Untitled Sermon (44)

1 Timothy 3:14–15

We (Christians) are Not of this World

AI: Christians were to behave differently than the world system.

SP: What you believe determines how you behave.

Everyone has a “worldview.” A “worldview” simply is your view of the world in which you live. Certain factors shape your worldview—factors like, “What is right? What is wrong? What is acceptable? What is not acceptable?” Exactly “who” defines those factors may be different depending on where you were born and raised. For instance, a rich person will have a different worldview than a poor person; a woman will see the world differently than a man; a tall person will have a different worldview than a short person.

What has shaped your worldview: movies, public education, social media, personal experiences, capitalism, perhaps? All those things affect how you behave.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”[1]Here, Paul makes it clear: What you believe determines how you behave.

Organization

Actually, he reverses the order. He says, “We behave a certain way (vv. 14–15) because we believe certain things (v. 16).” Today we will focus on how we behave. Next week, we will focus on what we believe. I’ve organized my thoughts in alignment with Paul’s flow of thought.

I. Christian Behavior vs. Worldly Behavior (vv. 14–15b).

II. The Household of God vs. the Temples of Men (v. 15c).

III. The Church vs. the World (v. 15d).

IV. Fixed Truth vs. Changing Culture (15d).

1 Timothy 3:15b. Christian Behavior vs. Worldly Behavior. Verses 14–15b: 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. What you believe determines how you behave. Paul’s aim here was to effect behavioral change. The word, “behave,” has the general sense of a code of conduct or way of life.[2]Paul already had pinpointed some behaviors regarding both Jewish false teaching and Graeco-Roman cultural syncretism. In the subsequent verses, he will put some meat on that bone to correct other behaviors regarding personal holiness, widow care, dissension, materialism, etc. In each instance, Paul’s aim was to bring their behavior into Christlike alignment.

1 Timothy 3:15c. The Household of God vs. Temples of Man. Verse 15c: . . . in the household of God. Those in the “household of God” (οἶκος θεοῦ) conduct themselves differently than either the Jewish temple worshipers or the pagan world system. The Greek word, οἶκος, simply means “house.” This was different than the Greek word for “temple” (ναὸς). God’s new “temple” is not a place; it is a people. Pagans were accustomed to attending a temple building. Christianity emerged out of home gatherings in which they lived life together as “household” or a family. This is the reason they were called, “the Way.”[3]They weren’t identified by a building. The secular world identified them by their way of life; their community. TDNT states, “Primitive Christianity structured its congregations in families, groups and ‘houses.’ The house was both a fellowship and a place of meeting.”[4] “Household” presents a different image than “temple.”

1 Timothy 3:15d. The Church vs. The World. Verse 15d: . . . which is the church of the living God. Paul now defines the “household of God” as “the church” (ἐκκλησία). The Greek word, ἐκκλησίας, is made up of a root word, καλέω, which means “to call,” and the prefix, ἐκ, which means “out of.” Put it together, and it literally means, “the called-out ones.” It often is translated the “assembly” or “congregation.” The word, “church,” today can be misunderstood. When Paul wrote that word, he what exactly did he mean?

One, Paul used the word, “church,” to refer to all believers throughout all of time—both dead and living.

Two, Paul was clear the “true” church only included those with regenerate hearts. In Hebrew, two words are used in the OT for “assembly:” edah and qahal. Edah is the more general term for an assembly. Qahal is the more specific term for the godly remnant within that larger group. Alistair Begg explains it nicely:

In the OT, the community is described in two words. One word is edah . . . this refers to the community of God as a result of heritage and external union. The second word is qahal, which describes those who are united to God within the edah: who are united as a result of hearing the call of God to them. It is that qahal word, which is then translated ekklesia in the NT translation of the OT; and it is the word, ekklesia, which is used throughout the NT as a description of the nature of the church; thereby reminding us that it is clearly possible to be part of a visible, identifiable church entity as a result of external assignation, religious interest, focus, heritage, baptism, family tradition—it is distinctly possible to be part of that edah without being part of the qahal: without having heard the call of God into our spirits saying, “I want to include you in my Son.”[5]

We know Paul was aware of that distinction because he wrote to Romans, “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Rom 9:6). In other words, not all who identify with God are true followers of him are, indeed true followers of him. It’s important to see thatOT carryover into Paul’s (first-century, Roman) world because that same word, ἐκκλησίας, was used by the secular Graeco-Roman culture in Ephesus to refer, generally, to political gatherings or assemblies. Paul knew this, but he is making it clear that his usage is in accordance with its historic, Old Testament roots: the “assembly of the living God.”

The reason “the church” is misunderstood today is our failure to distinguish between the larger group (i.e., those who declare themselves righteous), and the “true” remnant within that larger group (i.e., those whom God declares righteous in Christ). In many “church buildings (temples)” today, you have two groups: (1) an unregenerate group who identify as Christians but don’t live it, and (2) a truly regenerate remnant who have been “called-out” by Christ and live according to “the way.”

1 Timothy 3:15d. Fixed Truth vs. Changing Culture. Verse 15d: . . . a pillar and buttress of truth. A “pillar” (στῦλος) was a column that supported a building. The word “buttress” (ἑδραίωμα) is used only here in Scripture. In ancient Greek, the word evolved to “denote what is as fixed as a cube (κύβος), ‘steadfast’ or ‘immovable.’”[6]The idea is a fixed foundation of truth. The world gropes in darkness for truth, but truth—for them—is ever-changing. God has entrusted truth to his called-out children, the ekklesia.

It begs the question, “What is truth?” At its fundamental level, the truth is this: (1) all men are dead in their trespasses and sins and thus separated from God; (2) Jesus, God in flesh, came into the world to reconcile sinners to God; (3) Jesus died as a substitute for sinners, was buried, and rose again for anyone whose belief leads to repentance; and, (4) Jesus ascended to the right hand of God until his glorious appearing. Now, there is more to it than that in the larger body of Christian doctrine, but those essentials are the foundation of all truth and all Christian doctrine.

Timeless Truth

What you believe determines how you behave.

Present Use

If you believe sharia law, you behave accordingly. If you believe in the ways, wants, and wisdom of the world, you will act accordingly. If you believe you were a dead sinner on whom God exercised amazing grace, you will act accordingly.

When Christians assemble, we don’t quarrel over minor issues. We pray for civil authorities. Christian women adorn themselves with Christ-honoring works. Christian men lead with dignity and humility. We care for widows and all who are in need. We don’t seek material gain. Rather, we seek to use our material gain self-sacrificially.

Paul wrote so that “you may know how one ought behave in the household of God” (3:15). Does this mean that Christians only behave this way when they gather together? No, our behavior when we gather together is simply the start. Each Christian is a “living sacrifice.”[7]As we gather and build up one another, how we “behave” carries forward into our dealings with the secular world. It is how they will recognize us. The marks of a true Christian are love, forgiveness, compassion, patience, generosity, etc. These marks require each of us to lay down our old worldviews and take up the worldview of our Prince and King, Jesus Christ.

Here is the parting question, “When others look at the body of your life, is it obvious what you believe by how you behave?”

[1] C. S. Lewis, “Is Theology Poetry?” in The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, ed. Walter Hooper (New York, NY: Macmillan Publishers, 1980), 140. [2]See BDAG, 72–73. [3]Acts 9:2; 9:19, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22 [4] See TSNT, vol. 5, 130. [5]Alistair Begg, sermon title, “Who or What is the Church,” October 15, 2000 (accessible online). [6] TDNT, vol. 2, 362. [7]Romans 12:1