1Ti 3:15, Heb 3:6 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 15. But if I tarry long ] That is: Not withstanding I hope to come to thee shortly, and therefore do not feel the necessity of writing at large; yet, lest I should be delayed, I write what I judge necessary to direct thy conduct in the Church of God. The house of God ] This is spoken in allusion to the ancient tabernacle; which was God's house, and in which the symbol of the Divine Majesty dwelt. So the Christian Church is God's house, and every believer is a habitation of God through the Spirit. The Church of the living God ] The assembly in which God lives and works; each member of which is a living stone, all of whom, properly united among themselves, grow up unto a holy temple in the Lord. The pillar and ground of the truth. ] Never was there a greater variety of opinions on any portion of the sacred Scripture than has been on this and the following verse. Commentators and critics have given senses and meanings till there is no meaning to be seen. It would be almost impossible, after reading all that has been said on this passage, for any man to make up his own mind. To what, or to whom, does the pillar and ground of the truth refer ? 1. Some say to Timothy , who is called the pillar , &c., because left there to support and defend the truth of God against false doctrines and false teachers; and is so called for the same reason that Peter, James, and John, are said to be pillars , i.e. supporters of the truth of God. . 2. Others suppose that the pillar and ground of the truth is spoken of GOD; and that οςεστι, who is , should be supplied as referring immediately to θεος, God , just before. By this mode of interpretation the passage will read thus: That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God , WHO IS (οςεστι) the pillar and ground of the truth . How God may be fitly termed the pillar and ground of truth, requires no explanation. 3. Others think that the words should be understood of the CHURCH of the living God ; and in this case the feminine relative ητιςεστι, which is , must be repeated immediately after εκκλησια, the Church . The house of God is the Church of the living God ; WHICH (Church) IS the pillar and ground of the truth . That is: The full revelation of God's truth is in the Christian Church . The great doctrines of that Church are the truth without error, metaphor, or figure. Formerly the truth was but partially revealed, much of it being shadowed with types, ceremonies, and comparatively dark prophecies; but now all is plain, and the full revelation given; and the foundation on which this truth rests are the grand facts detailed in the Gospel, especially those which concern the incarnation, miracles, passion, death , and resurrection of Christ, and the mission of the Holy Spirit . 4. Lastly , others refer the whole to τοτηςευσεβειας μυστηριον, the mystery of godliness ; and translate the clause thus: The mystery of godliness is the pillar and ground of the truth; and, without controversy, a great thing . This gives a very good sense, but it is not much favoured by the arrangement of the words in the original.

‏ 1 Timothy 3:15

Verse 15. But if I tarry long] That is: Not withstanding I hope to come to thee shortly, and therefore do not feel the necessity of writing at large; yet, lest I should be delayed, I write what I judge necessary to direct thy conduct in the Church of God.

The house of God] This is spoken in allusion to the ancient tabernacle; which was God's house, and in which the symbol of the Divine Majesty dwelt. So the Christian Church is God's house, and every believer is a habitation of God through the Spirit.

The Church of the living God] The assembly in which God lives and works; each member of which is a living stone, all of whom, properly united among themselves, grow up unto a holy temple in the Lord.

The pillar and ground of the truth.] Never was there a greater variety of opinions on any portion of the sacred Scripture than has been on this and the following verse. Commentators and critics have given senses and meanings till there is no meaning to be seen. It would be almost impossible, after reading all that has been said on this passage, for any man to make up his own mind. To what, or to whom, does the pillar and ground of the truth refer?

1. Some say to Timothy, who is called the pillar, &c., because left there to support and defend the truth of God against false doctrines and false teachers; and is so called for the same reason that Peter, James, and John, are said to be pillars, i.e. supporters of the truth of God. Ga 2:9.

2. Others suppose that the pillar and ground of the truth is spoken of GOD; and that οςεστι, who is, should be supplied as referring immediately to θεος, God, just before. By this mode of interpretation the passage will read thus: That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, WHO IS (οςεστι) the pillar and ground of the truth. How God may be fitly termed the pillar and ground of truth, requires no explanation.

3. Others think that the words should be understood of the CHURCH of the living God; and in this case the feminine relative ητιςεστι, which is, must be repeated immediately after εκκλησια, the Church. The house of God is the Church of the living God; WHICH (Church) IS the pillar and ground of the truth. That is: The full revelation of God's truth is in the Christian Church. The great doctrines of that Church are the truth without error, metaphor, or figure. Formerly the truth was but partially revealed, much of it being shadowed with types, ceremonies, and comparatively dark prophecies; but now all is plain, and the full revelation given; and the foundation on which this truth rests are the grand facts detailed in the Gospel, especially those which concern the incarnation, miracles, passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the mission of the Holy Spirit.

4. Lastly, others refer the whole to τοτηςευσεβειας μυστηριον, the mystery of godliness; and translate the clause thus: The mystery of godliness is the pillar and ground of the truth; and, without controversy, a great thing. This gives a very good sense, but it is not much favoured by the arrangement of the words in the original.

‏ Hebrews 3:6

Verse 6. But Christ as a Son over his own house] Moses was faithful as a servant IN the house; Jesus was faithful, as the first-born Son, OVER the house of which he is the Heir and Governor. Here, then, is the conclusion of the argument in reference to Christ's superiority over Moses. Moses did not found the house or family, Christ did; Moses was but in the house, or one of the family, Christ was over the house as its Ruler; Moses was but servant in the house, Christ was the Son and Heir; Moses was in the house of another, Christ in his own house.

It is well known to every learned reader that the pronoun αυτου, without an aspirate, signifies his simply; and that with the aspirate, αυτου, it signifies his own: the word being in this form a contraction, not uncommon, of εαυτου. If we read αυτου without the aspirate, then his must refer to God, Heb 3:4.

But Christ as a Son over his (that is, God's) house: if we read αυτου, with the aspirate, as some editions do, then what is spoken refers to Christ; and the words above convey the same sense as those words, Ac 20:28: Feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Some editions read the word thus; and it is evident that the edition which our translators used had the word αυτου, his own, and not αυτου, his. The Spanish and London Polyglots have the same reading. From the most ancient MSS. we can get no help to determine which is to be preferred, as they are generally written without accents. The two first editions of the Greek Testament, that of Complutum, 1514, and that of Erasmus, 1516, have αυτου, his; and they are followed by most other editions: but the celebrated edition of Robert Stephens, 1550, has αυτου, his own. The reading is certainly important; but it belongs to one of those difficulties in criticism which, if the context or collateral evidence do not satisfactorily solve it, must remain in doubt; and every reader is at liberty to adopt which reading he thinks best.

Whose house are we] We Christians are his Church and family; he is our Father, Governor, and Head.

If we hold fast the confidence] We are now his Church, and shall continue to be such, and be acknowledged by him IF we maintain our Christian profession, τηνπαρρησιαν, that liberty of access to God, which we now have, and the rejoicing of the hope, i.e. of eternal life, which we shall receive at the resurrection of the dead. The word παρρησια, which is here translated confidence, and which signifies freedom of speech, liberty of access, &c., seems to be used here to distinguish an important Christian privilege. Under the old testament no man was permitted to approach to God: even the very mountain on which God published his laws must not be touched by man nor beast; and only the high priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies, and that only once a year, on the great day of atonement; and even then he must have the blood of the victim to propitiate the Divine justice. Under the Christian dispensation the way to the holiest is now laid open; and we have παρρησιαν, liberty of access, even to the holiest, by the blood of Jesus. Having such access unto God, by such a Mediator, we may obtain all that grace which is necessary to fit us for eternal glory; and, having the witness of his Spirit in our heart, we have a well grounded hope of endless felicity, and exult in the enjoyment of that hope. But IF we retain not the grace, we shall not inherit the glory.