Now the purpose of the
commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere
faith” 1 Timothy 1:5
Timothy receives the mission. As
the young new pastor and teacher of the church in Ephesus, Timothy needs
direction. Paul charges Timothy with a mission to complete: “As I urged you when I
went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach
no other doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3). Timothy is to stick to the
essentials of the Gospel and teach the Scripture, not to get into meaningless
arguments about genealogies, as many did in those days. Rather, Paul urges
Timothy to focus on Jesus.
Why just teach the pure Gospel? Why
shouldn’t Timothy argue? Timothy, as a new leader, might think he needs to
argue about genealogies to show he is intelligent and in control. The purpose,
Paul explains, is love. Love trumps any other commandment and argument about
genealogies.
Jesus says in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you
love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “
Although 600 commandments exist for the Jewish people, love encompasses all.
Paul explains that this love is from a pure heart, a good conscience and
sincere faith. This love stems from a good relationship with God. This love is
from God. You cannot manufacture it. As you walk with Him, He purifies you,
gives you a clean conscience and establishes you in faith.
How are we doing on this
commandment? Are we getting to know others and loving them and praying for
them? Or do we despise them?
When other Christians hurt you, you
may not want to love them. However, the only way to guarantee that you will
never be hurt is to live by yourself without anyone. If you do love one another,
you might end up being hurt. However, love covers a multitude of sins.
Jesus also goes on to say in John
13:35 that “all men will know you are My
disciples if you have love for one another.” Others are watching to see if
Christians love one another.
This is not an optional
commandment. Love is required.
May you love others as Christ has
loved you. May you get to know fellow Christians and the people around you with
grace and love. Remember, Jesus conquers death through His great love.
Blessings,
Robert Furrow
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