The Pillar of the Truth

Here's an excerpt from The Pillar of the Truth, Steve Timmis' contribution to the September issue of Tabletalk:

At first reading, 1 Timothy 3:15 seems somewhat disconcerting. In it, Paul is explaining to Timothy why he is writing to him. It concerns the church: "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth."

Did you catch what he wrote? "The church . . . a pillar and buttress of the truth." As sound evangelicals, we know that Paul has to have that backwards, don't we? Surely, the gospel is that which gives solidity and shape to the church? Isn't the church built on the gospel and the product of the gospel?

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