Question:  I am just quite confused on which to follow.  I have been shown that the pillar and foundation for truth is the word of God (i.e. the Bible), but in I Timothy 3:15 it states that it is the church of the living God.  I would like to know which is which.

            Thank you very much for giving attention to my letter.

            D.D.

Answer:  Dear D.D.,

            Your first conclusion – that the foundation of truth is the Bible – is the correct conclusion according to the Bible.  The Bible is the touchstone for Christians, giving them an anchor and a source – the final court of arbitration for all concerns.

            Does that statement mean that the Bible never identifies anything/anyone else as true or as the foundation of truth?  Of course not – for God is true (Romans 3:4).  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).  Many New Testament passages speak of “the truth” as a body of affirmations that are part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as opposed to heretical notions that are opposed to the gospel.

            The passage you quote in I Timothy 3:15 includes the church, the “foundation of the truth”.  Of course this is true (for the Bible says it) – but how does the Bible define the church?  As the body of Christ – the head of which is Jesus Christ.  I say this because there are some humanly incorporated institutions that claim the word “church”, but instead of pointing to Christ, who is the head of the body, the church – they point to themselves, their own human leadership and their own human traditions.  This is not the point that this passage is making.

            Hope this helps answer the question.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht