1 Timothy 3:15b – Family Portrait

…  God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 

Summary: God’s Word paints a picture connecting three things into one very important picture.   

Personally, I enjoy the verses like this one. In this passage, Paul provides us with a definition. In fact, he provides us with three! He ties together three important points in a simple equation. 

God’s household = the church of the living God = the pillar and foundation of the truth. 

This little formula in the Bible raises several questions. 

1. What does it mean to be in “God’s household?”*

2. What is the “church of the living God?”

3. What is “truth?”

The answers to these questions paint a picture for us. You might call it a ‘family portrait’ of sorts. Like God, this picture is a ‘three-in-one.’ All three parts seem different, but they are actually all pictures of the same thing. 

Let’s begin with the last first: What is truth? 

Truth is, in a word, reality. It is what really exists. People talk about things like a ‘personal truth,’ but that is only another way of saying, “in my opinion.” Real truth exists apart from anyone’s opinion. Real truth exists whether we exist or not. 

The truth is that God exists (Exodus 3:14) and that he created everything that exists (John 1:1-3). So when the Bible talks about “God’s household,” it is talking about something not only true, but something that is eternally true. 

To be part of God’s household is to be part of something that is eternally true. Yet, we live in a world that is temporal. People die. In this temporary world where people die, we are offered the opportunity to become part of God’s household by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9).

This is where the miracle happens. 

The Greek word for “church” is “ekklēsía.”† Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines this word as meaning “a gathering of citizens called out from the homes into some public place.” Believers in Christ are “called out” from the world, our ‘natural’ home. When we accept Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead, we become the visible expression of the invisible truth: We are part of God’s family. 

Application: Never forget who your real family is.  

Food for Thought: How do we know what the truth is? 

*We discussed this in our last post, “1 Timothy 3:14-15a – Good Conduct”

†”G1577 – ekklēsia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 28 Apr, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1577/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.