The Uniqueness of the Church

The uniqueness and importance of the body of Christ is forcefully expressed by the three descriptives that Paul includes in his letter to Timothy: the household of God; the church of the living God; the pillar and buttress of the truth. Each offers a particular perspective on this divinely wrought institution. Collectively, they demonstrate both the position of the church and its responsibility.

A household is a network of relationships — parents, children, and siblings — and this holds true for the household of God. Each Christian is adopted into the family, making them His children, and brothers and sisters of Jesus, and each other. This relationship with God is something that only those born of Him can claim. And, like being part of a natural family,  demands are made on our capacity to love and serve one another. The Lord teaches that our ability to love and serve will bear witness that we are, indeed, children of God. 

The church of the living God speaks to his calling us and uniting us together in worship and prayer. Unlike a dumb and deaf idol, God is alive and worthy of our adoration and ready to hear our prayer. Attending the worship of the gathered church, therefore, is an important component of our discipleship. We can, and should, worship God in solitude, but by calling us the church, the ekklesia, of the living God, we can only truly fulfill that title by jointly assembling before Him.

As the pillar and buttress of the truth, the church is duty bound to lift high the gospel so that the world might see it, while at the same time keeping it strong and stable in the face of ever present pressure. Our contemporary efforts at proclamation and preservation are just as important to retain in New York City as it was for them to be restored in Ephesus. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We know that. Others need to know it as well. 

Given the uniqueness and importance of the church we can understand why Paul was concerned that Timothy, and the church in Ephesus, would know how to behave. Godliness should be the outcome of the restorative work of Christ. We are new people, with new lives, and new power to live as we are called to live, as we have been created to live. Gratitude, love, and freedom should be the hallmarks of fellowship with God and each other. When the message, or the messengers, lack clarity and conviction, the fruit produced will lack clarity and conviction. No one is saved by a gospel that doesn’t make known Jesus, who he was and what he accomplished. Nor is anyone persuaded that Jesus brings new life if all they see is the old.

The church truly is a unique and important institution. And though we sense that much of the world around us doesn’t view it that way, we must have confidence that Jesus is alive and actively building his church. And our faithfulness to him and the gospel will only have a good outcome.