Conduct in the church
Notes
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Introduction:
Introduction:
This is Paul’s personal note to Timothy
And so, he left Timothy there. He writes back and he says, "Hey, Timothy, I want you to know these things because it's essential that you properly behave in the church." And that is the point of the whole epistle. It is establishing proper conduct in the assembly. We call it a pastoral epistle and here in verse 14 and the first part of 15 we get insight into the purpose of Paul's writing, to establish proper conduct within the assembly of the redeemed. —John MacArthur
VERSE 14
Paul’s hope: Paul hopes to personally come and give verbal instruction. However in case he didn’t make it he was writing this letter. We should be grateful he chose this route, for it became part of the word of God for our instruction. Paul once again shows his care for the church
Paul never knew what a day might bring. He didn’t assume his plans and desires would be fulfilled
Paul was surrendered to the will of God
Paul loved and lived for Jesus Christ in reality not just words
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Paul hopes to personally come and give verbal instruction. However in case he didn’t make it he was writing this letter. We should be grateful he chose this route
Philippians 1:
Paul thus loved Jesus Christ’s church
My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 Corinthians 16:24
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.
And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;
Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Acts 20:36
Beloved children, a term used by the apostles in addressing the members of the church. The church is suppose to be a tightly knit family
I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.
Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
Philippians 4
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2 Peter
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John
But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Jude
VERSE 15A
Paul’s possible delay
We see his submission to the timing of God
Paul never knew what a day might bring. He didn’t assume his plans and desires would be fulfilled
Paul was surrendered to the will of God
Paul expected delays and adjusted accordingly
VERSE15B
Paul’s letter:
Paul was writing to give instruction in how to behave in the church. Not just in a church service but in the daily routines of life as the church. The church is not a building, we are the church and we are to behave in a manner worthy of the gospel that is saving us
This personal note would reach back to what has already been written and prepare what is yet to be written
Paul was writing to reenforce what Timothy was already instructing in the church
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (1) Plans for a Visit (3:14)
Paul had written these words with the full intent of making a personal visit to Timothy in Ephesus. However, his travel plans were always subject to the will of God. Paul never knew where a new day would take him. His actual hope was that he might come “soon” and personally give the instructions, but the possibility of interruption led him to put them in writing. Paul’s words in this section serve as a bridge between his directives about prayer and ministry and his more practical advice in chaps. 4–6.
His writing was not due to his previous forgetfulness to mention these words to Timothy. Nor was Timothy so incompetent that Paul jotted off this note to prevent him from acting carelessly. The letter could serve as a confirmation of advice already given to Timothy on Paul’s departure earlier from Ephesus. It would buttress Timothy’s authority before a testy congregation. A critic of Timothy in Ephesus could argue that Timothy had misunderstood what Paul had directed him to do. No one could easily argue with a written word from the apostle.
Did Paul make his anticipated visit to Ephesus? We do not know. At about the time of the writing of 1 Timothy, Paul also told Titus to meet him in Nicopolis, where he intended to spend the winter (Titus 3:12). Probably Paul hoped to visit Timothy in Ephesus before going to Nicopolis, but nothing in any of the Pastorals confirms that he made the journey.
The Church is the household of God
The Church is the household of God
VERSE 15B
Conduct
Is it the conduct of Timothy or the whole assembly Paul is concerned about? I believe it is both as you see in the whole book sometimes the instructions are given specifically for Timothy’s responsibilities in the church and other parts are instructions for other individual’s in the church. Obviously the instructions about conduct would apply to us today
The conduct in the church effects the whole assembly
False teaching
Usurping authority
Leadership
The conduct in the church impacts the community
The world is watching
Paul uses three phrases to describe the church
House or household of God
Church of the living God
The pillar and ground of truth
The assembly in the church is the family of God
The assembly in the church is the family of God
Paul uses figurative language to describe the character and purpose of the church
Explain household of God = Paul is not talking about the physical structure but the occupants. The people who live in the house, called the household. It’s the same word he used in verses 4 & 5 of this same chapter. We are the residents of God’s spiritual household
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (2) Purpose for Writing (3:15)
Paul viewed the church as God’s family, not merely as a building in which people meet. He was not describing behavior suitable for the church building but the type of conduct fitting for one who is a member of God’s family.
A spiritual family
“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
and having a High Priest over the house of God,
Hebrews
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
1 Corinthians
Hebrews
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
:19-22
Ephesians 2:
A faith family that helps each other
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians
We help because we love each other
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:16-
A gospel-centered family that has obeyed the gospel of God
because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
1 Peter 1:
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1 Peter
The gospel of God says we are adopted and accepted into God’s family by the blood of His Son
“Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.
Leviticus
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:
and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Hebrews
A loving family as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ
Spiritual gifts and love
Figuratively we are the house of Jesus
but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
Hebrews
and having a High Priest over the house of God,
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
family are related by blood
In Eph 2:19–22 Paul referred to the church as a family or household and then moved to view it as a “holy temple.” He made a similar progression in 1 Tim 3:15. Other passages in the NT that present the church as the family of God are Gal 6:10; 1 Pet 4:17; 1 Tim 3:4–5.
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (2) Purpose for Writing (3:15)
Paul viewed the church as God’s family, not merely as a building in which people meet. He was not describing behavior suitable for the church building but the type of conduct fitting for one who is a member of God’s family.
The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus, and to Philemon Qualifications for Offices in the Congregation
They are this “house,” which is called “house” because God dwells in them.
The Church is a living body
The Church is a living body
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (2) Purpose for Writing (3:15)
The family of God Paul addressed is God’s living church. Other gods that enticed Ephesian citizens into pagan practice were dead, but the God of the church is alive! Christian behavior must throb with the vitality of divine power.
VERSE 15B
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon F. The Mystery of Godliness (3:14–16)
The meaning of this clause is well expressed by Lock: “Each local Church has it in its power to support and strengthen the truth by its witness to the faith and by the lives of its members” (p. 44).
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon F. The Mystery of Godliness (3:14–16)
The meaning of this clause is well expressed by Lock: “Each local Church has it in its power to support and strengthen the truth by its witness to the faith and by the lives of its members” (p. 44).
The members of the Church have learned of the living God through His only Son
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
John 6:
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The members of the church have turned from dead gods to serve the living God
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon F. The Mystery of Godliness (3:14–16)
The meaning of this clause is well expressed by Lock: “Each local Church has it in its power to support and strengthen the truth by its witness to the faith and by the lives of its members” (p. 44).
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews (;14
For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
They have learned that the living God is:
The living God is the Creator and Sustainer of life
Our first breath and everyone there after
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
Genesis
The living God speaks through His word
For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
Deuteronomy
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
Hebrews 1:
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
The living God through the Holy Spirit is among His people
And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:
Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
1 Samuel 17:
The living God is what they desire above all else
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm
The living God is the only true God
But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
The living God has only one Son
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew
The living God is the God of the living
For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
The Church is a living testimony of the truth
The Church is a living testimony of the truth
VERSE 15B
Pillar = supports the roof, raised up
Ground = foundation
Truth
The hedraiōma of a building is its mainstay. It may refer either to its foundation or to a buttress or bulwark which supports it. In either case the hedraiōma stabilizes the building. Just so, the church is responsible to hold the truth steady against the storms of heresy and unbelief. The word stylos, however, means a pillar or column. The purpose of pillars is not only to hold the roof firm, but to thrust it high so that it can be clearly seen even from a distance. The inhabitants of Ephesus had a vivid illustration of this in their temple of Diana or Artemis. Regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world, it boasted 100 Ionic columns, each over 18 metres high, which together lifted its massive, shining, marble roof. Just so, the church holds the truth aloft, so that it is seen and admired by the world. Indeed, as pillars lift a building high while remaining themselves unseen, so the church’s function is not to advertise itself but to advertise and display the truth. Here then is the double responsibility of the church vis-à-vis the truth. First, as its foundation it is to hold it firm, so that it does not collapse under the weight of false teaching. Secondly, as its pillar it is to hold it high, so that it is not hidden from the world. To hold the truth firm is the defence and confirmation of the gospel; to hold it high is the proclamation of the gospel. The church is called to both these ministries.—Stott, John. The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus (The Bible Speaks Today Series) . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
Stott, John. The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus (The Bible Speaks Today Series) . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
Stott, John. The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus (The Bible Speaks Today Series) . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus, and to Philemon Qualifications for Offices in the Congregation
The church thus bears God’s saving truth for all the world.
The truth is her foundation
The foundation comes first
in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Ephesians 2:
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Ephesians 2:20-21
The truth is what makes the church the church. They are the people to whom God in His grace and mercy has revealed the truth to them by the work of the Holy Spirit and then have by faith received the revealed truth of God’s word into their life. They have become pillars of truth grounded upon the same word they have believed and received
Ground = basis, base, support, mainstay
The truth is the basis for our faith
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
The truth is the base we build upon
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:
The truth spoken by Jesus Christ
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
John 18:37
The truth is our mainstay. We can’t move from it
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The truth is her proclamation
Pillar = support, leader, bearing
Pillar = support, leader, bearing
Pillar = support, leader, bearing
The pillars of the temple of Diana
Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
Acts
But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:34
The pillars identified and represented the purpose of the building. It sent a message
The pillars supported the beautiful marble roof for all to see who would passed by
Pillar = support, leader, bearing
The true church is filled with people who believe what matters most if the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ
The gospel is truth
because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
The church lifts up and supports the beauty of the gospel message to a fallen world
How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
The church members are pillars of truth both in the worship service and in their witness in their community
The church lifts up the truth by proclaiming the truth
We need to be pillars of truth in this church
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
R
and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
Without the witness of the church there is no absolute and full truth in this world
The church members bears the hardship for standing and proclaiming the truth
Ground = foundation
The Bible is truth
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
The Trinity is truth
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
The gospel is truth
because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
Colossians 1:
The Church’s confessional hymn
The Church’s confessional hymn
VERSE 16
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon F. The Mystery of Godliness (3:14–16)
Beyond all question” (KJV, “without controversy”) is homologoumenōs, “confessedly.” Found only here in the NT, it may be translated “by common agreement” or “by common profession.”
Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
The mystery of godliness - The truth the church holds to and proclaims
“Beyond all question” NAC
Equal to the mystery of faith
No longer a mystery to the believer though not fully understood. Yet is a mystery to the unbliever
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (3) A Hymn for Believers (3:16)
The mystery of the Christian religion to which Paul pointed refers to God’s redemptive plan which had been kept secret but was now revealed. Paul was extolling God’s powerful actions that form the basis of the gospel and the transforming results that derive from accepting it.
The majestic hymn - Possible story of salvation
Evidence for this comes from the parallelism of each line of the hymn. Each line begins with a verb in the Greek aorist passive tense followed by a prepositional phrase introduced by “in,” “by,” or “to.” There is a deliberate assonance in Greek marked by the sound th from the aorist passive verbs. Reading the passage aloud in the Greek shows the presence of rhythm in the diction. For a similar hymn see 2 Tim 2:11–13. Some scholars think that a creed would lack the deliberate parallelism or assonance of a hymn.
The New King James Version Chapter 3
God was manifested in the flesh,
God was manifested in the flesh, = His incarnation
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.His incarnation
Justified in the Spirit, = His resurrection
He was declared just and righteous
The New King James Version Chapter 3
Justified in the Spirit,
All His doubters were proven wrong and silenced
His spirit or the Holy Spirit?
If His spirit it would speak pf His divine nature as the Son of God verified by His resurrection
If the Holy Spirit it would be seen in His relationship to the Spirit both in His ministry and His resurrection
and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
Seen by the angels = His glorification
The New King James Version Chapter 3
Seen by angels,
They viewed Him before He came. They viewed Him while He was here on earth. They view Him now in His glorified position in heaven
His glorification
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
Preached among the Gentiles = Church’s responsibility
The New King James Version Chapter 3
Preached among the Gentiles,
Statement of fact of the early church
Believed on in the world = Church’s growth
Proclamation of the gospel
Response to the message
Received up in glory = His ascension
The New King James Version Chapter 3
Believed on in the world,
Belief in the proclamation
The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus, and to Philemon Qualifications for Offices in the Congregation
These acts take us from heaven to earth and then from earth back to heaven, and both earth and heaven are ever after changed for us.
The New King James Version Chapter 3
Received up in glory.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
Are we walking worthy of the calling? Are we conducting ourselves properly as the Church? Both inside and outside the church
who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
Do we understand the uniqueness and the urgency for the church in the hour in which we live?
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (3) A Hymn for Believers (3:16)
Summary. Two characteristics of believers stand out in the statements of Paul in vv. 15–16. First, he wrote to point out how Christians should conduct themselves as members of God’s family. Christians are to distinguish themselves by a life-style of holiness. The mere mouthing of a creed without transformation of life does not denote a believer. Believers are those whose behavior designates them as God’s children and demonstrates the reality of their faith. Second, Christians are those who do have certain fixed beliefs about Christ. The incarnation, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ appear in the hymn Paul quoted. There is an appeal for belief. Christians are not merely those who think nice thoughts about a benevolent Jesus. They are those who have committed themselves to the incarnate Son of God and risen Lord. We must affirm fixed truths about Jesus.
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
We remain commited to the truth by which our faith stands
We engage the community with the truth to which their future falls or stands
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 13: