Conduct  in the Church (3:14-16)

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I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may 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. And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness:

Vince Lombardi, the Hall of Fame coach of the Green Bay Packers football team, was notorious for his emphasis on fundamentals. His teams won championships because they could block, tackle, and execute better than anyone else. It is said that once, frustrated by his team’s poor performance, he held up a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football!”

Like Coach Lombardi, the apostle Paul knew well the importance of going back to the fundamentals. He penned this letter to Timothy because the church at Ephesus was starting to drift away from the basic truths of the Christian faith. Like the Ephesians, we need regularly to be reminded of the foundational truths of our faith. The church today sponsors a bewildering variety of highly specialized ministries, everything from race track evangelism to bowling leagues for blind bowlers. People can get lost in the superficial. Further, the Bible contains such an inexhaustible treasure of knowledge that some seem to become lost in its depths. It is all too easy for churches and believers to get so involved with peripheral matters or theological minutiae that they lose sight of the primary matters. Paul writes this passage as a reminder that the church must give its attention to the essential truths.

These verses also mark a turning point in 1 Timothy. They come at the end of the first three chapters, which contain positive instruction, and before the last three chapters, which contain negative warnings. Verse 15 gives the heart of the church’s mission, verse 16 the heart of its message. Before taking us to those crucial realities, however, Paul gives some background information inverses 14 and 15.

THE THEME OF 1 TIMOTHY

I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself (3:15a)

When Paul says I am writing and I write he is introducing the purpose of the epistle, the general reason for his concern. He is writing to instruct about how believers are to behave in the church. The antecedent of these things has been variously interpreted. Some suggest the material in chapter 3 about church leaders. Others would include Paul’s remarks about men and women in chapter 2, or his teaching about false doctrine in chapter 1. But since nothing in the context places limits on the phrase, and because it seems clear that he is stating his theme in a very general way, it is best to interpret it as broadly as possible, to include the entire epistle. Conduct in the church is the theme.

The comparative adverb tachion (before long) could be better translated “more quickly,” or “sooner.” Paul would then be saying he was hoping to come to Timothy more quickly than he had first thought or planned. The last half of verse 14 could, however, be interpreted as a concessive clause. In that case, Paul was saying, “I am writing these things, although I hoped to come to you sooner.” The third class conditional clause but in case I am delayed lends support to that latter interpretation. Since it now appeared Paul would be unable to come as soon as he had originally wished, and maybe not at all, he wrote this letter to strengthen Timothy in leading the church. Whether Paul ever returned to Ephesus is not known. In his epistle to Titus, probably written about the same time as 1 Timothy, he expressed his intent to spend the winter at Nicapolis. Nicapolis was west of Macedonia, Ephesus east.

You is singular, indicating that this passage, like 1:18-20, is a personal word to Timothy. He must know if he is to teach the church. Know is from oida, a word used to describe “the possession of knowledge or skill necessary to accomplish a desired goal” (Fritz Rienecker and Cleon L. Rodgers, Jr., A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982], 624). It is not mere intellectual knowledge Paul has in mind, but the practical knowledge of how one ought to conduct himself. Paul here broadens his instruction to include not only Timothy, but also everyone else. The present infinitive form of anastrephō (to conduct himself) speaks of a consistent pattern of life. Behaving in the church as God desires certainly calls for understanding several essential realities.

THE MASTER OF THE CHURCH

in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, (3:15b)

It is basic to understand that the church belongs to God. In no sense is it a human institution. It is God’s church, His family.

Although oikos (household) could be translated “house,” and refer to a building, the NASB rendering household is preferable. Oikos is so used in 3:4, 5, 12; 2 Timothy 1:16; and Titus 1:11. Paul’s metaphor here is not that of a building, but of a family. Believers are members of God’s household, and the responsibility to conduct themselves accordingly is heaven’s mandate to them. In Ephesians 2:19, Paul emphasizes the same truth: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” The idea of the church as the household of God also appears in Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 3:6; and 1 Peter 4:17.

Paul further defines the assembly of believers as the church of the living God, or “the living God’s church.” The absence of the definite article with church stresses its character. The church by its very nature belongs to the living God. In fact, Paul told the Ephesian elders at the gathering at Miletus that the church of God was truly His because He had “purchased [it] with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). In his letter to Ephesus, he had called the church “God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14; cf. Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 5:9). The identification of the Creator as the living God has a rich Old Testament heritage. Joshua told the Israelites, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite” (Josh. 3:10). David was incensed that Goliath should “taunt the armies of the living God” (1 Sam. 17:26). The psalmist wrote, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42:2), and, “My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God” (Ps. 84:2). Jeremiah wrote, “The Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer. 10:10). The description of the Ephesian assembly as the living God’s church was especially apropos. It was the island of light in a dark sea of pagan worship. Crucial to behaving properly is the knowledge that the assembly of saints is the living God’s church in the world of dead idols, and that it is mandated and empowered for a divine mission and a divine message.

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

the pillar and support of the truth. (3:15c)

The imagery of these terms for the church would not have been lost on the Ephesians. The impressive temple of the goddess Diana (Artemis), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located in the city. William Barclay gives the following description of it: “One of its features was its pillars. It contained one hundred and twenty-seven pillars, every one of them the gift of a king. All were made of marble, and some were studded with jewels and overlaid with gold” (The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975], 89). Each pillar acted as a tribute to the king who donated it. The honorary significance of the pillars, however, was secondary to their function of holding up the immense structure of the roof.

Hedraiōma (support) appears only here in the New Testament and refers to the foundation on which a structure rests. Thus in Paul’s metaphor the church is the foundation and pillar that holds up the truth. As the foundation and pillars of the Temple of Diana were a testimony to the error of pagan false religion, so the church is to be a testimony to God’s truth. That is its mission in the world—its reason for existing here. For failing to do that, Israel has been temporarily set aside.

The truth is the divine revelation, including the truth of the gospel, the content of the Christian faith. It is the solemn responsibility of every church to solidly, immovably, unshakably uphold the truth of God’s Word. The church does not invent the truth, and alters it only at the cost of judgment. It is to support and safeguard it. It is the sacred, saving treasure given to sinners for their forgiveness, and to believers for their sanctification and edification, that they might live for the glory of God. The church has the stewardship of Scripture, the duty to guard it as the most precious possession on earth. Churches that tamper with, misrepresent, depreciate, relegate to secondary place, or abandon biblical truth destroy their only reason for existing and experience impotence and judgment.

Although it is the collective responsibility of the gathered believers to support the Word, that cannot occur unless each individual believer is committed to that duty. How do believers uphold the truth? First, by believing it. Paul gave testimony to Felix saying, “I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law, and that is written in the Prophets” (Acts 24:14). His belief in God’s Word extended to the New Covenant revelation, as Paul made clear when he spoke to the Corinthians: “We also believe, therefore also we speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). The many exhortations to hear the word also refer to hearing with faith. Jesus said in Matthew 13:9, “He who has ears, let him hear” (cf. Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Christians cannot uphold the Word if they do not hear it and believe.

Second, by memorizing it. The psalmist wrote, “Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee” (Ps. 119:11). It is not enough to hear the Word, it must be hidden away in the memory. Only then can believers “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [them] to give an account for the hope that is in [them]” (1 Peter 3:15).

Third, by meditating on it. Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” In addition to hearing and memorizing the Word, believers must meditate on it.

Fourth, by studying it. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul urged him to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Fifth, by obeying it. Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it.” It does little good to hear the Word, memorize it, meditate on it, and study it if we do not obey it.

Sixth, by defending it. Paul told the Philippians that he was “appointed for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. 1:16). The truth will always be attacked, and the church must be ready to defend it.

Seventh, by living it. Paul reminded Titus that believers are to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect” (Titus 2:10). Having a mind controlled by the Word of God produces godly behavior (Col.3:16ff.).

Finally, by proclaiming it. In obedience to our Lord’s command, believers are to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).

The supreme mission of the church is to uphold the precious legacy of God’s Word. What a privilege to support the truth given us by our Savior (cf. John 17:14).

THE MESSAGE OF THE CHURCH

And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness:

The Word of God is a vast, inexhaustible storehouse of spiritual truth. Out of all that truth, what is most essential for the church to uphold and proclaim? Paul gives the answer in verse 16: The message of Jesus Christ. That is the core of what we teach and preach. In Luke 24:46-47, Jesus said to the disciples, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” That became the theme of apostolic preaching. In Acts 10:37-43 Peter said,

Paul, too, made Jesus Christ the central theme in his preaching. To the Corinthians he wrote, “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23), and, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). In his second epistle to them he added, “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him” (2 Cor. 1:19), and “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). In Galatians 6:14 he said, “May it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Even when Christ was preached from wrong motives, he rejoiced (Phil. 1:18).

Because Paul emphasizes the person and work of Christ in 1 Timothy (cf. 1:1; 2:5-6; 6:15-16), that truth may well have been under attack in Ephesus. In this magnificent six-line hymn, Paul rehearses in familiar terms the central truths about Jesus Christ.

Common confession comes from homologeō, which means “to say the same thing.” This is a truth upon which everyone agrees; it is the unanimous conviction of all believers that great is the mystery of godliness. That phrase may be a parallel to the common confession of the pagan worshipers in Ephesus, “Great is Artemis [Diana] of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:28).

As already noted, a mystery was a hidden, sacred truth that is revealed in the New Testament. The mystery of godliness parallels the “mystery of the faith” (v. 9). It refers to the great truth of salvation and righteousness through Christ, which produces godliness (eusebeia) in those who believe. It is also possible to understand the mystery of godliness as a reference to Jesus, who was the very revelation of true and perfect “godlikeness,” since He was God. Godliness, then, first refers to the incarnation and secondly to those who are saved and become the godly in Christ.

As already noted, the lines that follow are undoubtedly from an early church hymn. That is evident from its uniformity (the six verbs are all third person singular aorists), rhythm, and parallelism. The first parallel is between the flesh and the Spirit, the second between angels and nations (men), and the third between the world and glory, or earth and heaven.

The Authorized Version opens the hymn with “God.” The earliest and best manuscripts, however, read nos (He who), not theos (“God”). (For a discussion of the textual issue see Bruce M. Metzger, 4 Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament [New York: United Bible Societies, 1975], 641.) Although no antecedent for hos is given, the hymn can only be describing Jesus Christ, who is the purest mystery of godliness—the hidden God revealed perfectly. This marvelous hymn gives us six truths about our Lord.

First, Jesus Christ was revealed in the flesh. God became man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Phaneroō (revealed) does not mean “to bring into existence,” or “to create,” but “to make visible.” It thus affirms Christ’s preexistence (cf. John 8:58; 17:5). At the Incarnation, Jesus “although He existed in the form of God … emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and [was] made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7). Our Lord Jesus Christ made the invisible God visible to human eyes (cf. 1:17; 6:16; John 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3).

Flesh does not refer here to sinful, fallen human nature, as it does in Romans 7. Rather it refers merely to humanness (cf. John 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4). Jesus was “made in the likeness of men … and … found in appearance as a man” (Phil. 2:7-8). “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same” (Heb. 2:14), and therefore “is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb. 2:11). That does not mean He was sinful, but that He was fully human. “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

It is at precisely this point that the cults and false religions of the world deceive. Satan invariably attacks the Person of Christ, denying that He is the living, eternal God in human flesh.

Second, Jesus Christ was vindicated in the Spirit. Dikaioō (vindicated) means “to justify,” or “to declare righteous.” Though the translators decided to capitalize Spirit, making it refer to the third member of the Trinity, it could also refer to Jesus. That would mean that Jesus Christ was vindicated—declared to be righteous—with respect to His spiritual nature. This reality is why the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17). First John 2:1 calls Him “Jesus Christ the righteous.” He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Hebrews 5:9 relates that “having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,” while Hebrews 7:26 describes Him as “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.”

Jesus Christ was a sinless sacrifice on our behalf: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Heb. 9:14)? “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:21-22).

Our Lord was the God-Man. In His human nature, He was fully man, in His divine nature, He was fully God.

It is also possible that the translation of Spirit in the upper case is correct and is referring to Christ’s vindication by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 1:4 Paul tells us that Jesus Christ “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness.” His resurrection by the Spirit proved His sinlessness. If He had any sin of His own, He would have stayed dead as the penalty for that sin. The affirmation of His perfect righteousness came when the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead.

It may well be that Paul here encompasses both realities. Jesus Christ was vindicated both by His sinless life of obedience to God which declared His righteousness, and by the testimony of the Holy Spirit, who affirmed His righteousness again by raising Him from the dead.

Third, Jesus Christ was beheld by angels. Horaō (beheld) means “to see,” “to visit,” “to observe,” or “to be attendant to.” Throughout our Lord’s earthly ministry, the angels observed Him, and attended to Him. They were there at His birth, announcing it to Joseph and the shepherds. They ministered to Him at His temptation, and strengthened Him in Gethsamane. At His death and resurrection, which is the focal point of this passage, angels observed Him. The fallen angels saw Him. First Peter 3:18-20 describes that event:

After His death on the cross, our Lord visited the place where certain demons are kept imprisoned, and proclaimed His triumph over them (cf. Col. 2:15).

The holy angels also were involved. An angel rolled away the stone at the door of His tomb (Matt. 28:2). Angels appeared to the women, affirming that Jesus had risen (Luke 24:4-7). Finally, two angels attended Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:10-11). Angels were involved in our Lord’s earthly life from beginning to end. That, too, signified divine approval of the incarnate Messiah.

Fourth, Jesus Christ was proclaimed among the nations. Before His ascension, He commanded the disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). In Acts 1:8 He told them, “you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” There was to be no nation left without the gospel message. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world (cf. John 3:16; 4:42; 2 Cor. 5:19-20; 1 John 2:2; 4:14).

Fifth, Jesus Christ was believed on in the world. The plan of God was fulfilled as the apostles’ proclamation resulted in saving faith in many lives. At the first public preaching of the gospel after Christ’s resurrection, 3,000 people were saved (Acts 2:41). In the days that followed, thousands more believed on Him. The gospel was preached throughout Judea, then to the Samaritans, to an Ethiopian eunuch, to Cornelius the Gentile, and ultimately across the Gentile world by Paul and his associates.

Finally, Jesus Christ was taken up in glory. Acts 1:9-10 describes the event:

“When He had made purification of sins,” Hebrews 1:3 says, “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” To the Philippians Paul wrote,

Jesus’ ascension showed that the Father was pleased with Him and accepted His work.

In six short stanzas, this hymn summarizes the gospel. God became man, died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into heaven. This message was preached all over the world and many believed and were saved. That is the heart of the message it is our mission to proclaim to the world.

There once was an old church in England. A sign on the front of the building read “We preach Christ crucified.” After a time, ivy grew up and obscured the last word. The motto now read, “We preach Christ.” The ivy grew some more, and the motto read, “We preach.” Finally, ivy covered the entire sign, and the church died. Such is the fate of any church that fails to carry out its mission in the world.