June 18, 2014
LOVE ATTRACTS. FALSE DOCTRINE DISTRACTS.
1 Timothy 1:1-11
Karen Bundren
Central Truth
God uses those who mirror His love, with a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith, to draw others to Himself. Satan, on the other hand, uses false doctrines to distract and confuse many so they will not understand and desire God's truths.
Key Verse | 1 Timothy 1:5
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
1 Timothy 1:1-11
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers
3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship 1 1:4 Or good order from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, 2 1:10 That is, those who take someone captive in order to sell him into slavery liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound 3 1:10 Or healthy doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
Dive Deeper | 1 Timothy 1:1-11
Paul opens the book of 1 Timothy with a greeting to Timothy and an encouragement for him to remain in Ephesus to teach sound doctrine with a Christlike love. Certain teachers in the church had stopped building up others in the faith and had begun focusing on silly speculations and questions that distracted from GRACE alone as God's provision for salvation. These false teachings were empty of spiritual values and led only to pointless arguments and questions.
Because Paul recognized the false doctrines being taught at Ephesus, he instructed Timothy to command certain people to stop teaching doctrines different from the ones Paul had taught. The aim of Paul's charge to Timothy was love from:
1) a pure heart -- one that has no agenda other than to bring others to Christ;
2) a good conscience -- without guilt or unconfessed sin; and
3) a sincere faith -- total reliance on Christ alone.
As in Paul's time, Christians today face plenty of teachings that distract from the main point of the gospel. The most distracting are ones that sound 'spiritual' or use Scripture in wrong ways to support false ideas. Some authors claim to have found 'secret messages' or offer a 'new reading' of the Bible. Others preach that praying specific prayers or speaking special words will require God or 'the universe' to bless us. And lots of Christians -- even whole churches -- have focused on specific doctrines in an unhealthy way, distracting people from the central truth of the gospel.
Paul's heart as a pastor was to send Timothy to serve the church as a teacher who modeled love with the three characteristics identified above. The good news of Christ alone was the message Timothy brought as the central truth for the church. God's truth always purifies the human spirit, while error taints our spirit. Today, our charge is to be and make disciples for Christ, loving others with a pure heart, clear conscience, and sincere faith.
Discussion Questions
1. Are there any beliefs or practices in my life that distract me or others from following and trusting Christ alone?
2. How well do I love those around me who are not seeking God's truth? Is my love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith?
3. What is being taught in our culture that adds to or takes away from God's truth? What am I doing to point people back to Scripture?