The Gospel Goal is Love
1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,
7 wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
It was any preacher’s nightmare! Lacking faithful leadership, false and divisive teachings were flying everywhere, taught by know it alls who knew nothing at all except how to take the Bible and stir up trouble. Men’s prayer meetings looked more like fist-fights among the men than peaceful experiences in God’s presence. And here’s Timothy, a youthful easy target, who is told to get in there and fix it! This is Ephesus, Timothy’s church assignment. And from the looks of things, Timothy wants out, but his mentor and Father in the faith says, “I urge you, Timothy, stay the course and do the work of God!” Then Timothy receives this letter filled with clear warnings, instructions, and encouragements with all the authority of God’s holy apostleship and the power of Paul’s personal relationship to this church.
What do we know about this church in Ephesus?
Paul went there with a new haircut back in Acts 18:18-21. He was there briefly, but left Aquilla and Priscilla there. After Paul was gone, Apollos did a campaign there preaching Jesus, but he only knew the baptism of John until Aquilla and Priscilla taught him better. Paul came back to Ephesus in Acts 19 and had a very successful two year campaign. It was too successful for some of the silver smiths in town. People were turning away from the goddess Artemis or Dianna, and quit buying her silver images. Lead by Demetrius, a silver smith, a riot broke out against Paul and his teaching and Paul ended up leaving town. Later in Acts 20 we have a long farewell meeting between Paul and the elders of the Ephesian church.
Paul said to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20: 28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
A few years have passed and Paul’s prophecy of problems in this church has come true. And how does God handle it? God takes this young man, Timothy, and two little letters from Paul, and empowers these tools for the formidable task of straightening out the problems and rounding up the strays and setting up the proper leadership and restoring the proper worship and separating from the sources of division and doctrinal heresy so that the church at Ephesus could return to the path of faithfulness. 1 and 2 Timothy are the medicine and Timothy is the administrator of it. The church is the recipient of God’s treatment for spiritual sickness.
Isn’t it encouraging to know that God can use what appears to be a weak person to work mighty wonders and blessings for his people? By all appearances Timothy was just a youth who got sick with stomach problems a lot. But in truth, this young man had God within and great relations with Godly leadership without. Timothy may have been physically weak, but morally he had the fiber of faithfulness few have ever found. Listen to Paul’s assessment of Timothy to the Philippians: 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of like spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know of his proven worth that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.
Paul had great confidence in this young man. This was not the first tough assignment Timothy had been sent to handle. He had experience under his belt, having been sent to Corinth, Philippi and Thessalonica. (1 Cor. 4:17, 16:10, Phil 2:19-20, 1 Thess. 3:2,6)
But I believe from what we read here, this was Timothy’s greatest challenge to date.
What was he facing?
Let’s notice what is said in verses 3,4,&7.
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
7 wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
Look at this closely. Two things: First, what is being taught here? Strange teachings, myths and endless genealogies, things supposedly taken from the Law. Most commentaries see this as Jewish myths. Instead of attention to Jesus Christ, these teachers were focusing on myths and lists of names of forefathers and fighting over such nonsense.
They also make strange doctrinal twists and form heretical conclusions: Later Paul writes again to Timothy and says this:
2 Timothy 2:14 … solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.
16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,
17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some.
Hymenaeus is also listed with Alexander as a false teacher at the end of 1 Tim. (see 1:20)
Notice that their teaching becomes popular and spreads. But it doesn’t square with the gospel! It’s fruit is not godliness but ruin. It is cleverness and worldly wisdom sown from what has an appearance of spirituality, but actually strays from the foundations of truth.
Secondly, notice their attitude: What do they pay attention to? What do they want to be? Look at these words: "though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions." (vs 7).
Few things are worse than an arrogant fool who thinks he knows what he is talking about.
What has happened here? I’ll tell you what’s happened. These teachers are false teachers because they have strayed from the basics! Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and the faith, hope and love of God in Christ have become dull to them. They are looking for deeper and better spiritual insights than the fountain of wisdom in Christ. The only problem is… there are none!!! So they make up some. This is none other than idolatry. When seeking and serving God His way is not good enough, where do you go and what do you teach? These false teachers want to be the big bosses over Bible mysteries. They pay attention to myths. They want to be seen as top notch, take charge teachers who know things others don’t. They seek obscure little twists in the law and turn them into major but meaningless matters. The result is quarreling about words while forgetting the faith. This produces lively academic dialogue but leaves the soul starving and empty.
It became popular to indulge in such nonsensical trivia. I guess trivial pursuits had their roots right here in Ephesus. But these pursuits are at the expense of love, from a pure heart, and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Paul says: 5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, (meaningless talk).
Look at two other places in 1 Timothy where Paul warns about this:
4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
When you shift off of the gospel, you end up making foolish things important.
Also look at chapter 6:
3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,
5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
Does that ever happen today? Which is more popular to talk about, God’s wonderful love in Christ or the roll of women in church? Which stirs up more discussion, a lesson on John 3:16 or James 5:14?
Don’t get me wrong, women’s roll in church and elder’s prayers for the sick are biblical subjects that we need to talk about, but they must never be divorced from the foundations of God’s love in Christ and faith, hope and love in our lives. The quickest way into false teaching is to stray from Jesus Christ and him crucified as the center from which all other instruction flows.
When it comes to teaching about matters of worship, fellowship and the distinctiveness of the church, we must never stray from Jesus Christ as the center. That is one of the powerful things about these instructions to Timothy and Titus. God shows us how to address various subjects while remaining centered on the cross.
The gospel of God’s grace in Jesus sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection remain the power of God for salvation, to build love from pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith.
Do you want to raise kids that have love, from pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith? Take them to the cross. Teach them of Jesus Christ – discipline yourself and them to set your minds on him, fix your eyes on him, shape your life by his life, build your hopes and highest dreams on his promises, lock your faith into his calling, open your hearts to his redeeming love and grace.
And avoid foolish, godless controversies. Listen to these words and heed them:
2 Tim. 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
24 And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
