy 3:14-16.
I. WHY PAUL WROTE THESE WORDS TO TIMOTHY (vv. 14-15a).
A. Paul began by saying, "These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly . . ." (v. 14). The things that he wrote in this letter are summarized in 1 Timothy 1:3-7; "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm." Paul committed this charge to Timothy that he might declare and protect God’s revealed truth, "having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck . . ." (vv. 18-19). The things that he has written in his letter are intended, then, to advance the church’s ministry of truth-declaration while in this world.
B. Paul intended to soon come and help Timothy minister to the church. But he wrote what he did because he didn’t want anything to be missed in the event that he might not be able to come right away. The role of the church was too important for things to be allowed to get out of control and undisciplined. So Paul told Timothy; "but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God" (v. 15a). So; the passage before us really constitutes the main theme of this letter—and helps us to see what the church should be proclaiming.
II. WHY THE LOCAL CHURCH IS THE BEARER OF THE TRUTH (v. 15b).
A. The church is to be a bearer of the truth because of what the church is. Paul calls it, "the house of God, which is the church of the living God".
1. First, Paul called it "the house of God". Paul, of course, didn’t mean ‘the church building’, since churches didn’t meet in ‘church buildings’ in those days. Rather, he was speaking figuratively to show that God indwells His redeemed people. They together are God’s dwelling place on earth—His "house (see Ephesians 2:19-22). Wherever believers meet together—whether in a church building or somewhere else—they are the ‘house of God’—the dwelling place on earth of Him who is absolute truth!
2. Paul goes on to call it "the church of the living God". The word "church" here simply means "a called-out assembly"; "a sacred congregation". But it’s not just any old ‘assembly’—gathered together to commemorate some religious leader, who is dead and no longer relevant, through pointless ceremonies. As it says in Hebrews 12:22-24, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." Because we are the house of God, and because He is alive and relevant, we—as His church—are as alive and as relevant as He who indwells us is.
B. The God who is the source of all truth, and His Son who is truth incarnate, and His written word which is the propositional declaration of that truth, all make their home on earth here in us—"the house of God, which is the church of the living God". That’s why the church of the redeemed is so vital and worth protecting. It alone is the world’s bearer of saving truth from God.
III. WHAT ROLE THE CHURCH FULFILLS ON EARTH IN RELATION TO THE TRUTH (v. 15c).
A. Paul goes on to call the church "the pillar and ground of the truth." Those are both metaphors from the world of architecture. And it’s quite a mix of metaphors—the church being both the pillar and the foundation at the same time.
1. Think of what a ‘pillar’ is. A pillar is a long, relatively-strong and stable thing that holds something else up high. And that’s what we are in this world in relation to the truth. We hold it up high—so that the world can can perceive it. We handle it in such a way as to protect and preserve God’s written record of it—so that it stays pure and reliable. We contend for it when it is being attacked by those who wish to deny it, or who seek to change it, or who attempt to silence it altogether. And most of all, we proclaim it faithfully to the world through preaching and teaching and missions in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. But we’re also to keep it down on ground level in practical action. We’re the "ground" or "foundation" or "solid footing" of it. We’re to so live as to intentionally keep the truth established on earth in the daily, practical areas of life—so that it isn’t just kept in the realm of theory where it can be easily ignored. We’re not just to lift the truth up, but also live it out. We are to live in such a way as to “adorn” it (Titus 2:10).
B. It’s important to understand that Paul is not saying that we are the source of truth. We don’t invent it. But we make it clear and available to all. The world needs for us to faithfully fulfill both of our God-given roles in relation to the truth—to be both the pillar and ground of it on earth (see Matthew 5:13-16; Philippians 2:12-16).
IV. WHAT MESSAGE THE CHURCH PRESERVES IN THE WORLD AS ‘THE TRUTH’
(v. 16).
A. Paul goes on in verse 16 to give us the basic content of the ‘truth’ we are to hold up to the world. He begins by declaring our message a "mystery"—that is, something that would not be known by human understanding unless it had first been revealed by God. And it’s a mystery "of godliness"—that is, a mystery that when rightly understood and believed, would lead a man or woman to a genuine state of holiness and reverence and rightness toward God. And it’s a confessedly and incontestably "great" mystery, because it is about a wonderful Person:
1. It’s about Him who "was manifested in the flesh". This, of course speaks of our Lord’s incarnation. He eternally existed as God the Son; but as John writes in John 1:14; "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . ." Just think of the glorious truth that we preserve in this world! God—the ultimate standard of what is true—is not far away, and distant, and unknowable! He came into this world as one of us and walked among us in human flesh!
2. He was "justified in the Spirit". To be "justified" ordinarily means to be declared righteous. But Jesus didn’t need to be justified. He already was righteous. But He did need to be "vindicated" as righteous in the sight of the world in which He walked. And He was vindicated—that is, "justified"—by the Holy Spirit at His conception (because it was by the Holy Spirit that He was conceived in the womb of the virgin; see Luke 1:35), at His baptism (the Holy Spirit coming down upon Him in the form of a dove; see Matthew 3:16-17), and most of all in His resurrection from the dead (as "declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead"; see Romans 1:4).
3. He was "seen by angels." Most Bible scholars believe that this refers to the angels of heaven. But the Greek word from which we get the word "angel" also means "messenger"; and this can refer to messengers who were human (compare this with Revelation 1:20). This most likely speaks of the apostles, who saw Him and testified of Him in the world as His messengers (see 1 John 1:1-3).
4. He was "preached among the Gentiles"; or, as some translations have it, "among the nations". The Bible tells us that Jesus came to the Jewish people; but "His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). And so, the message about Him was taken beyond the realm of the Jewish people and out into the Gentile world. As Jesus told His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . ." (Matthew 28:19).
5. He was "Believed on in the world". The message of the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us has gone forth and transformed the lives of all who have believed on Him over the past two-thousand years! Everywhere we go, we’re to take this truth with us. We’re to be the pillar and the ground of it wherever God places us, and tell people what Paul said in Acts 16:31; "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved . . ."
6. We declare that Jesus is "received up in glory". He ascended back again to the Father a few days after His resurrection. This testifies to the fact that His work of atonement for our salvation is completed. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, He "when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3b). And implied in the fact that He is received up in glory is the additional promise that He will one day return to this earth in power and great glory (see Acts 1:11).
B. Many Bible scholars consider Paul’s words in verse 16 to have been an early church hymn. No one is absolutely sure whether it was a church hymn that Paul used in his writing, or whether it became a church hymn after Paul wrote these words. But they are wonderful words; because they expresses the message of truth for which we are to serve as pillar and ground in this world.
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And note carefully: The "truth" for which we serve as pillar and ground in this world—the saving truth that is the "mystery of godliness"—is nothing other than the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ itself. That gospel is what is to be declared as "the truth". It has been entrusted by God to no one else to declare to this world but us—His house, the church of the living God.
We should never fear those who tell us to be silent when we declare the truth that God has entrusted to us. There is no other "mystery of godliness" than the truth of the gospel. There is no other "pillar and ground" of that truth but the church. And there is no other ‘truth’ that is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes . . .” (Romans 1:16).