A note from our Pastor:

“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;”

1 Timothy 1:18

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

The Apostle detoured into a discussion of his own conversion and the personal nature of salvation but in our study verse this week returns to his original purpose in this letter. The focus of the letter is to “charge” Timothy in his ministry to stand fast in the faith himself, but also to encourage other ministers to preach only the truth of Jesus Christ. It is this important purpose which the Apostle returns to in this verse.

Timothy had seemingly already been assisting the Apostle and likely preaching the gospel before this letter. Now, as described in verse three, the Apostle is moving forward to Macedonia and leaving Timothy in Ephesus to care for the believers in that region. As such he was to charge other pastors coming up to preach no other doctrine. The focus being to avoid bringing in old things of the law or foreign ideas created in their own minds and to teach only the truth of Jesus Christ as revealed to them.

Furthermore, the Apostle has charged Timothy to help the pastors in the region avoid things which were not based in Jesus Christ. There was a temptation to get caught up in questions of lineage or other foolish questions which in the end only caused jealousy and strife between the believers. Instead, the pastors should focus on messages of charity and love which are the basis of all the teachings of Christ.

Now, in this verse, the Apostle comes back to the charge and how he is committing it to Timothy. The prophecies spoken of here not being those of divine authority, but of the recognition of men and women in the life of Timothy which had witnessed his gift. The Apostle and others recognized the blessings Timothy had received from God and the benefit he could be to the community of believers.

Finally, the Apostle encourages Timothy to war the good warfare. This is not an instruction to seek and destroy, but rather a recognition that false teachings, extra-doctrinal ideas, and other matters would consistently arise among the community of believers and it takes a diligent minister or disciple to continue to evaluate those teachings against scripture and stand against them. This truth remains today.

Let us also seek to believe nothing but the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah