Paul wrote to Timothy, “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” (1 Tim. 3:15). Alas, how far is the church practically from this position! The church is not said to be the teacher of the truth, but responsible to maintain the truth — the pillar and ground (or stay) of it. The unfaithfulness of the church at large in no wise takes away the duty and responsibility of those who serve God and wait on Him, to maintain His truth in every respect. Man’s unfaithfulness in no wise changes the faithfulness of the Lord: “He abideth faithful. He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).
Faithfulness in the most thorough dependence, and not strength, is what the Lord looks for in His own, and what the Spirit produces in those who wait on God. We may therefore well take courage, dear brethren, and count on God.
A. H. Burton