We will begin in the Barclay commentary:
THE PRIVILEGE AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LIFE WITHIN
THE CHURCH
1 Timothy 3:14–15
I am writing these things to
you, hoping, as I write, to come to you soon. But I
am writing so that, if I am delayed, you may know
how to behave yourselves in the household of God,
which is the assembly of the living God, and the
pillar and buttress of the truth. -
HERE in one phrase is the reason why the Pastoral
Epistles were written: they were written to tell
people how to behave within the Church. The word for
to behave is anastrephesthai; it describes what we
might call a person’s way of life and conversation.
It describes an individual’s whole life and
character, but it especially describes people in
their relationships with others. As it has been
said, the word in itself lays it down that a church
member’s personal character must be excellent and
that an individual’s personal relationships with
other people should be a true fellowship. A church
congregation is a body of people who are friends
with God and friends with each other. Paul goes on
to use four words which describe four great
functions of the Church.
(1) The Church is the household (oikos) of
God. First and foremost, it must be a family. In
a dispatch written after one of his great naval
victories, Admiral Nelson ascribed his victory to
the fact that he ‘had the happiness to command a
band of brothers’. Unless a church is a band of
brothers and sisters, it is not a true church at
all. Love of God can exist only where mutual love
exists.
(2) The Church is the assembly (ekkle¯sia)
of the living God. The word ekkle¯sia literally
means a company of people who have been called out.
It does not mean that they have been selected or
picked out. In Athens, the ekkle¯sia was the
governing body of the city; and its membership
consisted of all the citizens gathered together in
an assembly. But, very naturally, at no time did
everyone attend. The summons went out to come to the
Assembly of the City, but only some citizens
answered it and came. God’s call has gone out to [all
firstfruits]; but only some have [stayed
to the calling]; and they are the
ekkle¯sia, the Church. It is not that God has been
selective. The invitation [ultimately]
comes to all; but to an invitation there must be a
response.
Inserted note
before point 3: In Acts 19
we see Paul at Ephesus and around
other locations in Asia speaking against
false gods.
Acts 19:26-28
26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone
at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia,
this Paul hath persuaded and turned away
much people, saying that they be no gods,
which are made with hands:
27 So that not only this our craft is in
danger to be set at nought; but also that
the temple of the great goddess Diana should
be despised, and her magnificence should be
destroyed, whom all Asia and the world
worshippeth.
28 And when they heard these sayings, they
were full of wrath, and cried out, saying,
Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Paul's preaching in Ephesus cause no small
stir, especially among the craftsmen that
worked on the Temple of Diana. They
are the ones hearing Paul in verse 28 and
they were full of wrath against Paul and his
doctrine or preaching.
All this said to show that the people of
Ephesus knew what a pillar is. The use
of the word "pillar" is used as a
living metaphor in verse 15. And so
now, back to the Barclay Commentary and point
three: |
(3) The Church is the pillar of the truth
(stulos). In
Ephesus, to which these letters were written, the
word pillar would have a special significance. The
greatest glory of Ephesus was the
Temple of Diana, or Artemis. ‘Great is Artemis
of the Ephesians’ (Acts 19:28). It was one of the
seven wonders of the world. One of its features was
its pillars.
It contained 127 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
people of Ephesus knew very well how beautiful a
thing a pillar could be. It may well be that the
idea of the word pillar here is not so much support
– that is contained in the word buttress – as
display. Often, the statue of a famous person is set
on the top of a pillar so that it may stand out
above all ordinary things and so be clearly seen,
even from a distance. The idea here is that the
Church’s duty is to hold up the truth in such a way
that all may see it.
(4) The Church is the buttress (hedraio¯ma)
of the truth. The buttress is the support of
the building. It keeps it standing intact. In a
world which does not wish to face the truth, the
Church holds it up for all to see. In a world which
would often gladly eliminate unwelcome truth, the
Church supports it against all who would seek to
destroy it. ~Barclay
commentary
Now to the other commentaries:
Verse 14: These
things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee
shortly:
From Barnes Notes:
These things write I unto
thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly - That
is, he hoped to come there to give instructions
personally, or to finish, himself, the work which he
had commenced in Ephesus, and which had been
interrupted by his being driven so unexpectedly
away. This verse proves that the apostle Paul did
not regard Timothy as the permanent diocesan bishop
of Ephesus. Would any Episcopal bishop write this to
another bishop? If Timothy were the permanent
prelate of Ephesus, would Paul have intimated that
he expected soon to come and take the work of
completing the arrangements there into his own
hands? In regard to his expectation of going soon to
Ephesus, see the notes on 1Timothy 1:3; compare the
Introduction to the Epistle [See
our lesson on 1 Timothy 1:3].
Quoted verse:
1 Timothy 1:3
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I
went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some
that they teach no other doctrine.
~Barnes Notes
From the Adam Clarke:
These things write I -
That is: I write only these things; because I hope
to come unto thee shortly.
~Adam Clarke
From the John Gill:
These things write I unto thee
- Concerning the offices of bishops and
deacons, their several qualifications, and the rules
of judging of persons fit for such service:
hoping to come unto thee
shortly - at Ephesus. He could not tell
whether he could come or not, and therefore makes no
promise, but hoped he should; and since it was
uncertain, he thought fit to write the above things
for his instruction and use.
~John Gill
Verse 15: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know
how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of
God, which is the church of the living God, the
pillar and ground of the truth.
From Barnes Notes:
But if I tarry long -
Paul appears to have been uncertain how long
circumstances would require him to be absent. He
expected to return, but it was possible that his
hope of returning soon would be disappointed.
That thou mayest know how thou
oughtest to behave thyself - That is, that he
might have just views about settling the affairs of
the church.
In the house of God -
This does not mean in a place of public worship, nor
does it refer to propriety of deportment there. It
refers rather to the church as a body of believers,
and to converse with them. The church is called the
“house of God,” because it is that in which he
dwells. Formerly, his unique residence was in the
temple at Jerusalem; now that the temple is
destroyed, it is the church of Christ, among his
people.
Which is the church of the
living God - This seems to have been added to
impress the mind of Timothy with the solemn nature
of the duty which he was to perform. What he did
pertained to the honor and welfare of the church of
the living God, and hence he should feet the
importance of a correct deportment, and of a right
administration of its affairs.
The pillar and ground of the
truth - There has been no little diversity of
opinion among critics whether this phrase is to be
taken in connection with the preceding, meaning that
“the church” is the pillar and ground of the truth;
or whether it is to be taken in connection with what
follows, meaning that the principal support of the
truth was the doctrine there referred to - that God
was manifest in the flesh. Bloomfield remarks on
this: “It is surprising that any who have any
knowledge or experience in Greek literature could
tolerate so harsh a construction as that which
arises from the latter method.” The more natural
interpretation certainly is, to refer it to the
former; and this is supported by the consideration
that it would then fall in with the object of the
apostle. His design here seems to be, to impress
Timothy with a deep sense of the importance of
correct conduct in relation to the church; of the
responsibility of those who presided over it; and of
the necessity of care and caution in the selection
of proper officers.
To do this, he reminded him that the truth of God -
that revealed truth which he had given to save the
world - was entrusted to the church; that it was
designed to preserve it pure, to defend it, and to
transmit it to future times; and that, therefore,
every one to whom the administration of the affairs
of the church was entrusted, should engage in this
duty with a deep conviction of his responsibility.
On the construction of the passage, Bloomfield
Rosenmuller, and Clarke, may be consulted. The word
“pillar” means a column, such as that by which a
building is supported, and then any firm prop or
support; Galatians 2:9; Revelation 3:12. If it
refers to the church here, it means that that is the
support of the truth, as a pillar is of a building.
It sustains it amidst the war of elements, the
natural tendency to fall, and the assaults which may
be made on it, and preserves it when it would
otherwise tumble into ruin.
Quoted verses:
...speaking of pillars
Galatians 2:9
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be
pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me,
they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of
fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and
they unto the circumcision.
Revelation 3:12
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the
temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I
will write upon him the name of my God, and the name
of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will
write upon him my new name.
Thus it is with the church. It is entrusted with the
business of maintaining the truth, of defending it
from the assaults of error, and of transmitting it
to future times. The truth is, in fact, upheld in
the world by the church. The people of the world
feel no interest in defending it, and it is to the
church of Christ that it is owing that it is
preserved and transmitted from age to age. The word
rendered “ground” - εhedraiōma - means, properly, a
basis, or foundation. The figure here is evidently
taken from architecture, as the use of the word
pillar is. The proper meaning of the one expression
would be, that truth is supported by the church. as
an edifice is by a pillar; of the other, that the
truth rests “on” the church, as a house does on its
foundation. It is that which makes it fixed, stable,
permanent; that on which it securely stands amidst
storms and tempests; that which renders it firm when
systems of error are swept away as a house that is
built on the sand; compare notes on Matthew 7:24-27.
Quoted verse:
Matthew 7:24-27
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it
fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish
man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it
fell: and great was the fall of it.
The meaning then is, that the stability of the truth
on earth is dependent on the church. It is owing to
the fact that the church is itself founded on a
rock, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against
it, that no storms of persecution can overthrow it,
that the truth is preserved from age to age. Other
systems of religion are swept away; other opinions
change; other forms of doctrine vanish; but the
knowledge of the great system of redemption is
preserved on earth unshaken, because the church is
preserved, and because its foundations cannot be
moved. This does not refer, I suppose, to creeds and
confessions, or to the decisions of synods and
councils; but to the living spirit of truth and
piety “in” the church itself. As certainly as the
church continues to live, so certain it will be that
the truth of God will be perpetuated among people.
~Barnes Notes
Now the Adam Clarke:
But if I tarry long -
That is: Not withstanding I hope to come to thee
shortly, and therefore do not feel the necessity of
writing at large; yet, lest I should be delayed, I
write what I judge necessary to direct thy conduct
in the Church of God.
The house of God - This
is spoken in allusion to the ancient tabernacle;
which was God’s house, and in which the symbol of
the Divine Majesty dwelt. So the Christian Church is
God’s house, and every believer is a habitation of
God through the Spirit.
The Church of the living God
- The assembly in which God lives and works; each
member of which is a living stone, all of whom,
properly united among themselves, grow up unto a
holy temple in the Lord.
The pillar and ground of the
truth - Never was there a greater variety of
opinions on any portion of the sacred Scripture than
has been on this and the following verse [verse
16]. Commentators and critics have given
senses and meanings till there is no meaning to be
seen. It would be almost impossible, after reading
all that has been said on this passage, for any man
to make up his own mind. To what, or to whom, does
the pillar and ground of the truth refer?
| Inserted note
here: I believe the
previous commentary in Barnes Notes
concludes better on this part of the verse
and at the same time, each of the four
points you are about to read could be
applied in part. |
1. Some say to Timothy, who is called the pillar,
etc., because left there to support and defend the
truth of God against false doctrines and false
teachers; and is so called for the same reason that
Peter, James, and John, are said to be pillars, i.e.
supporters of the truth of God. Galatians 2:9 [which
we quote above].
2. Others suppose that the pillar and ground of the
truth is spoken of God; and that ὁς εστι, who is,
should be supplied as referring immediately to Θεος,
God, just before. By this mode of interpretation the
passage will read thus: That thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the Church of the living God, Who Is (ὁς
εστι) the pillar and ground of the truth.
How God may be fitly termed the pillar and ground of
truth, requires no explanation.
3. Others think that the words should be understood
of the Church of the living God; and in this case
the feminine relative ἡτις εστι, which is, must be
repeated immediately after εκκλησια, the Church. The
house of God is the Church of the living God; Which
(Church) is the
pillar and ground of the truth. That is: The full
revelation of God’s truth is in the Christian
Church. The great doctrines of that Church are the
truth [without error].
Formerly the truth was but partially revealed, much
of it being shadowed with types, ceremonies, and
comparatively dark prophecies; but now all is plain,
and the full revelation given; and the foundation on
which this truth rests are the grand facts detailed
in the Gospel, especially those which concern [Christ
coming in the flesh], miracles, passion,
death, and resurrection of Christ, and the [purpose]
of the Holy Spirit.
4. Lastly, others refer the whole to το της
ευσεβειας μυστηριον, the mystery of godliness; and
translate the clause thus: The mystery of godliness
is the pillar and ground of the truth; and, without
controversy, a great thing. This gives a very good
sense, but it is not much favored by the arrangement
of the words in the original.
~Adam Clarke
I like how the Barnes Notes concludes when it says,
"The meaning then is, that the stability of the
truth on earth is dependent on the church."
God is maintaining and spreading the truth through
the Church of God; the Body of Christ through the
power of the Holy Spirit. |