1 Timothy 1:5
5 Now [de] the end [telos] of the commandment [paraggelia] is [esti] charity [agape] out of [ek] a pure [katharos] heart, [kardia] and [kai] of a good [agathos] conscience, [suneidesis] and [kai] of faith [pistis]
unfeigned: [anupokritos] KJV-Interlinear
5 But the goal of our instruction
is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. NASB
The four aspects of the
efforts of false instructors is their error, their goal, their motive, and
their effect or outcome.
We covered their error.
They have only myths and endless lists which lack truth or substance. Their arguments are made up, invented, and
their statistics or views are repetitive, coming from nowhere and going to nowhere.
Now
as to their goal. Paul contrasts the goal of the deceivers with
the goal of truth.
First
as to the goal of truth.
Truth seeks your
completion as a human being.That means
your body, soul and spirit.The first
means of your completion, is your salvation and the
certain promise of eternal life.That
comes with faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
The second means of
your completion, is your spiritual growth. This is your learning of doctrine, your living
in fellowship, your understanding of what you learn, and finally your using what you learn on a daily basis, in your daily
life.That last part creates your
spiritual production.
Remember, your works,
your efforts according to your standards, are not works according to Gods
standards.You can say all of the words,
sing all of the right songs, and feel all of the right feelings, but if your
life is based on emotions only, then your life is seriously lacking in
substance.
Bible doctrine, learned
in an academic environment, is the substance and foundation of your spiritual
life. And on that, is based the rest of your entire life.
Love, agape, is the
love of choice, it is the love of substance, not
emotion. Agape, is the content of the
scriptures, which you have to learn, before you can know and use them.
But here it is
translated, charity, and charity is the action, or the active use of the
principles of life, in life.
Charity which also means
giving to those who are in need, is a different type of charity, and not in
view here, although it is incorporated because it is a part of the vast array
of principles of doctrine that apply to ones life.
This word, agape,
here refers to the vast array of principles which you need to learn in order to
grow up.And that in turn contributes
toward the completion of your total life.
This is the goal of
truth, to bring your life to its fullest possible point of completion and
beyond.
But life is more than
just knowledge, it is use and function in ones daily
life, with a pure heart.
The Psalms cover the
concept of the pure heart,
"Who may ascend
into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?" Psa. 24:3.
"He
who has clean hands and a pure heart," Psa. 24:4.
"Create in me a
clean heart, O God," Psa. 51:10.
"Surely God is
good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!" Psa. 73:1.
And what exactly is a
pure heart?
A heart washed by
regeneration, Titus 3:5, an obedient heart, Rom 6:17.
The heart is the active
function of the soul, symbolically in the soul, as it is a pump within your
physical body.The heart represents the
circulation (the use) of Bible doctrine in your soul.
And the only people who can possess this pure heart, are those who have
been saved (regeneration), and those who live within the fellowship sphere of
the spiritual life (obedient).This
fellowship concept has been studied in detail within our studies of 1, 2, and 3rd
Jn.Perhaps one day you will find the time
to go over those studies.
Next is the good
conscience.This is the self discipline
within you, that keeps you alert as to the status of
your spiritual life.It is the self
evaluation, moment by moment of your life, monitoring for sin in your life,
measuring your thoughts and actions, against that which is right, verses that which
is wrong.
Everyone is born with a
natural sense of what is right and what is wrong, Rom. 2:14-15. No one has any excuse for not knowing the
fundamental difference between right and wrong.
When you cross the line you experience guilt, fear, shame, remorse,
nervousness, and so forth.So you are
always alerted to the fact of your thoughts or actions, Titus 1:15. A good conscience is one who functions in
fellowship.
And faith, unfeigned. The spiritual life cannot be faked with God. You may fake out people, with rhetoric and
smiles, but God looks inside of the soul and sees the truth therein, or lack of
it.
With truth, your
thoughts are pure, your motives are pure, your actions
are pure.There is no deceit or attempt
to deceive or further your own self at the expense of others. You do not elevate yourself above others, or
try to take advantage by dishonest means.
You do the best you can with what the world dishes out to you and depend
on God for the rest.
If you have to promote
yourself at the expense of someone else, then your advancement is not really an
honorable advancement.
The goal of truth is to
build you up, to make you complete, to separate you and make you autonomous
from the constraints of this world.To
make you free, secure, prosperous, and contented. That is true happiness, and the underlying
result is real meaning and purpose for your life. That is the ultimate goal of truth, for your
life.
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