I Timothy 3:14- 15 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Paul hoped to meet with Timothy soon, but if he couldn't, he wanted to make sure that the church was in order. God has spoken to his churches today and it doesn't matter if the church is in New York City or on the side of a mountain in Afghanistan, God has told his people how to conduct themselves in God's house. Let's consider some important areas in which church members are to view the church and this epistle.
The behavior that Paul is speaking of is specifically addressed in this epistle. I know it would be tempting to use this passage to address other issues, but Paul is specific in what he has in mind about the behavior of the church. If Paul cannot deliver the message personally, this letter is sufficient for the instruction. The "these things" refer to the entire letter and are authoritative for us today in how a church is to operate.
In a striking statement, Paul introduces the ideas that the church is the house of God. That, in itself is an amazing proposition. I know that our attention is drawn to the imperatives that God has called us to behave in a certain way, but it should not blind us to the revelation that the church is now called the house of God. The Bible begins with God and man in fellowship in the Garden of Eden. When Adam sinned and humanity was cursed, the fellowship with man and God ended. God promised that the broken way would be repaired by a coming Saviour. Whether it was through sacrifice, or building altars at Bethel (the house of God), or through the tabernacle or the temple, God's people desired to be on holy ground, to be where God is and to have fellowship with Him. When Jesus came he tore the partition down that had separated man from God and we have accesses to God through Christ. No longer do we have to worship in Jerusalem or in a certain mountain. No longer is a building needed to be where God is, for God's people are that building. How amazing that we can worship in Spirit and in Truth? Spirit and truth does not mean "whatever suits my fancy and the truth I want to hear." God has given instruction and it doesn't have anything to do with our feelings and preferences and what gets our motor running.
The house of God is not a brick and mortar edifice, but God's redeemed people who have followed their Lord in baptism and assemble together in worship. Do you think of the church as the house of God? It is not the pastor's house or the house of Diotrephes. The pastor has both the obligation and the privilege to do all in his power to do as God has commanded in His Word. The church has an obligation to submit to God's Word and behave themselves in light of Revelation so that all know how to behave in God's house. Paul is instructing Timothy how he, as the pastor there, is to make sure that church operates. This is serious business. Worship ought not to be dead with formality, but it certainly should not be without forethought and preparation. Our behavior in the church is for the ultimate purpose of giving glory to Christ Jesus. The church is not built on the pillar of your preferences and the ground of your pet-peeves but on God's Word for God's glory.
What is the purpose of the church? Who leads God's house? What is talked about in God's house and who does the speaking? We find the answers to these questions in the Bible. This epistle was written so that Timothy would know how he and the church ought to behave in worship. There is liberty and freedom in the worship of Christ. The liberty and freedom is found within the bounds of God's commands. If we want to behave rightly in the house of God, we will submit to the truths found in God's house and not make our own rules and use this verse as our justification. Churches can very easily fall into the error of the Pharisees by making tradition trump scripture.
The church is God's institution and should operate how God prescribed. The worship service, the ordinances, who can be officers in the church and how they are to carry out this office is detailed for us explicitly in the Bible. This epistle was written so that Timothy would know and that we would know to to behave in God's house.
No comments:
Post a Comment