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.