I Timothy 1 v 6, 7 Missing the mark and law

 ‘Which some, having missed the mark, have turned away into empty talk, 7 wishing to be teachers of the law, not exercising their minds neither to understand what they are saying nor around which they emphatically assert’, (I Timothy 1 v 6, 7). 

Already, some of the teachers in the Ephesian assembly had missed the mark. They had turned away from the essence of the gospel message into unprofitable ‘empty talk’, into babbling. They desired to be teachers of Covenant law. Today, Christian legalists do not usually go this far. Although insisting on using divine law as a ‘spur’ to urge wayward Christians to turn back to the Messiah, Christian legalists do not usually become teachers, experts or consultants specialising in Covenant or Levitical law. Rather, they tend to constantly refer to the ‘Moral law’ and use ‘proof texts’ to ‘prod’ wayward Christians to turn to the Messiah in repentance. In public prayers they often talk about how Christians have fallen short of the standards and ideals of God’s ‘Moral law’, and about how unworthy Christians are in their day-to-day lives. If someone is persuaded of the importance and relevance of divine law to living a godly life, then becoming a teacher of law is a logical and consistent step to take, since they regard the law as being essential to godliness. But Paul objects to such reasoning and says that those wishing to be teachers of the law were ‘not exercising their minds’. There it is again, Paul’s emphasis on the Christian’s mind such that they think and reason things through to a conclusion in the light of the gospel. Paul says that those Christian teachers wishing to be teachers of the law are not making the effort to use their minds in order to come to the right conclusion. Furthermore, these Ephesian teachers were emphatically asserting their opinions. They were making bold, confident statements about the law as they sought to impose Levitical law on Christians at Ephesus. But Paul says that they don’t understand what they are saying. He goes on to explain what he means.

I Timothy 1 v 3 – 5 - Christian teachers missing the mark

 Paul makes reference to law in his first letter to Timothy. At the start of his letter Paul reminds Timothy of the instructions that he had given to him before Paul left for a journey to Macedonia.

‘Just as I was travelling to Macedonia, I called you near to remain in place in Ephesus so that you might give instruction from close beside to any one not to teach differently. 4 Nor to hold their mind towards fables and endless genealogies which hold near searching questions and disputes, rather than administration of God’s household which is within entrustment’, (I Timothy 1 v 3 – 4).

Paul and Timothy were both at Ephesus and as Paul was about to make a journey to Macedonia he had some concerns about the teachers in the Ephesian assembly, so he called Timothy close beside. He instructed him to remain in Ephesus because he was concerned that some in the Ephesian assembly were beginning to teach ideas and principles that were contrary to, or hindering the good news that Paul had announced to the Ephesians. The problem was similar to what Paul had faced with the Galatians – some of the Ephesian teachers were drifting away from the gospel. So he called Timothy aside and instructed him not to allow any one to teach differently from the teaching Paul had already declared. Some in the Ephesian assembly were allowing themselves to be ‘side-tracked’, to be ‘knocked off course’ because they were paying attention to myths and fables. There were many such false stories circling in society and some of these Christian teachers were paying too much attention to them in their teaching. Other Christian teachers were focussing their minds on endless genealogies, going into deep examination of them and engaging in the different opinions and disputes that arose from them. The problem was that such interests were drawing attention away from the administration of God’s household, of Christians, which does not reside in such disputes, but within faith. 

‘But the aim of the instruction is practical benevolent love from out of a clean heart, good conscience and sincere entrustment’, (I Timothy 1 v 5). Paul was not trying to be negatively critical, nor was he being divisive or merely protecting his own opinions. Rather, his aim in giving this instruction to Timothy was that the Ephesian Christians would mature into practical benevolent love from out of a deep inner core that was clean, and had a good conscience and sincere persuasion and entrustment. His concern was that some were already missing the mark. 

Galatians 6 v 6 – 8 - Sharing teaching

 ‘Now let the one being taught within the word, share the teaching within all goodness, 7 not leading astray. God is absolutely not ridiculed, because whatever a man is sowing, this also he will harvest. 8 Because sowing towards his flesh, from the flesh he will reap decay from within. But sowing towards the Breath, away from the Breath he will reap perpetual life’, (Galatians 6 v 6 – 8).

The Judaizers had come in to the Galatian assemblies with teaching. They were assertively teaching, instructing and exhorting that Christians had to follow Sinai Covenant law as the means of obtaining and maintaining divine judicial approval. So Paul goes ‘back to basics’ and says that Christians who have been taught within the word and who are sharing teaching should do so ‘within all goodness, not leading astray’. Such an individual should share the teaching honestly and faithfully. They should not twist the teaching in order to gain a good reputation, or to gain the advantages of status, material wealth or comfort.

Paul says, ‘Make no mistake. God is not ridiculed’. Why? ‘Because whatever a man is sowing, this also he will harvest’. Those who teach using malicious, deceitful motives are described as ‘sowing towards their flesh’, and the result of this is that  ‘from the flesh he will reap decay from within’. Elsewhere Paul describes the physical body and a ‘body of death’. This is because the impulses and raw passions inherent in our flesh are in opposition to God, and following these impulses – such as twisting the gospel message to obtain a good reputation – leads to withering away, to insensitivity and unresponsiveness to God and ultimately to divine disapproval and judicial condemnation. 

This is contrasted with the teacher who shares the word and the teaching accurately and faithfully. ‘… sowing towards the Breath, away from the Breath he will reap perpetual life’. The opposite of ruin, loss, withering away and death is ‘life’ – abundant life, life with a capital ‘L’, perpetual life.