But if I tarry long, 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, Douay Rheims)
Some Catholic apologists appeal to this verse as evidence that the New Testament Church (which they anachronistically identity with the Roman Catholic Church) would never fall into apostasy, ergo, Latter-day Saint claims about there being a Great Apostasy and Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith are automatically falsified.
While I would agree with Catholics that 1 Tim 3:15 evidences a high ecclesiology in the New Testament, and is problematic for much of Protestantism and other groups that hold to Sola Scriptura, they read into this verse two things that are not there: (1) infallibility and (2) a promise that the church would not fall into apostasy.
Matthew Poole (1624-1679) in his book critiquing Catholic claims to authority wrote the following about this verse:
The terme of Pillar notes the solidity, but not the infallibility of the Church, it notes the difficulty of its removal, but not the impossibility. Every stout Champion of God’s Truth is a pillar of the truth, and such are frequently called by that name in the Fathers, but yet they are not infallible. Athanasius was a pillar of the truth, but not infallible: The great Osius a pillar of the truth, and Nicene faith, yet fell fowlely, as appears by the story. Musonius Bishop of Neocasarea is by Basilius Caesariensis invested with the very title of στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα. (b) Ergo by the Romane Logick Basil thought him infallible, or if he did not then Basil did not think those words implyed infallibility, Gregory Nyssen tells us, not onely Peter, & James, and John are pillars, not only John Baptist is a light, but also all that built up the Church are pillars and lights (c) Therefore it seems all ministers are infallible: Male-Children are called συλος οεκων the pillars of their families, among the Greek Poets; and Geta, a faithfull servant in Terence, is called Columem Familie, the pillar of the family: For ought I know, if those men would go to Rome, and upon the credit of this word sue out a Writ of priviledge, they might be as infallible as the Pope himself . . . Their argument proceeds from a declaration of the Churches present state, (for that is all that place asserts, viz. that the Church then was a Church and Pillar of truth) to an assurance of its perpetual continuance in that state, which is quite another thing: ) Which kind of argumentation, it might be passe for current, it would work brave exploits; for then it would follow, The city if Sion was an habitation of righteousness, a pillar of truth and justice, Ergo the Prophet I say was mis-informed, when he said, The faithfull City is become a Harlot, it was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers, Isa. 1.21. Nay then the Church of England is orthodox in the Roman sense: Probatur: It was the Pillar of truth, viz. when it was the Pope’s Asse, Ergo it is so still, and the Papists slander us, when they say we are fallen away. The Church was a Virgin in the Apostles dayes, saith Egesippus, Ergo she is not now corrupted, nor indeed can be: for I must tell you, the Pope can do more then all the Apostles either pretended or did; for they could not even while they lived wholly keep the Church from actual corruption, but the Pope keeps her from all possibility of corruption. Thus the Pope is omnipotent, and it is no marvell he is infallible. (Matthew Poole, The Nullity of the Romish Faith, or, A Blow at the Root of the Romish Church [2d ed.; Oxford: Hen Hall, 1667], 87-88, 90, emphasis in bold added)
