Free Bible Commentary
“1 Timothy 1:1-7”
Categories: 1 Timothy“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, to Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, 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. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, 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.”
---End of Scripture verses---
“The goal of our instruction is love” (verse 5). Unlike the bitter fruit produced by strange doctrines, myths and endless genealogies, the beautiful bounty brought forth by teaching the pure truth of God’s word is love. God is love (1 John 4:8), and His only motivation for sending His Only Begotten Son to die for the sins of the world was love (John 3:16). When we love our fellowman and our fellow Christians and treat them the right ways, from a heart full of care and concern, we fulfill God’s law concerning His expectations for our interactions with the precious souls He created in His own image.
“From a pure heart.” We must guard our hearts with all diligence because from them flow all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Jeremiah tells us that the heart is deceitful above all else and desperately sick and cannot be fully trusted (Jeremiah 17:9). If we allow it, our heart will take us places that our head would never approve of being (Matthew 15:19). We must strive earnestly to keep our hearts unpolluted by the world by feeding them on the purity of God’s word (Psalm 19:8). We cannot love the Lord and humanity (and ourselves) in the healthy ways that God wants us to unless we purify our hearts (James 4:7-8).
“And a good conscience.” A good conscience is one that is working right, functioning in the ways that God designed it to. The word “conscience” literally means “knowing with”. Paul describes a properly functioning conscience as one that bears witness to God’s law, and alternately accuses us when we do the wrong things, and defends us when we do right (Romans 2:15). A good conscience is not sufficient alone, unenlightened and undirected by His perfect word, to justify us before God when we stand before Him in Judgment. But we must work hard to not violate it just the same. And when we do, it will prompt us (in consort with God’s word) to feel remorse and to repent of the sins that we commit.
“And a sincere faith.” There is no room for fakers in the kingdom of God, which is the church of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18-19). God looks right into the heart of us and sees whether our hearts or pure or not, and whether our faith is sincere or just for pretend. We can fool the people sitting in the pews next to us on Sunday mornings, but there is no deceiving “the God who sees” (Genesis 16:13). “The genuineness of your faith” is “much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7)
Please come worship God with us today in all truth and sincerity at the Taylorsville Road church of Christ.
We assemble at 3741 Taylorsville Road in Louisville Kentucky.
9:30 AM Bible classes for all ages. 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM worship services.
Please read 1 Timothy 1:8-11 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed Lord’s Day!
- Louie Taylor
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