Tuesdays with Timothy #3
1 Timothy 1: 5
Now the end of the commandment is charity....
The end of the commandment is referencing the charge mentioned
in verse number three. Paul besought Timothy to “charge some that
they teach no other doctrine.” A charge is to relay a message, declare, or command
and Paul instructed Timothy to relay this apostolic message. They were not to
preach any other doctrine and now we see the desired purpose of this charge to
faithful gospel preaching is love. The apostle did not suggest that they stick to gospel preaching, he commanded it to be so.
This is proved later on in the chapter when Paul speaks
of the proper uses of the law. The law can be used, but only lawfully in
accordance to the commandment given by Paul to stay in the gospel truth and teach no other doctrine. The
gospel was committed into Paul’s hands as a faithful minister (I Tim 1:11) and
this same charge of gospel fidelity was charged to Timothy (I Timothy 1:18).
Paul instructs Timothy to charge those men who desire to be teachers that they
too must hold to this command of orthodoxy. Not only are they to have the right doctrine but they are to have the right motives. Faithful gospel ministry and love
go hand in hand. The end of the
commandment is charity, or love.
The end of this commandment, (the command of orthodox
preaching), is love. It is a love for God, for if you love God you will not lie
about Him. You will not use God, God’s people, and God’s church for you own
purposes. If you love God, you won’t twist His Words in order to further your
own agenda. If you love God, you won’t willingly harm His people for evil ends. It is a love for Christ and a love for Christ's Bride. It is also a love for the people of God. The gospel ministry and the preaching
of the Word must be from a position of love of God’s people. There are hard
truths in this book. Necessarily, toes will be stepped. Sins will be exposed.
Wombs will be open. If there is not a love for God and a love for God’s people,
then it will be easy to pass by hard truths in order to keep and gain favor
with me or use the law as a club to beat men with, to take out vengeance on
people with whom you have a grudge. The more a man loves his people, the more
he must be delivered from fearing them. When
a man has been amongst his people for some time, and knows them and knows their
sins and their situations and something comes up that he KNOWS will step on
toes and may start trouble and will get someone mad at him, it is only by love
for God and a true love for His people will he lay down the hard truths, for
the good of his hearers.
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