A CHARGE THAT EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KEEP

1 Tim. 1:18-20

Morning Meditation 7/15/16

Verses 18-20 say, “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; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

In the pastoral epistles, Paul is primarily dealing with preachers, especially with those to whom the letters are addressed. But they have an application in every preachers life. And ultimately to all those to whom they minister. Paul gives Timothy an important charge here and warns with an example of failure by naming two who could have saved themselves from shipwreck had they taken Paul’s advice.

The word “charge” (paraggelia) means “to command.” Kittel says, “In first Timothy ‘parangellein’ is enjoined on Timothy; he is to charge false teachers, widows, and the rich (1:3-4; 5:7; 6:17). This charge is laid on him in Christ’s name. Parangellein is thus traced back to God’s saving work in Christ.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament).. This charge became a responsibility which if Timothy did not execute would amount to disobedience. It amounts to instruction with authority. We are all under “charges” such as this. When we are confronted with a situation that demands from us the fulfillment of a charge such as this, we must execute it or be disobedient. Thus the Christian life is not passive but filled with positive acts of obedience. We are servants of the Lord.

The words “I commit” (paratithemi) are the combination of two words, i.e., a preposition (para) and (tithemi) and means, “to intrust, commit to one's charge.” This is an assignment; it is a commission that will last the rest of his life. He will never be confronted with situations like this without being reminded that he is commissioned to charge this with error and guide the willing to the truth.

The words “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy” leave no room for Timothy to say that Paul is making a general remark and does not mean him in particular. The “let George do it” syndrome won’t work here. Timothy’s name is written and it is an address of direct command. Paul does intertwine a word of compassion and tenderness when he says. “son Timothy.” I do not know how many young preachers had the privilege of being called “son” by Paul. But I am sure Timothy’s chest swelled a little when he read this word in this epistle. To wear this “tag” would be a motivation to absolute obedience to truth.

Then he says, “according to the prophecies which went before on thee.” What did he mean by this? The words “according to” means “in keeping with.” The words “the prophecies” means “a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events.” In this case it was prophetic predictions concerning God’s purpose and ministry of Timothy. When Paul was saved, God made some prophecies concerning his ministry. Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. Afterward he entered Damascus stricken with blindness and was allowed to continue in that condition until Ananias, a minister in the Church there, came and was used of God to restore Paul’s sight and welcome him into the fellowship. But for God to get Ananias to do this took a little coaching. When he received orders from God to go to Saul (Paul) he said, “Lord I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem.” Now what he really wanted to say is, “Lord, have you heard. . .” But he dare not say that. His theology was better than that. So the Lord said, “. . . Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake” (Acts 9:15-16). Now is that a prophecy at the point of salvation or what!

I do not know when the prophecies (plural) came concerning Timothy. It could have been at his ordination. It could have been in association with Paul selecting him originally as a traveling partner for the purpose of training. Paul was a trainer of many preachers. I believe that many if not all preachers should give themselves to training young preachers. I have had as high as twenty-two preachers in my church at a time not counting the missionaries that were sent out from our local church. I never considered this anything but an opportunity to serve. So for years I had a Timothy Class on Monday night in which these preachers came to my office and for hours I would deal with Bible subjects, books of the Bible and other relevant subjects that they needed for the ministry. Incidently, laymen who were interested in Bible study were also welcome. There was never a charge for these services and I didn’t even keep a role. It was for men who were interested enough to come. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). (The man who is now my pastor was trained largely in this Timothy class). What a blessing to see the church go on and grow larger in number and missions.

The words “which went before” translate a present active participle. The word means that it happened at a prior time but the present participle means that the prophecies are still applicable in his ministry. Thus Paul is reminding him of his responsibility to fulfill these.

The words “that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” indicate that the fulfillment of these prophecies would involve a warfare. It is not easy to be obedient to the Lord when obedience brings us in direct conflict with Satan and his kingdom. You get worn down and start making plans of a loooooong retreat! But someone like Paul comes along and reminds you that you can’t do this. You must continue and “war a good warfare.” Have you discovered that the Christian life is a battle? And there is no discharge in this war.

The words “Holding faith, and a good conscience” describe an imperative. The words “holding faith” mean to hold without loosening your grip on the things most surely believed by you. The words “and a good conscience” means that our conscience needs to bear positive witness that we have stood just as God’s purpose in our lives requires.

The words “which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck” describe what happens when one fails in obedience to his calling. Then Paul names two as examples of what he is telling Timothy. Get this. Paul turns two of God’s disobedient servants over to Satan for the purpose of teaching. Notice the words “that they may learn not to blaspheme.” I would rather learn at the feet of Jesus, wouldn’t you?

May the Lord bless each of you.

In Christ

Bro. White