1 Timothy 3:15

The spiritual interpretation, however, is not so difficult and hard to come by. For the bride of the Word, the soul who abides in his royal house—that is, in the church—is taught by the Word of God, who is her Bridegroom, whatever things are stored and hidden within the royal court and in the king's chamber. In this house, which is the church of the living God, she becomes acquainted also with the cellar of that wine which is extracted from the holy wine presses, the wine that is not only new, but also old and sweet—that is, the teaching of the Law and the Prophets.

For there is no necessity that the women should be seen by the men; but only in the laying on of hands the bishop shall anoint her head, as the priests and kings were formerly anointed, not because those which are now baptized are ordained priests, but as being Christians, or anointed, from Christ the Anointed, "a royal priesthood, and an holy nation, the Church of God, the pillar and ground of the marriage-chamber," who formerly were not a people, but now are beloved and chosen, upon whom is called His new name as Isaiah the prophet witnesses, saying: "And they shall call the people by His new name, which the Lord shall name for them."

Every one of us, indeed, who is instructed in the Holy Scripture is the administrator of some one of those gifts which, according to the gospel, have been apportioned to us. In this great household of the church not only are there vessels of every kind—gold, silver, wooden and earthen—but also a great variety of vocational pursuits. The house of God, which is the church of the living God, has hunters, travelers, architects, builders, farmers, shepherds, athletes, soldiers.

We know through the grace of God that the holy church is called a virgin, as the apostle says, "I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ," but in that one virgin herself, virgins in the plural are …

"That thou mayest know," he says, "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." Not like that Jewish house. For it is this that maintains the faith and the preaching of the Word. For the truth is the pillar and the ground of the Church.

"For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, my name is great among the nations." It is of this holy Catholic church that Paul writes to Timothy.… He calls the church "the pillar and mainstay of the truth."

These things I write to you, hoping to come to you soon; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and …

The earth which the Spirit has filled is the ecclesiastical hierarchy; he "who weighs the mass of the earth with three fingers," because he founded the holy Church upon the divine utterances. The sacred utterances are for its stability. The Apostle says to Timothy: "I …

Concerning observance of divine Law, St. Paul writes: "I write these things to thee, my son Timothy, in order that thou mayest know how to conduct thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of …

Hence he says, but if I tarry long; for we would have come unto you, I Paul indeed, once and again: but Satan has hindered us (1 Thess 2:18); I write that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of …

Do not say that people assembled the Church. She is the work of God — the living and fearsome God, not a dead and powerless one, such as are the gods of the Greeks. The Apostle here compares the Church with the Jewish temple and …

Lest by giving him instruction concerning such matters he cast the disciple into grief, as though Paul would no longer see him, he says: I do not write this because I will no longer come; on the contrary, I will come. However, if it happens …

That thou mayest know how to behave - This is the scope of the epistle. In the house of God - Who is the master of the family. Which is - As if he had said, By the house of God, I mean the church.

Even to the principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. iii. (2.) Others understand it of Timothy. He, not he himself only, but he as an evangelist, he and other faithful ministers, are the pillars and ground of truth; it is their business to maintain, hold up, and publish, the truths of Christ in the church.

But if I tarry long,....

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.

PAUL'S design in this Epistle was to instruct young Timothy how he should behave himself in the Church of God, so as to discharge his office as minister, evangelist and pastor with honor to himself and profit to the people. He reminds him that the Church is the house of God and in God's own house a man ought to be upon his best behavior, for it is no light thing to draw near unto the Lord. A poor man who is called to visit a prince or king will anxiously enquire how he ought to act.

Christ is the alone ground of the truth in the highest sense (1Co 3:11). The apostles are foundations in a secondary sense (Eph 2:20; The Church rests on the truth as it is in Christ; not the truth on the Church.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

The only question is, are we in the right state, now, to accomplish all the Lord's purposes? If we are not, let us make it a matter of prayer that we may be brought into this state—for we are never healthy unless we are prepared to do whatever God calls us to do! We will be losing in our own spiritual enjoyment if we fail to have strength to carry out all the work which the Lord imposes upon us. The Lord never gives us more to do than we can do. We had the work of building this place, and many thought we could not do it—at last we thought we could—and by God's Grace we did it. If we had 50 more such places to build, and the Lord laid it to our heart to build them, we could do it if we were in a right state. Our only lack of power is lack of Grace. Give the Church, Grace, and she does not need a new banker! Give her Grace, she does not need then to have new ministers! Give her more Grace, she will not need the world's pitiful gold to endow her and make her rich. Give her Grace, and you have given her all she needs! In that one word, you shall have successful ministers, you shall have laborious agencies, you shall have benevolence pouring out its floods, and piety consecrating all its activities for Christ! IV. Now I shall come to my last point. The last point is BY WAY OF SUGGESTION. What can we do practically to carry out this plan? Brothers and Sisters, before I answer that question, let me say there are some things we must take care of or else we cannot carry it out at all. We must watch lest the Church be adulterated by additions which are not an increase to her strength. We must be very careful that no thought of strife, no symptom of envy, no feeling of jealousy creep in. Up to now you have been as one man—undivided and indivisible.

The only question is, are we in the right state, now, to accomplish all the Lord's purposes? If we are not, let us make it a matter of prayer that we may be brought into this state—for we are never healthy unless we are prepared to do whatever God calls us to do! We will be losing in our own spiritual enjoyment if we fail to have strength to carry out all the work which the Lord imposes upon us. The Lord never gives us more to do than we can do.

PAUL'S design in this Epistle was to instruct young Timothy how he should behave himself in the Church of God, so as to discharge his office as minister, evangelist and pastor with honor to himself and profit to the people. He reminds him that the Church is the house of God and in God's own house a man ought to be upon his best behavior, for it is no light thing to draw near unto the Lord. A poor man who is called to visit a prince or king will anxiously enquire how he ought to act. We, poor creatures that we are, when we are admitted into the Church which is the house of God, should enquire what conduct will be decorous and comely in those who are admitted into the Presence of the great King and permitted to dwell within His palace gates. Especially should each of us endeavor to behave himself aright in the house of God if we know that we are looked up to and imitated. All who teach the young, all who are parents, all who are persons of age and experience, all who occupy influential positions and especially all deacons, elders and preachers should pray the Lord that they may know how they may behave themselves in the house of God, lest inadvertently their misbehavior should be injurious to the weaker sort. Such need to learn how they should behave to their brethren, to the Elder Brother and to the great Father of all. We need to learn the ways of the house, the customs of the palace. Part of the objective of the sermon this morning will be that those of us who are in the house of God may learn how we should behave in it—but special prominence will be given to steadfastness in the faith which makes a man not only a dweller in the Church but a pillar of it. I am not going to trouble you, this morning, with the various interpretations which have been given to the passage before us.

[This sermon was preached during "The Rivulet Controversy," of which an account is given in Volume II of C. H. Spurgeon's Autobiography, in the chapter entitled, "The 'Down-Grade' Controversy Foreshadowed." It was a very long discourse—nearly one-third longer than the twelve pages here given— and although it was delivered more than half a century ago, its message is as timely, now, as it was then.] WE live in very singular times just now. The professing Church has been flattering itself that, notwithstanding all our divisions with regard to Doctrine, we are all right in the main.

[This sermon was preached during "The Rivulet Controversy," of which an account is given in Volume II of C. H. Spurgeon's Autobiography, in the chapter entitled, "The 'Down-Grade' Controversy Foreshadowed." It was a very long discourse—nearly one-third longer than the twelve pages here given— and although it was delivered more than half a century ago, its message is as timely, now, as it was then.] WE live in very singular times just now. The professing Church has been flattering itself that, notwithstanding all our divisions with regard to Doctrine, we are all right in the main. A false and spurious liberality has been growing up which has covered us all, so that we have dreamed that all who bear the name of ministers are, indeed, God's servants— that all who occupy pulpits, of whatever denomination they might be, are entitled to our respect as being stewards of the mystery of Christ. But, lately, the weeds upon the surface of the stagnant pool have been a little stirred and we have been enabled to look down into the depths. This is a day of strife—a day of division—a time of war and fighting between professing Christians! God be thanked for it! Far better that it should be so than that the false calm shall any longer exert its fatal spell over us! The day is come when we must know who are for the Lord and for His Truth—and who are on the side of error! The time is now come when some men, once distinguished among us for the attractiveness of their preaching, must be ranked among those who are opponents of the Truth of God! We did once imagine, in the blindness of our charity, that we all preached one Gospel, but now the enmity of the carnal mind has appeared.

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. 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? 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. Gal 2:9. 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. […]