As Paul the apostle came to
his last words of this first letter to Timothy his “son in the
faith”, he endearingly wrote, “O Timothy keep that which
is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and
vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:”.
His desire was for Timothy to keep and follow the teachings he gave
him and not to follow the “babblings” of those who were
opposed to the gospel and its affect upon the church. In chapter six
and verse twenty-one, Paul continued his final thought with a
declaration of those who “have erred concerning the faith”
where we read:
Which some professing
have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with
you. Amen.
The verse begins, “Which
some professing have erred concerning the faith.”
Paul began with, “Which some”
or “as a result of certain ones” “professing”
or “announcing and promising” “have erred”
which means “deviated from and missed the mark” “concerning”
or “about, around or near” “the faith”
which refers to “the conviction that God exists and is the creator
and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal
salvation through Christ and a strong and welcome conviction
or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal
salvation in the kingdom of God”. Because certain people followed
after these “babblers” who pontificated ideas which were contrary
to the gospel, they left the “good news” of Jesus Christ.
The
verse goes on to say, “Grace be
with you. Amen.” Paul's final
words to Timothy in this letter was, “Grace”
which is the Greek word “charis” and means “that which affords
joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of
speech, kindness and unmerited favor” “be with you”
which literally means “with, after or behind you” and refers to
the idea of “grace” surrounding ever part of Timothy's being.
Paul ends his letter with this word, “Amen”
which literally means “firm” and declared “so it is, so be it
and may it be fulfilled”. Paul desired for Timothy to be covered
with the unmerited favor of God as he endeavored to keep everything
within which Paul gave him instruction.
While
we meditate upon Paul's words, let us take in once again the care and
concern that not only Paul had for Timothy and the church in Ephesus,
but also for the care and concern of God Almighty who inspired Paul
to write such instructions. We too should heed Paul's warning not to
be swayed by those who bring in false teachings and ideas which are
contrary to the gospel. Many people have “erred from the
faith” because they turned to
resources other than the Holy Scriptures for their thoughts and
precepts, and we must heed Paul's warning lest we be caught up in
their same path. May we always hold fast to the truth of the
scriptures regardless of how attractive other venues may be. If the
ideas and people are contrary to the Bible, then they are contrary to
God, and those who follow after them will be turned away from their
faith and trust in the one and only true living God. May God the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit brand the ideas which come from Him so
deep within our hearts and minds that no other source will turn us
from His ways.
Next
time we will begin a new book in the Bible, Second Timothy, and see
what Paul had to say to Timothy in the last days of his life, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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