Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | 1 Timothy 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Timothy 3:15 in case I am delayed, so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. |
Bible Question: Any thoughts/interpretations on "the church of the living God, the pillar and stay of the Truth?" |
Bible Answer: Yes! God has ordained that the body of Christ as the means for supporting the truth. In a very real sense that means that the church collectively is appointed the role of guarding and preserving the tradition handed to the apostles and preserved in the Holy Scriptures. Far too many people reject this truth in favor of a "just me and my Bible and the Holy Spirit" approach to Christianity. This is far from true, since God has established a communion of saints through which He preserves the truth. In short, the bride of Christ possesses the truth of Christ and passes it on to the succeeding generations of the church. Notice that the church is just the pillar of truth, not the truth itself. The church was never called together to invent doctrine or be a source of "new revelation" beyond the apostolic tradition. This tradition has been passed down to us infallibly in Scripture, but also codified (not infallibly, but reliably) in the historic creeds and confessions of the early church. The Bible is our only source of revelation and our only infallible authority, but God has sovereignly preserved both through the church. We are the household of God that Paul mentions in this verse, and it is our duty first to get the teachings found in Scripture right, and then to be a part of passing it on to others (2 Timothy 2:2). --Joe! |