The Church, Holding Up the Truth
The church has become many things to many people. It has been used for politics, for power, for financial gain. It is thought of as a social club, an irrelevant aspect of society, and a tool for evil and war. It has been criticised, compromised, ostracised, and hijacked.
Because churches are made up of human beings, it is inevitably filled with problems and often error. But the church of Jesus Christ is more than just an archaic relic of the past. It is the bride of Christ, the house of God, and the church of the living God. As such, it has a very important role in society today. That role is best defined by the church’s founder and head, Jesus Christ.
In His Word, He tells us many things about His church. One of those important aspects of the church is that it is to be “the pillar and ground of the truth. 1 Timothy 1:15 tells us:
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.
The idea here is a of a foundation (“ground”) and column (“pillar”) that supports the structure of a building. Think of a large marble Roman column. Without these columns and without a strong foundation the entire building will fall to the ground.
The reason why truth has become lost in a sea of pluralism and ambiguity is that the church has failed to hold it up. The job of the church is to love the truth, teach the truth, preach the truth, live the truth, and obey the truth. The church will not be perfect until Christ returns, but it must never cease to hold up the perfect standard of truth, to let people know what God says and what God requires.
If we are concerned by all the errors and lies that fill our world, then we must lay the responsibility at the feet of the church, which has failed to hold up the truth at all cost! May God help us to once again return to the truth of God’s Word, to be thankful for preachers to faithfully declare it, to daily search the scriptures to see what is true, and to proclaim boldly the eternal truth of God’s Word found in the Bible!