I
Timothy 3:14 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.
By my count, 30 times in the
Scripture God is referred to as “the living God”. Three times in this epistle, Timothy is
reminded that we serve and put our trust in the living God, by our living faith in our living savior. We have a
living God who rules, controls, and sustains the universe. He is the true and
living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is not the God of the dead but the
living. Pray that God would deliver us from dead religion of ritual and tradition
but would bless us daily that our souls would thirst
for God, for the living God
(Psalm42:2). If God is not alive, then all you have is formalism, tradition,
and emptiness. The church can be anything and be for anything if her founder and
her head and the God she worships is absent or is not alive and present.
But
since the house of the true and living God is the church, which was established
and created by God, that changes everything! The church was purchased by
the blood of Jesus Christ and ruled by Jesus Christ, who is her head. Christ is
present with His church as she meets and worships Him and is blessed as she goes out to serve Him. The Spirit empowers the
church as she comes together to exalt her Beloved and is with His people as they labor in the mission given by Jesus. The living God has
instructed his living church that we might know what God expects of His people.
We are instructed in what God wants us to do and how God wants us to act in His
houses.
The
house of God is the pillar and the ground of the truth which tells us that God
desires truth in worship. The truth is preached, taught, expounded, defending,
and published by the Church. It is the will of God that His people be active in
His churches and it is the will of God that the institution of the church be
the means by which truth is taught and published. God has never intended that
the truth and doctrine be separate from the church. It is not the para-church
ministries or the seminaries that God has ordained as the pillar and ground of
the truth. No doubt that individual men and institutions have helped God’s
people through the generations, but it is through the church that God has
ordained the truth to be proclaimed and passed along.
The
church does not decide what the truth is, but expounds God's revealed truth. Pillars and foundations hold up a house. The church doesn’t invent
the truth or have business meetings to determine the truth, but a church holds up the
truth that it might be known among the nations. It seems a daunting task, does it not? It isn’t daunting, it is impossible, without God’s grace. Our task to publish the doctrine and pass it along to the next
generation. Generation after generation for two millenia have been faithful in the task that once they have received the truth, declared it and passed it on. This whole chapter was dedicated to that point. Find men
who are faithful and qualified to continue on in the work of the Lord, to
continue in preaching the doctrine that was first delivered. This is the responsibility
of the church and should be the highest priority.
Another aspect of this verse
shows us that doctrine is important. Doctrine is not just things theologians
fuss over. Doctrine, or the teaching of God’s Word is essential in the worship
of the Lord. The truth about who God is and what He has revealed about Himself
in His Word.
The
sad reality is much of professed Christianity lacks a desire for the truth
and for doctrine. As long as there are programs for the kids, a decent song
service, and the preacher makes us feel good and ready for our Monday, that is
all that is important. How can we worship God if we don’t know Him? How can we
take comfort in Christ if we do not know the grounds whereby we might plead to
Him and take our assurances? How can we be consoled if we do not hear the
promises of God and not just the dreams and empty words of someone who “God told
me…” Doctrine is practical. Doctrine makes the child of God to rejoice. The
Word of God is what rebukes us and exhorts us. The truth is what is sure and
steadfast and unwavering. A good services that gets you emotionally pumped won’t
last when the boss is screaming at you come Monday morning. It was vapor, it
doesn’t last.
Truth is central in the purpose
and mission of the church. The pastors and the churches duty is to uphold the
truth. The
church is built upon the truth and holds it up as we worship our God, who is
Truth. To round out this post, I want you to look at the following verses. I’ve
grabbed these verses and parts of verses just to illustrate the high priority Paul put on doctrine.
In the pastoral epistles, look and see how focused and how interested Paul was
in doctrine and in making sure pure doctrine was taught, defended, studied, and
preached. Does your church think doctrines is important like Paul? Would your
pastor agree with Paul and does his ministry to you reflect this importance on the
preaching of God’s Word? If so, be thankful. If not, encourage Him to get in the Word and bring the book.
- 1 Timothy 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
- 1 Timothy 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
- 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (as opposed to true doctrine DPN).
- 1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
- 1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
- 1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
- 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
- 1 Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
- 1 Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
- 2 Timothy 3:10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
- 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
- 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
- 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
- Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers
- Titus 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
- Titus 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
- Titus 2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
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