The introduction of Gospel Life in the Household of God gave us the opportunity to examine and treasure the supremacy of Christ as Head of the Church (see Col 1:18). In doing so we saw the price paid by Christ to obtain His Church, namely the shedding of His blood (see Acts 20:28). We gained understanding concerning how the Church consists of the people of faith and how it is their privilege to be led by the One who is faithful over God’s house as a Son (see Hebrews 3:1-6).
These preliminary thoughts led us to consider 1 Timothy 3:14-16 as our primary text:
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 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. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
In studying this passage together, we extracted 4 marks of Christ’s Church. Though I would encourage you to review the sermon HERE, I hope the brief comments that follow will prove helpful in remembering how glorious Christ is in building His Church and the roles members have within its fellowship.
Point #1: Christ’s Church is Gospel-embracing.
Pointing to verse 15, one must be a believer to be considered part of Christ’s Church. This happens only by grace through faith as one responds to the command of the gospel to repent of sin and believe in the atoning work of Christ. The Church’s purpose, then, as an invisible yet visible, universal yet local entity, is to live out familial roles (“household”) as expressed in the Scriptures—doing those things which bring honor to God and help others embrace and treasure the Gospel.
Point #2: Christ’s Church is Gospel-utilizing.
“How one ought to behave” is a point of emphasis in this passage, as one who receives the Gospel is given new desires—desires that lead to exuding the character of Jesus. Weaving a tapestry of Paul’s epistolary commands, we learned how the Spirit enables us to strive for advancement in cultivating personal and corporate godliness. Thus, a purpose of those belonging to the household of God is spending their days laboring (by the Spirit’s enabling power) to build up the body—assisting in its growth in the likeness of Christ.
Point #3: Christ’s Church is Gospel-protecting.
Referring to the household of God, Paul deems it “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” In other words, the Church is commissioned with the task of protecting the purity of the Gospel message. Contrasting the reality of the living God to a lifeless icon, Diana, we learned the daily necessity of guarding the Message we treasure as opposed to being moved by winds of secular opposition. The purpose for God’s household, then, is to continually learn and live truth so that the Gospel would be better protected, obeyed, and conveyed to a world without Christ.
Point #4: Christ’s Church is Gospel-confessing.
The redeemed delight in confessing what verse 16 constitutes “the mystery of godliness.” The second half of verse 16 provides poetic insight into the fullness of this mystery, being the glorious narrative of Christ’s vindicated and received work to reconcile depraved individuals to the holy God of all. The confession belongs to each individual member of the household of God and finds emphasis in the usage of the term “we.” Together, the church adheres to its purpose in refusing to neglect its mission in the world—to make disciples of all nations.
These 4 points laid for us a foundation to build upon in our efforts to learn and ascribe more faithfully to Scripture’s link of membership and baptism. The conclusion of the sermon called us to take seriously how every activity expressed within the household of God (specifically within PBF as a local expression of the global Church) is to be completed faithfully and with great care for Scripture’s prescribed practices. Thus, we were all challenged to seek God in prayerfully identifying and applying the truths learned in upcoming sermons. May this still be our aim, for the Lord of all is worthy of biblically-informed worship.