1 Timothy 1:3-7

1. SOUND DOCTRINE 1:3-20

1.

DANGER TO SOUND DOCTRINE 1 Timothy 1:3-11

a.

False Teachers. 1 Timothy 1:3-7

Text 1:3-7

3 As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, When I was going into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine, 4 neither to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questionings, rather than a dispensation of God which is in faith; so do I now. 5 But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned: 6 from which things some having swerved have turned aside unto vain talking; 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm.

Thought Questions 1:3-7

7.

What seems to be the specific purpose of this letter to Timothy?

8.

How would Timothy know if the doctrine of certain men was false or true?

9.

Just imagine such teachers in our churches today; how could we carry out Paul's instructions?

10.

Why were such persons so interested in fables and genealogies? Where did they find them?

11.

Paul did not want questionings; he did want a dispensation of God; Explain the difference.

12.

What is meant by saying the end of the charge? Is Paul suggesting that some of the teachers in Ephesus did not have a pure heart?

13.

How could anyone teach that which he did not know? Explain,

14.

What were these men confidently affirming?

Paraphrase 1:3-7

3 As I entreated thee to continue in Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia, I now, by commandment of God, require thee so to do; that thou mayest charge the Judaizers not to teach differently from the inspired apostles of Christ.
4 Nor to inculcate fabulous traditions, invented to prove that men cannot be saved unless they obey the law of Moses; and uncertain genealogies, by which every Jew endeavors to trace his descent from Abraham, and which by their uncertainty occasion disputes, rather than the great edification which is through a right faith only.
5 Now the scope of the charge to be given by thee to these teachers is, that instead of inculcating fables and genealogies, they inculcate love to God and man proceeding from a pure heart, and directed by a good conscience, and nourished by unfeigned faith in the gospel doctrine.

6 From which things some teachers having swerved, have in their discourses turned aside to foolish talking; talking which serves no purpose but to discover their own folly, and to nourish folly in their disciples.
7 As thou mayest know by this, that they set themselves up as teachers of the law of Moses, though they understand neither what they themselves say concerning it, nor the nature of the law they establish.

Comment 1:3-7

1 Timothy 1:3. It is just as important to conserve the results as it is to obtain them. Paul was as concerned about the faith of the Christians in Ephesus after they became converts as he was before they accepted. The grevious wolves, and the perverse teachers from among the elders at Ephesus, had evidently arisen. (Acts 20:29-30). The purpose for Timothy's stay in Ephesus was a doctrinal problem. He was to do a job of teaching. Paul felt it to be a very urgent matter. There was and is a norm of truth. Any deviation from this norm is serious and must be corrected. The correction is going to be authoritative. Timothy is to give orders as a superior officer in the army of God. Those in the army of God are to give heed. Any teaching, different from, or added to the one already delivered by the apostles, is to be rejected and corrected.

1 Timothy 1:4. The particular (although evidently not the only) difficulty in the area of teaching, had to do with a certain type of pedigree tracing. Evidently it meant a great deal to be able to show that Abraham (or some other illustrious Jewish leader) was your great-great-great grandfather. In the attempt to trace such descent, certain stories would be discovered about your relatives, which were in truth but fables, Endless questions could be asked and discussed. For an example of this practice, the Jewish Book of Jubilees would be a good source. This did not help anyone-least of all did it promote the cause of Christ in Ephesus, It must be corrected!

1 Timothy 1:5. Paul wants Timothy to know that he is not simply to authoritatively contradict such false teachers, but to, in the correction, produce pure hearts, good consciences, and unhypocritical faith. Could it be that such false teachers were teaching as they did because they had none of these virtues? It would seem then that their fine-spun name tracing was a smoke-screen for a sinful heart. How much false doctrine has moral implications, only God can know.

1 Timothy 1:6. Paul specifically states in this verse that some of the teachers (elders?) had missed the mark. How easy it is to be caught up in some side issue and miss the purpose of God. Much class discussion today is as vain and empty as that described here by Paul. It needs correction for the same reason.

1 Timothy 1:7. How could anyone confidently affirm that of which he was ignorant? It is not to be understood that these teachers were entirely ignorant of the law of Moses; indeed they professed to be specialists in the Law. They majored in minors and missed the whole purpose of the very subject they were professing to teach. Worse yet, they taught a different purpose than that intended by God. If these teachers understood the true meaning of these fables, they would never have taught them, It is sad and serious to be spiritually blind, but how tragic to observe the blind leading the blind to the ditch!

Fact Questions 1:3-7

7.

Why did Paul leave Timothy in Ephesus?

8.

If there was no New Testament in the day when Paul wrote to Timothy, what would Timothy use as a standard of truth?

9.

Why the great interest of some in genealogies?

10.

Why did the discussion about genealogies become unprofitable?

11.

What is the meaning of the phrase: the end of the charge?

12.

What was the mark or the target missed by these teachers?