1 Timothy 1:18-20

"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."

Christian warfare doesn't involve tanks, guns, or forceful tactics. Believers are never to advance the gospel through shedding people's blood or through threatening them with some earthly consequences. The Christian warrior wages spiritual warfare through holding fast to his faith. The gospel permeates every aspect of his life, enabling him to look at the outworking of faith in his life with a good conscience. This kind of life is infectious, but it is not easy.

Holding fast to your faith is warfare. The entirety of the world's system is pushing you away from standing true in the gospel. False teachers want you to reject Christ's substitutionary (vicarious) atonement. Worldly acquaintances want you to live faithlessly, as they do. Your flesh want you to indulge it so that it can overtake you. And we are not impervious to these things. Christians never have to fall. But they often do, and when the dulling of their conscience is severe, it leads to an all out shipwreck of faith.

Paul could name people who followed this path (and I can too). He had encouraged them to repent, but because they had gone so far and rejected his calls to repent so often, he "turned them over to Satan." This is not some pagan sacrifice but a releasing from church care, allowing the person to have their own way. When a Christian pursues ungodliness with passion, he is left feeling deplorably empty and even depressed. This turning over to Satan should lead you back to Christ.

If you are a Christian who has turned from a genuine Christian life, be honest with yourself. You are miserable. Sin is not making good on its promises. Repent and turn to God. Reject the lies that you have believed and walk with God again. If you are a Christian who is holding your faith in good conscience, continue to fight to avoid shipwreck. How? Read your Bible. Pray. Share God's truth with others. Live out what you know to be true!

My prayer: You are merciful, Father. You know what is best for me and You urge me to it. You are my strength in battle. You keep me from destroying myself. God I pray that I would always war against sin in my life. Keep me close to You and far from shipwreck.

1 Timothy 1:17

"To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."

Breaking from his personal testimony and his explanation of God's perfect grace, Paul erupts in sudden praise. Knowing God's work in his life, Paul cannot keep himself from praising this great God. After all He is worthy.

• God is the king of ages - He isn't God for us alone. He has ruled for all time. His authority is boundless.
  
• God is immortal - Not only has He always been. He will always be. He has no end and no beginning, and nothing can kill Him.
• God is invisible - God can not be put into a box or an idol. Man's attempts at limiting God are insulting! He is far more than we can understand.
  
• God is the only God - There is none like Him. Nor is there any who are almost like Him but just a little below. He far exceeds all that we can understand, and any attempt to make a God of our own choosing is setting up a god who is a no-God. Yahweh is the only God.
  

These things alone are reason enough to forever give God honor and glory. But He has given us further cause to praise Him. This transcendent, mind-numbingly big God has chosen to be intimately involved in our lives. Is He not involved in your life? Perhaps He is working in ways that you don't yet recognize. Rise up and praise Him now.

My prayer: Father, You defy my understanding. You are far beyond me. And yet you love me. Occupy my affections, my thoughts, my praise.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

"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. 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."

Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We must accept this! Jesus did not come for the sake of those who are perfect. He did not come for those who had things under control spiritually. There are no such people. Jesus came to save sinners.

Jesus came for the worst of sinners. Paul called himself the foremost of sinners (perhaps because of his former opposition to the gospel's advance or perhaps because he just knew his own heart they way we know our hearts). Paul wasn't saying that no sinner worse than him could get into heaven. He was saying that if God accepted him, then everyone should know that God is extremely patient, and His grace is for you too—regardless of what you have done.

Are you a sinner? Then Jesus came into the world to save you.

My prayer: Father, it is hard to understand why You sent Your Son for sinners. It is such a mystery that many people have rejected it. But You sent Jesus for the good of Your sworn enemies. You love those who hate You. And Your mercy can change their hate into love. Thank you for loving even me, and help me to show others that You love them too.

1 Timothy 1:14

"And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."

Regardless of who you are or what you have done, you can know God's grace in your life. Paul experienced God's grace. He describes it as overflowing. Though he was an enemy of God, God's grace didn't simply meet his spiritual need. It more than met it. God doesn't have just enough grace. He has more than enough grace. His grace overflows.

And what does overflowing grace look like? If looks like Christ. It looks like faith in Christ and love for Christ. Mankind is naturally hateful and distrusting. That any of us would ever stake our eternal destiny on One we have not ever seen with our eyes and that we would love Him, this can only come through overflowing grace.

My prayer: God, You are the God of all grace. You give blessings to we who deserve curses. You made Your Son a curse for us that we could know overflowing grace. I confess that I have sometimes considered it a very small thing that You should be gracious to me. Put me in wonder of Your work in my life.

1 Timothy 1:13

"Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief."

Paul once ignorantly lived in violent opposition to the gospel. This ignorance was not ignorance of the message of the gospel. For though he heard Stephen clearly testify of Christ's fulfilling the Old Testament, Paul approved of Stephen's execution and proceed punished other Christians for their faith in Christ (Acts 7-8). Paul's ignorance was his unbelief.

Unbelievers often hate believers for no apparent reason. Believers go about doing good, and they are hated for it. Why? Unbelievers hate Christ and His followers because the unbelievers are spiritually ignorant of the good that obedient Christians are doing for people and for God's glory. The most educated of unbelievers will often have an ignorance fueled hatred for Christ that extends to those of us who follow Him.

We who are trusting Christ should be aware that the boldest, most intelligent opponent of the gospel is acting in ignorance. We should love our enemies. We would be like them were it not for God's saving grace in our lives. And who but God knows if our faithless persecutors will soon turn to Christ, becoming our brothers and sisters.

My prayer: You are full of mercy and power. You take those who hate You, and You completely change them. You have done it so many times. There is no one who is outside Your reach. I am truly small. And knowing some of my own limitations, I seek to limit You unnaturally. But You can do whatever You please. You can change those whom I would assume are without hope. You have done it and continue to do it. How You display Your power in Your grace! Father, help me to remember these things. And keep me from ever hating those who hate me.

1 Timothy 1:12-14

"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."

Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus are well known for what they have to say about qualifications for spiritual office. There are entire lists detailing the type of person who might serve as an elder or a deacon. But here Paul sums up his qualifications with one word—faithful. God judged Paul to be faithful. But the basis of that judgment cannot be Paul's unblemished life of exemplary Christian service. Before the grace of God overflowed in faith in Paul's life, Paul was a passionate and deadly opponent of the gospel.

Perhaps God simply knew the type of man He would make Paul into. Regardless, God wants all His children to faithfully walk with Him. And it is in His strength that we can do this.

My prayer: Father, I need your strength. I know that in my own strength, I would know only failure and disappointment. I have known it before, and too often, returning to myself, I learn again that I need You. My God, I plead with you to strengthen me for faithful service—for a faithful life.

1 Timothy 1:10b-11

The law is for "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."

Christians can make the mistake of developing a fortress mentality, shutting themselves off from people discribed in verses nine and ten. Too often we misapply Romans 12:1-2, twisting "do not be conformed to the world system" to mean "do not go near anyone in the world system." We say "they are living 'contrary to sound doctrine.'" Indeed they are, and we should never look like that. So don't do anything that is contrary to sound teaching but instead spread sound doctrine to those living against it.

Though we cannot do so perfectly, our lives should reflect the glories of God. And we should use God's law to expose the reality that sinful man is not reflecting that glory at all. God's gospel worked out in our lives is the only way that mankind can ever hope to reflect the glory of the true God of Heaven.

My prayer: Father, the pull of the world's system is constant. And the evil one wants me to be swept away by it. But you are far more attractive than anything that the world has to offer. All other pursuits are empty. So please keep my heart from entertaining unhealthy, slanted, erronious teaching. May I live a life that reflects your glory, and please use me to direct those caught up in that empty way of life back to the only sorce of satisfaction—You.

1 Timothy 1:8-10

"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."

Ever since the fall, the purpose of the law has been to show mankind that we are not right with God (and that we cannot make ourselves right with Him). The law was never a means of earning favor with God. The law is for unbelievers, to show them that they too are sinners. It reveals that man is not capable of fulfilling God's standard.

If an employer had a lazy employee whom he never corrects, how will the employee know that his boss wants him to change? He cannot know. God has not left us wondering like that. We have His law recorded in the Bible (and written on our hearts). The law reveals that man's way, though right in his own eyes, is against God.

My prayer: God, I thank you for giving me your law. I thank you for revealing my sinfulness. I thank you for revealing my lawlessness. And I thank you for sending your son to fulfill Your law. I could never meet Your standard. All the best that I can muster is altogether unholy and profane. But You have made me just. I could never keep Your law perfectly. But Your Son died for me. When I look to Your law, I rejoice to know that You have kept it for me. It is not on me.

1 Timothy 1:6-7

"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."

Every time I read verse seven, I think about my time in a Christian college's dorm. There were many confident assertions made about the Bible there, but in many cases, the debaters barely knew what they were talking about. Their problem was immaturity.

The way to a mature walk with God is through love. In your dealings with other people, are you hoping they will look well upon you? Do you want to look smart or to look like you are further along then they are? If those are your goals, you will be easily lead astray into meaningless discussions. You will talk without understanding and think you sound good. But as 1 Cor.13:1 teaches, you will be a meaningless noisemaker.

If, on the other hand, you want your relationships to be valuable, you must be driven by love. Seek to understand God's love for you. And as you understand that love, share it with others by living example and verbal testimony. That will be a faithful stewardship of your faith, and it will protect you from lofty-headed worthlessness.

1 Timothy 1:5

"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Right in the middle of a section dealing with the measures taken to thwart false teaching, Paul draws attention to the need for love. Love should motivate us. When a believer is right with God, they follow in His steps. And God always acts in love. Even when dealing with false teachers, we should follow this example and act in love.

1 Timothy 1:3-4

"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 purity of the church's teaching is a serious thing and was one of the major reasons Paul left Timothy in Ephesus. Timothy was supposed to stay to keep false teaching from spreading. There were some people who were becoming sidetracked. They were not focused on Christ and the outworking of faith in Him. These distracted people were giving attention to intellectually intriguing diversions that were directing them away from God and toward themselves.

A self-ward focus is incredibly easy to develop, but it is not satisfying. We are not designed to find happiness in ourselves. Everyone is designed to find his joy in God. And beyond that, for those who are believers, there is a special responsibility to find our joy by walking with God as we advance the plan of God in our lives. But when we focus on distractions rather than Christ, we are poor stewards who have given ourselves to worthlessness.

1 Timothy 1:1-2

"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."

This greeting/opening to Paul's letter is rather standard. He identifies himself, immediately points to God and then prayerfully greets the one to whom the letter is addressed. Nothing out of the ordinary that demands particular attention. But when I read this greeting several weeks ago, I wondered what it means for Paul to be what he was "by command of God."

God has complete sovereignty over all aspects of our lives—what we do, what we think, how we interact with people, and how we approach Him. Most people (even some Christians) would view such a relationship as oppressive. And if a human had that kind of influence on another human, it would be oppressive—even abusive. But God is God. He is not like us. He wields this authority in a way that none of us could, even if we had the best of intentions.

Paul accepted God's command on his life. He embraced it because God's will is what was best for him. The same is true for me and all of God's creation. God, in His infinite wisdom, knows what is best for us. If we follow Him, we will find the greatest satisfaction possible.

I don't believe that that truth is necessarily the point of these two verses. But it is an underlying reality that makes the first a little clearer.

the next book

After studying Corinthians off and on since early 2007, I'm finally ready to move on to another book. I'm thinking a shorter book is in order.

I'm actually planning to study Isaiah with Laurel starting next month. But that doesn't qualify at all as a shorter book, so I won't be considering it here right now. Revelation is also calling to me, but again it's not so short. During field preparation seminar last month, my attention was drawn to the pastoral epistles. And with my ordination quickly approaching, perhaps 1 Timothy is the best choice right now. So here we go.

Hopefully it won't take three years to get through these short, six chapters.

1 Corinthians 16:19-24

"The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."

After sending greetings to the Corinthians from various believers, Paul returns to the subject of love to close the book. He already spent the better part of a chapter teaching us what love looks like and helping us realize love's importance. But in these closing verses, Paul uses even stronger language than he did earlier in the book.

He says, "if anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed." In other words, love God or be damned. That's unsettling! How can we be given such an ultimatum? Well, I don't think it is an ultimatum. I think its a warning that if you don't love Him, you are not His.

When you come to understand how God revels Himself in the Bible, you must either love Him or hate Him. Those who love Him, love Him because they are His. And troubling statements will not cause them to stumble though they must wrestle through them at times. Those who have no love for him will simply reject Him and go into eternity as His enemy.

1 Corinthians 16:15-18

"Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men."

Biblical leadership looks very different from the corporate model. The top down structure of the business world elevates the leader to a position of superiority. And if he lords it over his underlings, that's just his right. But in the church, the business pyramid is flipped on its head. The leader is the servant of all. He is to lift those he leads up before the Lord.

Paul tells the Corinthians to subject themselves to their leaders. And yet, there seems to be no condemnation of Apollos for not doing what Paul wanted him to do. Believers are supposed to subject themselves to their leaders. But their leaders are not to demand submission.

What does the servant / servant-leader relationship look like then?

• There is no superiority or inferiority. No person's position, wealth, or influence make him better than any other person.
  
• Spiritual leaders are to lead by serving. And their service is very valuable both to other leaders and to the church at large.
• Believers are to voluntarily put themselves under the direction of their spiritual leadership. But they are not to blindly follow their leaders. Those under leadership are still responsible to think and make decisions for themselves, before God.

1 Corinthians 16:12-14

"Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."

Paul had a strong opinion about what Apollos should be doing. He believed Apollos should go minister to the Corinthians. But Apollos wanted to continue ministering where he was. Knowing that the Corinthian believers were going to be without the benefit of Apollos' help, Paul urged them to stand firm in the faith and in love.

God gifts the church with preachers and teachers to lead His people toward a closer walk with Him. When a church is struggling, no man no matter how gifted, is the answer. But God can use a man to direct His people toward Himself. The pastor is to be directing God's people to follow him in watchfulness, to be firm in the faith, to be strong, and to act in love.

1 Corinthians 16:10-11

"When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers."

Timothy was to be put at ease by the Corinthians. The NASB translates the phrase "without cause to be afraid." I doubt that this was a fear for his life or safety. This is more like the apprehension you feel when visiting someone for the first time when you really want them to like you. Timothy, no doubt, wanted to start relationships that would be used to minister to the Corinthian believers. So Paul tells the Corinthians to recognize Timothy's desire to serve the Lord and to accept him and help him in that. Timothy was to be honored, not held in contempt.

As one often on the receiving end of this type of situation, I certainly find it easier to serve the Lord when people warmly welcome us. The cold barriers that people put up to protect themselves more often damage than protect.

1 Corinthians 16:5-9

"I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."

I need to be content to say the same type of thing. Being a missionary, raising support, I have been asked from the beginning, "when do you plan to be there?" I've always hated that question. It's frustratingly difficult to give a difinitive answer. The question is asked in almost every church we visit and is a constant reminder of the uncertainty of our schedule. Usually I say we want to be in Romania by . . . or it will depend on . . .

I don't have to know when God will have us where in Romania. I will make plans and have intensions. But I must always remember that God has something for me everywhere He puts me, and He is to be trusted even if He doesn't follow my plan.

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

"Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me."

Beginning to wrap his letter up, Paul moves from the subject of the resurrection to some final, practical considerations. The first of these is a voluntary collection of funds for the struggling saints in Jerusalem. The believers in Corinth were instructed (probably because they asked about it) to systematically prepare a gift that could be delivered to the believers in Jerusalem. The Corinthians were to gather everything together and have it ready to go to Jerusalem before Paul arrived at Corinth. The gift was to be delivered by trustworthy believers of Corinth. Paul had not yet decided if he would accompany them on the journey to Jerusale or have them go on without him.

There are several potential lessons in these directions for those who have oversight over fellow believers' giving.

• Do not resort to emotional or heavy handed tactics when collecting money. Paul wanted everything taken care of before he arrived. Perhaps this was so that people did not feel pressured to give by an apostle.
• The farther a spiritual leader can be from the actual control and handling of the funds, the better. Paul was considering going to Jerusalem, but he was not going to take the collection himself. Whether or not he went, several trustworthy laymen were to make the delivery.
• Each believer was to personally decide what God would have him give. There is no call for a certain amount. They were simply to set "something aside . . . as he may prosper." While percentages are helpful guides, the important thing is that we are giving and that we are sensitive to what God wants us to give.

1 Corinthians 15:58

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Because of the confidence that Christians can have about what lies ahead, our lives should be resolute. We should have an immovably fixed persistence to our lifestyle. We should be driven to serve the Lord. The text says we should be "abounding in the work of the Lord." The word translated abounding conveys the idea of an abundance. We do not merely meet expectations, fulfilling the minimum required to get by. We exceed what anyone might expect of us. We push forward with an insatiable drive to serve the one who freed us from all fear because we want to bring Him glory. And He is most clearly glorified by our worship spreading to others. When we worshipfully serve the Lord, the Holy Spirit uses our efforts to bring others to meet the Savior.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Death marches relentlessly forward upon the human race. We can evade it temporarily, but at the time appointed, this life will end for all of us. And for those without confidence about what lies ahead, death has a terrible sting. It strikes wide, deep, and long. Death conquers and conquers and conquers still. But it's victory is not universal.

Those who know Christ as their savior will experience no sting in death. For them "death is swallowed up in victory." They have nothing to fear: sin (the sting of death) has been paid for by Christ's death and the law (the deadly force of sin) has been satisfied by Christ's obedience in life. While it is true that some who are trusting in Christ still fear the unknowns of death, Christians can at least be certain that since Jesus was not defeated in death, we will not be either. Don't fear what you don't know. Rejoice in what is certain.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53

"I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality."

We cannot in our current form experience the fullness of blessing that God has in store for us. Physical bodies are temporal, limited, and decaying. Spiritual, heavenly blessings are unending, unending, and so far beyond us that they can only be fully enjoyed in spiritual bodies.

Not every Christian must die to experience these blessings. Some will be transformed without death at Christ's return. It will happen in an instant. The day will seem like any other, then mortal to immortal, dieing to incorruptible.

This truth is encouraging on a couple of levels.

1. We will eventually be freed from the pains of decay that we are progressively subjected to as we grow older.
2. We will enjoy a fuller, deeper fellowship with God.
3. We will be freed from the corruption of temptation to sin.
4. Whether or not we experience death, we "must" experience this new life.
   

1 Corinthians 15:46-49

"But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."

There is no disputing that we are dust. Our predecessors all lived their lives and died. After death (with the exception of the occasional ice man), they all decomposed, returning to dust. But that is not all that awaits us. If we, though faith in Christ, are of heaven, then we will follow Him in victory over death. "We shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."