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Now, we are studying 2nd Thessalonians here in Milk but this morning I was strongly impressed to share the Meat message with you which comes from 1st Timothy beginning at verse 5.
I do not know why – but the indicators to do so were abundant – so that is what I am going to do.
FOR MEAT ONLY So, we left of at verse four from last week so lets now pick it up at verse 5.
So after a typical salutation in verses 1-4 in his letter to Timothy, Paul says:
1st Timothy 1.5-15
August 30th 2020
Meat
(SHARED THIS FOR MILK ON THIS DATE TOO)
1st Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is godly love – out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
So back to verse 5 where Paul delivers some really great insights, and appearing to depart from the general direction of what he said last week, he now says:
5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
We know that the Nation of Israel was under the Law. We know that Peter said that not their fathers nor they (Peter and others) could keep the Law. And we know that Paul said in other places that believers are dead to the Law; that by the Law is the knowledge of sin, and perhaps most importantly, as he said in Romans 10:4
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.”
But at this part of his letter to Timothy Paul is going to say some things about the benefits of the Law. We might suppose that as a means for Timothy to be best equipped to manage the task at hand Paul that has placed on him that it was important for him to understand the Law.
And so he begins this tutorial for Timothy by telling him that “the end of the commandment (meaning the Law) is charity (Godly love) out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
The Law, or rather the end of the Law, Paul says in Romans 10, is ??? Christ.
Here he says that the end of the Law is “Agape love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
Since Paul says that Christ is the end of the law in Romans, and that the end of the Law (to believers) is agape love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned, I think we know what abided in Christ and then what abides in those who follow him closely –
“Agape love out of a pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned.”
And this passage folks, is a crusher if we let ourselves think about it.
Before we address it, Paul speaks about the purpose of the Law in Galatians chapter 3 and says there:
Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we (Jews) were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our (Jews) schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we (Jews) might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye (Jew and Gentiles) are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
So here Paul tells the believers at Thessalonica that the END of the Law is
1. Agape love,
2. Out of a pure heart
3. And a good conscience
4. And faith unfeigned
The END of the Law – the time when the Law ceases to have any application or relevance or life in a Christian whatsoever.
In other words, if a believer, gets to the point where they possess:
1. Agape love,
2. Out of a pure heart
3. And a good conscience
4. And faith unfeigned
Then they have arrived or come to the END of the LAW. It no longer serves them or has a place in their lives at all.
Look at it this way:
Someone does something wrong to you as a believer. You have a couple of ways to respond to that person (as a believer).
The most mature advanced and beneficial way would be to respond like Christ, or without the Law in the least.
And that would mean that you turned the other cheek, forgave, worked with the offender in or with . . .
1. Agape love,
2. Out of a pure heart
3. And a good conscience
4. And faith unfeigned
Note that Paul does not just say “with love,” but he qualifies that love as being
“out of a pure heart, and a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.”
Look the heck out. That is genuine Christ in us, right? And guess what? It is there – sometimes, isn’t it? Praise Him.
But we are talking about being so mature in the faith, so filled with the Spirit that whatever is coming out of us toward the offender is pure, and from the heart and in agape love without any faith in God feigning.
Which would be an unusual, completely Godly, spirit-lead response to the situation. And it is one we all seek to have in everything we do, right?
And IF you were capable of responding in this manner all the time and without fail, you would have reached the end of the Law – the Law would be dead to you, because your love was pure, from a good conscience and a good heart and faith unfeigned.
The second way Christians can respond, however, would be a way that comes about by the presence of the Law. This would include a response where you said to yourself in the face of an attack:
“I really despise this guy. This is the third time that he has insulted or attacked or whatevered me. BUT, God wants me to forgive and turn the other cheek and return good when given evil, so I will respond outwardly in the ways that God wants – because I want to please God.”
So, you act rightly. It’s with agape love but your heart is not pure (yet) your conscience is not perfect, (yet- cause you want the guy dead) and your faith is in part feigning because you still do not trust completely that God will handle the man.
Paul is saying here that the Law has not completely ended in your life. As a believer you have not reached “the end of the Law,” because he defines the end of the Law is when there is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.
And that brings us to the Debbie Downer part of this teaching – which is that we can see in this how far we are from being like Christ in our lives of discipleship toward him when we look at ourselves through this lens.
I say this because I believe that Yeshua always acted in agape love, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience and faith unfeigned – that is why Paul synonymously likens the end of the Law to Christ Himself in Romans 10.
But in our lives as his disciples, it does not come so readily. And as a result we are all, in part at least, still operating by LAWs – don’t do this, don’t do that, that is wrong, that is forbidden, and the like.
I can say that as a Christian the more you submit yourself to the “shoulds,” along with the Spirit (along with a steady diet of the word) the more your actions and words will come from a “pure of heart, and a good conscience and faith unfeigned,” or, the end of the Law – which is where true liberty and freedom reside.
Where I once acted because I knew that is what a Christian should do, I am able (by and through Him in me) to actually respond and react to settings and circumstances with Him leading the way completely.
And experiencing this is otherworldly because in it we are able to fully experience emancipation from the Laws of don’ts and do’s!
I am personally convinced that those who are his after this life, having allowed God to assume control of their souls here on earth, will leave their bodies behind and enter into the Kingdom above totally emancipated, due to love, and therefore will be consummately free and at complete liberty.
I am not sure there is any possible way to describe what this liberation will be like for those who experience it.
I imagine – meaning I am not convinced of this – but I imagine that in this state of ultimate liberation due to His love coursing through our being, His Sons and daughters will serve those outside the Kingdom who are still trapped in their shackles of self, but who will, through love, help to bring them forth to liberty.
Christ came to set the captives free. You and I can experience this liberty when we arrive at the place where we are, in fact, dead to the law.
That comes when we are able to love with a pure heart, good conscience and faith unfeigned.
So, Paul says:
1st Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; (to teachings that are empty and hollow sounds)
Vain talk, empty declamations, discourses without sense. The word means discourses that are not founded on sound reasoning but on their pretended distinctions in the Law, traditions, and ceremonies which they tied to the Law of Moses.
7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
That is, desiring to have the credit and reputation of being well versed in the law of Moses, and therefore qualified to explain it to others.
This was a high honor among the Jews, and these teachers laid claim to the same distinction.
“Understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm.”
In other words, these types do not understand the true nature and design of that law which they were attempting to explain to others.
This was true of the Jewish teachers but it was equally so with these who were in the Church at Ephesus – and not understanding the purpose and place of the Law, were corrupting the Gospel relative to it.
And this is important – we do not preach the law – we preach and teach the Gospel and life by the spirit which over time will enable us to overcome the Law and to be set free.
So at this point Paul takes the time to instruct Timothy on the purpose and place and function of the Law as a means to help him correct the errors of those teachers in Ephesus who were applying a Hebrew purpose of the Law of Moses and all that pertained to it because they were ignorant of the Christian understanding of the it.
Its really quite fortunate that we have this letter and Paul’s clear teaching to Timothy on this subject because it helps us understand the value of Law in the lives of those who are really weak in the spirit and strong in the flesh.
And so, he says at verse 8:
8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
Because the Judaisers were infiltrating the body and demanding adherence to the Law of Moses – something they did all over the early church, making war with the Saints, Paul has to show that he was not, in fact, an enemy of the Law.
And so here he concedes that the Law is good – and for certain reasons which he will explain.
So while he was not an enemy of the Law of God (he says in Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good) he only seems to ask that it should be rightly understood and properly explained.
And so here he tells Timothy that “we know that the law is good IF – IF a man use it lawfully.” (Or in the way that the Law was designed to be used among men).
Unfortunately, because of the fallen nature of Man, the Law is almost always used wrongly, therefore making it insidious when confronting sinful flesh – another point Paul frequently makes.
And so now he gives Timothy a rather interesting laundry list of those who would benefit by the edicts of the Law, saying at verse 9-10 :
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man,
Because scripture says that there is none-righteous, no not one, we know that the Law has application to all at some point in their lives – all except Christ.
But for . . .
And he gives us 15 descriptions of what the Law was made for, including:
a. the lawless
b and disobedient,
c. for the ungodly
d. and for sinners,
e. for unholy
f. and profane,
g. for murderers of fathers (Patricide)
h. and murderers of mothers, (Matricide)
i. for manslayers
j. for whoremongers,
k. for them that defile themselves with mankind, (sodomites)
l. for menstealers (kidnappers)
m. for liars
n. for perjured persons
o. and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Let’s first speak to who the Law is NOT for – the righteous, which might be better translated as to the just or the justified.
In the Nation of Israel there were a few applications to the Law – there was a moral law application and there was the civil law application – to name two.
What Paul is talking about here is how the Law of Moses benefited the nation and citizenry civilly.
It was a good thing because it kept in check those who were prone to the fifteen crimes he just listed.
Without this good application to the Law of Moses for the people, the fifteen (and more) would take place in society and harming it and the people of God.
This civil law application, of course, had no application to people who were of a moral nature. Someone with no propensity to kill their mother needed a law to tell them not to do it.
So the law, in this way, while having no application to the righteous but had great and valuable application to the unrighteous in the community.
It is with this argument that highly politicized Christians of the world speak today, giving application of the Law to the world around us.
But we cannot just look at what Paul is saying here as if we are Jews – we’re not.
Nevertheless, I do not think we should step away from the fact that, (civilly speaking) Laws are in fact GOOD, and that they are there for the unlawful among us. So, there’s that.
But we have to take the whole of the Word of God to properly assess what Paul could be meaning here to believers, and that includes how it pertains to us non-Jews living some 2000 years later in a very diverse non-Christian world.
What does he mean and how does it relate to us personally as individual readers of the Bible?
And this is where I go back and apply his words to us as believers who have a duel identity while on this earth – the primary eternal identity (being that as believers we are justified and sanctified by faith in Christ to the point that this identity cannot even sin – as John says, it’s impossible for this part of ourselves, the eternal part, to sin).
And, and as mentioned earlier, while we are on this earth we are still in possession of fleshly bodies and souls that have not been FULLY transformed by the presence of God in us.
And here is where I see the Law, and its goodness, being efficacious in bringing us more and more to Christ.
Let me revisit this for a moment by going to the board.
On my wrist is a tattoo that from a distance looks like an equal sign (which it isn’t) and up close looks like a capital Z (which it isn’t)
It’s a symbol for the sanctification process all believers go through if they are allowed to live on this earth once saved.
The model works like this:
Flesh Person
Rebirth Spirit-Person
Explain the above (with humanoid figures)
Then ADD the LAW of God above the flesh to show how we use it until we have grown in Spirit Man
Articulate the wonder of who we are (in Christ) who we are not, BUT how the Spirit-person will die to themselves daily allowing God through Christ by the Spirit to overwhelm the fleshly ways we maintain.
In this we see that the Law is not made for “a righteous man,”is it?
But the Law is made for the person that still is able to “kill mom and dad,” still able to whoremonger, etc., as a minimal directive or guide.
Yes, it is our spirit that moves us to call to Christ to aid us in overcoming the flesh, and yes, we do NOT live by the law – that is what fleshly beings do.
We are new creatures in Christ with new eternal identities. But as infants and babes in Christ with the Law written on our minds and hearts we are being brought to him over and over again, until we literally actually find a home and place in Him – one where neither the soul nor the flesh is able or desiring to do evil!
In this age of fulfillment, this is what is at work inside all who are his. And in this application we can see how the Law (“thou shalt not, thou shall”) plays a role in our individual maturity and growth – until we reach that day when all things will be complete. Which is the day we long for and look forward to with complete expectation.
I’m not going to go through the list Paul offers here relative to fleshly ways. It’s not exhaustive and we could add a number of things too it. So verse 9
As Paul says:
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for . . .blah, blah, blah . . .(through verse 10 which ends with)
and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Verse 11
11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
And if there be anything that is contrary to sound doctrine (LISTEN) according to the glorious gospel.
This is really important. Again, Paul says:
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for people who do this or that, then adds . . .
“and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
What sound doctrine? Listen to what Paul says in verse 11:
11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
What he says here, folks, is that the GLORIOUS GOSPEL of the Blessed God, which was committed to Paul’s trust, establishes the SOUND DOCTRINE that people could be living contrary too!
Isn’t that amazing! Paul could have said that the sound doctrine was established in the Old Testament scriptures.
He could have said that he was the author of the sound doctrine having recorded them in his letters.
But no! Not in the least! He said that the Law is for anyone who was contrary to sound doctrine ACCORDING to the glorious gospel from the blessed God!
This is a direct affirmation that the Gospel, the glorious gospel, is a system of Divine revelation. The glorious Good News makes known the will of God to all who have received it.
The Glorious Gospel states by the Spirit what is the duty, and the Law and the harmony of action, through and word relative to the mind and heart of God given by revelation to all people.
I am certain that the Law of Moses and the Gospel point toward the exact same ends – love of God and love of neighbor – but right here we have written proof that sound doctrines arrive by and through the glorious Gospel of the blessed God.
And this God writes his laws upon our hearts and minds, making laws written on stone and with ink at best secondary and for those who are feeble in their spiritual walk. This caused Paul to write to believers in 2nd Corinthians 3:3
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
The Good News, then, the Gospel, is summarized in the fact that Christ lived, died, and rose again – and these things capture all the grand news surrounding sin and death in the world; that having overcome all things on our behalf, we, believers and receivers of the Gospel, look to Him and His victory, and by the spirit, live our Christian lives out by the Spirit of, and not the letter of, the Law.
In the last line of verse 11 Paul admits that the Gospel was “committed to his trust,” and he now adds at verse 12
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
This verse is a lead in to what Paul is now going to say about himself prior to the Lord calling him and constraining him to leave his life behind, which included the persecution of Christians and then to join him in the defense and the propagation of the gospel.
We note that in verse 12 that Paul gives Christ the Lord the credit for enabling him in the ministry – gave him the strength and ability – something a disciple or servant of Christ cannot overlook.
And he associates this enabling to the fact that Christ “counted him faithful.”
(verse 13 and speaking of himself)
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
I doubt that Paul’s self-description as a “blasphemer,” refers to him being a blasphemer of God openly but rather due to the fact that he abused and reviled the things of God without knowing it was so.
Paul was a devout Jew who would never blaspheme according to the tenets of Judaism – but in ignorance blasphemed the faith wrought by Christ.
He adds that he was also a “persecutor,” which he admits to being in Acts 9:1; 22:4; 26:11; 1st Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13,23.
“And injurious.” Which is a word that occurs only in one other place in the New Testament, (Romans 1:30) where it is translated to despiteful.
The word translated injurious here in the King James sort of misses the mark as it does not quite mean doing injury but also refers to the manner or spirit in which it is done.
And that spirit that Paul admits to appears to be one that was proud and arrogant. Interestingly, Tyndale and Coverdale both translate the word to tyrant, which by the way, is what the Law produces in the lives of human beings when fully embraced.
But Paul says that he obtained mercy (which we realize – but what may surprise us is the reason he gives for obtaining mercy – he says it was “because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
There were mitigating circumstances in Paul’s case – and according to his words these warranted him receiving mercy from God.
This line used to really trouble me as a Mormon and as a believer because I saw my evil (in the present and past) as being without mitigating circumstances and that I was infact, evil for evils sake against the things of God, so therefore, I wondered, did I or would I, obtain mercy?
It was in my studies of both the Word by the Spirit and Plato’s words given to Socrates that helped me see that almost everything we humans do that is evil is done in ignorance.
Socrates said something to the effect that if a person could know the damage that their evil actions were going to do both to themselves and to those around them, and then to the world in the long-run, few would act.
I think that there is something to this. And this takes most of our actions that are against God and places them in the arena of ignorance.
How many things have we done in our younger days that looking back we regret because we see the results in ourselves and in the people around us who we love?
And so, speaking of his own situation, and the mercy that was extended to him (despite his failures), Paul says at verse 14
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Notice what Paul says was extended toward him and how?
The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant WITH FAITH AND LOVE which is in Jesus Christ. Faith and love.
And so he adds:
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Some scholars believe that this passage is an insertion or parenthetical reference from Paul as he was speaking of sin, and then himself, and in the moment included this insight.
This is a faithful saying and ought to be accepted by all:
“That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.”
For our Calvinist brothers, this passage challenges their errant view that Jesus’ atonement for the sins of the world was limited. If he had died for only a part of the race, and could save only a part, it could not be said, with any reason, that the doctrine was worthy of the acceptance of “all.”
What would the statement have to do with all? How could all be interested in it, or benefited by it if He did not enter the world and atone for all?
Again, what did Paul say was worthy of all acception?
“That Christ Jesus came into the world (kosmos, by the way, meaning world) to save sinners.”
Why did Jesus come into the world?
“to save sinners!”
Why did Jesus come into the world?
“to save sinners!”
To save the world of sinners from what?
From their sin, from death, from a hellish grave and from separation from God.
That is the Good news! And in the confines of this new we find doctrine.
I doubt that Paul wanted the world to receive that fact that he was chief of sinners – which concludes the passage here, but his saying that is purely Pauline, and something I think he saw himself as.
I think we will stop here.
Question/Comments/Prayer
