The Family of Faith: Who We Are and What We Do

The God-centered life is the Christ-empowered life. Returning to Paul's words in verses 14-15 concerning our identity as the household of God, we need to realize what these truths mean in the context of the church. These truths about Christ and the gospel should radically change the way we live and the way our churches function. There is nothing like the church in all the world, no other body more significant in all of history, nor will there ever be. Let us, then, pay close attention to God's instructions about the way we live and relate to one another in the body of Christ.

What We Do

1 Timothy 4:1-16

As we move to chapter 4, we're going to look at Paul's instructions. We'll see that these verses have a twofold application. First, these verses are filled with personal instructions to Timothy, the young pastor of the church at Ephesus. At one level Paul's words apply directly to Timothy and the other elders. At the same time, as a second application, Paul is speaking about things that are important to all members of the church concerning what we need to do in these "later times" (1 Tim 4:1). That phrase later times is basically the New Testament's description of the period of time between Jesus' ascension into heaven and His second coming from heaven. Being vigilant in these "latter days" is something that should concern every follower of Christ.

The first thing we do, Paul says in verse 1, is we detect error in the church. There were apparently people in Ephesus who were questioning the true teaching of the Word and spreading false teaching that did not derive from the Word. Paul told Timothy and the church to watch out for these people. We would do well to consider the source of these errors.

Verse 1 clearly identifies false teachings as demonic teachings. Paul refers to people who had apparently paid "attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons." Don't be fooled: false teaching is demonic, straight from hell. And it comes to life through deceptive teachers. These teachers are "liars whose consciences are seared" (v. 2). They are men and women who have become numb to the truth and are spreading "irreverent and silly myths" (v. 7). Now don't misunderstand, these are not individuals who rise up in the church and announce, "My conscience is seared, and I'm here to spread lies and silliness." If only it were73 that simple. That's what makes false teaching deceptive—it often comes from people in the church who claim to be spreading the truth. We're reminded again of Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders in Acts: "Men will rise up from your own number with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them" (Acts 20:30). Remember, Paul was speaking to the elders, which implies that some of these false teachers were likely former elders in Ephesus.

False teaching was rampant in the first century, and it is rampant now. The world and the church are full of theology that is unbiblical. For example, prosperity theology says that if you trust Jesus, He will give you health and wealth. Cult theology, on the other hand, typically says that Jesus is not who you thought He was. An alternative is offered, which always turns out to be an unbiblical picture of the Son of God. And then there's what we might call popular theology, a theology consisting of ideas about life and possessions and heaven and the afterlife that comes more from best-selling books than from God's Word. Be on guard against such errors.

In light of Paul's warnings about false teachers, we should not be surprised by them. When you hear that a church member or a church leader has walked away from Christ and abandoned his or her faith, the Bible says not to be surprised. First John 2:19 talks about some people in the church who seemed to be Christians but who ultimately proved they were not by walking away from the fellowship of believers. Don't let that kind of apostasy throw your own faith into a tailspin. God has told us ahead of time that it will happen.

Even though we shouldn't be shocked by the presence of false teachers, we should always be saddened by them. The consequences of false teaching are eternally disastrous, so we should seek to keep more people from being deceived. Paul fully realized the danger of false teaching, for he began this letter by urging Timothy to confront men who were perverting the truth (1:3-4). Timothy needed to wield the Word to wage the good warfare. Likewise, all believers need to be able to detect error in the church. But how do we know when error is being taught?

In order to discern when error is being taught in the church, we need to consider the substance of what is being said. The way Paul addresses the specific false teachings in Ephesus applies to the church in all ages, including our own. Addressing the root of the false teaching, the apostle mentions two specific errors: they deny the goodness of74 God, and they distort the Word of God. When we put these two characteristics together, we're reminded of how sin entered the world. The serpent emphasized God's power and greatness, while minimizing His love and goodness. He tempted Eve to doubt that God had her best interests in mind. He asked, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Gen 3:1). He was leading her to question God's goodness and distort God's Word, and Eve bought into the lie and sinned.

Something similar was happening in Ephesus in Paul's day. If you move forward from Genesis 3 to 1 Timothy 4, you see that some teachers were teaching that certain foods should not be eaten and that people should not get married (1 Tim 4:3). Paul countered these claims by saying marriage and food are both good gifts from God's hand, gifts to be received with gratitude to God in prayer (vv. 4-5). God's people need to watch out for teachers who deny the goodness of God and distort the Word of God, either by adding to it or by taking away from it. We in the church need to be able to detect this kind of error.

Along with detecting error, it is also crucial that we declare truth to the church. In verse 6 Paul said to Timothy, "If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus." In other words, put truth before the church. Let it permeate and saturate the church. We do this in several ways.

Paul reiterates three main themes in the last part of chapter 4 related to declaring truth and combating falsehood. First, in order to combat falsehood, we hold to the truth and teach with authority. In verse 13 the apostle says, "Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching," and in verse 16, "Pay close attention to your life and your teaching." This call to teach with authority is a consistent theme in 1 Timothy. When Paul told Timothy not to let others look down on him because of his youth, the antidote to this was to "be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." Notice the first thing he mentioned—speech. The Word of God should resound from the pastor's lips, and he is to speak with authority. Read the Bible. Explain the Bible. Exhort from the Bible. Teach the Bible. That's the charge. Demonstrate your submission to the authority of Scripture, and you will lead rightly in the church as you declare the truth.

The second way to combat falsehood is to live with purity. Purity is not only about doctrine but also about one's life. Defending Christian doctrine is dependent on modeling Christian living. Elders and all75 Christians must keep a close watch on their lives. Robert Murray M'Cheyne, a pastor who was used mightily by God in Scotland in the early 1800s, is a great example for us in this regard. M'Cheyne died when he was only 30, and his gravestone reads as follows:

M'Cheyne once said, "My people's greatest need is my personal holiness." These are humbling words, and they ought to lead pastors and all believers to spur one another on with lives of love and holiness. Sadly, however, this is not the testimony of many pastors. Consider the following statistics, which are nothing short of jaw-dropping:

These statistics should cause pastors and all followers of Christ to tremble. We must watch our life and doctrine.

Third, we combat error and uphold truth as we train for eternity. Verses 7-8 are the key verses here: "Train yourself in godliness, for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." Scholars believe at this time the people of Ephesus spent a great deal of time and money training athletes for a variety of festivals and athletic contests. This may well have been in Paul's mind as he talked about the "training of the body" (Ryken, 1 Timothy, 174). Now physical training is certainly valuable, and we need to care for our bodies. After all, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, so we should eat well and exercise well. Nevertheless, that kind of physical training should pale in comparison to your training in godliness. Train in prayer, in the Word, in fasting, in worship, and in sharing the gospel. Spend76 your time in that kind of training. Your body will only last for a few years, but the gains from godliness will endure forever.

In light of the importance of training in godliness, we can make two final applications. First, work out your own salvation progressively and persistently. In verse 16 Paul says, "Persevere in these things," referring to the commands he has already given Timothy earlier in the letter. He wanted Timothy to persist in this kind of godly training in order to save himself, meaning that Timothy's salvation would come to completion as he was molded more and more into the image of Christ. This call for diligence applies to all Christians.

Second, work hard for others' salvation locally and globally. Paul told Timothy he would save not only himself but also his hearers. Now obviously Paul is not saying that we, in and of ourselves, can save people. Only Christ saves. That is obvious from Paul's writings and the Bible in general. But Christ has chosen to bring His salvation to people through the church—members and leaders of the body of Christ. Healthy churches mean healthy displays of the gospel to a lost world, which results in men and women coming to Christ.

When the goodness of Christ and the character of Christ and the Word of Christ are evident in the church, people in the world will be drawn to Him. This is why we guard the truth so people will be saved by it. This is why we live with purity so people see the difference Christ makes. This is why we train for godliness so people see in us the majesty of Christ. May everything we do draw people to our great Savior.