1 Timothy 1.3-4 – The Wrong Things

Paul started this letter with grace, mercy, and peace, and now starts in earnest with his instructions for church leading. 

³ As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

Does Timothy have a desire to leave that Paul must address? – remain at Ephesus. Perhaps he wanted to travel on with his mentor, perhaps the size of the task ahead is so big that it scared him, perhaps he didn’t feel like church leading is a one-man thing (which it isn’t, which is why he is instructed to find men of Godly character to help).

Either way, Paul felt the need to say remain at Ephesus, and he follows that with a reason, so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Focusing on these wrong things leads to time wasted, and us not living the simple life of faith that God wants. 

Teaching things that are wrong, hearing things that are wrong, spending time speculating over things that are wrong doesn’t often start that way. In an attempt to be so very relevant and applicable, wrong teaching can develop from a good starting place. But, it looks too deep, too far, and too wide and ends up twisting the truth.

The simplest truths of the Word of God have the deepest impact on our lives.

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The Bible is so simple and so complex at the same time – Jesus came, died, rose, ascended. Simple on one level, profound on another. We don’t need to ever seek to go deeper than this – Jesus came to take away the consequence of your sin.

We don’t need to spend time discussing and debating any more than we actually want to, there is nothing left to establish through reason or conversation. Upon hearing Jesus explain Himself, so to speak, Pilate said “What is truth?” (John 18.38). The truth has already presented itself, the truth of God came to live among us, and the truth of God saves us from ourselves. 

Rather than spend time on endless debates, endless myths, and endless genealogies, let us focus on the right things, all that Jesus said, did, does, will do, and all that Jesus is.