6. The Pastoral Epistles - 1 Timothy 3:14-16

1 Timothy 3:14-16

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

This is a very short passage, but it wraps up the first half of 1 Timothy. The book of 1 Timothy can easily be divided into two main sections: the "positives" (chapters 1-3) and the "negatives" (chapters 4-6). And this passage serves as a good transition into chapter 4.

But even if this passage is short, its message is powerful. Paul begins by telling the church that they are the pillar and buttress of truth. A pillar and buttress were structural support systems. If you think of a temple from the ancient world, you may think of one of the temples with pillars surrounding all four sides. If it were not for those pillars evenly distributing the weight around the building, the building would not be able to stand. So it seems as if Paul is calling each member of the church (each Christian) a pillar, holding up the truth. When one of us falters, people take notice. The church takes a hit and does not appear as strong to the outside world. We must be careful in life and make sure that we stand for Christ, supporting each other and ultimately supporting the truth of the Gospel.

Chapter 3 then ends with a very concise summary of the Gospel. What is it that Christians are to hold up before others? I feel like sometimes we forget what the Gospel is. We get so wrapped up in life that we forget the basics. Here, Paul gives the basics of the Gospel as a reminder. And we would do well to pay attention to it.

So from these 3 short verses, I gain 2 main ideas. First, as Christians we have to support each other, keeping each other accountable for our actions. If a brother is stumbling, we should encourage them and try to lift them back up. The world is watching, waiting for one of us to fall. And if that happens, our reputation will be hurt. But not only should we help each other and hold up the Gospel, we must also know what this Gospel is. So secondly, we must return to the basics of the Gospel and remember what it is that Jesus did for us. Furthermore, we must remember His command to proclaim His message to the world. The world may be watching and waiting for us to mess up, but we can reach out to those people and show them the truth. It is our responsibility to spread His word, and we cannot falter from that command. As the church we must be involved in witnessing and encouragement.

Matt