The Centrality of the Gospel in the Local Church

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The book of 1 Timothy is all about the church. This New Testament letter was written from Paul to Timothy, the young pastor of a struggling church. In it Paul explained to Timothy how the gospel forms who we are and what we do as the church. In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul said, "I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God's household, which is the church of the living God." When you ask the question, What is the church supposed to look like? 1 Timothy provides one of the clearest answers in all of the Bible. So let's look at the first chapter and see what is the first consideration—the most important consideration—that Paul would pass on to a young pastor of a struggling church. These words are immensely important, not just for the church at Ephesus two thousand years ago, but also for the church today. In this letter Paul told Timothy that the one thing he must hold on to in the church at all costs is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We Must Guard the Gospel

We Must Guard the Gospel

1 Timothy 1:3-11

Paul's first instruction to the young pastor Timothy was essentially this: Guard the gospel! This is a fascinating way to open the letter, especially when we consider all the challenges surrounding the church at Ephesus. Ephesus was a city filled with paganism and rampant immorality and idolatry, and because of these cultural pressures, Paul's first concern was to tell Timothy that he must keep people from teaching false doctrine. The summons is clear: Address anything and everything that pulls people away from the gospel.

If we lose the gospel, we lose everything. We may think other things are more urgent or more in need of addressing in the church—things like prayer, leadership, mission, materialism, or caring for one another. Paul would get to all of these things eventually, but he began by telling Timothy to guard the gospel. And we guard the gospel by the way we use God's Word, which in this case concerns His law. In this text Paul shows us how not to use God's law—how not to use His Word. We'll consider two ways not to use God's law, and then we'll think about the consequences that come when we use God's law in these unbiblical ways.

First, we must not add to the law's demands. In verse 4 Paul talked about the myths and genealogies taught by the false teachers. These false teachers were taking extrabiblical writings that included stories and myths about different Old Testament figures, and they were using14 these writings to add to God's Word. When we get to chapter 4, we'll see that they were teaching that you shouldn't get married and that you should abstain from various foods (4:3). In essence they were putting rules and regulations on God's people that are not in God's Word.

We can use the law wrongly in a second way, and it is an even worse error than the first. We must not think the law saves. These false teachers in Ephesus, along with others in the first century, were teaching that obedience to the law, even some extrabiblical laws, could help someone earn the favor of God. This kind of teaching has been going on since the first century, and it persists into the twenty-first century. Of course, false teachers won't usually come out and say that you need to earn your salvation, and sometimes they may even think they are promoting a more righteous standard for God's people. However, any time we try to add to God's gracious work in the gospel we pervert it. The idea is that by doing certain works—following certain rules or obeying certain laws—you can earn God's favor. This runs counter to the biblical gospel.

When the law is used in the wrong way, the results can be disastrous. Paul said that a wrong use of God's law was producing arrogance and ignorance among those who teach. In verse 7 we learn that these teachers were making "confident assertions" (ESV) about things they didn't even understand. Philip Ryken says it well: "There is a dangerous combination here: arrogance and ignorance" (Ryken, 1 Timothy, 11). Moreover, as a result of their teaching, they were producing confusion and deception among those who hear. The "empty speculations" (v. 4) and "fruitless discussion" (v. 6) ultimately lead to deception because people begin to think there are additional rules beyond God's law, and by doing them they can be saved. That's a serious deception.

Even if leaders in your particular church are not explicitly teaching that you can't be married or eat certain foods, you still need to be aware that those who teach the Bible are prone to add to the law's demands, implying that doing certain things will lead to salvation. We must be on guard and avoid this kind of teaching at all costs.

So, how do we use God's law? After seeing some of the wrong ways to use God's law, we need to see how it should be used. The purpose of God's law can be found in many places in Scripture, but remember, we're not talking about things like the dietary laws or regulations for sacrifices. These kinds of laws are no longer binding on Christians because the law given through Moses through the old covenant has been set aside with Christ's coming (Rom 7:6; Gal 3:24-25). There are, however,15 transcendent moral laws that have an application for God's people in all ages, such as, "Do not murder" (Exod 20:13; see Matt 5:21-22). Let's consider three different uses of God's moral law.6

So, if Paul was telling Timothy to use the law rightly, which of these three uses of the law did he have in mind in this passage? Paul seems to be referring to the restraining function of the law, the first use of the law mentioned above. Instead of the false teachers' wrong application of the law in the lives of Christians, Paul points to the law's role in curbing sin in the lives of unbelievers. This is why he said the law is not for the righteous but for the "lawless and rebellious" (v. 9).

Paul goes on to mention two benefits the right use of the law can give to the church. First, a right use of the law produces responsibility among those who teach. Paul referred to "God's plan" in verse 4: those who teach have a responsibility, a stewardship, to guard the gospel. Second, right preaching of the law, which leads lawbreaking sinners to the gospel, produces love among those who hear. Verse 5 said it beautifully: "Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith." That's what we want. We want to be a people who love God and love others out of the overflow of a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Paul tells us that only the gospel produces that kind of response.

At the end of the day, there is no list of rules to follow that I or anyone else can make up that will allow you to earn the favor of God. Whether your background is Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, or atheistic, the law of God is ingrained on your heart, even if you've never read the Word of God (Rom 2:14-15). You know the difference between good and evil because God has put it within you. Yet you cannot keep God's law perfectly. And you know you can't. The harder you try, the more you realize you fall short; however, there is One who has obeyed the law perfectly.

Christ's perfect obedience to God's will means that He was able to die on the cross to pay the price for your disobedience, and then rising from the grave, he opened the way for you to unite your life with His and be counted righteous before God. If you have never trusted in Jesus, trust Him today to be your righteousness before God. Don't buy into the lie that human achievement can make you right before God.

Ever since the church began two thousand years ago, there has been a tendency to drift away from this wonderful, glorious, gospel truth. So, regardless of who our pastors are and no matter what our programs look like, we must guard this gospel with our lives.18

We Must Celebrate the Gospel

We Must Celebrate the Gospel

1 Timothy 1:12-17

As we guard the gospel in the church, we also celebrate the gospel. In verses 12-17, Paul erupted into his personal testimony, which leads to triumphant praise. In the midst of all this, he gives us one of the most concise, clear, and compelling descriptions of the gospel in all of Scripture. It's a powerful, pregnant sentence that encapsulates the gospel in just nine English words: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (v. 15). Here we learn about the gospel, the grace of God, and the glory of God.

Paul tells us that Christ Jesus came into the world. So much truth is packed into this one word "came." We learn that the gospel of God is incarnational and undeniable.

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, didn't first come into being in Bethlehem. He already existed as the Second Person of the Trinity, the preexistent, eternal Son of God who was there with the Father and the Spirit before the foundation of the world (John 1:1-3). He committed the ultimate act of condescending grace, coming into the world as a baby born in Bethlehem. The One who was with the Father in glory put on a robe of human flesh and came to us. This is the incarnation.

But why did Jesus come? Jesus Christ came to live the life we could not live, to die the death we deserved to die, and to rise in victory over the enemies we could not conquer—sin and death. There is no greater wonder in all of history, and yet Paul tells us it's true. This is not like the myths and speculations of the false teachers (v. 4); this is "trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance" (1 Tim 1:15). This is reality. It's undeniable.

The gospel of God is also universal and personal. Now that we've established that Jesus came to save sinners, the next question is, Which sinners? Answer: All sinners who would embrace this gospel fully. And Paul said in verse 16 that he was at the top of the list of sinners. That's why we're saying the gospel is both universal and personal. It caused Paul to celebrate the grace of God, which he said "overflowed" for him (v. 14).

In verse 13, Paul talked about what he used to be: "a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man." The ESV translates this last word as an "insolent opponent." Don't forget, the guy who is writing this letter to the church used to be the church's single greatest threat. He wanted it wiped off the map! Paul oversaw the persecution of Stephen 19(Acts 8:1), the first Christian martyr, and then he devoted his life to arresting, imprisoning, and killing Christians everywhere he could. In fact, Paul was on his way to Damascus to kill Christians when he met Christ. Amazingly, God caused His grace to overflow to the one person who seemingly deserved it the least.

Paul's example in verse 13 tells us a lot about the nature of God's grace. We learn that the grace of God is unconditional, for there was nothing in Paul to draw God to Him. Paul's salvation originated in God and God alone. And the same is true for you and me. We are not saved based on any condition in us; we are saved solely on account of sovereign grace in God. His grace is unconditional.

God's grace is also purposeful. We see this in verse 14, as it produced faith and love in Paul's life. But there are even deeper purposes in God's grace. It demonstrates God's patience. Verse 14 is really good news to anyone who has ever thought, "God would not save me. I've hated Him. I've turned against Him. I've fought God at every point in my life." If you think you are beyond the mercy of God, hear this: God chose to take the chief persecutor of the church and make him the chief missionary in the church to show He is patient, He loves, and He beckons sinners to believe in Him for eternal life. No matter who you are or what you've done, these words are worthy of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (v. 15).

Not only does God's grace demonstrate His patience; it also leads to God's praise. Listen to Paul's response to God's grace in verse 17: "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." The apostle was overwhelmed that he would receive mercy from such a King.

Paul's ascription of praise in verse 17 also tells us several things about the glory of God. First and foremost, we see that His glory is royal and eternal. "Now to the King eternal, immortal." God is King of the ages, now and forevermore. He is immortal. He never grows tired or weary. He never changes. Death and decay cannot and will not ever touch Him. He's royal and eternal. We also see that God's glory is invisible and incomparable. He is "invisible, the only God." God is beyond the limits of what we can see or imagine, and no one compares with Him. He is the only God, and He will receive "honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."

Individual believers, local churches, and the church of Christ across the globe will continue to go through difficult times; however, the Head20 of this church, Christ, our God, Savior, and King, will ever be on His throne. Though opposition and challenges may come, God is the King of the ages, and He will lead, guide, protect, purify, sanctify, and preserve His church.

We Must Fight for the Gospel

We Must Fight for the Gospel

1 Timothy 1:18-20

In light of who God is and His gracious purposes, Paul gave Timothy one final exhortation in this chapter: Fight for the gospel. Timothy must "engage in battle" for the sake of the truth. To make his point Paul used Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom we know were among the false teachers at Ephesus and men who had wandered away from the gospel. Many commentators believe these men were elders in the church. This is a great reminder for pastors—and I'm including myself—that no one is immune to the temptation to wander from the gospel. No elder, no deacon, no teacher, no small-group leader, and no member of the church is exempt from this warning. That's why Paul said we must fight for the gospel. This fight is carried out in at least two ways.

We fight for the gospel in our lives. We're in a war, brothers and sisters in Christ, in our lives, in our marriages, and in our families. Whether you're a teenager at school or a businessperson at work, a battle is raging all around you. Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms are active, and they are warring against your soul (Eph 6:12). The Devil and all the minions of hell will entice you with deceptions and incite you with divisions because they do not want the gospel to resound in and through your life, your marriage, your family, or any other area. This battle will look differently in each of our lives, but do not be caught off guard—you are in a war. So fight the good fight. Stand strong amid all the challenges that come from outside and inside the church. Keep "faith and a good conscience" (v. 19).

Finally, we fight for the gospel in our churches. Paul talked about Hymenaeus and Alexander being handed over to Satan in verse 20. This is almost certainly referring to excommunication from the church, which we read more about in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:15-20. These two men were cast out of the church to show that they were separated from Christ, with the hope and prayer that they would realize their error and return to Christ. Paul was essentially telling Timothy,21 "You and the church must take severe measures at certain times to fight for this gospel. Take them."

Whatever you do, hold on to the gospel. It is the only thing that unites the church, and it is the only thing that will sustain God's people in difficult days. Indeed, this is a gospel worth guarding and defending, and this is a gospel worth celebrating forever.

Reflect and Discuss