1 Timothy 1 Pt. 2 Warnings Against False Teachers and Maintaining Pure Faith In Christ.

1 Timothy 1:1-2  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; 2)  Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We looked at Paul's greeting to young Timothy in our last post. Immediately, the apostle is going to address an area of concern that he has. His goal is to make sure Timothy does not back down from apostolic teaching. 

Timothy instructed to confront false teachers at Ephesus.

1 Timothy 1:3  As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 

You may have noticed a pattern as you read through the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ and all of the apostles, warned about false teachers propagating false doctrine. 

There are more than 50 places in the New Testament where such warnings are given. God provided clear warnings to His church in all ages, so that we may stay true to His Word. 

Here, Paul reveals that the specific reason he left Timothy behind in Ephesus, while the apostle traveled, was regarding false doctrine.

Paul had some specific people in mind that he wanted Timothy to speak to. The young pastor was to give them a charge. 

A charge is a strong and solemn admonition against teaching anything, other than what Paul taught. 

There is no pride on Paul's part, in giving this charge against teaching other doctrine. 

Since the apostolic teaching is inspired by the Spirit of God, their words carry the same weight as the Old Testament prophets. 

It is God speaking to man through the apostles, and His words must be heard and heeded.

Pastors must not only be charged to preach the true doctrine of the gospel, but charged to preach no other doctrine. 

Galatians 1:6-9  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7)  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8)  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9)  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 

Paul wrote to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia. He was shocked and surprised that they had been led astray from the gospel so quickly.

Some false teacher preached another gospel, that is entirely different from the gospel of Christ. 

They perverted the gospel by twisting the inspired text to say something different from what God intended.  

These men held the truth in unrighteousness (See Romans 1:18). 

They changed the truth into a lie (See Romans 1:25).

Paul very strongly warned the Galatians to reject false teaching and those who pervert the gospel of Christ. 

Paul already preached the only true Gospel to them. If he were to preach any other, he would incur the curse of God. 

Even if false teachers pretend that they received a new gospel from an angel, let them be accursed. 

We must separate them from our company, and have no fellowship with them. God will judge those who rebel against Him by adding to or taking away from His Word.

Jews and Gentiles propagated false teaching. 

1 Timothy 1:4  Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Ephesus was a thoroughly pagan city filled with idolatry, immorality and perversion. Pagans propagate fables, which refers to the Egyptians, Greek and Roman mythologies. 

Romans 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 

Each mythology worshiped creatures rather than God the Creator. They made idols that look like men, birds, beasts, reptiles and so on. They fabricated elaborate rituals that might gain favor with their false gods.

Acts 19:8-10  And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9)  But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. 10)  And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Meanwhile, the Jews at Ephesus rejected the gospel of Christ, as so frequently happened. 

Paul went to their synagogue and boldly preached the gospel of Christ to the Jews for 3 months.

Yet, they became hardened against the gospel. They spread lies about the Christian faith and vilified the apostle Paul. 

God was with Paul and over a period of 2 years, all those in Asia heard the gospel of Christ. 

Paul warned Timothy to confront the Judaizers who were all about proving genealogies and family connections, rather than preparing themselves for Messiah and the kingdom of God.

Typically, the Judaizers taught that Gentiles had to be circumcised and had to obey the law of Moses or else they could not be right with God. 

Both kinds of false teaching (fables and genealogies) did not edify the church. Their teachings created confusion, questions and endless disputes.

This is why Paul instructed Timothy to confront false teachers in the church, so that if they refused to listen and repent, they would be excluded from the church.

Genealogical questions spread by the Jews lead to strife and debate. In contrast, the glorious gospel of Christ leads us to love God and man, through faith in Christ. 

Repentant faith in Christ leads to a clean conscience before God. 

1 Timothy 1:5  Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 

Genealogical questions left each persons heart under the depraving influence of a heart that is deceitful and wicked. 

In contrast, true, repentant faith in Jesus purifies the heart. When the Spirit of God regenerates a repentant sinner, He pours the love of God into our heart (See Romans 5:5). 

This love and the fruit of the Spirit is worked into us, and leads a Christian into a joyful compliance with God's commands (See Galatians 5:22-23). 

This results in the believer having a good or clear conscience before God. We have a pure and real faith, not a hypocritical faith like the Pharisees had.

Hypocrites attempt to mask their internal corruption. 

Matthew 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Pharisees focused only on the externals, but inwardly were full of dead men's bones. Jesus compared them to above ground burial structures that were freshly whitewashed. 

The Pharisees, like freshly painted sepulchres, looked nice and clean on the outside. 

However, inwardly, their hearts were corrupt, just as a white sepulchre housed decayed bones. 

The Judaizers pretended to have faith in Christ in order to bring in the Mosaic law into the church. 

They did not grasp that a heart regenerated by the Spirit of God, will want to obey God's law, and will not need a religious system to impose it. 

Avoid any teaching that turns you away from God's inspired truth. 

Titus 1:13-14  This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14)  Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. 

Titus was the other pastor whom Paul instructed. He too, faced problems caused by Judaizers. They propagated Jewish fables, instead of embracing inspired truth from God. 

Paul told Titus to sharply rebuke them, because their false teaching was turning people away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The beautiful design of God in giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world is for men to have an unfeigned faith.

A living faith is the kind that lays hold on Christ crucified, and that produces a good conscience before God.

Living faith basks in the reality that we have received full forgiveness and a complete pardon for our sins.  

A living faith that leads us to purity of heart and instills in us a love for God and man. 

Those whose souls are filled with love to God and man, have a pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith. 

These wonderful things are part of all spiritual blessings that we have in Christ Jesus, and they are appropriated by faith (See Ephesians 1:3).

Let us therefore, live by faith, keeping our eyes upon Jesus Christ, the Author and finisher of our faith.

Let us live for His glory, by gladly taking up our cross and following Him. 

Bob