Tuesday, Sept 8 –
Welcome to Tuesday, and our continued reading
of the New Testament in a Year. We are
also beginning a new book, or letter, in reading Paul’s next letter, 1st
Timothy 1:1 – 20. After you have read
the passage, please come back, and we’ll do some introductions and a second
look at the text.
The Apostle Paul writes the next three letters
in the New Testament to two young pastors – Timothy and Titus. Paul took both of them under his wings to provide
mentoring and oversight. Timothy has
become well-known to us in reading the other letters of Paul. By the time Paul wrote the last of the three
(2 Timothy), he knew that his time left upon the earth was soon to end. These letters are “gold” when it comes to
seeing the early church’s needs and leadership.
Timothy became Paul’s partner in missionary ministry on the second
missionary journey (Acts 16). His mother
was a Jewish woman, his father, a Gentile.
Paul speaks fondly of Timothy’s mother and grandmother but does not
mention his father. After fifteen to
twenty years of working alongside Paul, Timothy ends up as Paul’s appointed
leader in Ephesus, as Paul spends the end of his years in a Roman Prison. Paul had hoped he would get out and told
Timothy twice that he hoped to visit him soon (1 Timothy 3:14; 4:13). In the meantime, Paul passes along valuable
advice for this young pastor, who is part of the second generation of Christian
leaders following the Apostles.
The theme is Paul’s encouragement to him to
teach the truth, defend the Gospel, stand strong in the face of emerging
heresies, and pass it all along to the next generation that will follow
him. Reading Timothy, and later Titus,
we see that the revelation the Apostles received from the risen Lord Jesus is
passed along in both truth and faithfulness to the generation of leaders who
were to follow the first Apostolic leaders.
The local church is the depository of the revelations of God’s word
contained in the Old and New Testaments.
It is in the faithful handling of truth by called leaders that God’s
word continues to heal the sick and wounded to Christ Jesus in every generation. Knowing how to lead people is not easy, but
it is the great need of every church.
Paul begins to address this as Timothy unfolds his letter and begins to
read –
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ
Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and
peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1:1-2).
It may not sound like our letters (if you remember when we wrote letters), but
it was a standard greeting, and in this case, a warm greeting as Paul speaks to
Timothy as “my true child in the faith.”
How old was Timothy at this point in time? Speculation abounds because we do not know
how old Timothy was when he left with Paul in Acts 16. Since Paul keeps referencing his
youthfulness, one can guess that he is still not yet forty years old, even
though he had been on travels with Paul for somewhere between fifteen to twenty
years.
Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, saw something in
Timothy and knew he was the young man he wanted to train so that Timothy would take
over for him. He left him in Ephesus to
deal with a young church, full of promise but steep in problems –
“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, nor to
devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations
rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our
charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith” (1:3-5).
In quick order, Paul says: 1) stay at your task (vs. 3a), 2) teach the
doctrines of truth (vs. 3-4), 3) keep the goal of leading people clear in your
mind (vs. 5). He urged him to stay in
Ephesus, probably because Timothy wanted to come to be with him in Rome. He knows that some have come to “teach different
doctrine” (a compound word, heteros + didaskaleo, to teach something different
than was the truth). Ephesus was known for its schools of Greek philosophy
that tried to reshape the message of the Gospel to fit into their systems. Paul received the revelations from the Holy
Spirit, taught them to the churches, and most of all, to Timothy (and Titus),
and reminded him that nothing taught should ever contradict the truth they had
received. It’s no different today, as
bold, clear, communicating the Scripture is still the great need of every
church pulpit. Finally, Paul reminds Timothy
to keep God’s goal in pastoring the church central. The goal God produces through truth is love –
a love that produces purity in heart, clarity of a good conscience, and
genuineness of faith.
The issues were straightforward as Paul saw
them. Timothy was charged to Pastor a
church of believers, by communicating, modeling, and standing firm in the
truth, even though it was constantly under assault in the city –
“Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain
discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either
what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions”(1:6-7).
Paul speaks about “certain persons” who miss the point (swerving from, or straying
from) the Scripture. We do not know
for certain who these false teachers were.
Paul warns Timothy that they are wandering into “vain discussions” – “ekzetesis”,
useless speculations. The fruit of this
is teaching without understanding, and even though they are wrong, it is presented
as confident statements. It is
fruitless, empty religiosity – that stands in contrast to the clear teaching of
Scripture. Teaching Scripture leads to
disciples, people rooted in God’s love while teaching something else is fruitless,
controversial, and unprofitable. Paul
reminds Timothy, there is profitability in understanding how the Law of God in
the Old Testament relevantly points to those who in their sin, desperately need
the Gospel –
“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 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, the sexually
immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and
whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of
the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted” (1:8-11).
I’m amazed, but not surprised, the number of Christians who either do not
know what the Law is all about or have any understanding of how to apply it to
faith today. In short, Paul says that
the Law, when rightly taught, always points a person to Christ and His Gospel. The Law is a mirror to our sinfulness, and
when we hold it up, it points out our need for redemption in Jesus Christ.
Paul, who had been raised under the law as a Pharisee,
learned this lesson at the very beginning of his “new creation birth” in Christ
-
“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he
judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a
blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I
had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for
me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is
trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1:12-15).
So many people think that great leaders are born, and in Paul’s case, they
would be partially right. He was smart,
highly motivated, skilled in argumentation, steeped in the Law, but completely
wrong. Paul was acting ignorantly,
trying to work for his salvation, until Christ Jesus showed him who he
was. He “judged me faithful,”
“appointed me,” how? Through “mercy
and grace that overflowed with faith and love.” In contrast to the false teachers and the
speculative vain teachings, the Gospel is clear – it is “trustworthy and
deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners”. Paul’s testimony of what Christ Jesus did to him was personal –
not religious. The Gospel is truth,
trustworthy, intended for all (sinners), and received, not earned, by faith in
Jesus Christ. I cannot help but think of
Augustus Toplady’s hymn of confession – “Rock of Ages, Cleft For Me”:
“Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
Paul knew that a good pastor is one who knows
their own human sinfulness. Pastoring
isn’t from a position of superiority, but from a place of humility. Why is that needed? Paul answers -
“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus
Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to
believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal,
invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1:16-17).
This is the great task of pastoral ministry.
Leaders first have to receive mercy, coming from God’s grace so that we
might proclaim it to others. Paul’s
conversion was a prototype of all conversions.
Jesus grants his mercy, displaying his patience, to all who would
believe – put their trust completely in Christ alone for eternal life. No wonder Paul cannot help but break out into
a doxology of praise. God, the King
of the ages, from eternity to eternity, who is immortal, invisible, the only
God, has made himself known in Jesus Christ. What can we give him but honor and glory
forever. Amen?
Paul, Timothy’s father in the faith, reminds
him of his calling and commission to teach the truth –
“This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the
prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good
warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have
made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander,
whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1:18-20).
The “prophecies” were given to Timothy that he might know God’s call on his life. It was God who had called him into the
ministry and not Paul. The charge to him
was “fight for the truth” – the “faith” that objectively is the Apostles
teaching, and subjectively leads to love, purity, and a good conscience (1:5). To teach the truth, will at times expose the
falsehood, errors. Paul mentions two –
Hymenaeus and Alexander. We could speculate
as to who they were, but the point is, they had rejected the faith Paul had
taught. The word “rejected” is strong,
meaning “violently and deliberately pushing it away”[1].
It has “shipwrecked” their faith and led to a
conscience devoid of any sense of sin and their need for Christ’s
redemption. To this end, Paul says he “handed
them over to Satan” – what did he mean?
They were part of the Ephesian church and had turned away from the
Gospel, becoming false teachers (2 Timothy 2:18). Paul had no choice but to appeal to them to
repent and return to the truth, but when they refused, he led the church to
excommunicate them. Excommunication
isn’t always permanent – as we saw in the case of the immoral man in Corinthians
– but it decisively reminds the offender that they must understand they are not
embracing the truth, and outside of the faith in hopes that they would repent and
return. While seemingly harsh, Paul
points out to Timothy that he is protecting the church from those who would
seek to destroy it.
Timothy is immersed in pastoral ministry
101! It wasn’t an easy place to be
in. The talents and intelligence needed
are secondary to the wisdom, toughness, and tenderness that serve to guide the
steps and protect the church. Paul is
giving Timothy the hard lessons of leadership.
Stay, teach, fight for the truth, live as a model of humility displaying
the grace and mercy of God, and stand up when error needs to be confronted. Most of all, stay centered on Christ Jesus,
keep your own conscience and faith clear.
Peace
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