In 1 Timothy 1, Paul urges Timothy to teach sound doctrine and avoid getting caught up in myths, speculation, and meaningless arguments. But Paul also gives us a powerful test for what our teaching and theology should produce: “The aim of such instruction is love.” Our faith is not simply about gaining more information or winning theological arguments. What we believe should shape how we live, leading us toward love of God, love of neighbor, holiness, and a sincere faith. Today we consider whether our beliefs are actually producing the kind of love and transformation that Paul describes—and why sound doctrine should ultimately lead to holiness of heart and life.
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Good morning, friends. It’s good to be with you on this Tuesday morning. I hope you’re doing well and that all is going great as we start this week together.
Just a quick prayer request for us today. Holly and I are traveling down to Brookhaven for a funeral today. We’ll be heading down and then making the quick turnaround and coming back home tonight, so I’d appreciate your prayers for us as we travel back and forth and, more importantly, for the family we’re going to be with today.
Yesterday we started with the big picture of Timothy, and today we’re actually going to get into 1 Timothy chapter 1.
We’re going to look at verses 1 through 11.
Paul begins by identifying himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ and then addresses Timothy as his “loyal child in the faith.”
And then Paul gives Timothy an instruction.
He tells him to remain in Ephesus and instruct certain people not to teach a different doctrine, and not to get caught up in myths and endless genealogies that promote speculation rather than the kind of divine training that is known by faith.
And then Paul gives us this really important statement:
“The aim of such instruction is love.”
I think that is an incredibly important thing for us to remember.
Paul is telling Timothy to teach sound doctrine.
Teach the right things.
Teach the foundational truths of the faith.
And I think that’s a little bit like raising children.
As a parent, you can’t possibly teach your child about every circumstance that is ever going to come their way.
You can’t prepare them for every single situation.
But you can teach them foundational concepts.
You can give them a foundation that allows them to navigate situations they’ve never encountered before.
And that’s what Paul is doing with Timothy.
He’s saying, essentially, teach good fundamentals.
Teach the faith.
Teach sound doctrine.
Give people the foundation they need to live faithfully.
But then he gives Timothy a test for that doctrine.
What is the purpose?
Love.
“The aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.”
That is such an important concept.
Because the purpose of our theological training, the purpose of our devotional life, the purpose of our study of Scripture, the purpose of learning our faith is ultimately love.
If my doctrine—if what I believe—is not producing love in me, then I’m not doing it right.
If what I believe doesn’t cause me to love God more and love my neighbor more, then something has gone wrong.
That’s the point of doctrine.
It’s not simply to make us smarter.
It’s not simply to give us more information.
It’s not simply so that we can win arguments on the Internet.
The aim of our instruction is love.
I’ve mentioned before a book I really love called The Cruelty of Heresy. It was one of our seminary textbooks, and it walks through some of the ancient heresies of the church and the ways those ideas have continued to show up in different forms.
And one of the concepts that has always stuck with me is that wrong belief ultimately has consequences for how we live.
Heresy is cruel because what we believe shapes us.
Our beliefs matter.
Our doctrine matters.
But if our doctrine is producing arrogance, hatred, contempt, or constant arguments, we need to stop and ask ourselves what exactly our doctrine is producing in us.
Because Paul says:
“The aim of such instruction is love.”
And you don’t have to spend very long on the Internet to see what Paul is talking about.
You can get on YouTube.
You can read blogs.
You can scroll through social media.
And you can find all kinds of speculation.
People arguing.
People trying to prove that they are right.
People trying to prove that someone else is wrong.
And we can spend an enormous amount of energy doing that without ever becoming more loving.
And if that’s the result, we’ve missed the point.
Paul even talks about people who want to be teachers but don’t really understand what they are talking about.
And I think there’s something of humility that ought to come with teaching.
The church absolutely needs teachers.
We need Sunday school teachers.
We need Bible study leaders.
We need people who are willing to study Scripture and teach others.
But teaching should always come with humility.
One of the most faithful Christians I’ve known was always very cautious about teaching because he didn’t want to presume that he knew more than he did.
I appreciate that.
Because the more we learn, the more we should realize how much we still have to learn.
And then Paul starts talking about the law.
The law is good, he says, when it is used properly.
And Paul begins listing sins.
And one of the things Paul does repeatedly when he starts making these lists is that he has a way of getting everybody else nodding their heads before he eventually gets around to us.
We hear the list and think, “Yeah, those people are the problem.”
And then eventually we realize, “Oh. I’m in here somewhere, too.”
I’ve lied.
I’ve failed.
I’ve sinned.
I’m not standing outside of the need for grace pointing at everybody else.
I need grace, too.
And that brings me to something else that I think is important.
Our doctrine should produce holiness.
It should affect how we live.
It should affect how we love one another.
It should affect how faithful we are.
I don’t want a doctrine that simply gives me permission to remain exactly as I am.
I don’t want a theology of grace that becomes an excuse for never changing.
Now, let me be clear.
I absolutely believe God forgives us.
Scripture is clear about that.
When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.
Grace is real.
Forgiveness is real.
But we also need to remember what our forgiveness cost.
Grace is free to us, but it was not cheap.
Jesus paid an enormous price for our salvation.
So our response to grace should not be, “Well, God will forgive me, so I guess it doesn’t matter how I live.”
Our response should be gratitude.
Our response should be transformation.
Our response should be holiness of heart and life.
That’s the Wesleyan language I love.
Holiness of heart and life.
We want to align our intellect toward love.
We want to align our actions toward loving God and loving our neighbor.
If I love God, then I’m going to seek to please God with how I live.
If I love my neighbor, I’m going to seek to honor my neighbor with how I live.
That’s what Paul is telling Timothy.
“Stay there. Teach the truth. Don’t get distracted by all the speculation. Don’t get distracted by meaningless arguments. Teach the faith.”
And then remember the purpose:
The aim is love.
So today, friends, I want to say thank you to those of you who teach.
If you teach Sunday school in your church, thank you.
If you teach a small group, thank you.
If you lead a Bible study, thank you.
If you teach children or youth or adults, thank you.
We need people who are willing to teach the Word of God.
But all of us need to remember the purpose of that teaching.
The aim of divine instruction is love.
So let’s make sure that what we believe is actually producing love within us.
Let’s make sure our knowledge is leading to transformation.
Let’s make sure our doctrine is producing holiness.
And let’s make sure that the more we learn about God, the more we love God and the more we love our neighbors.
Because at the end of the day, that’s the point.
The aim is love.
Thanks for being with me today.
I’m looking forward to walking through Timothy with you. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Have a great day, friends.