Know Your Goal

Happy Thanksgiving week! I hope you enjoyed our conversations with God through the Gospel of John as much as I did! I'm turning now to one of the more practical writings of the New Testament, the first letter Paul wrote to Timothy. I hope you'll take a few minutes and soak in God's Word, the first eleven verses of chapter one. As you read over it again, what is jumping out at you or making you think?

What resonates most with me is this:

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (v. 5)

Paul was concerned about some people in the church who were teaching things that sounded intriguing and scholarly, but there was just one problem. They were way off base. And what their teachings produced was controversies. There is plenty of that around in Christian circles and churches today. Some teachers have pulled all kinds of things out of context in the Bible to develop theories and prophecies about everything from the European Union to the date of Jesus' return. Others want to hash out their opinions on the validity of tongue-speaking or Calvinism. It all makes for stimulating theological debate. And a lot of disagreements.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote a lot of the material people debate over, states that there is one central goal to the commands of God and healthy spiritual teaching. Love. Surprised? Sound (healthy) doctrine is teaching that motivates and equips us to live lives of love for God and for people. How loving am I in my actions and words? That's a good indication of how much I understand and obey the teachings of Scripture.

And what kind of love are we talking about? Love that comes from a pure heart. No phoniness. No ulterior motives. No demands for something in return. Just the real deal.

It's also love that flows from a clean conscience. When I'm living with integrity and holiness I am free to love people without guilt getting in the way. I can open myself up instead of hiding emotionally.

And it's a love that finds its source in a sincere faith in God. I love because I trust in the love God has for me. I don't withhold love out of fear that I'll get stepped on or hurt. My love is powered by the ability to trust. And when that trust is in God instead of people, even when my love is not returned I am able to keep on loving.

So there you go. That's what "sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God" produces in me and in my listeners. It makes the world a better place to live.

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