Meditation

Sometimes Paul seems to meander around his point, but not in 1 Timothy 3:14-15. Why is he writing? “So that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God.” Note that here “the church of the living God” is described as a family with social mores. Every household has its culture, social norms, and expectations. Such rules of behavior were very overtly articulated in Paul’s day. Role-based behavioral obligations were often outlined in household codes. Paul even uses them in his writing (often to subvert them). 

But before he gets to behavioral expectation, Paul describes the identity from which a believer’s actions should flow. Behavior stems from belonging in this “household of God, which is the church of the living God.” Followers of Christ must behave in a certain way because we belong to God’s household, to God’s kingdom, and this household exemplifies truth. Our lives, like pillars and buttresses, are meant to display and uphold truth. The next few lines flesh out truths on which we stake and model our lives: the story of the Way, the Truth, and the Life himself. Verse 16 outlines an early hymn or creed from the first believers. This proclaims the truth of Jesus’ incarnation in human flesh, his vindication by the Spirit, his proclamation among the nations, and, quite notably, the hymn culminates with the truth of his ascension. Jesus’ raising to the right side of his Father’s throne is not just a fun fact, but a significant point of doctrine. As we approach the Feast of the Ascension and on through the rest of this week, would you explore with me the theme of ascension and its practical implications for life in the household of God?

Prayerfully consider the household of God and its pillars and buttresses.