holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. (1 Timothy 1:19, NIV)
1 Timothy 1 ends with these somber words to Timothy, his son in the faith, “Fight the good fight, hold on to faith and a good conscience - because some have rejected these and shipwrecked their faith.” Chapter 2 begins, “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”
Paul makes it quite clear that the end goal of our prayer is Salvation! So often we get away from the basic truth of the Gospel, which is to bring men to Salvation. I feel the Truth of the Gospel has been watered down, adulterated and changed.
Jumping straight from here to Chapter 4, which is critical for today, Paul instructs this young man Timothy - his son in the faith, “The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” Oh, goodness me! This is a phenomenal condemnation. The Holy Spirit says, according to Paul, some will abandon the faith and teach wrong doctrines. This is a warning and a challenge, and I must say that we do have a lot of false teaching - so many ‘variations’ of the Christian faith are being taught today. Think of the Mormons who call themselves the Church of the Latter Day Saints, whose teaching is founded on the Book of Mormon, rather than on the Bible and the simplicity of the Gospel.
Not only the Mormons. We have to be so careful today because people are following deceiving spirits - spirits sent to deceive even the Christians! Christians are deceived by - as Paul says - hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared with a hot iron. Deception is in the secular world, but it’s also in the Church. Paul gives examples: they forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the Truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:3-5. In my life, I’ve had to stand on that myself, and on the Promise the Lord Himself gave, that as a Believer you may drink any deadly thing given to you and it won’t hurt you. I’ve had to do that!
So Paul tells Timothy, as a good minister of Jesus Christ, to point these things out to the brothers. It’s a responsibility we have - if, like Timothy, we ourselves have been instructed in the truths of the of the faith and have followed the good teaching - having nothing to do with ‘godless myths and old wives’ tales’! I’ve been reading a book called ‘Shocked by the Bible’ which deals with these and many other issues. So many of us believe things which are not strictly according to Scripture, and yet have accepted through tradition handed down - and this can cause a drifting away towards nothing more than ‘godless myths and old wives’ tales’!
We’ve got to get back to the Truth and the Authority and the Power of God’s Word.
Paul says hold fast to the promise for this present life and the life to come: “This is a trustworthy saying that deserves FULL ACCEPTANCE - put your hope in the Living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
This brings us back to 1 Timothy 2:1 - “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for all those in authority…” Why? Verse 4, and come toBecause God our Saviour wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth.” Oh that God would bring this nation back to the Truth. I despair. What we need is old-fashioned preachers. When I was at school, a teenager, I must admit I was a hell-fire preacher. I told those boys in my school, there are only two places you go when you die, either to hell - or to Heaven. The only difference between any of us is, that the only way to escape hell is to receive Christ, His Salvation and Forgiveness. Oh that God would give us preachers that preach the Truth.