Myths and endless genealogies
This week is on 1 Timothy 1:3-7:
People get wrapped up in a bunch of stuff that doesn't matter. A lot of it is puffing themselves up to look more knowledgeable in front of others. "Well I heard that angels can do blah blah blah." "Well I know the real reason for the council of Nicea because I read it in a book." It's a way of making yourself look like an expert, or posturing yourself in such a way as to be able to lecture others on a topic that has no relation to anything practical.
Paul says, these people have missed the point. We're not given knowledge just to be teachers of the law, but to love others. But some people desire to be teachers of the law. They want to be the source of authority, the respected person of knowledge, the person who gets to tell others "Your knowledge is incomplete compared to mine." But these people don't know what they are talking about, even though they confidently affirm it.
These people teach things confidently as if they were irrefutable facts, but Paul calls the things taught by them "controversial speculations." Controversial, because it isn't something solid enough for people to agree on it objectively, and speculations, because they don't know what they're talking about. They're speculating, making stuff up in their heads and teaching it as though it was on the same level as God's truth.
Paul calls it meaningless talk. Does it bring people closer to knowing God? No. Does it increase people's love for one another? No. Does it result in a positive change in character? No. What does it do then? It makes a name for the person lecturing. "So and so told us the four signs in the news this week that the end is near! They are so spiritually attuned to world events!" "Reverend such and such says that we're supposed to wave our hands in the air when we pray. He says God can't hear us if we don't lift them up! How do these other churches live without someone as holy and knowledgeable as him?" They speak in confidence, but what they're saying is meaningless.
God called us to advance his work on Earth, whatever that might be. It isn't a command to store up trivia and henpeck others with it. It's a command to represent God's kingdom to the world. "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." Does faith come from speculation? Can you have a good conscience from telling others that things are true which you've only guessed at yourself? Is your heart pure if it seeks its own glory in the place of God's? The goal of God's command is love. Where is the love?
If we're studying the Bible, or listening to sermons, or reading books, are we doing it to love others, to develop a pure heart and a good conscience, or to make our faith more sincere? Or are we doing it to puff ourselves up? "I know the way we're supposed to pray and intercede." "I know the proper way to run a Bible study." "I know the real history of the church in North America." "I know the four steps needed to grow my church." It's important to see why we're doing it. If we're in it for love, it'll be fruitful in our lives and the lives of those we touch. If we're in it for ourselves, it's meaningless talk.
Paul tells his people to stay behind where they are and put an end to these false teachings and the meaningless talk. False teachings and meaningless talk distract people from God rather than pointing people towards him. If we're called to demonstrate God's love and power to people, what room can there be for this other stuff? Focus on what's important.
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
People get wrapped up in a bunch of stuff that doesn't matter. A lot of it is puffing themselves up to look more knowledgeable in front of others. "Well I heard that angels can do blah blah blah." "Well I know the real reason for the council of Nicea because I read it in a book." It's a way of making yourself look like an expert, or posturing yourself in such a way as to be able to lecture others on a topic that has no relation to anything practical.
Paul says, these people have missed the point. We're not given knowledge just to be teachers of the law, but to love others. But some people desire to be teachers of the law. They want to be the source of authority, the respected person of knowledge, the person who gets to tell others "Your knowledge is incomplete compared to mine." But these people don't know what they are talking about, even though they confidently affirm it.
These people teach things confidently as if they were irrefutable facts, but Paul calls the things taught by them "controversial speculations." Controversial, because it isn't something solid enough for people to agree on it objectively, and speculations, because they don't know what they're talking about. They're speculating, making stuff up in their heads and teaching it as though it was on the same level as God's truth.
Paul calls it meaningless talk. Does it bring people closer to knowing God? No. Does it increase people's love for one another? No. Does it result in a positive change in character? No. What does it do then? It makes a name for the person lecturing. "So and so told us the four signs in the news this week that the end is near! They are so spiritually attuned to world events!" "Reverend such and such says that we're supposed to wave our hands in the air when we pray. He says God can't hear us if we don't lift them up! How do these other churches live without someone as holy and knowledgeable as him?" They speak in confidence, but what they're saying is meaningless.
God called us to advance his work on Earth, whatever that might be. It isn't a command to store up trivia and henpeck others with it. It's a command to represent God's kingdom to the world. "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." Does faith come from speculation? Can you have a good conscience from telling others that things are true which you've only guessed at yourself? Is your heart pure if it seeks its own glory in the place of God's? The goal of God's command is love. Where is the love?
If we're studying the Bible, or listening to sermons, or reading books, are we doing it to love others, to develop a pure heart and a good conscience, or to make our faith more sincere? Or are we doing it to puff ourselves up? "I know the way we're supposed to pray and intercede." "I know the proper way to run a Bible study." "I know the real history of the church in North America." "I know the four steps needed to grow my church." It's important to see why we're doing it. If we're in it for love, it'll be fruitful in our lives and the lives of those we touch. If we're in it for ourselves, it's meaningless talk.
Paul tells his people to stay behind where they are and put an end to these false teachings and the meaningless talk. False teachings and meaningless talk distract people from God rather than pointing people towards him. If we're called to demonstrate God's love and power to people, what room can there be for this other stuff? Focus on what's important.
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