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.
1 Timothy 3:14-15
The church has been ordained by God to be the primary instrument through which His work on Earth is to be accomplished. Here, Paul uses three phrases to describe three aspects of the church. They are:
(1) The household of God: The Christian family with husband, wife, and children performing their God-given roles, provides a beautiful picture of the relationship of the church (the “bride” of Christ) to the Lord. The household of God consists of a family of believers where love guides their behaviour and decisions are made where God is honoured. “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 2:5).
(2) The church of the living God: The Ekklesia (in Greek it means ‘gathering’), or “called-out ones,” serves the living God, just as Christ enables the people of God to: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Heb 9:14).
(3) The pillar and buttress of the truth: A facade pillar of a building is not used for support but rather for display by elevating or calling attention to something else. The ground provides the support. The church should function as a firm support and display the whole truth in such a way that all mankind can see and believe it.
Hence, the Church should be a family of believers exhibiting brotherly, unconditional (agape) love, individually and corporately serving the living God out of a pure conscience, defending the truth, and displaying it to the lost. May each of us as members of the church enjoy, contribute and support to build such a church.
Let us remember that we are members one with another in the church even like the bricks were fitted together to form the building. Let us learn to support and love one another in the unity of Spirit with the bond of love (Eph 4:3). May the Lord help us to cherish the Christian fellowship and not forsake assembling with the brethren to worship God.
