The House of God (1 Timothy 3:15-16)

2022-08-08

What is a church? Here are four thoughts. This is not a comprehensive definition.

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. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:15-16)
  1. The house of God. There are two aspects of this. First, the church is a house like the Temple and the Tabernacle were each a house of God. The church has superseded these physical buildings and meeting places. However, a house is also a household. So the house of God is the family of God! Your family is found there. The “house” is people, not a building. It has offices and structure as discussed elsewhere in Scripture.
  2. The church of the living God. When you compare Hebrews 2:12 and Psalm 22:22, where the New Testament quotes the Old, we see that in one place it says “church” and in the other it says “congregation.” A church is a physical congregation of people. To be a church, you need to be with them. Moreover, it is a congregation of the living God. The real God, who Himself is living and created life, is with His people in the church.
  3. The pillar and ground of the truth. If you want to know the truth and be with the people of truth, you go to a church congregation. Even if you read the Scriptures on your own, which is needed, without other people you can get easily derailed into false doctrine. The church is the place for us to keep each other grounded in truth.
  4. The mystery of godliness. The church is a mystery that was not so clearly pronounced in the Old Testament but is now manifested by God. It is centered around the person of Jesus Christ; it is His body. It is comprised of born-again believers. It includes non-Jewish people as well as Jewish people.

From these four points, we see why it is important to be a part of the local church. These assume that every member is a Christian. Not everything that calls itself church is a church indeed.