Getting distracted
This week's study is on 1 Timothy 1:3-5:
Paul is talking about setting some order to the church. There were people getting into all kinds of fruitless theology and controversy. Nowadays we have people who spend all of their time speculating about what the mark of the beast is going to be, or when the tribulation is going to be, or comparing their third generation pastor to someone else's first generation pastor. It was the same in Paul's day. People got distracted by arguments and idle thoughts about pointless things, and it distracted them from the gospel. What do those things do to advance the gospel? They're basically just spiritualized worry!
Paul says to tell the people to get their facts straight and quit devoting themselves to nonsense. Some of us would take that as a license to lay down the law with an iron fist, or shame them, or put ourselves above them for not having wasted our time on stuff like that, but that's not what Paul is asking for.
The goal of that command is love, which comes from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Paul has those things and wants the other part of the church to have those things too. He's not saying "Don't make stuff up and teach it" because he wants to slap them down. He's saying it because he doesn't want them to have falsehood on their conscience. He doesn't want their heart to be weighed down with speculations and worries. There is so much good and true in our world that we barely have time to keep up with it. Why waste time on stuff that's bad or uncertain?
But that love is the root of how we need to interact with one another. We aren't a bunch of animals trying to dominate one another or compete for position. We are beloved siblings in a giant family. Our bond is blood, but Christ's blood. When we correct others, it needs to be in love, with the goal of improving them, not in simply demonstrating that they're wrong and we're right. If we don't desire them to have a pure heart and a clean conscience at the end of it, our motives are probably wrong.
The Ephesians were messing people up with their distractions. Still Paul didn't look down on them and cut them off, but was merciful and firm. How many of us would have entered a situation like that with such grace? Paul knew what it was like to have bad doctrine, and to spread it, and to have that on his conscience. He killed people and stirred up trouble for The Church before Jesus knocked him off his high horse.
The point here is to focus on what advances God's kingdom. End times debates, proving who is right or wrong, deciding which movies a Christian should go to, which candidate to vote for in the elections; all of that stuff can wait. We're here to be loved, and to help others to be loved.
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.
Paul is talking about setting some order to the church. There were people getting into all kinds of fruitless theology and controversy. Nowadays we have people who spend all of their time speculating about what the mark of the beast is going to be, or when the tribulation is going to be, or comparing their third generation pastor to someone else's first generation pastor. It was the same in Paul's day. People got distracted by arguments and idle thoughts about pointless things, and it distracted them from the gospel. What do those things do to advance the gospel? They're basically just spiritualized worry!
Paul says to tell the people to get their facts straight and quit devoting themselves to nonsense. Some of us would take that as a license to lay down the law with an iron fist, or shame them, or put ourselves above them for not having wasted our time on stuff like that, but that's not what Paul is asking for.
The goal of that command is love, which comes from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Paul has those things and wants the other part of the church to have those things too. He's not saying "Don't make stuff up and teach it" because he wants to slap them down. He's saying it because he doesn't want them to have falsehood on their conscience. He doesn't want their heart to be weighed down with speculations and worries. There is so much good and true in our world that we barely have time to keep up with it. Why waste time on stuff that's bad or uncertain?
But that love is the root of how we need to interact with one another. We aren't a bunch of animals trying to dominate one another or compete for position. We are beloved siblings in a giant family. Our bond is blood, but Christ's blood. When we correct others, it needs to be in love, with the goal of improving them, not in simply demonstrating that they're wrong and we're right. If we don't desire them to have a pure heart and a clean conscience at the end of it, our motives are probably wrong.
The Ephesians were messing people up with their distractions. Still Paul didn't look down on them and cut them off, but was merciful and firm. How many of us would have entered a situation like that with such grace? Paul knew what it was like to have bad doctrine, and to spread it, and to have that on his conscience. He killed people and stirred up trouble for The Church before Jesus knocked him off his high horse.
The point here is to focus on what advances God's kingdom. End times debates, proving who is right or wrong, deciding which movies a Christian should go to, which candidate to vote for in the elections; all of that stuff can wait. We're here to be loved, and to help others to be loved.
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