Split-sermon: “One verse”    
by Chris Cumming
 

Beginning back in November 2008, the Web Site Office has been conducting a program called, Audio Bible Studies.

We have conducted extensive Bible studies on:

*Doctrines of the church.
*Healing Doctrine
*‘How To’ Instructions in Righteousness
*The Menu-Driven Bible study
*The End Time: Problems and Solutions

…and a host of more.

Currently we are engaged in

*A survey of the Letter Answering Department
*The Principles of God
*…and something we call, “The Survey of the Letters of Paul.

All these studies are posted on the web site in text and audio.  We must have audio in excess of 1,500 hours available to everyone in the ICG.

We have only recently begun this survey into the letters of Paul.  What we had no way of knowing is that we would be spending one hour on each verse.  Chapter 1 of 1 Timothy has 20 verses and we have over 20 hours of audio posted.  We are currently in 1 Timothy, chapter 2.

Clearly we are fully immersing ourselves into the Word of God.  I want to give you a flavor of what we are doing by looking at just one of those verses we have covered.
 

1 Timothy 1:1-7 [see Lessons]

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
7. Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.  

 

From which some having swerved - Margin, “not aiming at.” The word here used - means properly, to miss the mark; to err; and then, to swerve from-- compare 1Timothy 6:21; 2Timothy 2:18. The word “which”, in the plural, refers not to the law, but to the things enumerated - a pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith. ~Barnes Notes
 

1 Timothy 6:21 [see Lesson]
Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

2 Timothy 2:18 [see Lesson]
Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

This phrase, “And overthrow the faith of some” does not mean to somehow cause them to fall from the Salvation Process but rather to have wrong information on a given point or points.

And overthrow the faith of some - That is, on this point, and as would appear on all the correlative subjects of Christian belief; compare 1 Timothy 1:19-20.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 [see Lessons]
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. ~Barnes Notes
 

Now from the John Gill commentary.. 1 Timothy 1:6

From which some having swerved - The apostle, in this verse and the next, describes the persons he suspected of teaching other doctrines, and of introducing fables and endless genealogies; they were such who departed from the above things; they erred from the commandment, or law, notwithstanding their great pretensions to a regard unto it; at least they missed the mark, the end and design of it; they went astray from that, and instead of promoting charity or love, created feuds, contentions, and divisions in the churches; and were far from having a pure heart, being filthy dreamers, and sensual persons, destitute of the Spirit of God, and were such who put away a good conscience, and made shipwreck of faith: such were Hymenaeus, Philetus, Alexander, and others, of whom he also says, they [have turned aside to vain jangling]. ~John Gill
 

Regarding the phrase in the above commentary, "sensual persons": meaning being physical rather than spiritual or spiritually intellectual by power of the Holy Spirit. The next phrase in the commentary is, "destitute of the Spirit of God." Notice two verses:

James 3:15
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Jude 1:19
These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Let us look at James 3:15 in context by reading there again in scripture from verse 10:

James 3:10-18
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Not only is this speaking to Matthew 7:16-20 on how to identify true ministers but also to identify how and why God's true church does not always operate in true harmony. At best, some are not focusing on the power of the Holy Spirit and at worst, we have some in the congregation who either never had it or have quenched it and fallen away.

Now notice the commentary on Jude 1:19:

having not the Spirit - though they might have some external gifts of the Spirit, they were not under its influence, nor did they feel the operations of God's grace, nor had they communion with Him: hence they appeared to be none of Christ's, nor could they claim interest in Him, and were without life, and so could not persevere. ~edited text from the John Gill commentary
 

Now the second part of 1 Timothy 1:6

Have turned aside unto vain jangling - Vain talk, discourses without sense. The word here used does not mean contention or strife, but that kind of discourse which is not founded in good sense. They were discourses on their pretended distinctions in the law; on their traditions and ceremonies; on their useless genealogies, and on the fabulous statements which they had appended to the law of Moses. ~ Barnes Notes

I want to address the first part of this phrase, "Have turned aside":

From Robertson's Word Pictures:
Have turned aside - to turn or twist out or aside. In medical sense in Hebrews 12:13. As metaphor in 1 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 4:4.
 

Hebrews 12:6-13
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Notice the commentary on the last phrase..."but let it rather be healed":

But let it rather be healed - As in the case of lameness, pains should be taken to heal it rather than to suffer it to be increased by careless exposure to a new sprain or fracture, so it should be in our religious and moral character. Whatever is defective we should endeavor to restore to soundness, rather than to suffer the defect to be increased. Whatever is feeble in our faith or hope; whatever evil tendency there is in our hearts, we should endeavor to strengthen and amend, lest it should become worse, and we should entirely fall. ~Barnes Notes
 


Then back to Robertson's Word Pictures above, the metaphor verses---have turned aside:

1 Timothy 1:6---the verse we are immersed in here:  [see Lesson]
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

1 Timothy 6:20 [see Lesson]
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

2 Timothy 4:4 [see Lesson]
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Now from the Adam Clarke:
Turned aside unto vain jangling - The original term, signifies empty or vain talking; discourses that turn to no profit; a great many words and little sense; and that sense not worth the pains of hearing. Such, indeed, is all preaching where Jesus Christ is not held forth. ~Adam Clarke

Here is the John Gill commentary:
have turned aside to vain jangling - which he elsewhere calls empty talk, and vain babblings, 1 Timothy 6:20, from the solid doctrines of the Gospel, and a solid way of handling them, they turned to vain, idle, useless, and unprofitable subjects of discourse, and to treating upon subjects in a vain, and empty manner; entertaining their hearers with foolish and trifling questions and answers to them about the law, and with strifes about words, which were unserviceable and unedifying; they were unruly and vain talkers, Titus 1:10. ~ John Gill

Titus 1:10 says... [see Lesson]
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision.

Notice from this commentary the two-fold concept or elements by which we are judged, here and now, in the Salvation Process:

1] Solid Doctrines of the Gospel--What we Believe
2] A Solid Way of Handling Them--Our Theology.

These are the two points of judgment. This verse 6 is speaking to these two points of judgment. Some in the congregation were either embracing false doctrine or engaging in bad theology or both. This was true then and is true today.

Now some related verses from the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge:

2 Timothy 2:23-26 [see Lessons]
23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Titus 3:5-11 [see Lessons]
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

And now for the uplifting part of all this:

Paul is talking to you, the faithful firstfruit to avoid those turned aside to vain jangling.

1 Timothy 1:8  But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully, [see Lesson]

1 Timothy 1:17  Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. [see Lesson]
 

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