What is the pillar and ground of the truth?
What does the Bible say is the pillar and ground of the truth?
According to Paul's letter to Timothy the house of God, the church, is the pillar and ground of the truth.
According to the Bible, the Bible itself is not the pillar and ground of the truth. Only the church is called "the pillar and ground of the truth" in the Bible.
Is your present church the pillar and ground of the truth?
How would you know?
FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH
If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, the pillar and ground of the truth, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13)
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse.
His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).
The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8)
By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23).
But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established (cf. Eph. 5:26).
The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Acts 9:32, Rev. 5:9–10)
Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("kath olos" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20).
For 2,000 years the True Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28).
Nowadays the True Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).
The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles.
The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20)
The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first leaders, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of leaders faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Timothy 2:2).
LOCATE THE TRUE CHURCH NEAR YOU
One or more congregations of Jesus' one, true universal Curch are near you.
Use the zip code lookup tool to find where and when these congregations meet for worship and fellowship.
Related Posts:
Why People Leave Church
Source: Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth, Copyright © 1996, Catholic Answers
- But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
1Timothy 3:15
According to Paul's letter to Timothy the house of God, the church, is the pillar and ground of the truth.
According to the Bible, the Bible itself is not the pillar and ground of the truth. Only the church is called "the pillar and ground of the truth" in the Bible.
Is your present church the pillar and ground of the truth?
How would you know?
FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH
If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, the pillar and ground of the truth, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13)
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse.
His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).
The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8)
By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23).
But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established (cf. Eph. 5:26).
The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Acts 9:32, Rev. 5:9–10)
Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("kath olos" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20).
For 2,000 years the True Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28).
Nowadays the True Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).
The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles.
The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20)
The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first leaders, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of leaders faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Timothy 2:2).
LOCATE THE TRUE CHURCH NEAR YOU
One or more congregations of Jesus' one, true universal Curch are near you.
Use the zip code lookup tool to find where and when these congregations meet for worship and fellowship.
Related Posts:
Why People Leave Church
Source: Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth, Copyright © 1996, Catholic Answers
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