Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-17

“Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ And Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.’ But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, ‘Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.” (2 Samuel 7:1–17, ESV)

New Testament Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-4; 3:14-15

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.” (1 Timothy 1:1–4, ESV)

“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, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Some of you have been wondering what our next study will be now that we have come to the end of Ephesians. Well, now you know! Today I am introducing you to Paul’s first letter to Timothy. I had intended to inform you that this would be our next study last Sunday in point two of that sermon, but as I’m sure you remember, that portion of the sermon was missing from my manuscript. Although I was able to communicate the gist of that portion of the sermon to you from memory, certain details were forgotten, and this announcement concerning 1 Timothy was one of them.  

I have told you in the past that Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and so it is in a general sense. But 1 Timothy is very precious to me as a Pastor and as a churchman. Though not all of you hold the office of pastor, most of you are churchmen and churchwomen. If you have faith in Christ, you are to be a churchman, or churchwoman, for you are members of the body of Christ, citizens in Christ’s kingdom, children in God’s household. This is what I mean when I say that you are churchmen. To be in Christ is to be a member of Christ’s church. To love Christ is to love Christ’s church, for Christ loved his church and gave his life up for her. 

1 Timothy, along with the other so-called pastoral epistles of 2 Timothy and Titus, are precious to pastors and churchmen alike. These letters reveal what the church of Christ is to be like. What kind of society is the church? How is she to be organized? How is she to be governed? What is the church to be about? Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are very instructive! 

I’m afraid that some Christians read these letters and forget that Paul the Apostle was writing to his fellow workers and representatives. When reading these letters we must always keep that fact in mind. These are not letters to churches in general, and therefore to Christians in general, but to Paul’s fellow workers who were facing particular difficulties as they labored within particular churches to establish and maintain order. Not everything that Paul says to Timothy and Titus will apply directly to all Christians, therefore. Everything that Paul says to them will apply, but sometimes indirectly.

On a bit of a side note, perhaps you have noticed a shift in the terminology that I am applying to Timothy and Titus. In the past I have called them “pastors”, but upon further reflection, I think it is better to call them “Paul’s fellow workers”, or perhaps they may be considered “evangelists”. These men were sent to various churches as Paul’s representatives. And they were sent to establish and maintain order in those churches. One of their responsibilities was to appoint elders (also called pastors) and deacons. So Timothy and Titus functioned like pastors in these churches for a time, but they were unique in some respects. They were Paul’s coworkers and representatives. They were to help with church planting. Their work was to establish healthy churches. I’m sure it was not at all uncommon for them to walk into some very messy situations. Ephesus was probably a mess when Timothy arrived, as we will see. And it tells us something about his leadership when we consider that Ephesus was known for being a mature church in the end. He must have cleaned things up! It is unclear if Timothy remained in Ephesus to become pastor of that church. He may have. But when Paul wrote to him, he was functioning as his representative. We often refer to Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus as “pastoral” epistles. And I think that term is fine, so long as we keep in mind what I have just said. These are not letters to churches and Christians in general, but to minsters of the gospel. Pastoral concerns are addressed in these letters. So for that reason it is helpful to distinguish these letters from Paul’s letters to the churches. But I will probably try to move away from calling these letters “pastoral epistles” to avoid confusion. They began to be called by this name in the 18th century. The commentator Philip Towner suggests we call them “letters to coworkers”. It doesn’t have quite the ring to it, does it? And old habits die hard. We will see how it goes. 

But what I have previously said stands true. We must not forget that Paul was writing to fellow ministers of the gospel, and not to churches in general, as we interpret and apply 1 Timothy. On the other hand, I’m also concerned that some will avoid these letters assuming that, because they were written to ministers of the gospel, there is nothing for them here. And that is also a mistake. Some of the things that Paul wrote to Timothy will apply directly to all Christians. In fact, Timothy is in 4:12, 15 commanded to be a model for all believers. So, some portions of this letter will apply directly to all Christians, but even in those portions where Paul instructs Timothy concerning his particular duties, we will find that they apply indirectly to all Christians. 

In particular, we are going to learn a lot about the church, what she is, and how she is to be ordered. When reading Paul’s letters to his coworkers Christians will see that membership in Christ’s church is a crucial component of the Christian life. We have not been saved by Christ to live as isolated individuals. No, we have been brought into a kingdom and family. This means that we belong to a holy community or society. As we consider these epistles we will see that in Christ’s church there are officers and members. We will grow in our understanding of what a pastor is called to do. We will also grow in our understanding of the nature and purpose of Christ’s church. This subject matter should be very important to every Christian, and not just pastors. We are all churchmen, remember?

And I probably don’t need to convince you that this teaching is desperately needed in our day. It seems that many Christians attend church without ever asking the question, what is the church according to the scriptures? Or, what is the church to be about? Or what should I expect from a pastor? It is not only that churches and pastors are falling short of what God has called them to — I fear it is worse than that! Many are failing to even ask the question, what is the church, and what are we called to do, according to the scriptures? 

From my perspective (which I acknowledge is very limited) pragmatism drives the decisions that are made in many churches today. Leaders within the church will ask, what should the church do? How should she be structured? And what are my responsibilities as a pastor? But then to answer these questions they will ask, what will work? And by “work” they mean, what will bring more people into the organization? Pragmatism is when practical concerns drive the decisions that are made. 

Now, I am not saying never should we be pragmatic. It would be foolish, and even unloving, to put unnecessary stumbling blocks in front of people, or to fail to remove them if we can do so. But when we ask questions like, what should we do? How should we be structured? And what is the work of a pastor? The next question must be, what do the scriptures teach? The scriptures, and not practical concerns, are to govern our life together in Christ’s church. 

Setting aside the concerns that I have for the church in America today, let us be sure to examine ourselves in the course of this study and to ask, do we have a proper view of the church? Are we doing what God has called us to do according to the scriptures? And are we prepared to do it for generations to come, even if faced with difficulty?

The whole of scripture is useful to answer questions regarding our life together within Christ’s church, but Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are particularly enlightening. As we will soon see, Paul wrote this letter to Pastor Timothy to encourage order within Christ’s church, and to further instruct Timothy concerning “how one ought to behave in the household of God” (3:15). I think this is going to be a good and timely study for us, brothers and sisters. 

So let us now briefly consider Paul’s introductory remarks. And after that, we will also briefly consider what he says in the middle of this letter concerning his purpose for writing. 

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Paul

You will notice that the author identifies himself as Paul. 

Traditionally the church has believed this to be Paul, also known as Saul, the man who was converted on the Road to Damascus, who was formerly a persecutor of the church, but upon conversion was used by the Lord to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the known world, and particularly amongst the Gentiles. You can learn all about him by reading the book of Acts chapters 8 and following, and also his many other letters found in the New Testament, Romans through Philemon. There is really no good reason to doubt that this letter was written by Paul.  

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An Apostle

Paul identifies himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope…” (1 Timothy 1:1, ESV).

Paul was an apostle. He was not the only one, but was one of many.

It is very important to know what an apostle was. An apostle was an eyewitness to Christ in his resurrection. An apostle was one who was commissioned by the risen Christ to serve as his special representative. There were very few apostles in the earliest days of the church. And there have not been, nor will there ever be any others.

There were apostles and prophets present and active within the church in the days immediately following the resurrection and ascension of Christ, but remember how Paul spoke of them in his letter to the Ephesians, saying, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22, ESV). The apostles and prophets are linked together with Christ. Together, all three — Christ, the apostles, and prophets — make up the foundation of the church. The church is built upon them. The office of apostle was foundational, not perpetual.

And consider also this. When Paul writes concerning the future of the church he does not say that apostles are to be appointed, but elders and deacons. And elders (also called pastors, etc.) do not speak nor write with apostolic authority, but are called to preach, teach and preserve that which has been entrusted to them.

Why do I labor to convince you that there were apostles in the earliest days of the church, that these were a special group of men who saw the risen Christ and received a special commission from him to function as his special representatives, but that there were no apostles, nor will there ever be any more after they who were commissioned by Christ past from this world to glory? Why do I bother to teach you this?

Well, this teaching is crucial if we are to know what to expect within Christ’s church today. Are we to expect apostles to dwell among us? Are we to expect men to speak with the same authority that Paul and the other apostles spoke with? Should we expect to hear from prophets — men (and women) who speak with divine authority, saying, “thus says the Lord.” The answer is, certainly no. From the age of the apostles onward we find pastors, teachers, and evangelists active within Christ’s church. These, as we will see, are to faithfully proclaim and defend the faith that was instructed to them by Christ, the apostles, and prophets, their word being wonderfully preserved for us in the pages of Holy Scripture.

The Roman Catholic church, so-called, carries within it a fundamental flaw, and that is the belief that apostolic authority resides within the papacy. It is no wonder that after 2,000 years of church history the Romanists promote so many false doctrines. Men who ought to proclaim and preserve the teaching of Christ and his apostles imagine that they speak with the authority of the apostles, though they do not. It is a grave error — a fundamental flaw — that has led to the severe distortion of the truth of the gospel. Justification is not received by faith alone but must be earned, in that religion. Mary is viewed as a co-redeemer alongside Christ. And prayers are offered up to mere men as worshipers bow before graven images in direct contradiction to the clear teaching of scripture. How can this be? The fatal flaw is the belief that apostolic authority remains within Christ’s church today. And so the Romanists believe that the tradition of the church is authoritative alongside scripture. Pentecostals and Charismatics make similar errors, but they play out differently in their traditions.

Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy his fellow worker, and Timothy was to preach the word and defend the faith entrusted to him. He was to appoint elders to serve in Christ’s church. These fact are very significant.

Notice that Paul refers to himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope…” (1 Timothy 1:1, ESV).

Paul is an apostle. This means that he is a special messenger. And we might ask, of whom? The answer: “of Christ Jesus”. You know who Jesus is. Considering the word order, Paul seems especially concerned to remind us that this Jesus is the Christ, or the Messiah, who has come from the Jews.

And Paul was made an apostle by the command of God. In other words, Paul did not make himself an apostle, but was made an apostle, because it was the will of God. This is of course true of all that happens in the world. Things happen because God has willed it. But here Paul has in mind his miraculous conversion. If you know that story, then you understand that Paul did not make himself an apostle, but was made to be one, by the command, or will, of God.

And notice that he is here called “God our Savior”. We are accustomed to calling Christ our Savior, but Paul calls God our Savior. Both statements are of course true! But what Paul’s says here confirms what we have been teaching you over the past month or so in Catechism — our salvation is trinitarian! Who saved you? The most thorough answer is, God saved us. God sent the Son to accomplish redemption, and the Father and Son sent the Spirit to apply it to God’s elect. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV).

God — the God of all creation and of all mankind — is our Savior. And he has provided salvation for all mankind — people from every tongue, tribe, and nation — through his Son, Jesus the Christ. He is our only hope. And that is what Paul calls him — “Christ Jesus our hope.”

Do you have hope, friends? Real hope? Lasting hope? Hope that is sure? Hope is essential to life. Without hope, we perish inwardly. Most people hope in the things of this earth. They hope in the weekend, in the next vacation, for a raise, for a comfortable retirement. They hope in people, in power, in governments, and wealth. They hope in family and friends. These are all good things. But they are temporary and fleeting. They cannot be the source of true hope, for all of these things will fail us at the moment of death. True hope — hope that is lasting and sure — is found only in Jesus the Christ, through faith in him. For in him we have the forgiveness of sins and the promise of life everlasting.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope…” (1 Timothy 1:1, ESV).

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To Timothy

And to whom was Paul writing? Verse 2: “To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (1 Timothy 1:2, ESV)

Timothy is never the central figure in the story that is told in the book of Acts. From Acts 13 onwards it is Paul (also called Saul) and his missionary journeys that take center stage. But if you read carefully you will notice that this man Timothy is often there in the background as a faithful companion to Paul. He is also mentioned in many of Paul’s letters. Sometimes he is even named as the co-author! Consider Philippians 1:1, for example: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons…” And Colossians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother…” I could also read 2 Corinthians 1:1, 1 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1, and Philemon 1. So, although Timothy does not take center stage in the story of the spread of the gospel and establishment of the church under the New Covenant, he was undoubtedly a very important figure. 

Paul refers to him here as, “my true child in the faith…” This probably means that it was through Paul’s ministry that Timothy was brought to faith. Certainly, it means that it was under Paul’s tutelage that Timothy matured. Elsewhere Paul refers to Timothy as his “beloved and faithful child in the Lord” (1 Cor 4:7), his “fellow worker” (Rom 16:21), and “God’s co-worker in the gospel” (1 Thes 3:2). 

Timothy is first mentioned in Acts 16:1 where we read, “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1, ESV). This mixed heritage would prove useful as he ministered with Paul, first to Jews, and also to Greeks.

We know from 2 Timothy 1:5 that his mother’s name was Eunice and his grandmother’s Lois, and these were said to have “sincere faith”. And here is some encouragement for single mothers and fathers, or for those who are married to non-Christians — Timothy was raised in a home where only grandmother and mother had sincere faith. 

 Careful consideration of the book of Acts and Paul’s letters reveal that Timothy was often with Paul, he worked with him to plant many churches in many places, and that he was often sent by Paul to minister to churches in places where Paul was unable to go. 

When we consider what Paul says to Timothy we learn that he was relatively young (maybe in his 30’s), and some think he was timid. In 4:12 we will read, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, ESV). And in 2 Timothy 1:7 we read,  “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV). Perhaps Timothy was timid. Perhaps he was tempted to shrink back in the face of opposition. It is hard for me to imagine him being very timid, though, given what he endured at Paul’s side, and given the enormous pressures he must have faced in ministry. He would not have lasted long at all if he were truly and thoroughly timid, as some say. 

Though Timothy was often at Paul’s side, clearly they were apart when Paul wrote this letter to him. We know that Timothy was in Ephesus. Timothy had been a part of the work there with Paul, but when Paul moved on to Macedonia, Timothy was told to (verse 3), “remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine…” (1 Timothy 1:3, ESV). 

So Timothy was serving the church in Ephesus when Paul wrote this letter to him. Where Paul was writing from is a little bit difficult to know. There are several theories. Some find gaps in the narrative of Acts where it is possible for Paul to be separated from Timothy, with Timothy in Ephesus. The traditional view, which has some support from the writings of the early church fathers, is that Paul was imprisoned in Rome and placed under house arrest (just as the end of Acts reveals), was released for a time, and conducted a fourth missionary journey (which is not recorded in Acts), and then was imprisoned again, and finally executed under Nero’s reign — it is thought that Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy in that time between his first and second imprisonment. 2 Timothy was written during his second imprisonment and not long before his death. Where was Paul when he wrote to Timothy? It’s hard to say. But he probably wrote this letter in about AD 63. 

Wherever Paul was, and whenever he wrote, notice how Paul greeted Timothy. He blessed him saying, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is a typical Pauline greeting. He often began his letters saying, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”, or something similar to this. It was customary in the ancient world to begin a letter with a greeting, and Paul followed that custom, but his greetings were distinctly Christian. 

He blessed Timothy with grace and peace. It is because of God’s grace — that is, his undeserved favor shown to us in Jesus the Christ — that we are at peace with God. Is there anything worse than to be an enemy of God? To be an enemy of God is to stand guilty before him and deserving of his judgment. And so we are in our natural state. We are sinners who stand condemned apart from Christ. But in Christ, through faith in him, we are reconciled to God. We are at peace with him. And this is why Paul addresses Christians saying, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Christians are recipients of God’s grace, and they are at peace. They are at peace with God, and this is the foundation for the peace that resides within their heart, and this peace within the heart is the foundation for peace that is experienced within the Christian congregation. The one who is in Christ is characterized by peace — peace with God, peace within the heart, and peace within the community, all by the grace of God. But notice that Paul also blesses Timothy with mercy. Mercy and grace are similar, but they are not the same. Grace is undeserved favor from God. Mercy is the kindness of God bestowed upon someone who is in need. Paul blessed Timothy with mercy, suggesting that he was experiencing difficulty. Grace, mercy, and peace all come from God and are ours in Christ Jesus the Lord.

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Theme

Now that we have briefly considered the opening of Paul’s letter to Timothy, I would like to wade out just a little bit into the body of this letter to consider its theme. What is this letter about? What is Paul’s purpose for writing?

First of all, though Paul was indeed close to Timothy, and though this letter is indeed warm and personal, it should also be recognized that it is not merely a personal and casual letter of correspondence. Paul was not merely writing to say “hello” to Timothy and to encourage him. Instead Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy his coworker and he was “charging” him with particular responsibilities (see 1:5 and 1:18 for example). Timothy was receiving marching orders.

Secondly, notice that one of the things Timothy is charged with is to confront false teaching within the church. Timothy was to “remain at Ephesus so that [he] may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations…” (1 Timothy 1:3–4, ESV). We will consider verses 3 and 4 more carefully next week, Lord willing, and discuss the nature of this false teaching. For now, notice that Timothy was to confront false teaching and the false teachers that had crept into Christ’s church. He was to defend and promote the truth of the gospel. That theme runs throughout this letter. 

Thirdly, notice that Timothy is exhorted to establish and maintain order in the household of God. 

The first hint of this theme is found in verse 4, but it is a little difficult to detect in our English translations. These false teachers that Timothy was to oppose were encouraging others to “devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies” and these only promoted “speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (1 Timothy 1:4, ESV). That word which is translated as “stewardship” might also be translated as “good order” or “administration”. The meaning is this. Instead of being devoted to myths and to genealogies which lead only to speculations, and thus to controversies and chaos within Christ’s church, Timothy was to devote himself to things that lead to “good order” within God’s house. And where does this “stewardship” or “good order” come from? It comes from God. It comes from the faith.

As this letter progresses it will become ever more clear that “good order” is to be established and maintained in God’s house by preaching and teaching the word of God, by urging obedience the scriptures, by promoting good doctrine (see 4:6), and by ordering Christ’s church according to what God has revealed. The faith is to be taught, promoted, and defended. And good order within the church will result.

This theme is present throughout this letter, but Paul explicitly says that he is writing for this reason in 3:14-15, which was read earlier. Again, the Apostle says, “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, ESV).

These verses are very significant. And we will consider them more carefully as we study this text in the months to come. For now, notice three things. 

One, Paul calls the church the “household of God” and “the church of the living God”. These are marvelous terms, aren’t they? Having just considered this theme in our study of Ephesians, I will not belabor the point here. Paul had a marvelously high view of the church. He saw the church as the bride of Christ, the earthly manifestation of the kingdom of God, the assembly of God’s new humanity, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Here he refers to her as the “church of the living God”. The church is God’s church. He is alive within her. And the church is the “household of God”. It is made up of those who have been adopted as sons and daughters. These have God as Father. And these are to live as brothers and sisters, united in Christ the Son. The church is a holy society, therefore. It is the assembly of those who are born of God, and who belong to God, having been washed in Christ’s blood. God dwells in the midst of her, and with his people.

Two, because the church is the “household of God” it is to be properly ordered. The world is filled with sin, but the church is set apart as holy. The church is a society of those who believe upon Christ, have been washed in his blood, and adopted as sons. God’s household is to be properly ordered. That is why Paul wrote. So that Timothy “may know how one ought to behave in the household of God…” 

Three, Paul calls the church “a pillar and buttress of the truth”. The church is set apart by the truth. It is ordered according to the truth. And one of its functions is to put the truth on display to the world and to defend the truth.

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Application And Conclusion

These remarks that I have made this morning are only introductory. We will move carefully through 1 Timothy in the months to come and these themes will be fleshed out. For now, I will challenge you to think deeply about the church in light of the scriptures. 

What is she?

What is her purpose?

What should be expected from her members?

What should be expected from her ministers?

 And we must be aware of our presuppositions, brothers and sisters. Our thinking has certainly been affected by our situation in life. We must be willing to acknowledge those presuppositions, to set them to the side, and to consider the scriptures with care, asking, are we behaving as we ought to behave “in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth”?