Following the Commands of God

Like a branding mark on cattle, there are certain marks that distinguish us as well. For Christians, they show our true identity and relationship to God—even when we have questions about our faith. Last time we saw the idea from Scripture that obeying God's commands marks us as genuine followers of His.

Each of us may at times have doubts about our faith. You may ask, Am I really a believer? Has God really saved me? In the book of 1 John, the Apostle wants to help provide assurance of the grace and hope available in Christ. So he describes what demonstrates the life of a real believer: the mark of faith, the mark of obedience, and the mark of love. These things will mark you for who you really are in Christ. We previously looked at the mark of faith.

When it comes to the mark of obedience, what does this look like? How can we recognize the distinctions between those who are true followers of Jesus and those who are not? John characterizes at least three distinctions.

Walking in the light, or Walking in darkness

Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. If we say, "We have fellowship with Him," yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1.5-7, HCSB)

If you are a true follower of Christ, you not only recognize that you are a sinner, you also admit it, and you choose to start living ("walking") and practicing the truth. The Apostle Paul uses that same picture. "Walking" in Scripture often simply signifies how you live, what you practice. So John tells us to walk in light, and God is the light we need.

My wife and I are in the practice of doing whatever it takes not to wake our children once they're asleep at night. Most parents can relate. One night recently, in order not to bother the kids, I tried to get to the bathroom without turning on the light. As if I haven't lived in this house for over a year and a half, I ran into a wall. Felt pretty stupid. It hurt. Among other things, John is saying here that to avoid an eternal hurt, we must start walking in the light, the truth.

It seems so many bad crimes that we hear about on the news have happened in the middle of the night. Believers in Christ should walk like they're in the daylight, not the darkness of night. That should be the standard pattern of our lives. Why? Because God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Love for God, or Love for the world

Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God's will remains forever. (1 John 2.15-17, HCSB)

The Bible here describes that the things of the world, in a general, secular sense, are not from God. So many of us, if we're honest, would say that we love God and we love the world. But God says that we cannot do both.

Early in the story of redemption, in the book of Genesis, we see a parallel in how Eve responds to the serpent's temptation. She determines that the fruit tree would produce great food ("lust of the flesh"), that it would be beautiful to keep gazing at ("lust of the eyes"), and that eating from it might even make her wise like God ("the pride of life"). Clearly these temptations have been around for a long time. So ask yourself, Who do I love? The Bible says you cannot love both God and the world.

Children of God, or Children of the Devil

If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children. And we are! (1 John 2.29—3.1, HCSB)

Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil's works. Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. This is how God's children—and the Devil's children—are made evident. (1 John 3.7-10, HCSB)

Think of the extremes of these illustrations. One of the sweetest pictures I can think of to show us who we are in Christ is the description that we have been brought into God's family, and we are His children. At the same time, one of the most extreme and appalling pictures I can think of is that, if we are not in Christ, we are children of the Devil.

Sometimes we Christians tend to think of nonbelievers—those not in Christ—as the ones who are flagrant, obvious sinners. But nonbelievers can also be those who are self-righteous religious folks, trusting in their own accomplishments and supposed righteousness. The problem is that even on our best day, if attempted in our own strength, we can never be good enough. We can't make the standard of real righteousness.

But One has. And His name is Jesus. And everyone who trusts in Him will be saved by His perfect life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection.

So am I really a believer in Jesus? John essentially says we can ask it this way: Am I walking in the light? Am I loving God? Am I living as His child?

Whether we obey God, or at least desire to obey Him, will mark us for who we really are.

The Mark of Obedience

Have you ever seen cattle being branded? Me neither. But the branding iron leaves a mark. It marks the cattle as belonging to someone. There's a sense in which that's what John the Apostle is talking about in his letter, 1 John.

Each of us may at times have doubts about our faith. You may ask, Am I really a believer? Has God really saved me? In 1 John, he wants to help provide assurance of the grace and hope available in Christ. So he describes what demonstrates the life of a real believer: the mark of faith, the mark of obedience, and the mark of love. These things will mark you for who you really are in Christ.

The central question that many of us may ask at certain points of doubt is: How do we know for certain that we are God's children, that we are His and He is ours? God tells us how:

This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," yet doesn't keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2.3-4, HCSB)

In other words, someone who says that he is a believer, but doesn't do what God says, is actually lying, and perhaps only deceiving himself. So John says, Do what God tells you, and it shows that you belong to Him.

That's the positive sense. But here's the negative sense:

You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him. Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him. (1 John 3.5-6, HCSB)

This means that a person who truly knows God does not purposely and intentionally continue in sin. That's not the pattern of her life. Instead, a true follower of Jesus will, once sin is realized, confess and repent of that sin, and not continue in it. But continuing in sin—living in sin as a pattern of life—shows that we are not walking with Him and that we have never really known Him (v. 6).

Ultimately, it's a matter of staying close with God throughout each day ("remaining with Him"), and living life as He would live it, making the choices He would make. He shares it this way:

But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked. (1 John 2.5-6, HCSB)

If you say you know Him, with His Spirit in you, then you will live each day (that is, "walking") the same way Jesus lived. This is the What would Jesus do? question.

Of course the real question that matters for all of eternity is, What has Jesus done? He lived perfectly and yet died in our place. He then rose from death. He's the supreme reality of both obedience and love. And a genuine believer in Jesus will want to live, love, and yes, even obey as Jesus did.

I realize that in my last post I said I would talk about the mark of obedience in one post, but after seeing how long it was running, I had to break it into two. The next post will look at how John specifically describes the difference between real followers of Jesus, and those who are not.

Take courage that you can know that you are His.

The Mark of Faith

Earlier I referenced some marks of a genuine believer that we can see in the biblical letter known as 1 John. In general, he explains the marks of faith, obedience, and love.

We talked about the mark of faith in three posts, so I simply wanted to link them together here in one place. We see the mark of genuine faith in what we can and cannot trust as described in 1 John:

• Jesus Had a Real Human Body
• Jesus Was (and Is) Fully God
• Teaching You Cannot Trust

In this way, we can't help but see the mark of true faith.

In the next two posts, I'll briefly address the mark of obedience and the mark of love, in one post each.

Teaching You Cannot Trust

John the Apostle, in his first letter, not only writes about who and what we can trust, he also tells us what we cannot trust.

What you believe about Jesus matters. John wrote to clarify that a true believer in Jesus will be shown by certain distinguishing marks: faith, obedience, love. We have previously seen that John says we can trust that Jesus had a real human body and that, at the same time, He was and is really God. Believing that Jesus is God, who took on a human body in order to rescue us, really matters.

But that means that you cannot trust any alternative teaching about Jesus.

You cannot trust teaching that denies the full divinity or full humanity of Jesus.

John tells us this in clear, stern terms:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. (1 John 4.1-3, HCSB)

What in the world does that mean? Since they did not yet have the Scriptures that we now know as the New Testament, God provided prophets for the churches. They spoke from the Holy Spirit. They preached the gospel. Many prophesied and taught, and most of them taught the truth.

However, John was saying that some were speaking from another spirit, the spirit of the antichrist. Simply put, they were spreading lies. So John said the church should test these prophetic statements ("test the spirits"). The statements should be tested against other known truth. And one way to know that a prophetic statement was not from God was if it denied the humanity of Jesus, and by implication, the divinity of Jesus. This kind of teaching, John says, is not true, and you cannot trust it. (You can see this type of warning also from Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5.20-22.)

Notice that the "spirit of the antichrist" has been around since even the first century A.D. He has been deceiving people for a very long time. So John says to be on guard, because you cannot trust teaching that denies the full humanity (or full divinity) of Jesus.

If Jesus was not really a man, then He didn't die in your place, and you are hopeless. But He was, and He did. It matters.

If Jesus is not really God, then He didn't have the power or authority to save you and you are helpless. But He is, and He does. It matters.

Is your life marked by genuine faith?

Jesus Was (and Is) Fully God

To say that Jesus had a real human body does not mean that He wasn't God. The opposite is true. When Jesus entered this world, He was fully man and fully God at the same time.

John the Apostle was clear that if you are a genuine believer, what you believe about Jesus matters. A true believer in Jesus will be shown by certain distinguishing marks: faith, obedience, love. Here we're talking about the mark of faith. True followers of Jesus will be shown by their faith. Believing that Jesus is God really matters.

You can trust that Jesus was (and is) also fully God.

Not only was it clear to John, who was there with Jesus, that He had a real human body, it was also clear that He was the divine Son of God. He says it this way in 1 John:

And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. (1 John 4.14-15, HCSB)

So believing that Jesus is God really matters. It matters that we believe that He was really a man, and that He was really God—at the same time.

It is not merely that God the Father saw a remarkable and holy man named Jesus from Nazareth, and then decided to adopt him. That is a heresy known as Adoptionism. Those who take this wrong view would essentially say that Jesus was such an amazing man on His own, that God saw Him from heaven, decided that Jesus would make a great Savior, adopted Him as His son, and then gave Him power and authority. This view completely contradicts key sections of Scripture.

Jesus was indeed born of God into this world, after the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary (Luke 1.35; Matthew 1.18), but that does not mean He was created. Jesus, the eternal second person in the Trinity, was already with God the Father when they began creating (John 1.1-3).

The Apostle John simply affirms Him as the anointed God-man, the Messiah. And whoever believes in Him as the Messiah will be saved:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. (1 John 5.1, HCSB)

Many centuries earlier, Isaiah had prophesied that His name would be Immanuel, translated God With Us. And that is exactly who He is.

You can trust that Jesus had a real human body, and that He was and is also fully God. When you do, it's a mark of faith.

Jesus Had a Real Human Body

The Apostle John wrote a biblical letter known as 1 John concerning what we can know about God, and about us. And he says we can know that we know God through Jesus Christ.

But false teaching had apparently cropped up where he was ministering. Some said then, and now, that Jesus only appeared to have a body, or that He merely seemed to die on a cross.

That may sound odd that some would question that Jesus had a real human body. But that seed of doubt has been used for centuries to cause people to stumble. So it's important to establish that Jesus did in fact have a real human body. And John clarifies that for his readers, and down through the centuries, for us.

John was trying to get across the idea that if you are a genuine believer, what you believe about Jesus matters. A true believer in Jesus will be marked by certain distinguishing marks: faith, obedience, love. The first that we'll talk about here is the mark of faith. True followers of Jesus will be shown by their faith.

And that faith must be rooted in the God who took on a human body to live perfectly, and then die and rise, in our place, instead of us. To do so, Jesus had to have an actual body, in which He actually died (and rose).

You can trust that Jesus had a real human body.

John says you can believe that. Why? Because he was there. John and his friends were with Jesus. They saw Him, they heard Him, they ate with Him, they touched Him, and they knew that He had a real human body. They were eyewitnesses in these early days of Jesus' ministry:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life—that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may have fellowship along with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1.1-3, HCSB)

God's word says that Jesus really took on a human body. If you can trust Scripture—and you can—then you can trust that He had a real body. John and his buddies were there, and that's among the most important early facts they reported to us about Jesus.

When Jesus came back from death and showed up in the locked, fearful room the disciples had created, He joined them in their room and wanted to reassure them. "Peace to you!" He said. And then "He showed them His hands and His side" (John 20.20, HCSB). He was real.

Then a little later when Thomas kept having doubts, which were normal, Jesus wanted to reassure him also, and said:

Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don't be an unbeliever, but a believer. (John 20.27, HCSB)

Thomas saw and believed. Jesus said those who hadn't seen and still believed are blessed, but He knew that these close friends would soon attest to the fact that His body was indeed real. He really died. He really rose from death.

This is the incarnation. He put on flesh. He put on bones. Specifically this is what we celebrate at Christmas each year. Born into this world, He put on a body.

If He didn't, or hadn't, we would be hopeless. But He did. And we have certainty, and we believe. And our lives are marked by faith.

The Marks of a Genuine Believer

Do you have a prominent, distinguishing birthmark? Or perhaps you have other markings like tattoos?

I've always thought it to be pretty interesting when a local news alert comes across the airwaves and a reporter says that police have offered a description of the suspect. They will tell the obvious details, such as height, weight, ethnicity, and the clothes they were wearing when they were last seen. But once in a while they will say something like, "…and the suspect has a large tattoo on his left arm with the words, Elvira Forever, prominently displayed." Bet they can't find that guy.

So do you have any marks?

The Apostle John wrote a letter in the New Testament that is all about what we can know about God, and about us. And he says we can know that we know God, through Jesus Christ.

These categories are nothing new with me, but over the next few posts, we'll be looking at three distinguishing marks of a true believer, according to John's letter. Genuine followers of Jesus will display:

• The Mark of Faith
• The Mark of Obedience
• The Mark of Love

I hope this brief look into John's letter will provide the clarity and assurance that John intended.

I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5.13, HCSB)

What Some People Don't Know

On the blog this week we looked at what the Apostle John says we know that we know. There are several spiritual truths that we can know with certainty. Most importantly, God's word says that we can know that we know God.

Interestingly, though, John also speaks about a few things that some people don't know. After each unknown, see John's words of concern from the letter of 1 John.

Those who hate their brothers or sisters in Christ don't know the direction they are going.

But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he's going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2.11, HCSB)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. (1 John 3.15, HCSB)

Those who haven’t looked to God as their Father don't know or understand His children.

Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him. (1 John 3.1, HCSB)

Those who continue in a life of sin don't know God.

Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him. (1 John 3.6, HCSB)

As you can see, this is a devastating list of unknown unknowns—things they don't know that they don't know. How can they know unless someone tells them?

I hope that you and I will take the time today to let others know all that is available in Christ.

Knowing What You Know

Yesterday we considered that although there are a vast number of things we don't know, when it comes to the most important things in life, we can have more certainty than we might initially think.

The Bible says that we can be sure that we know God through Jesus. We can have real certainty about who He is and who we are because of Him. We can know that we know God. For the believer, it is a known known.

And there are lots of other spiritual truths that John the Apostle says that we can know. In teaching through the letter of 1 John, it struck me how many things the Apostle says that we can know. By my count, he uses a form of one of the two main Greek words for know at least 40 times in 32 verses, throughout this five-chapter letter.

Below are six categories of items that John says we can know with certainty. The verses of Scripture that follow each statement are indicative of the ways that John speaks with conviction.

We know that the end of days could happen anytime.

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, “Antichrist  is coming,” even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour. (1 John 2.18, HCSB)

We know that we have the truth about God.

I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. (1 John 2.21, HCSB)

We know what genuine love is, and how to show it.

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3.16, HCSB)

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. (1 John 4.16, HCSB)

We know that we have been given real life, escaping death.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. (1 John 3.14, HCSB)

We know that God abides in us, and we in Him.

The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us. (1 John 3.24, HCSB)

This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit. (1 John 4.13, HCSB)

We know that we have a saving relationship with God.

This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. (1 John 2.3, HCSB)

I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5.13, HCSB)

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5.20, HCSB)

Remember, this is just a sampling of the 40 instances of what John's first letter says that we know. If we followers of Jesus lived our lives in the certainty and gracious boldness that is possible, we would make a much greater impact on our world.

I'm so thankful for the confidence that is available in Christ.

From the Beginning

How do you start off your day? It seems many people contend that what you do first in the morning has a great impact on the rest of your day. Thus it follows that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Not sure who came up with that one; I would fail that test.

How do you begin a new year? Or any new phase? Certainly there is something powerful about starting well so that you can end well.

This all makes sense when we remember perhaps the three main inherent desires that each of us has. We all long for a sense of significance/value, we all need relationship/community, and we all desire an understanding our destiny (where we're going) and origin (where we came from; how we began). We Christians would contend that these desires are satisfied in Christ.

So it's not ironic that the Apostle John would focus on this third element: the origin, the beginning.

It's obvious to see what appears to be a parallel between how John starts the letter now known as 1 John, and how he starts the Gospel that bears his name. And both of those remind us of the first words in the Bible:

What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of life—
(1 John 1.1, HCSB, emphasis added) 

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
(John 1.1-2, HCSB, emphasis added)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1.1, HCSB, emphasis added)

Regarding the parallels, some have said that in 1 John, he is talking about the eternality of Jesus, the "Word of life." They might cite 1 John 2.13-14: "the One who is from the beginning."

Others say that John is referencing the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel message, the "word about the Life." They might quote 1 John 2.7; 2.24, or 3.11: "For this is the message you have heard from the beginning."

I believe that John was smart enough to do both at the same time. Listen to how he continues chapter one, after the first verse:

…that life was revealed,
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us—
what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father
and with His Son Jesus Christ.
(1 John 1.2-3, HCSB)

The beautiful way in which John works in both the eternal nature of God and the consistent message of His grace is the starting point of a short letter in which he reminds us of all the things that we can and should know.

On Sunday mornings at Fellowship we are working our way through the letter of 1 John this Advent season. It may not be at the top of everyone's list of obvious Christmas texts of Scripture, but maybe it should be. John starts off with the genuineness of the incarnation of Jesus. That is Christmas—the miracle of the birth of the Messiah.

If you live in our area, we hope you can join us. If not, you can listen to our podcasts. And we'll be sharing some thoughts here along the way.

For Marriage

There are times when certain issues require our attention. For North Carolinians, this is one of those of those times.

At the end of our worship gathering at Fellowship yesterday, I shared with our congregation why I will be voting for the marriage amendment to our state constitution. While we do not endorse candidates, and carefully choose when we make any public comment on political matters, in my view this amendment is far greater than any merely political action.

Simply stated, I will vote for the amendment because marriage matters to God. He created marriage in the first place, immediately after He created Adam and Eve. And although there were cultural shifts throughout biblical times, it is clear that God’s purpose and design for marriage never changed. I have briefly written previously on marriage here and here.

To me, the greatest principle, coming from Ephesians 5 (see links above), is that we as husbands and wives, in one-man, one-woman covenant relationships, have a great privilege in sharing the gospel of God through the picture of marriage. It’s as simple as that.

Some have argued that it is not loving for us to keep marriage as defined as being between one man and one woman—that this excludes other types of relationships and is therefore unloving. To that, I would say that the most unloving thing that I can do is to have what I believe is the truth and grace for all cultures, and yet not share it. Not to give the truth, in loving and caring ways, is unloving.

These are the primary reasons why this vote is necessary and critical.

Some interesting and helpful commentary has been offered by JD Greear and David Horner.

If you live in North Carolina, I encourage you to vote for marriage, and for the marriage amendment, tomorrow on May 8.

Getting the Message Out

As I began pastoring our church in 2011, part of our vision for our church was to help us move forward with newer ways to reach people with the same old, wonderful message of the Bible: that God saves us in Jesus Christ.

In September we were able to roll out a newly redesigned website for Fellowship at www.fellowshipfamily.com. I pray that this will be great way for folks in our city to get initial information about who our church is, and why we do what we do. I hope you can stop by the website also, and maybe even our church.

Another small facet of this year’s vision for progress was to bring our sermons online. In the process of working toward this goal, I found that our church had in prior years podcast the sermons, but that it had stopped somewhere along the way. I am happy to announce that it has begun again.

We have once again begun audio podcasting of our Sunday messages. You can listen to them on your computer, tablet, or mobile device, or you can download them to listen later. You may also subscribe to receive all updated sermons as they become available, using iTunes or generic podcasting subscription services.

All of the messages from the current series, Luke's Gospel: Good News for the Nations, are now available. Just go to the Media tab of our website.

We pray these resources will point you to faith in Christ for the first time, or strengthen your faith in Him!

The Church, The Community of Truth

We have finally completed a series of thoughts on 1 Timothy. This trust of guarding the gospel, as the community of truth, is a great and awesome privilege for your church and mine. I pray these notes can be encouraging and challenging.

1. A Loving Command (Introduction)
2. Protecting the Integrity of the Gospel (1 Tim 1.3-4)
3. Promoting the Goal of the Gospel (1 Tim 1.5-7)
4. Proclaiming the Grace of the Gospel (1 Tim 1.8-11)
5. Preserving the Progress of the Gospel (1 Tim 1.18-20)
6. Intense Desire for Ministry (1 Tim 1.12-17)
7. Gospel-Advancing Prayer (1 Tim 2.1-8)
8. Purposeful, Ordered Design (1 Tim 2.8-15)
9. Proven Character for Leadership (1 Tim 3.1-7)
10. Respectable Volunteer Leaders (1 Tim 3.8-13)
11. The Pillar and Pattern of the Truth (1 Tim 3.14-16)
12. Falling Away from Faith (1 Tim 4.1-5)
13. Good Servants of Christ Jesus (1 Tim 4.6-16)
14. Church Life as Family (1 Tim 5.1-16)
15. Maintaining Trustworthy Elders (1 Tim 5.17-25)
16. When God Doesn’t Change My Circumstances (1 Tim 6.1-2)
17. Godliness with Contentment (1 Tim 6.3-10, 17-19)
18. Guarding the Trust (1 Tim 6.11-16, 20-21)

Guarding the Trust

When you hear the word “command,” what kind of impulsive feeling does it bring? Do you immediately have a sense of warm fuzzies when you hear it?

I can remember growing up hearing all kinds of commands from my parents that were intended for my good. I also remember having a nagging feeling that commands were a bad thing. I don’t know any kid who likes commands. Or adults, come to think of it. And that’s not a good thing.

Why? Because, among all sorts of other reasons, the Apostle Paul says that the law (he was referring to Moses’ law, which included all kinds of rules and commands) was actually “holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7.12). When law is not misused, it is a wonderful thing because it points us to the truth (see 1 Timothy 1.8). Which reminds me that my disdain for commands was wrong-headed. If they are motivated by love, issued in love, and if the goal of them is love, then commands are wonderful.

This all brings us to the closing words of Paul in his letter known as 1 Timothy. In this series we have seen that he was communicating to Timothy the importance of the gospel, and reminding him that the church is to be the community of truth, pointing people to Christ. Here at the conclusion of his letter, in 1 Timothy 6.11-16, 20-21, Paul again issues important instructions (commands) to Timothy, as he did in the opening section of the letter. He commands Timothy and the church in simple reminders for guarding the gospel with which we have been entrusted. There are certain things we must flee, follow, fight, and fulfill.

Flee (v. 11)

There are certain things we must run away from—individually and as a church. Paul tells him to flee from “these things.” What things? The greed and false teaching that were already rampant in their day, and which he just described in verses 9-10. He tells Timothy to be content, and run away from these earthly pursuits.

Follow (v. 11)

There are certain things we must run toward—individually and as a church. He tells Timothy that instead of earthly pursuits, he should pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.” These character traits need no explanation; they are obvious goals for the believer in his progress with the Lord.

Fight (v. 12)

There are certain things we must contend for—individually and as a church. Fighting may not seem like something you expect in this list. But Paul says that there are some things we must fight for. He reasons it this way in verse 12: Since you were called to the truth, and have confessed the truth, you must now contend for the truth. This means standing against deception wherever it may be found—especially fighting it when it rears its ugly head in the church. False gospels, which are not good news at all, must be exposed and eliminated. Lots of New Testament ink makes this obvious.

Fulfill (vv. 12-16)

There are certain things we must complete and keep—individually and as a church. Since he just described fighting for the truth, in verses 13-16 he reminds Timothy of what the true, good confession is. The church should “take hold of eternal life” (v. 12) and then keep clinging to our confession, while we wait together for the appearing of our rescuer, the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 14). He ends this section with a great theological hymn of praise for the One who deserves all glory.

The Community of Truth

Paul commands Timothy, and therefore us, with simple reminders to flee, follow, fight and fulfill certain things in order to guard the trust: we have been entrusted with the one, true, glorious gospel (vv. 20-21). He ends his letter by saying that this truth, the glorious gospel, is a stewardship that has been entrusted to us, and from which we should not deviate.

This trust of guarding the gospel as the community of truth is a great and awesome privilege. My prayer for my church and yours is that we stay close to the One who calls and sustains us by His glorious grace. To God be the glory.

[This is the final part of a larger series on 1 Timothy called The Community of Truth.]

Godliness with Contentment

I realize it may seem harsh to post an entry on contentment just days after the most materialistic day in America, but I promise it was not intentional. As I am blogging through 1 Timothy when I find time, we have come to this section.

We are all rich in contrast to most of the rest of the world. There is no mistaking that we in America are rich. Yet we all want more. This year, government officials in Washington were once again arguing about the right process to raise our national debt ceiling. As I write, the national debt stands at approximately the $15.1 trillion mark. Why did they need to raise the debt ceiling? So that more money, that we don’t have, can be spent.

Even though in 1 Timothy 6.3-10, and 6.17-19 Paul turns his attention to address the rich and the greedy of Ephesus in their day, we have to realize that there are a few ways their context fits our present cultural context. How do we also grow towards godliness with contentment, and what will it accomplish in and through us?

Godliness with contentment is promoted by sound teaching. (1 Timothy 6.3-8)

Paul teaches here that the one who strays from and promotes teaching that is inconsistent with the teaching of Jesus ultimately is proven to be greedy, and only concerned about himself. This type of person actually thinks that a public speaking ministry is a way to get rich. They are shown however, to have a fake form of so-called godliness for the sake of material gain. On the contrary, genuine godliness is great gain when it is accompanied by contentment. We entered this world with nothing, and we will leave it with nothing.

Perhaps the most challenging and compelling point of Paul’s thought is how he defines what should make us content. He says that with food and clothing, we should be content.

Godliness with contentment prevents evil greed. (vv. 9-10)

When people are not content with the basics that God provides, and desire to be rich, Paul says that kind of discontent is like a snare or trap, and will plunge them into destruction. Then in his explanation comes an often-misquoted verse of Scripture. He does not say that money is root of evil. He says that the love of money, that is, greed, is a root of all kinds of evil, since it will produce in us all kinds of self-centered actions. Ultimately, unrepentant greed will lead you away from faith in Christ. To prevent that, God’s word says to be content, and keep trusting in Jesus.

Godliness with contentment provides for sharing and investing. (vv. 17-19)

In these final verses, directed toward the rich, it is important to note that he does not criticize them for being rich. Again, as with verses 9-10, the issue is not money itself, it is the love of money, in our hearts. He reminds them not to become conceited or arrogant, and not to place their faith in money. Paul simply teaches them the right way to handle their money: Be good stewards of it.

He says that the rich can do good works with their cash. They can help others; they can share. In so doing, they are investing in the future—not just the future lives of those around them, but even storing up eternal treasures in heaven, awaiting the real life that the new age will bring.

One other interesting note that these sections bring to light is that Paul addresses these groups differently. Those who are rich are not necessarily greedy, and conversely, those who are greedy are not always rich. Greed is a state of mind, or rather, of the heart. It’s not that God doesn’t care about our finances—He does. But God really cares about our hearts.

Our hope should never be in the things of this life. We should quickly learn that relying on money is futile. Our hope and help comes from the Lord.

[This is part of a larger series on 1 Timothy called The Community of Truth.]

When God Doesn’t Change My Circumstances

You’ve probably heard the old saying that troubles come in threes. That if a couple of bad things have happened to you, you might as well hunker down and get ready because another one is coming. There’s no such biblical evidence for this, of course…just some people’s observation. Difficulties do sometimes come in bunches. But what about those people that we know of who seem to face troubles—not in threes or fives—but in eighteens and forty-twos?

What about those who seemingly live in a constant state or condition of tough circumstances? As a specific example, what about those over the centuries who were subjected to slavery? Slaves are the very group Paul addresses in 1 Timothy 6.1-2.

I used to wonder: What in the world do we do with those tough verses? Some scholars and pastors simply redefine these sections to say they address employer-employee relationships. I think something deeper is at stake.

In the middle of ongoing, persistent difficulties, our common and natural response is to desire to change the situation. We pray about it, but God hasn’t—by our standards—fixed it yet. Paul’s brief comments to slaves in this section of the letter are exceptionally challenging. We all probably would want the same the questions answered: What happens when God doesn’t change my circumstances? I think there are two main reasons given here.

When God doesn’t change my circumstances, it allows me to demonstrate the gospel more clearly. (v. 1)

Having grown up in East Tennessee, I remember periodically driving through the foothills of the mountains and seeing some farmers still using the old process of yoking a beast of burden to till the ground for their crops. The reason for the yoke is obvious: it places the work on the animal and reminds it who its master is.

Paul apparently decides to use this figurative language to remind his readers that he knows their plight. He simply encourages them to bear up under the yoke with grace, even when their authority figures don’t deserve it. He uses their negative circumstance to point them to a positive outcome. When they continue serving their masters and regard them with honor in spite of and in the midst of their difficult circumstance, they demonstrate the gospel clearly. This is a hard truth, but an important one. The entire letter of 1 Peter says the same basic principle. When we bear up under pressure well, we live under grace and represent the God who saves us.

Listen to how Paul emphasizes this elsewhere:

Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, and to be well pleasing, not talking back or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything. (Titus 2.9-10, HCSB)

So when anyone facing ongoing difficult circumstances keeps on patiently trusting and serving God by honoring those over them, they show the gospel’s power by not only preventing others from having fodder to revile God’s name, but also by putting on display His glorious saving grace.

That’s a hard principle. Who thinks like that? It’s not natural to think about preserving the progress of the gospel through our difficulties. No, it’s not natural; it’s supernatural. Which brings us to the second idea.

When God doesn’t change my circumstances, it tends to transform my thinking more constantly. (v. 2)

When we are in the middle of a trying time, especially when we feel it’s at the hands of Christians, it seems the most important thing is to pray, and hope it ends soon. That’s the normal reaction. But again Paul takes a different approach here in verse two. He says that slaves who have Christian masters should not disrespect them because the masters claim to be brothers, but instead the slaves should serve them all the more, since the ones benefitted are beloved Christians. Again, that’s hard.

There’s a general principle that Paul is getting at. We often have a problem with our attitude, with our thinking, and it needs to be transformed. It’s not wrong to desire a change in our circumstances, but we are missing an opportunity to let our thinking be transformed in the process.

A while back I wrote about how my thinking changed during a season of constant pain with a pinched nerve. The continual pain was a continual reminder. It forced me to think differently. And that is what Paul through the Holy Spirit is teaching here. If I were a slave, I would want to get out of it, and I would certainly expect a Christian master to either set me free or at least treat me well. But Paul says in this instance: Think differently and keep serving well.

Who thinks like that? God does. Look at this verse regarding transformed thinking:

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12.2, HCSB)

Take a look at these verses regarding not focusing on changing your circumstances, and how slavery comes up again:

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. (1 Corinthians 7.17-24, ESV)

In this long explanation in 1 Corinthians 7 regarding marriage and singleness, Paul speaks to the idea that some were focused on (or perhaps obsessed with) changing their marital status. He uses the illustrations of circumcision and slavery (admittedly both are points which had more impact in their day) to essentially say three times: Don’t be focused on changing your status; rather, live well representing God in whatever status you find yourself (see vv. 17, 20, 24). That’s radically different thinking.

Certainly this by no means implies that those who are being abused should endure it just to help them think differently. The slave trade and trafficking that exist to this day are horrific tragedies and we must pray and act to put an end to them. There have been many forms of slavery over the millennia, and a look at Paul’s short letter to Philemon regarding a slave named Onesimus is helpful in understanding slavery in their day. And even for their form of slavery he specifically says to gain your freedom if you can (1 Corinthians 7.21). But his basic point is clear: Let the pressures and hardships constantly transform your thinking, like iron in a fire.

For those who follow a health and wealth gospel, this will sound hollow. But God is doing a deep work in us when He lets us go through hard seasons, or even a hard life. He is for us, not against us.

So when God has caused or allowed our circumstances to be hard ones, our response must be one where we remember that we are able to demonstrate the gospel more clearly, and transform our thinking more constantly.

We tend to say, “This junk in my life isn't fair. It's not right!” No, it's redemptive.

We tend to say, “I can't respond to this mess with love and grace—that’s not normal!” No, it's not normal, it's Christian.

[This is part of a larger series on 1 Timothy called The Community of Truth.]

Reflections and Celebrations

I love the month of December.

December makes most people either smile or cringe. I realize that the season is difficult for many, but it also reminds us of some very important truths.

First, I love December because of the obvious: It is the season of Christmas, the continual recognition that God came down to earth to be with us and save us. For this most incredible reason alone, this season is a glorious one.

Another reason I love this month is for all the Holidaypalooza around the season—with all the music and parties and decorations. The period of Thanksgiving through Christmas and then New Year is full of great celebrations. If you can wade through all the commercialization, it’s a really sweet time.

Finally, the end of the year marks a time of reflection. This year, like any other, brought many hardships and joys for our church family. We have been stretched. That’s why December can be so hard for some. But we grow through that process also. With the change of season comes an opportunity to remember all that God has done—even the hard things. And at the same time, it gives us an opportunity to refuel and start thinking about days ahead, and the plans God has for us. There is great hope for the coming year.

So I pray that you and I can both reflect and celebrate as we share this season together.

Maintaining Trustworthy Elders

Being a pastor can be interesting. Pastors are either loved or hated. Some are given too much credit while others aren’t given enough. As we said earlier in the series, pastors aren’t supposed to be superhuman, but they are required to have proven character.

In this section of his letter, after speaking about caring for church members as a family, in 1 Timothy 5.17-25, Paul addresses the way we care for our church leaders. Perhaps in speaking about how we should honor (financially support) widows, he is reminded about how he wants to address honoring and financially supporting pastors, since that is how this section begins. In any case, he speaks concerning how we care about the principle of a trustworthy, honorable eldership by maintaining a healthy process for graciously holding these leaders accountable—which in turn helps keep us accountable. So how can we best care for, and care about, our church leaders? In each of the three sections, it seems the tone is reasonableness.

We ensure that our church leaders are given a reasonable compensation. (vv. 17-18)

It’s always odd as a pastor addressing this issue, but when you are teaching straight through a book of the Bible, you have to address it as it comes! God’s Word addresses this, so I am. Paul says here that pastors who lead well are worthy of double honor, meaning among other things that in order to receive reasonable compensation, church leaders should work hard at serving well. He says that reasonable support ought to be especially true for those whose specific task is preaching and teaching. To prove his point, he then quotes from Deuteronomy (25.4) and Luke (10.7). (As a side note, it is significant that Paul quotes Luke’s Gospel alongside the Hebrew Scripture book of Deuteronomy. In doing so to his pre-New Testament-era readers, he is affirming a contemporary, first century piece of writing as Holy Scripture, giving it the same weight as ancient texts.)

We ensure that our church leaders are granted a reasonable doubt. (with regard to accusations; vv. 19-21)

Since Paul just spoke of provision for those leaders who are serving well, he now makes provision for those who are accused of not serving or living well. He explains that, just like everyone else, reasonable doubt should be granted when someone is in a leadership role. Crowds will often jump to conclusions when a leader has been accused, and Paul reminds them that pastors should be granted the same biblical due process that Mosaic Law stated and that Jesus reaffirmed. Here is Paul’s basis:

One witness cannot establish any wrongdoing or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Deuteronomy 19.15, HCSB)

If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. (16) But if he won’t listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. (17) If he pays no attention to them, tell the church. But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you. (Matthew 18.15-17, HCSB, emphasis reflects OT quote)

After giving a reasonable doubt, however, if the church leader in question has been proven to be continuing in sin, he says that the rebuke should be public. This is so that church members as well as other pastors will be reminded of the serious nature of sin: “…that the rest also may fear.” He says these principles should be applied consistently, without prejudice or favoritism.

We ensure that our church leaders are examined with reasonable scrutiny. (vv. 22-25)

Finally in this section, we are given the approach we should take in approving and installing new church leaders. Paul already gave us the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3.2-7. Now, he reminds readers of the care and the deliberate attitude with which we must perform this process. No one should be placed in a leadership role too quickly; to do so is to share in their sins when they become evident. In this regard, he explains that whether a person is sinful or well qualified, it will show up. It may be immediately obvious, or it may show up later, but it will show up at some point, so it’s better to do the testing and approving on the front end and save everyone the trouble. In an interesting aside directed to Timothy, Paul tells him that it’s okay to use a little wine as medicine for his stomach without fear that he will be disqualified if he does.

With reasonable consideration, we can ensure that our church leaders are taken care of, and granted the proper amount of attention. Too much or too little attention to church leaders can be disastrous.

[This is part of a larger series on 1 Timothy called The Community of Truth.]

Church Life as Family

I once heard a conference speaker tell me that I was God’s favorite. What was immediately confusing about that statement is that I wasn’t the only one in the audience. Others must have heard him say the same thing. Which means that a few hundred were told they were God’s favorite. Which seems to diminish the idea of what it means to be a favorite just a little bit.

The fact is the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons in the sense that He has no favorites of earthly influence. He doesn’t need to.

At the same time, God’s word is also clear that He is always looking out for widows and orphans in a significant way. Take one example (there are several):

God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.
(6) God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.
(Psalm 68.5-6, HCSB)

As we have worked our way through the letter of 1 Timothy, we have previously noted a couple of places where Paul implies that the family unit is like a little church, and the church is like a big family. God cares how families treat each other, and particularly how families treat their orphans and widows. At this point in his letter, in 1 Timothy 5.1-16, Paul addresses the way we treat each other in the church, responding to each other and our needs. How can we regard our fellow church members as family?

We treat every member with gentle respect. (vv. 1-2)

Verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5 could perhaps align better with what came immediately before them, but it seems appropriate to understand them as part of a larger discussion on family-church life. Paul speaks of our interactions with fellow church members, that communication should happen with gentleness and respect, as if they were family members. He adds a special phrase as a reminder to treat young ladies with all purity. So first, we are to treat each member of the church (family) with gentle respect. But there is another important admonition.

We care for true widows with loving support. (vv. 3-16)

This is a large grouping of verses to put together under one point, but they begin and end with the exhortation to assist those who are genuinely widows, or truly widows. Paul describes widows who are left without any family to help take care of them.

God’s word is clear that the church has a responsibility to help take care of those church members who have no one else to assist them. He says that if anyone has family members, the family should provide assistance, monetary and otherwise. Those who could help but refuse to do so are, according to the Holy Spirit, “worse than” one who claims no Christian faith at all. The Scripture simply recognizes that even those not operating from a Christian ethic understand the basic desire to and necessity of support for family members. Christians who don’t are without excuse.

Here God sets up a process whereby genuine widows (and perhaps by extension, anyone who is without any real means of support) can and should receive assistance from the church when possible. Paul and the church there know that many people tend to abuse the assistance process, and so he sets in place a series of guidelines as to who should receive the available support. The list or enrollment mentioned in verse 9 implies those who qualify for support. Regarding widows, to receive church assistance, he said they must be:

• Genuinely left without support (vv. 4-5, 16)
• Genuinely trusting in God (vv. 5-7; contrast vv. 11-15)
• Genuinely faithful in serving (vv. 9-10)
• Genuinely senior in age (v. 9; contrast v. 14)

Paul doesn’t want the church or the process to be abused, so parameters are set in place. And there are pretty stern warnings for those who reject this plan. We’ve already noted the “worse than an infidel” section. But notice also in verses 14-15 that those who would abuse this process for support are risking the accusations and temptations of Satan himself. This is serious business for the church to get right.

Why? Because the church is the community of truth. And how we treat widows really matters.

[This is part of a larger series on 1 Timothy called The Community of Truth.]

Good Servants of Christ Jesus

What did it take for you to become good at what you do? What did it take for you to become skilled at it? Did you have formal education or training? Did someone teach you how to do it?

For the believer, this is ultimately what discipleship is—God is training us, maturing our character, making us more like Jesus. Certainly, we must have the Holy Spirit working in us, enabling and empowering us. But the Bible also teaches that on our part, it takes practice; it takes rehearsal. Today we look at 1 Timothy 4.6-16, the next section in this series. In my own life, this section in chapter 4 had an early and lasting impact on my progress in character. These verses are among the first I memorized—because I knew I would need to remind myself often.

After warning about the real danger of falling away from faith and from the true gospel, Paul immediately addresses the church’s continual need of God’s Word. He says it in a way that Timothy and everyone there will understand—in terms of what makes a good servant or minister. He speaks of the training and practice it will take. Although he is specifically talking to Timothy in the role in which he was serving, these principles are true for everyone: The word for minister (in some translations) in verse 6 is the same word as servant. What was true for Timothy is true for us. So what makes someone a good servant of Christ?

1. Good servants of Christ grow through regular intake of God’s Word (vv. 6-7).

We grow through God’s Word, instead of being deceived through false teaching. This proves or demonstrates that we have been nourished and trained already—note that Timothy has already been following these things. Just like a baby needs milk, and instinctively desires it, we need the Word of God to be nourished (see 1 Pet 2.2-3). Are you taking in God’s Word regularly?

2. Good servants of Christ engage in disciplined training for an eternal reward (vv. 7-10).

We engage in disciplined training as opposed to being deluded through common folk fables in receiving an earthly benefit. Paul calls them “old wives’ tales,” showing that term’s usage from at least the first century. He simply means that Timothy should not get caught up in silly fables and myths that have little or no value. So it takes exercising, training, disciplining (ourselves) to avoid falling into error. Actually, it takes ongoing discipline to develop in anything.

Just like companies that offer continuing education credits to keep their employees trained, we all need continuing training. Many folks engage in physical exercise, and certainly it has some benefit. However, the Scripture here says that spiritual exercise offers benefit and promise for this life and for the eternal life that will extend beyond this one.

If you want to make an impact that will last into eternity, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. Are you training yourself, through the Word of God, to exercise toward godliness, with the understanding that you are progressing toward an eternal reward?

3. Good servants of Christ model a mature life in front of other believers (vv. 11-14).

We model a mature life as opposed to allowing immaturity, whether real or perceived, to diminish our serving influence on others. Paul has just described the common grace of God, and the particular grace to save to the uttermost those who trust in Him (v. 10), which is why this purpose is worth living for, and then teaching and modeling for others.

Many youth group leaders have turned to verse 12 over the years as a key verse for their teens. While it’s a great verse to inspire them, this statement was not only addressed to teenagers, but a call for any servant of God’s Word to be demonstrating maturity. Timothy was not a teen. He was probably 30 years old or more, but still considered young for his day contrasted with the elders in the church who might look down on him (in their era) and despise his youth.

In our day, we have almost the opposite trend: America tends to idolize young people in our culture. In Paul’s day there would have been a great respect for the elders in the church. So his encouragement to Timothy was to lovingly and graciously show that maturity doesn’t always equate to age. The goal is to be above reproach—not to allow anyone to be able to raise an accusation about spiritual immaturity in each of these key areas (v. 12). This was proved by the confirming acceptance of God’s calling on his life, and it must not be neglected. Do you live in such a way that folks can watch your life, and then imitate it?

4. Good servants of Christ labor over good theology for Godward progress (vv. 15-16).

We are to work hard at having a good theology, as opposed to leading our churches and ourselves on a path to destruction. Paul describes the path to a healthy theological understanding: Being fully into God’s word, devoted to it. Bible translators always come up with interesting ways to render the second phrase in verse 15. Actually, it is simply a form of the word be, so that the meaning is: Be in it; soak it up; saturate yourself in the things of God through His word.

Right theology then informs and influences right living, although we sometimes think it’s the other way around. What we know about God impacts what we do on a daily basis. It will have a Godward redeeming influence on us and on those who watch us. If people watch your life, would they come to you with a question about God because they know you pore over the Scriptures? Can they see that you’re making progress?

5. Good servants of Christ share this glorious gospel for mutual transformation (vv. 6, 11, 13, 16).

We are to share this as the good news that it is, as opposed to merely gaining personal knowledge. We get to tell others. If we miss this point, we have missed Paul’s reason for these paragraphs. Are you sharing this glorious gospel with anyone?

[This is part of a larger series on 1 Timothy called The Community of Truth.]