Distractions: The
church in Ephesus was troubled with distractions. So Paul charged Timothy to
put an end to the foolish talk bombarding this church: command[1]
certain men not to teach strange ideas which were distracting them from the
purpose of God to sanctify and lead them to holy love (v5).[2]
Holy Love: The fruit that God wants for His household[3] is love,
because it is the sure mark of a healthy church.[4] Jesus said,
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another” (John 13:35). Love is the fruit of the Spirit’s presence in us (Gal.
5:22) and it is the fulfillment of the will of God (Rom. 13:8; Gal. 5:14; Matt.
7:12). But this is no ordinary love. This is a holy love that flows out of a
sanctified life, a love that stems from a heart cleansed of sin, a conscience
that no longer accuses, and a genuine faith that practices what it preaches
(v5).[5]
Every sound doctrine of Scripture promotes a godly life like this (1 Tim. 6:3;
Titus 1:1; 2:11-14). Nothing we learn of the Lord is fruitful if it doesn’t
produce in us a greater likeness to Him. All good theology exists to reveal to
us God in Christ that we may be like Him. As the moon reflects the sun, so we
are to look to our Lord and be radiant (Ps. 34:5). May we behold His glory and
glow with His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18)!
[1] The verb for instruct is pa-ran-gel-lō παραγγέλλω, which is a
military word for giving orders. Timothy was not to have an intellectual
debate, but to demand that these men stop their speaking of nonsense.
[2] These false teachers were
distractors. They neglected the virtues (v6) that were the wellspring of holy
love (1:5; cf. 1 Cor. 13:4-7). They instead pursued fruitless discussions wanting
to be teachers of the law (vv6-7), paying attention to speculative ideas (v4)
that did not advance God’s purpose for His people.
[3] “Administration” in v4 means
stewardship (oi-ko-no-mi-a [οἰκονομία]),
literally, “household-law.” God is the head of the house and we are His
stewards. We are to faithfully carry out His law/purpose for His house (cf.
3:15). The false teachers hijacked God’s house and were introducing ideas
foreign to God’s purpose.
[4] Love is the foundational trait of
all believers (1 Thess. 4:9). Cf. 1 John 2:10; 3:10, 14, 16; 4:7-11; Rev.
2:4-5.
[5] That is, justification by
God’s grace, sanctification by the Spirit, and an unfeigned trust in Christ.