1Ti 1:5-7 “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”
Paul gave Timothy a job to do. He instructed him to remain at Ephesus to give instruction to the saints there. Timothy was to instruct them that they should not go after other doctrines or spend their time in fable and genealogies. These things produced questions that did not lead to godly edifying in the faith.
Timothy was apparently a very young man. Unless the Spirit was with him, older men might question why they should be listening to him. On the other hand, being given such a charge from Paul could have inflated Timothy’s sense of self. Paul clearly sets out here what the end result of his instruction to Timothy should be.
The reason for Paul’s instruction to Timothy, and Timothy’s subsequent instruction to the saints at Ephesus, had one purpose. The end (goal, reason) for the commandment was charity. Timothy was to give counsel out of love without any puffing up of the flesh. Those that heard Timothy’s counsel were to be moved to an attitude of love.
Paul’s instruction was intended to bring love to the whole situation. It was to flow from a pure heart. There were to be no secondary considerations in what Timothy was doing. It was not to establish Timothy’s power as a minister: love was the goal.
As we minister to one another today, our goal should be the same. No matter the situation, the end result should be a deep and abiding love for God and for each other. It should not have to be forced, nor should there be any ulterior motives. Rather, it should come from a true and abiding reliance on Jesus Christ for deliverance (faith).
Fables and endless genealogies will often result in some swerving from a total reliance on Jesus. Questions will arise that ultimately gender strife and confusion. Doctrines creep in that question whether Jesus is really the only way to the Father. Men will teach that the blood of Jesus, while an essential ingredient, is not sufficient unless it is mixed with the will and permission of man.
This missing of the mark leads to a falling away. Men turn aside completely from Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They preach their own doctrines and abandon the simplicity of Jesus. Paul called this “vain jangling” or babbling.
Most of us have had the experience of being in a large group of people all talking at once or someone rambling on about something that makes no sense. You cannot make heads or tails out of what is being said. Nothing beneficial is being accomplished. It serves only as an irritant, and there is no peace to be found.
People engaged in this manner often wish to appear wise. They want to be looked up to as teachers of faith. In truth, they themselves have no idea what they are teaching. Neither do they consider the source of the things they are affirming.
May we be blessed to always bear the truth of Jesus Christ in such a way that it reveals the love of God for us and in us while bearing testimony to our confidence in the saving grace of Christ alone!
