Know Who You Are
Randy Murray
This series “The Goal” had as its theme verse 1 Tim 1:5 “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned”. It is interesting to place this verse contextually in the letter Paul is writing to his “own son in the faith’ (1Tim 1:2). In 1 Tim 1:3-4 Paul instructs this young pastor who has a tiger by the tail in trying to minister to the church at Ephesus:
“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. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith, so do.”
So when Paul says “the end of the commandment” he is referring to the charge he gave young Timothy in vs 3 to teach no other doctrine than the one he has learned from his “father in the faith”. Paul goes on to tell him to avoid fables and endless genealogies which are each components of much of Jewish tradition (fables) as well as rabbi resumes (genealogies) of that day (do we have this issue today? a whole other lesson).
When we get to verse 6, Paul actually describes this type of teaching as “vain jangling” which in the King James (forgive me, I am not KJV only but I am KJV first when it comes to Bible study) is a not so kind description of a teacher who has no basis for the doctrine he is proposing. Paul warns us and Timothy as well as Titus about false doctrine in many scriptures and proposes the teaching of same as one of the greatest dangers to the church. I suggest it is still the same today.
Finally toward the end of this passage at the end of 1 Tim 1:10 Paul warns Timothy against “any other thing contrary to sound doctrine” which he contrasts in v 11 to “the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust”. A very important verse and one that along with the rest of these verses should be compared to the entirety of Colossians chapter 2.
The key verses for this past Sunday’s message were Titus 1:15-16. Again let’s set these verses contextually to see the intent of the Holy Spirit as He guides Paul’s thoughts. Paul has told Titus that he left him in Crete to set in order the things wanting and to ordain elders. One of the principal requirements for these elders was “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able to by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). Then Paul gives a not so flattering description of the gainsayers and wraps it up by telling Titus to “rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith” (so these were believers). In verse 14 he continues with the description of the rebuke “not giving heed to Jewish fables and the commandments of men that turn from the truth”. Of course, this is followed by our key verses of Sunday. Finally, in Titus 2:1 Paul instructs Titus to speak the things which become sound doctrine. Sound familiar?
The church………the Body of Christ (which you were baptized into by the Holy Spirit at the moment of belief 1 Cor 12:13, like it or not) is described as the pillar and support of THE truth (emphasis mine) 1 Tim 3:15. We (Body of Christ) are charged with the edification of one another and this takes place in a number of different ways but it is difficult to “put on Christ” (Rom 13:14) if you know nothing of what He has said concerning you. You find these things between the covers of THE BOOK.
Matt listed a number of scriptures at the end of his message on Sunday and encouraged us to dwell on these things. As a believer, you HAVE the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). He is in you………..and you are in Him. All He has is yours………and all you have is His. In such a relationship, knowing what He thinks of you, what He has done for you, what He has done in you and His will for this age are of utmost importance. Study to show thyself approved.
This series “The Goal” had as its theme verse 1 Tim 1:5 “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned”. It is interesting to place this verse contextually in the letter Paul is writing to his “own son in the faith’ (1Tim 1:2). In 1 Tim 1:3-4 Paul instructs this young pastor who has a tiger by the tail in trying to minister to the church at Ephesus:
“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. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith, so do.”
So when Paul says “the end of the commandment” he is referring to the charge he gave young Timothy in vs 3 to teach no other doctrine than the one he has learned from his “father in the faith”. Paul goes on to tell him to avoid fables and endless genealogies which are each components of much of Jewish tradition (fables) as well as rabbi resumes (genealogies) of that day (do we have this issue today? a whole other lesson).
When we get to verse 6, Paul actually describes this type of teaching as “vain jangling” which in the King James (forgive me, I am not KJV only but I am KJV first when it comes to Bible study) is a not so kind description of a teacher who has no basis for the doctrine he is proposing. Paul warns us and Timothy as well as Titus about false doctrine in many scriptures and proposes the teaching of same as one of the greatest dangers to the church. I suggest it is still the same today.
Finally toward the end of this passage at the end of 1 Tim 1:10 Paul warns Timothy against “any other thing contrary to sound doctrine” which he contrasts in v 11 to “the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust”. A very important verse and one that along with the rest of these verses should be compared to the entirety of Colossians chapter 2.
The key verses for this past Sunday’s message were Titus 1:15-16. Again let’s set these verses contextually to see the intent of the Holy Spirit as He guides Paul’s thoughts. Paul has told Titus that he left him in Crete to set in order the things wanting and to ordain elders. One of the principal requirements for these elders was “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able to by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). Then Paul gives a not so flattering description of the gainsayers and wraps it up by telling Titus to “rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith” (so these were believers). In verse 14 he continues with the description of the rebuke “not giving heed to Jewish fables and the commandments of men that turn from the truth”. Of course, this is followed by our key verses of Sunday. Finally, in Titus 2:1 Paul instructs Titus to speak the things which become sound doctrine. Sound familiar?
The church………the Body of Christ (which you were baptized into by the Holy Spirit at the moment of belief 1 Cor 12:13, like it or not) is described as the pillar and support of THE truth (emphasis mine) 1 Tim 3:15. We (Body of Christ) are charged with the edification of one another and this takes place in a number of different ways but it is difficult to “put on Christ” (Rom 13:14) if you know nothing of what He has said concerning you. You find these things between the covers of THE BOOK.
Matt listed a number of scriptures at the end of his message on Sunday and encouraged us to dwell on these things. As a believer, you HAVE the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). He is in you………..and you are in Him. All He has is yours………and all you have is His. In such a relationship, knowing what He thinks of you, what He has done for you, what He has done in you and His will for this age are of utmost importance. Study to show thyself approved.
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