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Split-sermon: “One verse”
by Chris Cumming
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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.
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1 Timothy 1:1-7
[see
Lessons] |
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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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