What Does the Bible Mean When It Says That the Church Is the Pillar and Ground of the Truth?

Consider this passage:  "But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).

The Bible calls the Church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth.  But what does that mean?  God is telling us something, but what exactly?

This verse is often quoted by ministers and leaders of fellowships that teach the members to believe them more than what they see for themselves in the Bible.  They want the members to believe the ministry in matters of doctrine.  Not just refrain from causing division by openly discussing disagreements or promoting different doctrines among the members.  But actual belief, even if the member is quiet and only believes something different in his or her own mind.  The ministry does not want members believing something different from what the Church teaches.

Such ministers and leaders want the members to believe the Church's interpretation of the Bible rather than the members letting the Bible interpret the Bible and believing God, believing what they see with their own eyes in the Bible.  They want the members to assume that the Church is correct about doctrine.  I heard one minister even say this in a sermon or Bible study.  We should assume the Church is right more than we believe what we see for ourselves in the Bible.

They often quote the passage about the Church being the pillar and ground of the truth to support their position.  Also, they love to say, "Christ is the head of the Church", as if that means that whatever the Church teaches is true because it must come from Christ.

Let's examine this in detail.

The first thing to notice is that this is figurative language.  That cannot be denied.  The Church is not literally ground, dirt, the surface of the earth.  Nor is it literally a pillar made to hold up a literal, physical building, a pillar made of bronze, iron, stone, or wood.  As a figure of speech, it must be interpreted by literal passages of the Bible.

There are many passages that affirm the absolute trustworthiness of God's word, the Bible.  These passages are literal, and can be used to interpret figurative passages.  Here are some of them.

"Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" (Titus 1:1-2).

"Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:17-18).

Thus we have two literal statements that God cannot lie.  By this we know that His word, the Bible, is absolutely true.

"If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)" (John 10:35).

This is a third statement that the Bible is true.  It is true because scripture cannot be broken.

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7).

"It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.  It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:8-9).  This has direct application to the issue of believing the Bible or the Church.  When we believe the Bible we are putting our trust in the God who inspired it, the God who speaks to us through His word, the Bible.  But when we believe the Church, we are putting our trust in men.  Are apostles, pastor generals, prophets, evangelists, and pastors men?  Are they human?  Yes.  Do they sometimes sin, some of them?  Yes.  Do some of them sometimes lie or twist the truth?  Yes.  Do they sometimes make mistakes in doctrine and in understanding the Bible?  Yes.  In this passage, God is saying it is better to put our trust in what He says in His word, the Bible, than in human beings, even human beings in the Church.  That is what Mr. Armstrong did and what Loma Armstrong did, and they set a good example for us.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

"The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25).

"Thus says the LORD: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.  Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit" (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

"The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160).

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

"Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:5).

"But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" ' " (Matthew 4:4).  See also Luke 4:4.

Put all this together and the message is clear:  God's word, the Bible, is absolutely true - all of it.

And notice, these statements are not figurative speech.  Statements like "Your word is truth" and "scripture cannot be broken" and "trust in the LORD" are literal statements and absolutely clear.  As such they can be used to interpret figurative statements on the principle of letting the Bible interpret the Bible by using clear scriptures to interpret unclear ones.

Faith means believing God's word, and that is a requirement - we must believe God or we violate God's law, because faith - believing what God says - is a weightier matter of the law.  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Matthew 23:23).

God rejected ancient Israel and would not let them enter the promised land because of unbelief.

Contrast this with Bible passages that warn against trusting in man.

This passage also shows the superiority of trust in God more than trust in man. Breaking into a thought, "Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: 'That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged' " (Romans 3:4).

Where in the Bible does it say that it is OK to trust men in the Church?  They are still men.  They can and do make mistakes.  They can and do tell lies.  They can teach false doctrines and false interpretations of the Bible.  They are not perfect.  Only God and His word, the Bible, are perfect.  God never sins, He never lies, He never makes mistakes.  His word is sure.  But not the word of human apostles, pastor generals, evangelists, or pastors.

Even prophets can lie, and God gives us an example in the Bible of this (1 Kings 13:1-32).

Just because Christ is head of the Church does not mean everyone in the Church follows where Christ leads.  Christ leads through the Bible and the Holy Spirit and sometimes through circumstances, but He does not take away free moral agency, and men can fail to follow where Christ leads.

The Bible shows the sins and mistakes of God's servants in both the Old Testament and New Testament.

And if anyone wants to argue the point, we have modern Church history that shows us our mistakes.  Mr. Armstrong thought Pentecost was on Monday.  Later, just before his death, he said we should stay united and follow the next pastor general.  After Mr. Armstrong died, the next pastor general, Mr. Tkach, led the Church away from the truth and into false doctrine.

Church of God Seventh Day, the Church that Mr. Armstrong attended, made mistakes in doctrine.  Was Christ the head of that Church?  Yes.  But they still made mistakes.  Christ let them make mistakes.

And today, we can often see the mistakes of various COG fellowships in doctrine.

Let's go back to our study passage and ask some questions.  It says,  "But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).

So what does it mean to say that the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth?

Does it mean that the Church is infallible?  No.

Does it mean that the Church never makes a mistake in doctrine?  No.

Does it mean that no leader or minister in the Church of God will ever sin or tell a lie?  No.

Does it mean that we should believe everything the Church teaches, even if it is a mistake or a lie?  No.

Does it mean we should believe the Church more than God?  No.

Does it mean that if we see something in the Bible that contradicts the Church, we should believe the Church and the Church's interpretation of the Bible more than what we see in the Bible with our own eyes?  No.

Notice this passage.  "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men" (Acts 17:10-12).  

Notice, they did not assume that Paul's teaching was right.  They searched the scriptures to find out whether or not what Paul taught was right.  They believed God more than man.  And God praises them by calling them fair-minded (New King James Version) or noble (King James Version), showing them in a positive light as a good example to follow.  Also, their research into the scriptures to find out whether or not Paul was speaking the truth, rather than just believing him, bore good fruit, for many believed.

Read of the examples of Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong in Mr. Armstrong's autobiography.  They believed God, they believed the Bible, more than religious traditions or men, even believing what they saw in the Bible more than what the Church of God Seventh Day, God's true Church at that time, taught.  They did NOT do what a COG minister said - they did not assume that the Church was right in its interpretation of the Bible.

They did not believe the Church of God Seventh Day that it is no longer necessary to keep God's annual holy days.  They believed the Bible, not the Church.  They kept the holy days.

So what does that passage mean?  In what sense is the Church the pillar and ground of the truth?

This is a job description for the Church.  It is from the Church and the witness of the Church that the world can have access to the truth.  As a plant gets nourishment from the ground and springs forth and grows, so the truth should spring up and grow from the Church and from the work of the Church in preaching the gospel.  And we are to be pillars, upholding the truth the best we can.

But there is nothing in this analogy that says that the Church is perfect and its understanding of the Bible is perfect.

Christ says we are to be perfect (Matthew 5:48).  But that does not mean we will achieve perfection in this life.  We are to strive to be perfect in this life, but final perfection will come in the resurrection.  Likewise, the Church is to be the pillar and ground of the truth the best it can, but it will not be perfect in this life.

If this is not what "the pillar and ground of the truth" means, then I do not know what it means.  But it does not mean we should believe the Church more than God.

If we think that we should assume that the Church's interpretation of scripture is truth and always believe the Church, then we are not holding fast to the example and way of life followed by Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong.  They practiced the opposite.  They believed God more than the Church.  And Mr. Armstrong also taught that way of life when he told his radio audience, don't believe me, don't believe any man, believe your Bible, believe God.

And one should keep in mind that members of the Church of God are part of the Church, the pillar and ground of the truth, as much as leaders and ministers.  We are all part of the Church.  If God opens the mind of a member to understand some truth, from the Bible, that the Church does not yet have, who knows if God intends the Church to learn that new point of truth, that new knowledge, from the member, just as the Church of God Seventh Day should have learned new knowledge from the members Herbert W. Armstrong and Loma Armstrong.

Incidentally, Christ rebukes the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in binding heavy burdens on the people they were not willing to bear (Matthew 23:1-4).  But that is what some leaders and ministers do when they tell members not to think for themselves to understand the Bible and just accept whatever the ministry teaches them.  Why?

Because they do not follow the same rule.

When a leader is considering a doctrinal change, what does he do?  He discusses it first with his high-ranking ministers.  He gets their opinion.  He has meetings about it.

But how can they give honest opinions if they never think independently of the Church?  How can they assume the Church is right, as they tell the members, and yet be able to honestly advise the leadership that it is wrong?  That is crazy.

The fact is, they do allow themselves to think independently to advise the leadership, but not so the members.  The members are taught that independent thinking is wrong, because "the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth" and "Christ is the head of the Church".  They do not teach what they themselves practice.

Only God and His word the Bible are infallible.  God does not make mistakes and cannot lie.  Scripture cannot be broken.  Faith means believing what God says in the Bible, and faith is an act of worship towards God.

The Church, its human leadership and ministry, can and do make mistakes.  We must not have faith in the ministry and the Church.  To have faith and trust in human leaders of the Church that only rightly belongs to God is idolatry.  We are putting something before the true God when we believe the ministry more than what we see in the Bible.

If you see something in the Bible that is in contradiction to what your Church of God fellowship teaches, have an open mind.  Do not assume that the Church is right.  Believe God.  But don't cause division.  Don't spread it around, promote it, or discuss it with other members.  Quietly believe God.

If you discuss it with the ministry, be respectful.  And if necessary, wait for Christ to make the correction when He returns.

The "pillar and ground of the truth" does not mean you should believe the Church more than God.

Why is it important that members believe what they see for themselves in the Bible more than they believe the Church?

It is a test of faith.  Just as Abraham's faith in God was tested and it was counted to him as righteousness when He believed God, so it is with members of the Church (Genesis 15:5-6).

There are three reasons why it is wrong to believe the Church more than what you see for yourself in the Bible.

One, it makes no sense logically because the Church can be wrong but the Bible cannot be wrong.

Two, it violates the second commandment, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, because it disqualifies you from getting the gospel and the Ezekiel warning message out to the nations to prepare them for the tribulation that is coming.  They need that preparation.  They need to be warned while there is time to repent so they know God is fair and can be trusted.  Getting that warning message out is an act of love.  But we can't do it if we believe the Church more than God.  Why?  Because to get our message out, we have to be able to say to the public, as Mr. Armstrong did, don't believe us, don't believe any man or church or tradition, believe God, believe your Bible.  But how can we do that if we don't practice that ourselves?  Would we not be hypocrites, telling the public to do someting we are not willing to do ourselves?  And will God let us get the message out through hypocrisy?  I think not.

Believing the Church of God leadership and ministry more than the Bible blocks us from getting God's message to the public, a message they need, and is thus contrary to the law of loving our neighbors.

Three, believing the Church more than God is an act of idolatry.  It violates the spirit of the first and second of the ten commandments.  We are putting the ministry in place of God.  We are putting our faith in men we can see and hear and letting them represent God to us rather than serving the invisible God, just as pagans use visible images to represent the invisible God, contrary to God's law.  The human mind craves to worship images it can see - and with some the ministry in the Church serves that purpose.  

Faith is an act of worship, and we should only have faith towards God, not man.

We should never have faith and trust in the Church of God, the leadership of the Church, its ministry, or its traditions.  We should love and respect the Church and the ministry, but not have the faith and trust in them that belongs only to God.  That is what the world does with its churches, but we must not be like the world.

Faith means believing God, and faith is one of the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23).  Faith - believing God - is thus a matter of the law of God.  Lack of faith, disbelieving what God says, is therefore a violation of the law and is sin.  It was because of unbelief that Israel who came out of Egypt could not enter the promised land (Hebrews 3:12, 19).

Consider the following scenario.

A man (or woman) reads or hears something from his ministry or church.  He reads something in the Bible that seems to contradict it.  Who does he believe?  This is a test of faith.  Does he pass the test by believing the Bible more than his church and traditions, believing God as Abraham did?  Or does he fail the test by failing to believe God's word as ancient Israel failed to believe God?

I didn't give the details in the above scenario, so let me add details now.

The man or woman is Catholic.  The issue is images used in worship.  The Catholic Church teaches that images are OK when used to worship the true God and that the first and second commandment are combined (they split the tenth commandment into two commandments, you shall not covet your neightor's wife and you shall not covet your neighbor's goods, to keep the number of commandments at ten).  But the man reads or hears Mr. Armstrong and the Church teach that God forbids images even in worshipping the true God, and gives the Bible passages to prove it.  He looks it up in the Bible and finds that the Bible does indeed teach against using images in worship.  So who does he believe, the Catholic Church or the Bible?  What should he do?  Who should he believe?

Or, let's change the details.  The man is a member of the Church of God.  He hears some teaching from the leadership and ministry.  But he sees something different in the Bible.  Again, who does he believe?  What should he do?

Spiritually, as far as the law of God is concerned, the situation, in the mind of the person, is EXACTLY the same.  Believe God or believe man.

That is the question.  And is the answer different depending on which church you are talking about?  Of course not.  In the mind of the person who is Catholic, he does not know what is the true church.  He is as loyal to his church as COG members are to God's Church.  The question is, is he willing to believe God first?

There are not two laws of God, one for us in the Church and a different law for outsiders.  God hates a double standard (Exodus 12:49, Leviticus 18:26, Numbers 15:15-16, Leviticus 19:34-36, Deuteronomy 25:13-16).

It is just as wrong to believe the Church of God more than God Himself as to believe the Catholic Church more than God Himself.

Make no mistake.  This is a moral issue.  This is a spiritual matter.  This is a choice a person must make, whether that person is Catholic, Protestant, or Church of God.  Believing God or believing man is a choice between right and wrong, whether the person is uncalled, called but not yet baptized, or converted.  What is sin for one is sin for the other.

Some people have more knowledge than others.  But the choice of believing God or not is the same.  God judges everyone on the basis of the knowledge they have, not the knowledge they do not have.

To deliberately, based on the knowledge one has, choose to believe man more than God is sin.

Amazingly, so many leaders and ministers in the Churches of God just can't see that.  Are they blind?

Consider also the consequences of believing the Church more than the Bible.

Why are we here?  Why do we know the things that we know?

We know the true doctrines because Loma Armstrong and Mr. Armstrong believed the Bible more than any tradition of men even in the true Church.  We are here because hundreds or thousands of radio listeners of Mr. Armstrong checked their Bibles and believed God more than their churches and traditions.  It became a way of life for them.  We enjoy the fruits of that way of life.

But if, while we enjoy the fruits of that way of life practiced by those who came before us, we practice a different way of life, a wrong way of life of believing the Church and our traditions more than God, are we really worthy to continue in the truth?  If we refuse to practice the way of life that led us into that truth, should we continue in that truth?  Will God not take that truth from us if we are unworthy to continue to have it?

Will God not give us the fruits of our ways?  And if we practice a wrong way of holding truth, will not God, at some point, take that truth from us?  For if the Armstrongs and the early radio listeners had believed religious tradition more than their Bibles, we would not have the truth now (not from them, anyway).  So if we disbelieve God, choosing to believe tradition and the Church ministry more than the Bible, will not God give us the results of our ways - continued deception and belief in false doctrine?  Because that is exactly the fruits that Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong would have produced if they made the wrong choice.  If they believed their churches more than the Bible, they would have never known the truth.

When you read or study the Bible, believe God.  Have an open mind.  Love and respect the ministry and the Church.  Pray for them.  Do not cause division.  But believe God first.  Believe what you see in the Bible.  Can you make a mistake?  Of course.  Be willing to consider what the Church says.  But in the end, believe the Bible first, not man.

God says to Sardis, a church that had a name that it was alive and yet was dead, "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent..." (Revelation 3:3).

Sardis is to remember how they received.  How did the Church of God receive truth?  From the choices of Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong to believe the Bible more than man.

That is what Loma Armstrong did.  That is what Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong did.  That is what many radio listeners did when they heard Mr. Armstrong and looked up the scriptures and supported him and his message.

That is God's way.