GENERAL THINGS ON THE CHURCH AND THE BIBLE

THE CHURCH AND THE BIBLE: GENERAL

 

            We come in this article to the first of two on the Bible and the Church. They have been declared as first General, and then Particular.

            In Paul's first letter to Timothy there occurs a brief passage of a most practical nature, and yet radiantly revealing the responsibility of the Church for the Bible in the world. It runs thus:

“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; but if I tarry long, that thou may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen of the messengers, heralded among the nations, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” (1 Tim. 3: 14-16).

            While that is a brief paragraph, it is very practical. The local conditions were that Paul desired to see Timothy, but he did not know when he would get to Ephesus. He began the passage on the level of the commonplace where we all live, that of uncertainty about his going to see Timothy. But there were things about which he was sure, so he rose in a rapid movement from the commonplace to the most inspirational heights. We can watch the working of the apostolic mind, the glorious redundancy, which nevertheless is revealing, and which is a characteristic of his writings. He wanted Timothy to know how men ought to behave in the House of God, but he could not leave it there. He must define his term, "which is the Church of the living God." It might have been left there. No, there is something else to be said, the main thing here, "the pillar and ground of the truth." Having written the phrase, "the truth" all the spaciousness and glory and wonder of the truth broke upon him, and he went on, "Great is the mystery of godliness."

            Now the truth for which the Church has responsi­bility is revealed in verse sixteen. The truth is a Person manifested in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen of messengers, heralded among the nations, believed on in the world, and finally received up in glory, the ultimate triumph. Paul was not quite sure when he would get down to Ephesus, if ever, to see Timothy. He was quite sure, that at last the truth would triumph, would be received up in glory. But right in the midst of the passage is this revealing phrase, "the pillar and ground of the truth."

            The best way to consider this is the simplest. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the mighty. So, in the simplest way, let us consider the figure which the apostle em­ployed here, "the pillar and ground"; and then the application of that figure of speech as revealing the Church's responsibility.

What is this, "pillar and ground?"  It is a figure of speech, and the figure is an architectural one. What is the meaning of it? Change the words, and say, the column and pedestal. What is the char­acteristic of this kind of building? Men do not put up a building like this to live in, or to lecture in, or to preach in, or even to worship in. No, it has one characteristic and one value. The phrase pillar and ground refers to an elevated column. It may consist of one solid block of stone, as for instance, Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment. On the other hand, it may be of many bricks and stones, of a great height. But whether one block or many pieces, the one value is that of elevation.

            There is no doubt Timothy received this letter in Ephesus, and in all probability Paul wrote it in Rome. If so, as he wrote he had only to look round, and he would see many such architectural structures, columns rising to a height, on a base, or plinth; and it is quite certain in Ephesus Timothy could have looked at such. We can almost imagine him raising his eyes from the parchment, and seeing them standing here and there. What was the good of them? One thing—height, elevation. That is the pillar.

            "The ground," that is the pedestal on which the column rests. If the word pillar suggests elevation, the word pedestal or ground suggests solid strength. Such is the architectural figure.

Look again, a little more closely. Why did men then, or why have men ever, or why do men some­times still, erect structures of that description? It is always the method by which some object, or some truth is elevated, so that it may clearly be seen and kept in the view of men and women. Sometimes it is a statue. In Washington we see it, the pillar and ground. What for? To lift Lincoln, and put him on the height, in order that attention should be attracted to him, and through him, to the things connected with his memory in the national life.

            Sometimes such an erection is in order to the shedding of light. Those who have approached our American shores, from the Atlantic Ocean, have looked across the water for the Statue of Liberty. This statue is the first sign of hope in a new country of liberty.

            Sometimes such a structure has been erected to reveal an ideal. Bear with me if I take my illustration here in the United States where I think the most remarkable structure of this kind, in many ways, is to be seen. I am referring to Washington's Monu­ment. There it stands, towering up and up. If anyone ever goes, take my advice, go up in the elevator, and then walk down, and take as long as you can. There were stones from every State in the Union built into the walls, and the names of great men there, and legends concerning them. By the time the bottom is reached one begins to understand Washington's vision, and the ideal of a nation! That is why they erected it, to make wondering, inquisitive men ask questions, and then go and see; pillar and ground standing in silent majesty, proclaiming an ideal, and inviting investigation of that ideal.

            Now look at the inter-relationship between these two things, between the structure itself, and its purpose. The pillar and ground are of no value apart from that which they reveal. Take Washington off the mount, it is useless. Take Lincoln down until there is a plain upright stone, and there is no meaning and value in it. Take the Statue od Liberty off that island and there is no sign of hope.

            But turn this fact round. The Church is the “pillar and ground of the truth." We are going to look a little particularly at the figure as it probably would have been under­stood by Timothy.   We learn from the beginning of this letter that he was in Ephesus, as Paul says, "I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus." There is no question that he was there. Think of that city as it was then, for it becomes a singularly typical picture of earth's conditions even today; though many things have changed, the essential things abide.

            Ephesus was then one of the greatest cities in the world. It was the capital of the Ionian Confederacy of States, and it was known over the entire world as being the home of the temple of Diana, or Artemis. Everything in the state centered in the Temple. It was the treasury of the state. It was the banking house of the merchantmen. It was the place where the ecclesia, the governing body of the city met. We should call it today the town council. I need not stay with a full description. Ephesus at that time was characterized by its wealth, by its art which had risen to remarkable heights, by its abounding and overwhelming luxury, by its corrupting and terrific lust. It was the home of all the black arts, of necromancy, trafficking with the underworld of evil spirits.

            There in Ephesus was Timothy. He was in oversight of a company of men and women con­stituting the Church in Ephesus. We know about that Church as we read Paul's letter to them; and as we read Jesus' letter to them later, when they had lost their first love. Timothy, a Greek, a disciple who had been won for Jesus Christ by Paul, probably in Lystra, where the stones fell, was now in the position of the oversight of the Church. To him Paul wrote this letter, that he might know how men ought to behave in the House of God, which is the Ecclesia of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

            Now, no expositor will make me believe that Paul was unintentionally putting that company of men and women over which Timothy was watch­ing into contrast with the city itself. The contrast is really striking. Everything centered in the temple of Artemis, but God had a house there, "the house of God." It was not a physical structure, but it was a spiritual structure. There were the physical members of it, but that was the house of God in Ephesus. In that temple of Artemis there gathered the ecclesia, the governing body. So Paul goes on, "which is the ecclesia of the living God." The house of God is the Ecclesia of the living God. Then he ends by saying "the pillar and ground of the truth." All the life of Ephesus, with its wealth, its art, its luxury, its lust and necromancy, was centering in and circling round a lie. Into that city, with all its manifold life and self-satisfaction, circling round that which was false, the Church of God existed to present the truth.

            That can be carried out a little further. When Paul speaks of the truth, he refers to it as "the mystery of godliness," and all around was moral pollution. He says that the mystery was "manifest in flesh," godliness "manifest in flesh," and the city was characterized by sensual corruption. He says it was "vindicated in spirit," and all they knew of traffic with the spirit world was traffic with demons, the underworld of demonology. He said it was "seen of the messengers." These men were blinded, and had no true vision of that which the Church was there to show. It was heralded among the nations. Ephesus had no Gospel apart from it. It was "believed on in the world." Ephesus turned not to belief, but to superstition. At last it was to be "received up in glory"; and Ephesus was sinking to ruin. The contrast is obvious, self-evident, and remarkable.

            There, in the midst of that city, the Church of God, the house of the living God, was the pillar and ground of the truth. That reveals in a flash the responsibility of the Church of God in any city. Oh, I may be told that New Yourk is not like Ephesus. I am not going to press it. I think I could show the elemental things that cursed Ephesus are rampant in New York as they are over the entire world.

            Humanity is circling round a lie, getting rich in many cases, and creating the direst poverty in others, as revealed in lust and evil of every kind. And the Church of God is in New York, in the nation, in the world to be the pillar and the ground of the truth.

            As to the structure of the Church, we have nothing to do, except to remind ourselves of what Jesus said, "I will build My Church"; (Matt. 16:18) and to remind ourselves also that the apostle wrote that the Church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Chief Cornerstone." (Eph. 2:20) There is the great foundation of the Church, and the structure, built by the Lord Himself.

            What is the Church for? All we have to do is to go over the very simple things we have said. The Church is the medium through which the truth is to be proclaimed to the city, to the nation, to the world. Take the figures of speech already used. The Church exists for the elevation of a Person, so that He is never lost sight of. The Church exists in order that through her the light may shine upon the ways of men, not only over the seas, but over the barren mountains. The Church exists to draw attention to her, and to institute questions which will reveal the ideals of the Kingdom of God. She is the pillar and ground of the truth.

            All that being said, and briefly, the Church of God, apart from the elevation of that Person, the shining of that light, the arresting of attention to that ideal, is a useless structure, a dark lampstand, a voice without any value or meaning. Sometimes a generality has very little point in it. Apply it to a local church, to the church of which you are a member. Apply it to this church. Unless the work of testimony and life of this church is revealing Christ to the world, the church becomes an im­pertinence in the City to God, and useless to men. We can sing, and very beautifully and truthfully sing, that little chorus, "Can the world see Jesus in me?" The Church exists for that. The Bible is Christo-centric, and everything centers in Him. So the question at last is, Is this pillar and ground elevating the Person, lifting Him so that whenever men come and go in its neighborhood, the Christ is seen, Christ becomes the consciousness of the passers­by, or those who enter in, and those who watch? If not, she is useless, and more, she is a hindrance.

            The Church is a lampstand. Is the light shining? One could follow that in a great many ways. From the Church of God the light ought to shine over the waters, over the mountains, and into all the dark corners where men and devils hide, to work out all their iniquitous schemes. If there is somewhere in the neighborhood of your church, or any church, some center of iniquity, I do not say we should change it, but we can let the light in, and that is our business, to let the light shine upon the ways of humanity, that they may be warned of evil, that they may be guided to God. She is the pillar and ground of the truth and the truth is the light. He, in whom all truth is centered, did say, "I am the Truth," (John 14:6) and He also said, "I am the Light of the world."

(John 9:5) Did He not say to His own, "Ye are the light of the world," (Matt. 5:14) and did He not also say, "Let your light shine before men, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"? (Matt. 5:16) The Church exists to make this Bible a real thing, that its light may shine. Are we revealing the ideals of the Kingdom of God? Are men coming to ask, What does all this mean? What does this result in, this profession of faith in Christ? Are we prepared to show them the breadth and beneficence of the divine Kingship as it is realized and revealed?

            This is a general study, and with all reverence, in conclusion, I want to take the other side. The Person apart from the Church is hidden. Who am I to ask how? Who am I to inquire into the counsels of the wisdom of the Almighty? I do not ask why. I make no inquiry, but I state the fact. God has chosen that the Person of His Son shall be revealed to the world through His disciples, through the Christian Church; and if the Church is failing, Christ is hidden. Men cannot find Him apart from the Church.

            The light is there, the ultimate Light, the Light for which this dark world, blundering on in mists and fog, is asking, the Light is shining; but it can only shine upon the world through the Church. If the light is not shining through the Church it has no other vehicle.

            The ideal of the Kingdom of God, apart from the Church, has no interpretation. If we are not showing the world what is the meaning of the Kingdom of God within the borders of the sacra­mental host that make up the Church of God, the world does not know what the Kingdom of God is at all. It may be something without meaning, and misunderstood, and dismissed by dictators, simply because men and women do not see the glory of the ideal. The Church is responsible for the Bible, for the truth, all centered in Christ. She is the pillar and the ground of the truth, to lift the Person, to flash the light, to institute inquiry, and answer it concerning the ideal of the Kingdom of God.