THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH

The scriptures indicate that privileges and responsibilities go together and today’s reading endorses that principle. Every biblically based community of Christians has the inestimable privilege of being ‘church of the living God’. However, their conse­quent responsibility is to be the ‘pillar and ground of the truth’.

Timothy was based at Ephesus when Paul wrote to him, a city dominated by, and proud of, its temple. Undoubtedly Paul has this in mind when he writes verse 15. This temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world, was built on marshy ground and so bulwarks were laid to buttress it. However, its predominant feature was the 127 marble columns, each one just over 18 metres high, which held up the roof. Sadly, this was an edifice to a non-existent deity, for Artemis, Diana, was merely a mythi­cal god.

We read about this temple in Acts chapter 19 and, in connection with it, the word ‘assembly’ occurs three times, vv. 32, 39, and 41. That word, ‘assembly’, is the same word translated in today’s read­ing as ‘church’. In contrast to the temple at Ephesus, which was a monument to a god that didn’t exist, every scriptural church is an assembly of people called together by the ‘living God’. God is referred to as ‘the living God’ three times in 1 Timothy, here and in chapter 4 verse 10 and chapter 6 verse 17. We do not wor­ship a dead or mythical god but the God who is living. As the living God, He not only exists but He is dynamic and active, and every church owes its existence to that divine power and activity. What a privilege it is to be part of such a fellowship.

Coupled with this privilege there is a corresponding responsibility to be ‘the pillar and ground of the truth’. As the ground, we are to be uncompromizing and unyielding in our resistance of all forms of error. As the pillar, we should be proactively upholding ‘all the counsel of God’ - as Paul did when he was at Ephesus, Acts 20. 27.

As this is what God expects, thus it is vital that, as churches, we have regular systematic Bible teaching; anything less will result in us being incapable of fulfilling our dual responsibility.