The Church of the Living God
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth (I Timothy 3:15).
Our text refers to the local church as “the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” The local church and the entire body of Christ, the universal church is identified in that statement. It is the body of Christ that is scattered over the entire earth, one body, many members (Romans 12:5; I Corinthians 12:18-20; Ephesians 4:4).
Israel in the Old Testament had a covenant relationship with God, but the Church of the Living God is different, instead of worshipping a God separate from them, the head of the church dwells within us by God’s Holy Spirit, a much more intimate relationship with God than Israel ever experienced. God’s Spirit joins to Christ and to one another every true believer as part of the body of Christ.
The word “church” or its plural occurs over 100 times in the New Testament and does not occur in the Old Testament. At least 98 of these times, it refers to a local church – a local assembly of born again, baptized believers. Sixteen times, it refers to the body of Christ of which every true believer is a member. And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is HIS BODY, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23). The “body of Christ” refers to the union of Christ and those who are in Christ (born again believers). The local church is a living expression of Christ. Believers are both members of His body and members one of another in that body (Romans 12:4-5). Note the following:
- In our text, Paul refers to the church as the “house of God.”
- In Acts 20:28, Luke refers to it as the church of God.
- This is the church of the LIVING GOD, not a dead god (I Timothy 3:15).
- In Hebrews 9:14, he is the LIVING GOD.
- I Timothy 6:17 refers to Him as the LIVING GOD.
- Jerusalem is called the City of the LIVING GOD (Hebrews 12:22).
- It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the LIVING GOD (Hebrews 10:31).
Those who are truly born again, if they are to be obedient, will be part of the house of God, the local church. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). Faithful believers who attend have been made alive spiritually and have dwelling within them the Holy Spirit of God. The body of Christ, genuine believers with lives transformed by the grace of God, makes up the Living Church. There are groups who meet in buildings called churches where the members are not born again. Without Christ in the lives of those who attend, the body of Christ is not present. It may be called a church, but it is DEAD spiritually and therefore is not a true church.
Another title for the church of the living God is the PILLAR AND GROUND OF TRUTH. A pillar is a vertical column while the ground refers to a foundation. The Church of Jesus Christ is the foundation of truth, the Word of God and the church is the pillar that holds it forth to a watching world (Philippians 2:16). Every believer ought to join a faithful church like this, recognizing that many so-called “churches” fail to teach, preach and live the Word of God. We are to sanctify ourselves through the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17). Every believer is to study the Word of God, to be a servant in the hands of God (II Timothy 2:15). We purify our souls in obeying the Word of God (I Peter 1:22). Those who have departed from the Word of God place themselves in the same circumstances that some of the Galatian believers were in. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth (Galatians 5:7). At the end of this life, when I stand before God, I want to hear the words – “Ye did run well!”
When liberalism threatened to destroy the great doctrines of the church in England in 1866, Samuel J. Stone wrote The Church’s One Foundation.
1 The church’s one Foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is His new creation,
by water and the Word;
from heav’n He came and sought her
to be His holy bride;
with His own blood He bought her,
and for her life He died.
2 Elect from ev’ry nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation,
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy Name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with ev’ry grace endued.
3 Tho’ with a scornful wonder,
men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping,
their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.
4 The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord, to defend,
to guide, sustain, and cherish,
is with her to the end;
tho’ there be those that hate her
and false sons in her pale,
against the foe or traitor
she ever shall prevail.
5 ‘Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest.
6 Yet she on earth hath union
with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with Thee.
Praise God today that He is indeed a living God and we can praise Him knowing that He hears us and delights in our praise. Thank Him for the privilege of being a part of the body of Christ, the Living Church.
George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.