As Paul wraps up chapter three, he states in detail the purpose of his letter to Timothy. This reflects his desire to briefly put into perspective his instructions to this point. In chapter two, he dealt with concerns in worship, and in chapter three, he discusses some concerns in church leadership. All of these seem to stem from his initial remarks concerning the false teachers Timothy needed to correct.

You can see the passage for yourself in 1 Timothy 3:14-15:

Paul begins by stating that he anticipates a visit to Timothy in the near future, but he is writing all of this in case that can’t happen as planned. Since Paul is planning for that contingency, it seems likely that his visit might be delayed. That can happen in ministry; often our plans don’t go as we wish because God has something different in store that we haven’t seen.

Paul gives his instructions in case of this delay so that Timothy will have something to base his teaching on for the church in Ephesus. In the next few words, Paul uses three different phrases to describe the church.

The first phrase he uses is “God’s household.” This idea plays a pretty significant role throughout 1 Timothy. This flows naturally from the concept that God is Father, and Christians are brothers and sisters together in this household.

The next phrase shifts the focus slightly to “the church of the living God.” This seems to take the idea to the next level, and connects the church to the “living God.” A living God is in direct contrast to the dead gods of the Gentiles or the misrepresented God of the false teachers.

Paul’s metaphor takes another shift from household and church to the building itself. His next phrase views the church as “the pillar” and “foundation” for truth. Paul consistently sees the church as God’s temple. Just as the Spirit of God dwelt in the temple of Israel in the Old Testament, God in the New Testament has chosen to make the church, and believers, his temple. And the truth is in no danger of collapse or corruption by the false teachers if the church continues in its task of supporting the truth.

These three phrases present two strong images: family and temple. Through these, Paul expresses his concern for the family, who are being taught improper behavior by the false teachers. And he expresses his faith in the church, as people entrusted to uphold and present the truth of God’s Word to those around them.

In order to wrap this up, Paul uses what might be a fragment from an early Christian hymn in the final verse of chapter three. We will take a look at this in detail next week.

Which image resonates more deeply with you, the church as a family? Or the church as a temple? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.