1 Timothy 3:14-15 14I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you soon; 15but if I am delayed, in order that you may know how to conduct yourself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
Paul offers a summary statement at the center of the letter that hints at the purpose for writing this letter. He turns his focus back to Timothy and addresses directly with the implied application intended for the Ephesian church. This letter should be a teaching tool for the Ephesian church. Verse 14 suggests that Paul was delayed in going to Ephesus. He could not be there in person, so the letter had to be the temporary substitute. The grammatical construction at the beginning of verse 15 indicates that Paul expected to be delayed (ean following by a subjunctive verb).
The reason Paul wrote this letter is shown with the purpose clause in verse 15 (hina). The keyword is to conduct yourself (anastrephesthai), an infinitive that emphasizes further the purpose. The word describes the manner of life a person should have. Paul gives a lot of information and moral exhortation in this letter for how many different groups in the church should behave. Significantly, he gives the basis for this behavior in the theology that follows in verse 16. Christians live a certain way because of Jesus, not out of some sense of moral or cultural obligation.
The theological basis for ethics is assumed in the next phrase, in the household of God. House (oikō) could refer to a building or those who were part of a household, which is the meaning here. Most people of the Roman empire were familiar with the household structure, which was the cornerstone of society. Many in the church were likely part of a household. The typical Greco-Roman household could include multiple generations, children, and servants or slaves. Jewish families were also closely bonded together. As God’s family, believers have a special identity with God as their Father and bond as brothers and sisters. This is called fictive kinship where people unrelated become as close as family (Ephesians 2:19). Believers are adopted into God’s family and God becomes Abba, the more intimate and familiar form of “father” in Aramaic that Jesus taught his disciples (Matthew 6:9; Romans 8:15-17).
Paul describes further the family of God as the church (ekklēsia), the special assembly of those who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. The one who guides the conduct of the church is the living God. God as living is a big contrast to the many idols found in cities of the Roman Empire, such as Ephesus. God is often described as “living” in the Old Testament (Joshua 3:10; 2 Kings 19:4, 16; Psalm 42:2; Isaiah 37:4; Hosea 1:10; Daniel 6:20). God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only God; all others are only manmade objects of stone, wood, or metal.
Paul describes the church as the pillar and support of truth. These words recall the many temples of the ancient world, such as the great temple to the goddess Artemis located in Ephesus which had 100 columns 18 meters high each. God dwells with and in his people, who become the temple of God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The church supports the truth. The church must stand up for the truth and ensure its integrity. Paul may be reminding Timothy and the Ephesians in a subtle way about how important it is to preserve orthodoxy and not follow any false teachings. This reminder is appropriate after listing the qualifications of overseers and deacons. One of the important jobs of the church is to preserve the truth of the gospel.
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