1 Timothy 1:18-20
Paul had exhorted Timothy to instruct the false teachers in Ephesus to stop teaching their strange doctrines.
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He then took a few verses to point out that his calling as an apostle was against his nature.
He had been a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor.
But through the mercy, grace, and strength of God, he was re-created to be something else.
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Paul was assuring Timothy that God could re-create him to be something else as well.
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Timothy was supposed to fight a good fight in accordance with the prophecies made concerning him.
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Earlier in Timothy's life, the elders had laid hands on him and words of prophecy were spoken over him.
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Timothy had received the spiritual gift of teaching.
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Paul was telling Timothy to trust in God, to remember that the Lord had spoken great things about how He would use Timothy, so that by recalling them Timothy might fight the battle well.
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Timothy was supposed to fight the good fight of faith.
It was a fight to keep the faith pure.
It was a fight against false doctrines with the truth of the Scriptures.
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Now, in order to fight a good fight, Timothy needed to keep faith and a good conscience.
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Our faith will grow as we spend time in the Word.
That is how we keep faith.
And we won't lose trust in God when things get difficult.
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The second necessity for fighting the good fight of faith is keeping a good conscience.
Having a good conscience means that we are living our life above reproach before God and fellow men.
We are to resist temptation and to avoid sin.
In this way, we will walk with a good conscience before God and men.
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Some people had been shipwrecked in regard to their faith.
They got stuck at a certain point, crashed and burned, fell away from God and the church.
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For some, it was because they never got rooted and grounded in the Word.
They never laid in themselves the foundation of the Bible to build their faith on.
They lost faith when things seemed to fall apart.
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Others failed to resist temptation and avoid sin.
They turned the grace of God into licentiousness.
They continued in sin.
They hardened their hearts into unbelief.
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Paul gave two examples of people whose faith was shipwrecked: Hymenaeus and Alexander.
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Hymenaeus was teaching falsely that the resurrection had already taken place (2 Tim. 2:16-18).
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Alexander was always vigorously opposing true teaching (2Tim 4:14-15).
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Paul says that he has delivered these guys to Satan.
It means to disfellowship them.
And kicks them out of the church.
Paul had exhorted Timothy to instruct the false teachers in Ephesus to stop teaching their strange doctrines.
*******
He then took a few verses to point out that his calling as an apostle was against his nature.
He had been a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor.
But through the mercy, grace, and strength of God, he was re-created to be something else.
*******
Paul was assuring Timothy that God could re-create him to be something else as well.
*******
Timothy was supposed to fight a good fight in accordance with the prophecies made concerning him.
*******
Earlier in Timothy's life, the elders had laid hands on him and words of prophecy were spoken over him.
*******
Timothy had received the spiritual gift of teaching.
*******
Paul was telling Timothy to trust in God, to remember that the Lord had spoken great things about how He would use Timothy, so that by recalling them Timothy might fight the battle well.
*******
Timothy was supposed to fight the good fight of faith.
It was a fight to keep the faith pure.
It was a fight against false doctrines with the truth of the Scriptures.
*******
Now, in order to fight a good fight, Timothy needed to keep faith and a good conscience.
*******
Our faith will grow as we spend time in the Word.
That is how we keep faith.
And we won't lose trust in God when things get difficult.
*******
The second necessity for fighting the good fight of faith is keeping a good conscience.
Having a good conscience means that we are living our life above reproach before God and fellow men.
We are to resist temptation and to avoid sin.
In this way, we will walk with a good conscience before God and men.
*******
Some people had been shipwrecked in regard to their faith.
They got stuck at a certain point, crashed and burned, fell away from God and the church.
*******
For some, it was because they never got rooted and grounded in the Word.
They never laid in themselves the foundation of the Bible to build their faith on.
They lost faith when things seemed to fall apart.
*******
Others failed to resist temptation and avoid sin.
They turned the grace of God into licentiousness.
They continued in sin.
They hardened their hearts into unbelief.
*******
Paul gave two examples of people whose faith was shipwrecked: Hymenaeus and Alexander.
*******
Hymenaeus was teaching falsely that the resurrection had already taken place (2 Tim. 2:16-18).
*******
Alexander was always vigorously opposing true teaching (2Tim 4:14-15).
*******
Paul says that he has delivered these guys to Satan.
It means to disfellowship them.
And kicks them out of the church.
Fighting the good fight is a good motto in whatever you do.
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