Bible Readers: In 1 Timothy 3:15, who or what is the "pillar and ground of the truth"? Jesus Christ or .....

Question

the church? The Bible states in 1 Timothy 3:15, "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."

I read this in 1 Corinthians 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Then I found this verse in Ephesians 2:20, "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"

Then I saw this in Luke 6:48, "He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock."

From these verses, it appears that Christ is the "foundation" or pillar and ground of truth. Since Jesus Christ is also called the "Word" (1 John 5:7; John 1:1), it appears that the word of God (Christ) is the pillar and ground of truth.

Answer 1

Great question with sound reasoning (I think you may have answered it yourself ;^D)

The "pillar of truth" is referring to God's household, which includes Jesus as "the rock" or "foundation" to the church, His Word (made flesh through Jesus) and all the believers in the body of Christ.

Great job. I enjoy your teachings! May God continue to use you as a vessel to draw others to Christ!

Answer 2

Jesus said his Church would be "the light of the world." He then noted that "a city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14). This means his Church is a visible organization. It must have characteristics that clearly identify it and that distinguish it from other churches. Jesus promised, "I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). This means that his Church will never be destroyed and will never fall away from him. His Church will survive until his return.

Among the Christian churches, only the Catholic Church has existed since the time of Jesus. Every other Christian church is an offshoot of the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox churches broke away from unity with the pope in 1054. The Protestant churches were established during the Reformation, which began in 1517. (Most of today’s Protestant churches are actually offshoots of the original Protestant offshoots.)

Only the Catholic Church existed in the tenth century, in the fifth century, and in the first century, faithfully teaching the doctrines given by Christ to the apostles, omitting nothing. The line of popes can be traced back, in unbroken succession, to Peter himself. This is unequaled by any institution in history.



Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth



Man’s ingenuity cannot account for this. The Church has remained one, holy, catholic, and apostolic—not through man’s effort, but because God preserves the Church he established (Matt. 16:18, 28:20).

He guided the Israelites on their escape from Egypt by giving them a pillar of fire to light their way across the dark wilderness (Exod. 13:21). Today he guides us through his Catholic Church.



The Bible, sacred Tradition, and the writings of the earliest Christians testify that the Church teaches with Jesus’ authority. In this age of countless competing religions, each clamoring for attention, one voice rises above the din: the Catholic Church, which the Bible calls "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).

Jesus assured the apostles and their successors, the popes and the bishops, "He who listens to you listens to me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). Jesus promised to guide his Church into all truth (John 16:12–13). We can have confidence that his Church teaches only the truth.

Answer 3

The family of god is the church of the living God.It is the pillar and foundation of the truth...So the answer would be the church

Answer 4

This verse is speaking figuratively to illustrate that the church of God is truth, that the foundation of truth is God's church.

Answer 5

It refers to the church. The church bears witness to the truth of God's revelation.