These are my notes from My pastor's exposition a while back of 1st Timothy. I know I can't put it back together from my notes like he put it but I hope that I can record and convey the gist of the content of this sermon. We started out with 1Tim 1:1-7:
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. 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 aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 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. 1Tim 1:1-7; ESV)
Paul had told Timothy to stay at Ephesus to be a good steward of orthodox teachings - don't get sidetracked by inessentials. The core of this is V5, highlighted above. Paul gives three characteristics of Biblical love:
- a pure heart
- a good conscience
- sincere faith
...and Paul states that some people stray from these characteristics as they stray from true doctrine (reaching of truth) because truth and love are connected. Teaching wrong doctrine is untruth that can only spring from un-love because wrong doctrine is about destroying lives and souls eternally.
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It can't have been a pleasant or easy mission that Paul gave Timothy - to stay at Ephesus and straighten out their theology. (The last thing anyone ever wants is to have their theology straightened out!) But to fail to do it would be un-love that would spring from a bad heart, conscience, and faith.
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