“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1.5
I am scheduled to return to Ghana this week and, while there, I will spend the first two weeks teaching several conferences on Biblical Church Leadership from 1 Timothy. As I have been reviewing the material, I have been struck again by what Paul says in chapter one.
He has already warned Timothy about certain false teachers in Ephesus and commanded him to silence them. These false teachers wanted to be teachers of the law, but they had failed to understand God’s law. The law was not intended to be a source of righteousness; instead, it leads us to faith in Christ and teaches us to love. (See Galatians 3.24 and Matthew 22.37-40)
Paul then expounds on that love by using three phrases that describe the source and explain the outworking of Biblical love.
“A pure heart” It is interesting that Paul begins with this characteristic since every believer will readily admit that they do not have a pure heart. It’s simply not something we can create in ourselves. In fact, the first evidence of the Spirit’s working in our lives is that we see ourselves as sinners with impure hearts. Sin characterized our lives before we came to faith, and although it no longer defines us, sin continues to plague us – to dog our steps as it were. So how can sinners like us become pure in heart? This is the work of God through Christ’s substitutionary life and death. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are united to him in his work. His perfect righteousness becomes ours; his purity of heart is credited to our account. In other words, belief in the gospel makes us pure in heart. And as we begin to recognize the incredible magnitude of what God has graciously given us, we begin to love God and seek to live for his glory in every part of our life. (Deuteronomy 6.5)
“A good conscience” The Scripture tells us to love one another, to love our neighbor, and even to love our enemies. Such love requires us to act toward others as we would have them act toward us. This is a love for others that, in essence, says: “I want God’s best for you, and I am willing to sacrifice my own desires so you can receive God’s best.” Once again, this is only possible through the power of the gospel of God’s grace. But as we begin to live in this way, we begin to develop a good conscience – one characterized by integrity and Biblical love toward everyone.
“A sincere faith” For the believer, loving God and loving others is essential. In fact, sincere saving faith is constantly “expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5.6) Paul eloquently described that life of love in those familiar verses in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind…” And John also described this life: “We ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3.16-17) Sincere faith doesn’t just talk about love, it loves “in deed and in truth.” (verse 18)
This is the kind of love that is produced by Biblical instruction and discipleship, and it ought to characterize all we do as Christ’s Church. This is true for us here in the United States and equally true in Ghana. I ask for your prayers as I seek to convey these and many other precious truths to our brothers and sisters there.
