171. Pillar in Temple
Revelation 3:12a Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out.
The sixth promise to the overcomer: a pillar in the temple. A pillar is a symbol of strength and support. It must be solid and strong in order to hold up the building and to keep the roof from collapsing. A pillar in the temple of God is strong enough to hold up the building, which is the church of God, the body of Christ, the communion of saints, the community of believers. A “pillar of the church” is usually seen as a big contributor, a long time member, a faithful example of faith to the rest of the believers, a spiritually mature and experienced Christian, a leader with wisdom, and mostly he should be filled with love and all the fruit of the spirit.
A pillar is a father who has gone through the stages of “children” and “young men;” he knows his sins are forgiven and he has overcome the evil one, and now he knows him who is from the beginning [I John 2:12-14]. The pillar has experience with temptation and evil and has learned how to apply his faith to the problems around him. He knows how to distinguish Law and Gospel and he has learned how to apply the Faith to those problems. He is not only an example but also a teacher. Every Christian is a work in progress, progressing toward the goal of being a pillar in the church.
The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God appropriately applied and the experiences of life to mold, shape, and grow each believer into what God designed him to be. We are not all there yet, but we know where we are going and what we are becoming. We focus on the words, “I will make.” The Holy Spirit is still working. That’s a promise.