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1 Timothy 1: The Gospel of Patience

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The apostle Paul says he is a living example of God's patience towards false teachers. Seth and David talk about God's patience as one of Paul's favorite ways to talk about the good news of Jesus.

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The Gospel of Patience: Understanding the Law's True Purpose in 1 Timothy 1

Show Notes

David and Seth continue their journey through 1 Timothy, exploring what Paul calls a "mentoring epistle" written to his young protégé facing a church in crisis. Timothy has been left in Ephesus to confront false teachers who have gained influence among the congregation, and Paul's guidance reveals timeless truths about Scripture, sound doctrine, and the surprising patience of God.

The Challenge Timothy Faced in Ephesus

The situation Timothy inherited was remarkably difficult. Paul had personally witnessed false teaching taking root in the Ephesian church before departing, leaving Timothy behind with the charge to correct it. These false teachers were not outsiders shouting from the margins but trusted leaders within the congregation who had the ear of many people. They had devoted themselves to what Paul calls "myths and endless genealogies," speculative philosophies built from the genealogies found in Genesis and other parts of the Hebrew scriptures.

The content of their teaching was technically "biblical" in the sense that it derived from scriptural texts, but Paul dismisses it as mythical, meaning made up and pointless. These teachers were majoring on the minors, getting lost in peripheral details and nooks and crannies of scripture while missing its central message. The result was not merely intellectual confusion but moral and relational decay. Their speculative discussions were producing division, quarreling, and abandonment of godly character rather than the love, pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith that sound teaching should cultivate. Paul's assessment is blunt: they desire to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

The Proper Use of the Old Testament Law

Paul's critique of these false teachers raises a perennial question that Christians have wrestled with for centuries: What do we do with the Old Testament and its laws? Paul is careful to affirm that the law is good, but only if one uses it properly. This clarification matters because Paul could easily be accused of being anti-law given his emphasis on grace and the fulfillment of the law in Jesus. He consistently has to defend himself against this charge throughout his letters, and here he does so again while explaining what went wrong with the Ephesian teachers.

The key insight comes in verse 9, where Paul says the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners. He then lists categories of people who break the Ten Commandments: those who strike their parents instead of honoring them, murderers, the sexually immoral, liars, and so on. This reveals what the false teachers were likely doing. By getting lost in speculative details about genealogies and obscure passages, they could avoid the hard parts of scripture that called their own behavior into account. They could appear deeply knowledgeable and spiritual while ignoring the ethical demands that exposed their guilt.

Jesus confronted similar behavior among the Pharisees of his day. They tithed a tenth of their dill and followed the letter of the law in minute details while neglecting to care for their parents, claiming their resources were dedicated to God as "Corban." The religious world of the first century was already steeped in this pattern of using convenient parts of the Old Testament to ignore its more central demands.

Paul's point is that the law was written for guilty people, and this is actually good news. The law exposes sin, yes, but it also provides a way for guilt to be removed through sacrifice. The purpose of the law was never to trap people in shame but to show them their need and then point them to God's provision for that need. When you read the Old Testament properly, you see yourself as a sinner who cannot save yourself, and then you see the sacrificial system pointing toward a savior who can. That savior, as Jesus himself taught, is the fulfillment of everything Moses and the prophets wrote about.

This does not mean the Old Testament is only useful for convicting us of sin. The law reveals God's character, shows how he wants his universe to run, provides wisdom for living, demonstrates God's faithfulness through Israel's history, and offers countless other benefits for the Christian life. But if you go to the law and do not at least come away knowing you are guilty and need a savior, you are using it incorrectly. That is the door through which you must enter before you can appreciate everything else scripture offers.

The Litmus Test for True Doctrine

Paul's discussion of the law leads naturally into a broader question: How do you know if teaching is true or false? He provides several markers that function as a litmus test for sound doctrine.

The first test is whether doctrine produces godly character. Paul says the aim of his charge to Timothy is love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Sound doctrine is not merely a set of intellectual propositions to be analyzed in someone's brain. Real sound doctrine changes the way someone lives and makes them look more like God. If teaching leads people to become increasingly divisive, immoral, quarrelsome, or unloving, something has gone wrong regardless of how "biblical" the content appears. The false teachers in Ephesus were producing a church that looked less and less like the character of God explained in the Ten Commandments and more like a divisive mob.

The second test is whether doctrine accords with the gospel of Jesus. Paul says his teaching is "in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God." God in the flesh lived out perfect sound doctrine. Jesus fulfilled the law, demonstrated the law, and lived the law. Any true teaching will make people look more like him. The life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus provide the standard against which all doctrine must be measured.

The third test is apostolic authority. Paul says he has been entrusted with the gospel, and as an apostle of Jesus he has some authority on what constitutes true and false doctrine. The apostolic witness recorded in scripture provides a stamp of approval that helps distinguish truth from error. This connects back to scripture itself, since the apostles were given the prerogative to write more scripture, and we read their letters as authoritative 2,000 years later.

What binds these tests together is the word of God. The entire conversation flows from how to properly interpret and apply scripture. Sound doctrine creates holy people whose lives accord with the character of God revealed in the Old Testament and embodied in Jesus, as testified by the apostles in the New Testament. It is good news that there are answers to life's most important questions and that we are not left endlessly spinning our wheels in speculation.

Paul's Surprising Response to False Teachers

Given all of this, the natural question is what Timothy should actually do about the false teachers. Should he confront them harshly? Excommunicate them immediately? Paul's response is surprising. Instead of giving tactical advice, he tells his own story.

Paul reminds Timothy that he himself was formerly a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent of the church. He identifies himself completely with the false teachers Timothy is facing. He says he acted ignorantly in unbelief, the same terms he used to describe them. He even calls himself the worst of sinners. But then comes the gospel: he received mercy, and the grace of the Lord overflowed for him with faith and love. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom Paul considers himself the foremost example.

The power of this testimony from Paul is difficult to overstate. When Paul was Saul the persecutor, he killed Christians. Some of the people in the churches he now leads as an apostle may well have been family members of those he murdered. The man who caused so much destruction is now their spiritual authority and the author of scripture they will read for millennia. If God could transform someone like Paul, he can transform anyone.

Paul received mercy for a specific reason: so that Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. God saved Paul to show off how patient he is. The intended response from observers was supposed to be astonishment that God could be that patient, that merciful, and that kind with someone as terrible as Paul, leading them to want to serve such a God.

The Gospel of Patience

This brings us to what might be called Paul's "gospel of patience." The Apostle Peter, dealing with similar false teachers in his own context, specifically references Paul's teaching on this subject. Those false teachers were using God's patience as a license for immorality, arguing that since Jesus had not returned to judge them, they could live however they wanted. Peter's response was that the Lord's patience is not meant for license but for salvation. He then adds that "our dear brother Paul also wrote to you" about this very thing. Paul was known for his emphasis on divine patience.

God's patience is not a minor attribute but one of the first ways he describes himself in scripture. In Exodus 34, when God reveals his character to Moses, he says "I am a God gracious, compassionate, slow to anger." This self-description echoes throughout the prophets and the entire biblical witness. God defines himself as patient.

For us today, this truth is profoundly good news on multiple levels. When we sin repeatedly and imagine Jesus standing with a furrowed brow saying "Again? Get it together," we are believing a lie. Jesus is far more patient than our imagination allows. When we have loved ones who have walked away from faith and we think they have gone too far, God's patience for them exceeds our own. When we ourselves are exploring faith again after walking away, wondering if God is angry with us, the answer is that he is patient beyond comprehension, waiting for us while we listen to podcasts and wrestle with questions.

Paul closes this section with a doxology praising "the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God." That word "immortal" adds another dimension to divine patience. What does it mean for an immortal being to be patient with mortal creatures who live mere breaths? An eternal God would have every reason to be calloused and dismissive toward beings whose entire existence is a blink of his eye. Yet he chooses to define himself by his involvement and patience with sinful human beings.

It is one thing to say "I will wait for you." It is another thing entirely to say "I will wait for you forever." God has waited forever to love us, and he will be patient with us forever. The immortal patience of God stands as perhaps the most mind-boggling and beautiful truth in all of scripture.

See For Yourself

May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see the God who has consistently told the same story of grace throughout thousands of years of scripture, never changing his message that guilty sinners can find mercy. And may you see Jesus as the one who embodies perfect patience, saving even the worst sinners and transforming them into examples of hope for everyone who will believe.

Transcript

David: [upbeat music] Man, the good news is Jesus is the one who it all hinges on.

Seth: Yeah.

David: That He's good enough, right? That the truth- He is the truth.

Seth: He's creating in us the type of people He wants us to be by His power-

David: Right

Seth: ... not our own moral effort.

David: Yeah. That's just good news.

Seth: Amen.

Intro: [upbeat music] Welcome to the Spoken Gospel podcast. Spoken Gospel is a ministry that's dedicated to speaking the gospel out of every corner of scripture. In Luke 24, Jesus told his disciples that every part of the Bible was about Him. So each week, hosts David and Seth work through a passage of scripture to see how it's all about Jesus and His good news. Let's jump in. [upbeat music]

David: Well, welcome everyone to the Spoken Gospel podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. We're so glad you're here, uh, for our second week in 1 Timothy.

Seth: Seth.

David: How're you feeling about that?

Seth: I mean, I feel, feel pretty good about it.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Feel good, ready to be mentored by the Apostle Paul a little bit.

David: Mentored. Yeah, right. Before, we were praying, and you said the, 1 Timothy is a pastoral epistle, and then you called it a mentoring epistle.

Seth: A mentoring epistle. Yeah, I mean, Timothy is the Apostle Paul's protege.

David: Yeah.

Seth: He's been following him to Corinth and Thessalonica, and then he's being given, like, this post in Ephesus. And he's all alone for a little while.

David: Yeah.

Seth: And then Paul is sending him, like, encouragements in, while he's on the field, and mentoring him through the leadership challenges that he's experiencing, so.

David: That's helpful. That's a helpful framing device 'cause I think we've, I think we talked about this in the introduction when I asked you how you were doing in the introduction. I think I remember you saying something like, "When I think about the letters of Timothy, or the pastoral epistles as a whole-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... they tend to be like proof text for the church.

Seth: Right.

David: Here's what to do in the church, what not to do in the church.

Seth: This is how you appoint an elder.

David: Right.

Seth: This is how, what the, this is the doctrine of scripture. [laughs] It's like-

David: It's like, oh, yeah, that makes sense for a pastoral epistle. It's a, it's an epistle for pastors.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Uh, there's like, one, that's a made-up category. [laughs]

Seth: [laughs]

David: Let's just name that. Uh, but two, it does kind of like m- give you some of those connotations.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Whereas, like, a mentorship epistle, mentoring epistle is like-

Seth: So you have-

David: ... you got an older Christian talking to a younger Christian about like-

Seth: How to lead your church well

David: ... here's some help. Yeah.

Seth: Yeah.

David: So that's helpful. I like that framing device.

Seth: Yeah. And it opens up kind of like hot and heavy in the sense of-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... like, you got some false teachers? Let's talk about them.

David: Right. So recap for me, um, k- kind of what we talked about, the, we talked a lot in the introduction episode about what's going on in-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... and we're gonna get into some details of that here i- as we look at chapter one today, but give, like, what's the background here? What needs to be in our brains?

Seth: Well, I mean, at the very start, we just know that there are false teachers-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... that are corrupting and hurting Timothy's church in Ephesus. We know that they are, they deny that there's a second rec- a, s- a second coming of Jesus.

David: Or they think it's, like, already happened or something, yeah.

Seth: Or they think that it's already happened. Uh, they have some strange doctrines about the creation story, it seems. They like to talk about the Old Testament law, but they're getting lost in the details. It's led them to say, "You shouldn't get married, and you should, probably shouldn't be eating meat, or you shouldn't be eating certain types of food."

David: Yeah.

Seth: And, and I think probably more, uh, damaging than any, like, the weird, like, ethical commands that tells them to do, they're just being incredibly divisive.

David: Mm.

Seth: They're disrupting the order and the unity of God's church in favor for their controversies that they prefer.

David: Okay.

Seth: And that's kind of, like, a big part of what's going on.

David: Okay, so you've got a mentee of the Apostle Paul in an embattled church facing false teachers, some claims of, like, ethical gray areas, and some divisive combativeness that's going on.

Seth: Yeah. And more than likely, these false teachers were p- current or previous leaders within the church.

David: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Seth: So they're trusted by a large group of people in Timothy's congregation. They still have some clout and influence.

David: Mm.

Seth: And so Timothy isn't just dealing with false teachers out there-

David: Right

Seth: ... who are saying crazy things. He's dealing with people inside of his church that people trust, who have the ear of a lot of people.

David: Yeah.

Seth: And it's difficult to confront these types of people.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Does that make sense?

David: Totally.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And as a younger guy, he now has to come in and lead leaders.

Seth: Right.

David: Which is hard.

Seth: Right. And then there's this comment later on where it's like, "Don't let people look down on you because you're young." So he's probably the young- he might be the youngest guy-

David: Leading

Seth: ... leading, and he's supposed to correct all of his elders.

David: That's hard.

Seth: Difficult position to be in.

David: Yeah. Okay, so as we look at chapter one, I think we talked about three main themes that we're gonna hit in today's episode.

Seth: Yeah.

David: What are those? And then let's start the first one.

Seth: We're gonna talk about the proper and the misunderstood use of the Old Testament law.

David: Which is kind of the grounding of the false teachers.

Seth: That's right.

David: Okay.

Seth: Uh, we're gonna talk about the litmus test for, uh, true doctrine.

David: Okay.

Seth: How do you know something's actually biblical?

David: That's a g- oh, I'm excited about that.

Seth: Um-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... and then finally, we'll talk about the gospel of patience.

David: Which we touched on in the intro.

Seth: Yes.

David: And it's, like, my favorite thing. Amazing. Okay, so then the first is the improper use and the proper use of the Old Testament law, which, like, l- let's state something broadly and narrowly. Broadly speaking, this is a hot topic in almost every sector of the church.

Seth: I mean-

David: Is how, what do we do with the Old Testament? What about its laws? What about its regulations?

Seth: Which parts do we obey? Which parts do we not obey?

David: Yeah.

Seth: It is not been solved in the centuries-

David: Yes

Seth: ... that Christians have been [laughs] studying scripture.

David: And Seth and I are not gonna try to solve that today.

Seth: Yeah.

David: We're gonna narrow in a little bit here on, um, what the false teachers are-

Seth: Uh-huh

David: ... trying to misuse the law to do, and specifically-How Paul explains what the right use of the law is.

Seth: Yeah, so let me just read-

David: Okay

Seth: ... the opening verses. "So as I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine." So he leaves them knowing that there's false teaching going on. "Not to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies which promote speculation rather than stewardship from God that is by faith."

David: Man, can I... Yeah, wait, I wanna go back to that-

Seth: Yeah, yeah

David: ... verse three that you just read. You, uh, you said, "I don't think I..." It's very clear in the text, but I don't think I ever noticed that before that Paul left Timothy at the church while there was already false teachers.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Because he says, "Now I urged you when I was in person with you in Ephesus. Don't let those people teach those false doctrines, those certain people right over there."

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: "Don't let them teach false doctrine. Okay, bye, Timothy."

Seth: Right.

David: Is like, oh, so like-

Seth: Yeah, that's just-

David: ... crazy

Seth: ... the idea is Paul and Timothy show up, and the leaders of the church are teaching false doctrines, and Paul's like, "You gotta stay here and fix this situation."

David: [laughs] Poor Timothy.

Seth: And right, could you imagine? It's like, okay, they've been, they've been the leaders of this church for a long time.

David: Yeah.

Seth: They've been teaching. They have all the authority, and now Paul's just d- baptized me as his Apostolic delegate.

David: [laughs]

Seth: And I'm supposed to correct what these people have been doing for all this time?

David: Super fun.

Seth: Super fun.

David: Okay, so sorry, go ahead.

Seth: So they've devoted themselves to myths and endless genealogies.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: So the genealogies more than likely are references to the genealogies of Genesis-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... um, in, in the, the first five books of the Bible.

David: Right. Yeah, I, I, I think one commentator I was reading said, 'cause there's these two descriptors. You have myths, and then you have these endless genealogies. So myths, you know, is meant to... Not to say that they were talking about unicorns and Cyclopses and-

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah

David: ... you know, things like that.

Seth: Yeah.

David: But he is talking about the, let me just tell you what they're actually teaching. It's made up. It's a myth. It doesn't matter.

Seth: I understand. Yeah.

David: It's the quality, not the content.

Seth: I understand.

David: It's the... What they're teaching is a myth, guys. Just don't, don't listen to it.

Seth: Mythical doctrines about the genealogies-

David: Right. It's like-

Seth: ... included in Genesis

David: ... is it, is the content of it, quote unquote, "biblical" in the sense that it's derived from the Bible and in the Biblical universe? Yeah.

Seth: Yeah.

David: But is it true? No, it's made up. It's a myth.

Seth: It's, it's a myth.

David: So that's the quality.

Seth: Uh-huh.

David: But then the second-

Seth: Is the content

David: ... is the content.

Seth: Mm.

David: And it's these, these genealogies, and he calls them endless, which could mean that they just keep going on and on and on about them.

Seth: They're called babbling-

David: Or-

Seth: ...

David: Right

Seth: ... or blathering, yeah.

David: Or it could mean that they're pointless.

Seth: Right, right, right.

David: It's like, guys, this conversation's just endless.

Seth: I mean, he's-

David: It's not going anywhere

Seth: ... he says they promote speculation.

David: Yeah.

Seth: So it's like they're, they're speculative philosophy, speculative imaginings-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... based on the Old Testament, but to have no... They're, at the end of the day, they're myths.

David: They're getting lost in the weeds-

Seth: Got it

David: ... intentionally, right? Like they're-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... they're, they're going into the, uh, peripherals of scripture, these little nooks and crannies, and trying to see what isn't there.

Seth: Got it.

David: Okay.

Seth: The net result of these, like, speculations is that they're abandoning the faith. He says that they're promoting speculations rather than stewardship from God. Like, there's this stewardship, like, this responsibility that the leaders of the Ephesian church were supposed to have that they're abandoning by going towards these and, like, talking about these speculative philosophies, but-

David: Hmm. So there's, like, what, there's, like, core, more central things that they're supposed to be talking about, but they're getting stuck on the periphery or...?

Seth: I think that's right or that they were given a charge-

David: Uh-huh

Seth: ... to faithfully lead this church-

David: Right

Seth: ... into godliness and true doctrine, and they're not doing that because they're getting lost in these speculative genealogies.

David: I see. It is interesting too that that word stewardship could also be translated good order.

Seth: Ah.

David: We're gonna talk at length in the next episode-

Seth: About-

David: ... about-

Seth: ... order

David: ... the order of God's house.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And he's like, "Look, you were s- you were supposed to be stewarding the good order of the house."

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: "And instead, you're getting lost in these speculations that are causing disorder."

Seth: Right.

David: Okay. I can follow that.

Seth: And he says the true aim of our charge, verse five, is to l- to have love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith.

David: Mm.

Seth: So the gospel, the message, the responsibility Timothy bears is to create people of love that have pure hearts, good consciences because their behavior is moral, and they have sincere faith in the true scripture, not in the made-up myths-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... that these people are-

David: He's not saying, like, "Hey, Timothy, go bash some skulls and get them in line." He's like, "No, the aim of getting them back into the good doctrine of the gospel is so they will actually be loving people-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... who love other people."

Seth: That's right.

David: It's like, don't we all want that?

Seth: Yeah.

David: It's like [laughs] the-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... way for them to get that is to get-

Seth: Right

David: ... back into the basics.

Seth: And he, he doubles down. Certain perfer- persons by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussions. Like, their vain discussions are leading them to wander away from what they should've been doing.

David: Mm.

Seth: Teaching others to love each other in light of scripture, leading to good behavior, good conduct-

David: Mm

Seth: ... right order, and sincere faith, so.

David: Vain discussions.

Seth: Vain discussions.

David: None of that going on nowadays.

Seth: None of that?

David: Nope.

Seth: None?

David: Mm-mm.

Seth: Zero vain discussions. [laughs]

David: Zero vain discussions. Every discussion I ever see is super fruitful. [laughs]

Seth: Uh, uh, for... Agreed. [laughs]

David: For unaware listeners, that's called sarcasm.

Seth: That's called sarcasm. And then he says this in verse seven: "They desire to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they're saying or the things about which they make confident assertions." So again, what are they doing? We've said it already. They're taking the Old Testament scripture, the law, the Hebrew law-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... and they are majoring on the minors-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... missing the point, and leading other people to act immorally and to abandon love.

David: That's a really good synopsis, and, like, and I think Paul's point here in v- in verse seven is they think they're experts.

Seth: That's right.

David: But they don't even know what they're talking about.

Seth: That's right.

David: Yeah. Okay.

Seth: And now here's what's interesting in verse eight. "Now we know that the law is good-

David: Right

Seth: ... if one uses it properly."

David: Right. So I think we have to stop there-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... 'cause this is always a charge that Paul is trying to, uh, n- like, nip in the bud, that he's always trying to make sure people know that he's not anti-law.He's not against the Old Testament, against the Torah, against the commands

Seth: Against what God said in the Old... Yeah.

David: Right.

Seth: Yeah.

David: 'Cause, like, he, he, he does this all the time in his letters. Like, he has to... After saying a bunch of stuff about how Jesus and the gospel have, uh, like-

Seth: Fulfilled the law

David: ... like, fulfilled the law, he then has to go, "Now, I'm not saying the law's bad."

Seth: Right.

David: "I'm not saying I don't love the law." Right? He's like-

Seth: And in this case-

David: He's reaffirming that here

Seth: ... it's like these false teachers are upholding the law. The law is good. Dive deeper into it.

David: Uh-huh.

Seth: Get lost in the genealogies.

David: Right.

Seth: And no, I agree, the law is good.

David: Right, but you could see the accusation-

Seth: Right

David: ... that he'd be like, "Guys, stop getting lost in these endless genealogies." And it's like, dude, we're just taking the word of God really seriously.

Seth: Every word.

David: Every word matters.

Seth: Every genealogy, every descendant matters, Paul.

David: Go... Why does Paul not wanna go deep into Genesis?

Seth: That's right.

David: Does he hate the law?

Seth: He's saying, "No, it's good, but you have to use it properly."

David: Right, and it's only good if you're using it properly.

Seth: That's right.

David: Okay.

Seth: "Understand this, that the law is not laid down for the just or the good or, but for the lawless and for the disobedient, for the ungodly and the sinners, for the unholy and for the profane." And then he goes on and lists people who are breaking the 10 c- the descriptive ways to describe people who break the 10 Commandments.

David: Right.

Seth: Those who strike their fathers and mothers instead of honor them, for murderers who break the commandment not to kill.

David: Mm. Mm.

Seth: So what's interesting about that is I didn't know guilt was on the line.

David: Mm.

Seth: Right? Like, I didn't realize, um, lawlessness was on the line or disobedience was on the line until this moment.

David: Mm.

Seth: So what that makes me think is that these teachers were going on and on and on about the details of the text in order to escape the hard parts of scripture that called into account for their behavior.

David: Mm.

Seth: Right? Like-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... the Old Testament says you're guilty if you dishonor your father and mother, but if we get really lost in the weeds about the genealogies of David, what you'll find is-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... that, uh-

David: Yeah, and then people can think I'm really godly-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... and can think I'm a super great Bible nerd.

Seth: Right.

David: And who cares if I take care of my mom or not?

Seth: Yeah, and then-

David: [laughs]

Seth: ... I miss the ethical commands of God because I'm getting lo- and, like-

David: Right

Seth: ... I don't have to deal with the guilt.

David: Interesting. Jesus said something very similar to the Pharisees here.

Seth: Okay.

David: Right? They tithed a 10th of their dill, right? They were, like-

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

David: ... following the law to the letter, majoring on the minors, but they didn't take care of their parents, claiming that their inherit- that, like, the money they would use to help their parents was something called Corban.

Seth: Right, right, right.

David: Which was, "No, since I'm a Pharisee, that money goes to-

Seth: God

David: ... to God."

Seth: And because that goes to God, I don't have to give it to my parents.

David: Right.

Seth: But meanwhile, that increases their political, religio- religio-political clout-

David: Right

Seth: ... in the synagogue. Yeah.

David: And so it's really interesting that this was still going on in Jesus' day.

Seth: Mm.

David: Or, okay, this was after Jesus' day.

Seth: Yeah, yeah. [laughs]

David: Sorry. [laughs] This was, this was in the water.

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: I thought I was in the Old Testament for a second. Uh, and so, like, this is already in the religious world of m- m- getting lost in the details of, um, convenient parts of the Old Testament in order to ignore some of the more crucial or central parts.

Seth: That's right.

David: Okay.

Seth: And what's interesting then is, so what does that say about the proper use of the law?

David: Mm.

Seth: So he says it, the law is for the lawless.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Think about that. Like, the law, the Old Testament laws was written for people who would break it.

David: Right.

Seth: Or to define what was wrong about their behavior.

David: Right.

Seth: Which is really interesting to think about the law being written for guilty people. And, and then I guess the implication here is then that because it was written for guilty people-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... you don't need to be worried about it calling you guilty, right? Like, there's this, there's this sense that they were avoiding the guilt the law was bringing by majoring on the minors and, like-

David: Mm

Seth: ... getting lost in the details, but no, the law was written for guilty people, and for what purpose? To atone for their sins by the sacrifice of a bull or a goat in God's presence.

David: I see.

Seth: Right? Like, the purpose-

David: Yes

Seth: ... of the law was to expose your sin, yes, but also to give you a way to escape your sin and to have it atoned for in the temple.

David: Right.

Seth: The law isn't scary for guilty people. It's actually-

David: It's salvation for guilty people

Seth: ... it's salvation for guilty people.

David: Yeah.

Seth: You could go right there. Here's a way that God will accept your, your atonement, and you guys will be fine again.

David: Right.

Seth: Guilt is not a scary thing in the law.

David: Yeah. Paul says something very similar to this in Romans 7, where he basically brings up the same thing. He's defending his view of the law. Again, he's like, "What shall I say then? That the law is sin? By no means." He's like, "Again-

Seth: Right

David: ... I like the law."

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: "You just have to understand what it is." This is, uh, Romans 7:7 and on. "Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin, for I would not have known what it means to say," well, I don't know, "covet," if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But then sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment produced in me all kinds of covetousness.

Seth: Mm.

David: So he didn't know what it... He didn't know-

Seth: Yes

David: ... coveting his neighbor's wife was wrong.

Seth: Right.

David: He didn't know, being like, "Man, that Corvette in my neighbor's driveway is really cool. I wish I could-"

Seth: That's just a human emotion, right? Yeah.

David: "I wish I could kill him and take it."

Seth: [laughs] Yeah, yeah.

David: You know? Like, he didn't know that was bad, and then he read it in the Old Testament that it was bad, and he's like, "Oh, I'm a sinner."

Seth: Yes.

David: "I am guilty, and I need saving."

Seth: And then what does he find in the law? A way to take away that guilt.

David: Right.

Seth: What I think is happening here then is, like, Paul is, like, implicitly setting us up for the gospel.

David: Mm.

Seth: So, like, presumably these p- these false teachers are focused on the parts of the Bible that made them feel less guilty, but the law was written for guilty people, and the law pointed towards the good news that guilt could be taken away when entrusted to another force-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... or to, to an animal. And what did Jesus do? Jesus died for guilty people.

David: Right.

Seth: You don't need to pretend you're good. You don't need to ignore the law.

David: Mm.

Seth: You don't need to go on an endless genealogy to avoid the guilt you feel when you read the law.

David: Yeah.

Seth: You could read the law, see you're a sinner really clearly, and then know Jesus died for guilty people. He only died for guilty people.

David: Mm. Yeah. I mean, I'm... Okay. I'm, I'm trying to talk about the proper use of the law here.

Seth: Yes, yes, yes.

David: And then I, and then I have some other questions. But, like-So aah, a proper way to read my Old Testament, let me just say this back to you-

Seth: Yes

David: ... is for me to read, let me, like, like I could just open Judges-

Seth: Yes

David: ... right? And I could read about the cycle of Israel's disobedience and, ah, the proper way for me to read that, a- according to Paul here in 1 Timothy, would be to say, "Oh, I'm like that."

Seth: That's right.

David: "I have these cycles of sin, too. I'm just always bent to disobey God, define good and evil for myself, and be evil."

Seth: And to, yeah.

David: And man, what-

Seth: Do what's right in my own eyes.

David: Right.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And do what's right in my own eyes.

Seth: That's the book of Judges.

David: That's the book of Judges. Ah, man, I really need help.

Seth: Yeah.

David: I, I, I'm s- I thought I was my own savior-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... my own judge. I'm, I can't be. I'm disqualified. I need a new savior.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: And so-

Seth: And then what does the law provide? Your sa- the savior-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... that God pr- that sacrifice that God provides.

David: Right, because, and for, and for us, Jesus is that savior-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... because he said, "Now, look at all the prophets and all of Moses said that they all, they all are talking about me."

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: And so at every point that we get to that moment where we're like, "Man, I really need a savior. Man, I'm really guilty. Man, I'm really messed up," then the law not only points out our guilt, but pushes us to Jesus.

Seth: That's right.

David: Okay.

Seth: Yeah. That, that's, I think that's what he's saying is the proper use of the law, and that's why they don't know what they're talking about either. If they would've understood the proper use of the law, they would've dove into the details and they would've seen all the details are pointing to the need for sinners, for guilty people, for lawbreakers to need a way to be right with God.

David: Mm.

Seth: And they would find it in the sacrificial system, which ultimately points to Jesus-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... where God saves sinners.

David: Yeah. Okay.

Seth: They're missing the point. They don't know what they're talking about-

David: Right

Seth: ... Paul says.

David: Okay.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Okay, let me ask you a hard question then.

Seth: Okay then.

David: Then are you saying that once I've done that and I'm not a murderer or, you know- [laughs]

Seth: Yeah, yeah

David: ... any of these things

Seth: A slave or a liar. [laughs]

David: Yeah, ah, sexually immoral. Okay, I'm not, I'm not one of those things anymore, so I don't need the law anymore?

Seth: So, [laughs]

David: Is that what he's saying? It's for the ungodly and the murderers, so does that mean the Old Testament is not for David?

Seth: No.

David: Oh.

Seth: The law reveals the character of God, the types of things that he loves, the types of people he wants his people to be. The law is still useful for exposing the ways that we fall short of God's character, and the law still points the way that we can become those men and women of character-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... by appealing to God's presence in the temple in a sacrifice that's not ourselves. Ultimately, that's Jesus, and what's he gonna say in verse 11? "In all this is in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which with I have been entrusted." How do you become followers of law, people who mirror God's character, people who are ah, good stewards of the faith, who have a heart that issues forth love and produces purity and faithfulness? Well, that's because you've seen the law for what it is, exposing our sinfulness, driving us to our need for Jesus, who fills us with His Spirit, who empowers us to look more like God. Like, the law is still good.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Did I answer your question?

David: Oh, definitely.

Seth: [laughs]

David: Yeah, I mean, I was being cheeky, but I think it's a really good question though, because there are a lot of Christians out there, some maybe even listening right now, and they, you, may think you don't need the law.

Seth: Yeah.

David: You don't need the Old Testament, and you think Paul just proved your point.

Seth: Right. That's right.

David: That's like, no, the law's for the ungodly. You know, it's like-

Seth: I understand

David: ... you know, like the Old Testament's just there to, like tell me how badly I needed Jesus. I know I need Jesus, and that's why I have the New Testament-

Seth: Right

David: ... and the Holy Spirit. Yes.

Seth: That's part of the function of the law, yeah.

David: But also, let me be clear. [laughs] Uh, Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:8 through 11, which we're talking about right now, did not make an exhaustive list of the use of the law.

Seth: Okay.

David: He, he didn't say, "Now, we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Now, here's the only way to use it lawfully."

Seth: Right.

David: He didn't say that.

Seth: Right, right, right.

David: Here's one of the uses.

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: Right? He's not making an exhaustive list. If he was, he would then immediately have contradicted himself in his own letters here, because here in, in chapter five, he's gonna quote an obscure law about not muzzling the ox when it treads out the grain.

Seth: Right, right, [laughs] right, yeah.

David: That has nothing to do about using the law for the ungodly to prove their guilt.

Seth: Yeah.

David: It's a principle about the way God wants his universe run that he's applying to paying your pastors.

Seth: I guess the other question would be then, so one, one way to use the law properly is to understand that it was written for lawbreakers. So what purpose do the laws serve for people who aren't currently breaking the law?

David: [laughs] Right.

Seth: But that's, that's, that's the-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... that's the question.

David: And I think you got there, you know, and I think the, I think the answers are multitudinous, but one, one of the things you said was, well, it reveals just the character of God.

Seth: That's right.

David: Now, so not only what shouldn't I do, right, but who should I be?

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: I should be like God. "Be holy as I am holy," says-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... the Lord. Right? Um, it, it tells us how he wants his universe to run. Like wisdom literature tells us how the grain of the universe is shaped-

Seth: Mm

David: ... and how to work with its warp and, and, and everything.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And it's like, or, or even, like later on in 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul's gonna pull on stories from the Old Testament to show what false teachers are like and how to react to them and how God is sovereign over them, and it's gonna, so it's gonna show us how to be wary of some things and how to trust God in circumstances. It shows us God's faithfulness-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... so we can persevere through hardship. There are hundreds of uses for the Old Testament-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... for the Christian.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: But the problem here is that they were using it wrongly.

Seth: Right.

David: Right? In order to avoid its very core function. Like the core function of the law-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... is to convict you of sin and show you a savior.

Seth: Yes.

David: Now, there are other-

Seth: Yes

David: ... very important functions, but-

Seth: But that was the function they were denying by their false teaching.

David: Right, and they were using it for its express opposite purpose.

Seth: Right.

David: So he's gonna double down on what you must get out of the law, is that you're a sinner and you need a savior.

Seth: Yeah.

David: If you, if you're going to the law and you're not getting at least that, you're using it incorrectly.

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: Does that mean that's the be-all, end-all? No, but it's the door from which you must enter.

Seth: Yes.

David: Through which you must enter.

Seth: By under which?

David: Under which [laughs]

Seth: Around whom.

David: You got what I'm saying.

Seth: You got it. [laughs]

David: Prepositions.

Seth: So then he says this, um, he says, "Okay, so the law was written for the ungodly, for the sexually immoral, those who practice homosexuality and slavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to false doctrine or to sound doctrine."

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And then he says this: "In accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted." So this gets us into the, uh, litmus test for true doctrine.

David: Oh.

Seth: But also, like, this idea of sound doctrine. So I think most of the time when I think of doctrines-

David: Mm

Seth: ... or beliefs, I kinda think about beliefs, statements of facts-

David: Mm

Seth: ... logical syll- syllogisms that-

David: God is three in one.

Seth: God is three in one. Um, but as I was reading about this word, like sound doctrine-

David: Mm

Seth: ... but also reading about it in context of the law, right doctrine produces a certain moral character in people.

David: Mm-hmm. Right.

Seth: So what I believe, one of the first tests of, uh, is a doctrine true or not, is does it make me more like God?

David: Right. Yeah, like, yeah, does it create that heart change that he talked about in verse 5?

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: The aim of this, the aim of this charge for you to confront these false teachers is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience.

Seth: Right.

David: So does th- whatever you guys are teaching-

Seth: Mm

David: ... does it make me, like, love people? Does it make me, you know-

Seth: Yes

David: ... does, does it create a sincere faith and a good heart in me? Does-

Seth: Do I see myself increasingly obeying the Ten Commandments over time rather than ignoring them over time?

David: Right.

Seth: Right.

David: But it's like that's not the only test-

Seth: But it's-

David: ... uh, but it's part of the test.

Seth: But it's part of the test. And, and Paul's critique here of these false teachers is that their endless speculation is devolving the church away from the character of God.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: It looks more, um, less and less like the character of God explained in the Ten Commandments and more and more like this divisive, immoral, um, quarrelsome mob than it does the household of God-

David: Right

Seth: ... that's supposed to be peaceful and united-

David: Right

Seth: ... bringing peace and love to the world.

David: Which is proving that what they're teaching is wrong.

Seth: So the first litmus test for whether or not somebody is a false teacher, the first litmus test if somebody's teaching something that's in accordance with the scripture is does it produce the character of God in the person teaching it and the people listening to it.

David: Mm-hmm. Okay.

Seth: So that's the first litmus test.

David: That's the first litmus test. You, you can't, you can't just have beliefs on their own.

Seth: Right.

David: Like, and analyze them just in someone's brain.

Seth: That's right. That's right.

David: Real sound good doctrine will change the way someone lives and make them look like Jesus.

Seth: That's right.

David: Okay.

Seth: That's right. And the second thing we're told is that it's in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God.

David: What does that mean?

Seth: Well, I mean, in accordance with the gospel.

David: Oh, okay.

Seth: That's what I mean. [laughs]

David: That's, I got it. I got it.

Seth: All the extra words, Paul, we didn't need. [laughs]

David: [laughs]

Seth: I mean, the glory-

David: We need, we need them

Seth: ... the glory and blessed God's great. Let's not, let's not diminish the glory and blessedness of God.

David: [laughs]

Seth: What I mean, uh, [laughs] let's just focus on in accordance with the gospel. Um, what I think that means is, so we need doctrine that creates holy people-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... that accords and looks like the life of Jesus. So you, you, you said it in the very end of your last-

David: Mm

Seth: ... the last thing you said, but, like, it accords with the character of God as revealed in the Old Testament law.

David: Right.

Seth: It also accords with the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

David: Ah, right.

Seth: Right.

David: Yes. Does this... A god in the flesh lived out the perfect sound doctrine.

Seth: He fulfilled the law. He demonstrated the law.

David: Ah.

Seth: He lived the law.

David: There you go.

Seth: Yeah.

David: That's really good.

Seth: Yeah.

David: We've seen sound doctrine in the flesh.

Seth: Yes.

David: It's Jesus. Is what you're teaching making people look like that?

Seth: Right.

David: Are you enfleshing the Torah in more people?

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: Well, maybe you're teaching the, the right doctrine then.

Seth: Yes.

David: Okay.

Seth: Yes.

David: So the first litmus test is does sound doctrine create sound living?

Seth: Yes.

David: And then the second one is, is that sound living-

Seth: Mm

David: ... not just culturally appropriate, like, oh, you're, you fit in really well, and the world thinks you're living right. You know? 'Cause whose standard is right living?

Seth: Right.

David: It's, well, is that in accordance with the gospel-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... the way that Jesus lived, the reason he died-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... um, and is it accordance with all he taught, all that kinda stuff.

Seth: That's right.

David: Okay. Is there a third one?

Seth: The third one is with which I had been entrusted.

David: Mm.

Seth: So Paul is saying that he, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, has some authority on the matter of what is true and false doctrine.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And so the apostolic witness, the apostolic stamp of approval, is part of how you know whether or s- not something is true doctrine.

David: Mm.

Seth: So Paul's basically saying, the final way that you can know that these are false teachers is because I'm telling you they're false teachers.

David: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I'm also curious, too, about that, uh, he's, this comes after a diatribe about the law-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... which is scripture, and so he's, like, talking about how do you know if something's being taught right, I'm assuming from scripture.

Seth: Y- yes.

David: Okay.

Seth: Yes.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Yes, yes.

David: Not just, like, New Age philosophy or something like that, but all this conversation is grounded in a conversation about how to treat the Bible.

Seth: Right. And I mean, we talked about this offline, but when Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 talks about the gospel, one of the most explicit places, he just defines the gospel for you.

David: Right.

Seth: And he said, "Jesus died according to the scriptures. Jesus rose again according to the scriptures."

David: He was seen according to the scriptures.

Seth: Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection, you actually need scripture to interpret that correctly.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: Otherwise, it means nothing. [laughs]

David: Yeah, totally. Yeah, you, the law, and we're talking about proper use of the law.

Seth: Proper use of the Hebrew law.

David: Right.

Seth: The Hebrew Bible.

David: The Old Testament.

Seth: Yes.

David: The proper use of it is to see your sin-... know you're guilty, know you need a savior, and then see that that savior is Jesus, who died, was buried, rose again, and ascended, according to the scriptures [laughs].

Seth: According to the scriptures.

David: Okay.

Seth: Yes.

David: Yeah, so it's like, so I, I guess what I'm trying to get to through that whole little what seemed like a rabbit trail is I think what binds all three of those litmus tests for sound doctrine together is does it accord with the word of God?

Seth: Yes.

David: Is, is this what the Bible talks about? Right? 'Cause it, it's all, all this whole conversation is stemming from the Bible itself.

Seth: Right.

David: And so-

Seth: And one of the prerogatives of those early apostles was to actually write more scripture.

David: Right.

Seth: Right? Like-

David: As an apostle

Seth: ... as an apostle, Paul wrote 1 Timothy-

David: Right

Seth: ... and we are reading it 2,000 years later.

David: Right, as authoritative.

Seth: As authoritative [laughs].

David: Right.

Seth: Yes.

David: Okay. That's, that's cool. Oh, let- let's talk about what's on the line for this. Why is this even one of our three points in 1 Timothy, uh, chapter one? You know, it's like w- why talk about sound doctrine and right thinking and knowing how to prove a false teacher from a true teacher? Why is that so super important-

Seth: Mm

David: ... that we chose it as one of our three points today?

Seth: It's good news that there is a limit on the innovation of teaching.

David: [laughs]

Seth: You know what I mean? Like, there is some things that accord with scripture and some things that are not.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And it's good news that we know how to determine true teaching from false teaching-

David: Mm

Seth: ... based on the Bible. Does it accord with... Does it create holy people? Does it look and smell like Jesus?

David: Mm.

Seth: Did the apostles talk about it? Yes. Okay. We're on firm footing, and we can... I think that gives me a little degree of co- I mean, there's so much speculation about so much doctrine, about ev- everything.

David: Right.

Seth: But part of me feels like it's good news that I have some answers and I'm not just endlessly spinning my wheels and speculating about what it could have meant.

David: Right.

Seth: I've got 2,000 years of church history. I've got 100 and something years of the apostles writing about the ministry an- of Jesus and its implications.

David: Mm.

Seth: I've got thousands of years, as we include the Hebrew scriptures, about the t- the witness and character of God.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: I know what God's about. I know how to be saved [laughs].

David: Right.

Seth: I know what kind of man I'm supposed to be, you know? Like-

David: No, totally

Seth: ... based on some simple facts. And so-

David: It's good news that we can have answers about life's most important things.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Yeah. [laughs]

Seth: Yeah. [laughs] Yeah, that's kind of what I'm getting at.

David: That's awesome. [gentle music] When I'm reading 1 Timothy, it just seems just so applicable today for so many reasons. Number one, because false teaching is as old as the Earth.

Seth: Yeah.

David: You had false teaching in the Garden of Eden, you know?

Seth: Mm. Right, right, right.

David: So it's, it's a perennial problem.

Seth: Yeah.

David: We've not moved past it. Uh, there's still so much false teaching today.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: And even the way he's describing this kind of false teaching, like, I know people who major on the minors in the Old Testament-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... and get lost in it, and just they're missing the gospel, and they're, they're missing the moral implications. They're like, "Oh, it doesn't matter how I'm living my life," 'cause they're just, like, they-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... they're just engrossed in the mysteries and, and I'm like, man, I-

Seth: Yeah.

David: And I think we're gonna get to how do you respond to those people next-

Seth: Right

David: ... which is really exciting.

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: Um, but I'm like, it's good, I think, yeah, I think there's a lot on the line with false teaching. It's been Satan's tactic from the beginning, and it-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... continues to be, and I think we too can be mentored by Paul here in knowing that there is a litmus test for what's true or not. And in an age of relativism, uh, where, uh, who knows if there's answers?

Seth: Right.

David: It's good news that there are. Uh, you know, like-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... I think that's really good.

Seth: I am also struck just by the consistency of the message of the gospel.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: I mean, so, and I think this is probably an underappreciated point. Um, like, it was interesting to me as I was reading this for the first time, like, the Old Testament law taught me the gospel.

David: Yeah.

Seth: It taught me that I wasn't living up to God's commands, and it taught me that my guilt could be taken away, and that I couldn't do it on my own.

David: Right.

Seth: And I needed a sacrifice to do it for me.

David: Right.

Seth: It taught me the gospel. The, and like-

David: You got that, you can get that whole story from the first three chapters.

Seth: Right.

David: It's such a consistent story. That's what you're marveling at right now.

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: Where it's like, oh, we can't... I, I'm a sinner in need of, uh in need of grace. Sin at the tree, right? Like-

Seth: Right. Adam and Eve, I've, we failed-

David: We failed

Seth: ... the Garden of Eden. I will send someone in your place, a son who will f- take care of it.

David: Right, and now I'm gonna-

Seth: For grace

David: ... sacrifice an animal to cover you and your shame.

Seth: Yeah. That, that was-

David: The, it's the whole story

Seth: ... and that, play that over and over and over again, I'm like, oh.

David: Yeah.

Seth: The Old Testament people had the same faith I have.

David: Yeah.

Seth: They just didn't know J- his name.

David: Right.

Seth: Like, they just-

David: But they were looking forward to the same thing we look back to.

Seth: Right.

David: Yeah.

Seth: And that's, I don't know if I've fully appreciated how similar-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... faithful Old Testament believers are to what I have in Jesus right now.

David: Right.

Seth: You know what I mean?

David: Oh, totally. I mean, it makes me think about, like, how... I like the word consistent.

Seth: Yeah.

David: That's such a good word. Like, how consistent the gospel has been throughout the pages of scripture, and what that just makes me marvel at, one, is I love how great of an author God is.

Seth: Right. [laughs]

David: As a l-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... literature nerd, uh, but two, more, way more importantly, is, um, it just shows me the faithfulness of God in a different way, that God's never tried to change the story.

Seth: Yeah.

David: You know? He, he has told the same story over and over and over again for thousands of years, that we are guilty and in need of grace, and he is more than happy to provide a savior for us because he loves us.

Seth: And I think a lot of false teaching misses that pointBecause it assumes that we could save ourselves in some manner.

David: It doesn't want to admit the first point.

Seth: It doesn't want to admit the first point, which is I think what the false teacher's here are doing. Like we-

David: That's right, "You're guilty"

Seth: ... "We're, we're fine. We're good people."

David: Right.

Seth: "We're basically- we, we don't need a savior."

David: Yeah.

Seth: "We don't, we don't need it because let me tell you about all the cultural things, let me tell you about..."

David: Right.

Seth: Like, "I don't need it."

David: Would a godless pe- person be this godly?

Seth: Right.

David: Would somebody who loves the Old Testament this much really be breaking so many of its commandments? No. Right?

Seth: Yeah.

David: Like, we convince ourselves that we're good enough.

Seth: Yeah, and-

David: We don't wanna admit the first point

Seth: ... and then the way that we, once we convince ourselves we're good enough, the only way that we can be enlightened, saved, continue on that life, is by trusting our own goodness, which I feel like most people will have diminishing returns on.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Like, if I, the more I try to operate out of my own sense of goodness and self, the more quickly I feel depressed, frustrated, and anxious.

David: [laughs] Right.

Seth: Like, you know what I mean?

David: Yeah, I definitely know what you mean.

Seth: And so there's an antidote to that anxiety when you don't have to trust yourself, when you can freely admit you're guilty because there's a se- there is a way to get out of your guilt provided by somebody else for free based on your trust.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: That's just a better news-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... and more freedom. And so, like, one of the ways that you can tell a false teacher from a true teacher is if the false teacher's telling you you can do it on your own.

David: Yeah.

Seth: If you have the moral or physical or spiritual capabilities on your own to enact your own salvation, they are missing the point-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... of the entire consistent message of the Bible.

David: And that's a really good way to distill this down, is like if the power is in you, if the, the know-how and the pathway is in you, um, if the truth and the identity is in you-

Seth: If you just unders-Yeah.

David: Then that's a false teacher.

Seth: That's a false teacher.

David: Yeah. That's good. And the good news about identifying that false teacher is everyone listening, and Seth and I in this room, isn't it true, and you said this, that the more we try to do it ourselves, the more terrible we feel.

Seth: [laughs] It's like-

David: Yeah, I wanna escape from that cycle, right?

Seth: Right.

David: Which is the cycle the Old Testament went to great lengths to show me existed, to prove that I couldn't do it. [laughs] And man, the good news is Jesus is the one who it all hinges on.

Seth: Yeah.

David: That He's good enough, right? That the truth, He is the truth.

Seth: He's creating in us the type of people He wants us to be by His power-

David: Right

Seth: ... not our own moral effort.

David: Yeah. That's just good news.

Seth: Amen. [gentle music]

David: All right, so we've talked about the false teaching, the misuse of the law, and how to identify true and false doctrine. Now, I think the, um, natural question that we would ask next is our next section, and it's what Paul does. It's, "Okay, we've identified the false teacher. We know that they don't have, um, a true doctrine. What am I supposed to do with these people? How do I respond-

Seth: Mm

David: ... to false teachers with false doctrine in my midst? Do I go, like, grab the pitchfork?"

Seth: Instead of answering your question-

David: Uh-huh

Seth: ... can I tell you a story?

David: Ooh, tell me a story. Story time.

Seth: Can I tell you the same story Paul tells Timothy?

David: Oh, yes.

Seth: [laughs]

David: Yes. This story. I know this story.

Seth: So that's the question you expect, right?

David: Yes.

Seth: And I think Paul knows to expect it, but instead of giving you the answer right away, he tells us his own story of how he came to know Jesus. He says this: "I thank Him, uh, who has given me strength, Christ Jesus, our Lord, because He judged me faithful and appointed me to a ser- service." So he judged him, which is an interesting choice-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... of language con- considering everything.

David: So he's thanking God that he has joined the team?

Seth: Yeah, because formerly, I was a blasphemer-

David: Ah

Seth: ... a persecutor, an insolent opponent. In other words, I used to be a false teacher.

David: Right.

Seth: I used to be a divisive and combative force against the church, just like the people you're dealing with, Timothy.

David: That long list of bad people. I said the law was made to, like, make them feel guilty.

Seth: I used to misinterpret the law.

David: Yeah. [laughs]

Seth: I-

David: I used to be a... Yeah, I used to misuse the law.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Um, "But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief." How did he just describe the false teachers? As people who don't know what they're doing. They're ignorant.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: They don't, they don't believe the true story about scripture.

David: So what you're saying is Paul is full on identifying with the false teachers.

Seth: Yes.

David: Okay. In their sin, in their misrepresentation of the law, in their false teaching, and in their ignorance.

Seth: Yeah.

David: He's saying, "That was me."

Seth: "But I received mercy by God, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here's a trustworthy saying, Timothy. It's worthy of full exce- ex- acceptance. Christ Jesus came to, into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst."

David: Wow.

Seth: I mean, there's the gospel right there.

David: That's the gospel.

Seth: Yeah.

David: I mean, and, like, what an amazing way to, like, help a mentee know how to act in such a difficult situation.

Seth: Yeah. Let me tell you the story first.

David: Yeah.

Seth: That's such an old-

David: Oh

Seth: ... old hat, sage, gray-haired

David: I can't wait till I'm wise enough to do that.

Seth: "So you asked me a question. Let me tell you a story about fishing." [laughs]

David: [laughs] "Is this really gonna answer my question?"

Seth: "Wax on, Miyagi." [laughs]

David: [laughs] Okay, so let's re- let's try to repeat what Paul's doing here.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Um, okay, so he's saying, like, "You've got these false teachers. They're teaching false things. They're not using the law right. They're ignorant." And he's saying, "Timothy, buddy, mentee, my dear friend and son in the faith, that was me."

Seth: Yeah.

David: "That was your mentor. That was the guy that you respect most in the world."

Seth: Yeah.

David: "Right? I was that. I was a false teacher."

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: "And you know what God did?"Yeah, the one who should be the m- like, have the, he has the most right to judge.

Seth: Yeah.

David: You know what he, what he did instead? He gushed, overflowed, the banks broke with what? Mercy and grace, and he, like, saved me. That is crazy.

Seth: Yeah.

David: But it's what you should expect from the Old Testament.

Seth: Right.

David: Right, and we just said it 100 times-

Seth: This is-

David: ... that man, Old T- go to the Old Testament, you're guilty, you're a blasphemer, you're a lawbreaker. Why is the Old Testament trying to teach you that? So it can show you the grace.

Seth: Yeah.

David: That's always been God's story. He's a consistent storyteller.

Seth: And think about, too, the power of this for, from the Apostle Paul's mouth.

David: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Seth: I was thinking about this the other day. The Apostle Paul, when he was Saul and a, and when a, when he was a false teacher and, like, misinterpreting the law and killing people, is now the apostle that probably would've had family members, surviving family members from the people he killed.

David: Oh, golly.

Seth: Right? So, like, "I killed your dad for being a Christian."

David: Whoa.

Seth: "But your, but his wife and child are still in the churches that I am now an apostle over and writing scripture over." So just think, I, I would think about that, and then Paul is like, "I was worse than the people you're dealing with, Timothy. God s- God rescued me out of His great mercy, and He's giving me this authority beyond what I deserve. But if He can do that for me, He will transform the, the situation that you're in."

David: Like, the, the, the amount of, like, hope that's gotta give for someone like Timothy, who knows that story-

Seth: Oh, yeah

David: ... Paul was murdering some of the people that w- the, the relatives of the people that we're pastoring.

Seth: Right.

David: And now he's their authority figure. So now, Timothy, as you deal with these men in your church who are dividing your church, being combative, causing all these problems, what, what do you think God can do for them?

Seth: Yeah. That's amazing.

David: Anyway, I just-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... I, I put some color on-

Seth: Oh, it's really heavy

David: ... the Apostle Paul's ministry that I had not-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... thought about.

Seth: And, like, what Paul is calling Timothy to do in that story is to act like God did to him.

David: Yeah.

Seth: He's like, "God acted this way to me. You go be God to them."

David: Yeah, he says this, "I received mercy for this reason: that in me, as the worst, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life."

Seth: Mm.

David: So the reason God did what He did with Paul was to show off how patient He is.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Okay.

Seth: And that he would, that Paul would be the reason that they would come to faith.

David: Right. They would see Paul's salvation and be like, "God's that patient, that merciful-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... that kind-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... that long-suffering? With someone as terrible as Paul, He could save me."

Seth: Yeah.

David: "I wanna, I wanna be on that God's team."

Seth: Yeah.

David: "I wanna serve that God."

Seth: Yeah.

David: That's, that's what he's saying?

Seth: That's what he's saying.

David: Okay.

Seth: And he's telling Timothy, like, "Be encouraged. If God can save me, and he, God was patient with me, you can be patient-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... with the false teachers you're dealing with, too."

David: Right, and not just patient endlessly, not patient for patience sake, right? Not just, "Just put up with it," you know? "Just keep being faithful. Plug away." J- Sorry.

Seth: Patient in hope.

David: Right, but patient in hope what? That even the worst sinner can come to repentance.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: I did, Paul, right? I did.

Seth: Yeah.

David: They can, too.

Seth: Yeah, in verse 19, he says, he names two people that have made shipwreck of their faith, Hymenaeus and Alexander.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And he says, "I've actually handed them over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme."

David: Mm.

Seth: He has hope that these people who have been handed over to Satan-

David: Kicked out of the church, excommunicated

Seth: ... kicked out of the, excommunicated, would actually return by the God-like patience Timothy extends to them as he is in leadership in Ephesus.

David: Man, I mean, w- what does this say to us? [laughs]

Seth: [laughs] Be patient.

David: I mean, yeah. But, like, there's, Paul has such an extreme amount of hope, right, for others-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... that I, we, we don't typically extend to the, um, dishonorably discharged from the church.

Seth: Yeah.

David: You know, people who just like-

Seth: Those on the outside

David: ... you know what? You've, you've burned the bridge. You're out of the church. You had that affair. You did that thing. You're, you went too far.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: Bye. You know, like, or, or-

Seth: Right

David: ... uh, just really, I don't, I'm not gonna name names. Like, a famous false teacher who's just, you know, the wide swath of the church has been like, "This guy's gone off the deep end."

Seth: Mm.

David: It's like, what should our reaction be to people like that, right? It's, "Man, I know that God can still radically call them back, and they're gonna have the craziest testimony ever."

Seth: Right.

David: Like, there's hope, and there's, and you just love them, and you're patient with them.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Like, uh-

Seth: I think we have an, a, I think Paul has a better understanding of God's patience than we do.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Um, I mean, not only because he experienced it personally-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... but I also think he just understands his Old Testament better.

David: Mm.

Seth: Like, the first time God describes himself is in the Book of Exodus-

David: Yes

Seth: ... chapter 34, and he says, "I am a God, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger." One of the first of God's self descriptions of himself is as patient.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And that's used throughout scripture by all-

David: Yep

Seth: ... the prophets to describe the character of God. God is a God of patience.

David: Long-suffering.

Seth: The Apostle Peter is dealing with a similar group of false teachers in his church, and they are talking about the patience of God. But they're using it as a license to, to, for immorality.

David: Oh, right, right, right.

Seth: They're saying-

David: Yeah.

Seth: Yeah, they're saying, "Well, God hasn't come back yet, so that mean, must mean we can live however we want, and He doesn't care how we live. If He cared how we lived, He would come back and judge us."

David: Yeah, seriously, like, like, Ryan over there, he, he just did this really immoral thing inside the church. If God really cared-

Seth: He would come and do something

David: ... He would come back and punish Ryan.

Seth: And then-

David: And he didn't, so live any way you want

Seth: ... here, and then, but then Peter's response is, "But bear this in mind. The Lord's patience isn't meant to, like-Make you licentious.

David: Right.

Seth: Lord's patience is salvation.

David: Mm.

Seth: The Lord's patience is salvation just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you.

David: Yeah.

Seth: So Paul is known-

David: For his gospel of patience

Seth: ... his gospel of patience.

David: [laughs]

Seth: And then he says this, he says, "This-

David: I like to think of Paul's-

Seth: Uh

David: ... gospel of patience as his, like, stump speech. [laughs]

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, "God was really patient, guys."

David: He's like, "We know the story, Paul.

Seth: [laughs]

David: You were a murderer." Sorry, go ahead. [laughs]

Seth: No, he says this, he writes this, "Speaking of these matters," and he con- his letters contains things that are hard to understand which people twist.

David: Right.

Seth: What's the, what's the doctrine that people find hard to understand?

David: God's patience.

Seth: God's patience, and they wanna take advantage of it to do whatever they wanna do-

David: Right

Seth: ... rather than using it as a means to repent of their sins-

David: Mm

Seth: ... and come closer to the God who saves regardless of what you've done.

David: Mm. I mean, let's get real personal then to everyone listening and to us here. This is just really good news.

Seth: I mean, yeah. [laughs]

David: That Jesus is patient with you. I often let my brain lie to me and Satan lie to me and my past lie to me and my o- o- you know-

Seth: Mm

David: ... like that-

Seth: Mm

David: ... Jesus is just tapping his foot with a furrowed brow, and he's just like, "Again, David? Come on. Get it together." Right?

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: It's-

Seth: We've been over this already.

David: We've been over this already. Haven't you learned? He's so patient. Like, he's so patient. Like, or, or, you know, you, you... Let's take it another direction. Like, you have a dear friend or a parent or a child that's walked away from the faith, right?

Seth: Mm.

David: And you're just like, "Man, they're just too far gone."

Seth: Yeah.

David: God's more patient than you for them-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... to come back. Like, or you yourself have walked away, and maybe-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... you're listening to this podcast right now because you're trying to explore faith again, and you just don't believe yet.

Seth: Mm.

David: And you're like, "I bet God's just so mad at me." No, he's so patient-

Seth: He's so patient

David: ... with you while you're listening to this very long podcast.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Right? Like, he's so patient. He, he can wait. He can wait for you. And that, how much, and how much love does he have to have to be that patient? I think about the moments, and thinking about this, you two, like, when I'm the most patient with my children, it's when I'm most focused on how much I love them.

Seth: Yeah.

David: It's like one of my... Man, I just, I love Ezra. Like-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... it, it expands my patience

Seth: ... I find my patience towards him, it's like I have to be actively choosing to-

David: Yes

Seth: ... be involved.

David: Right. [laughs]

Seth: In this moment.

David: [laughs] You know what I mean?

Seth: Yes. [laughs]

David: So to think of God actively choosing to be near and attentive to me in order that he might be patient with me is a beautiful thought.

Seth: Yeah.

David: He's just so patient. And also, I think this puts a really cool bow on what we've talked about since the beginning of this episode, which is the consistent gospel of the Old Testament.

Seth: Mm. Right, right, right, right.

David: He told the story once and twice and 100 times and 500 times over 1,000 years, [laughs] right?

Seth: Yeah.

David: In order that he would patiently, faithfully express the best news we would ever hear, that he bore with humanity and Israel, right-

Seth: Right

David: ... through so many ups and downs to show us how patient he is. Like, because we, he knew we wouldn't believe him.

Seth: Mm.

David: He knew we would be like, "I know you're patient, but you're not that patient." And he wanted to have a thousand-year track record-

Seth: [laughs]

David: ... to point back to and say, "Yes, I am. I am patient enough for you."

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: Like, [laughs] that's such good news.

Seth: Yeah, and think about this, that if God is... The, the fact that God to be patient-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... is an incredible quality that we have analogs as human beings.

David: Right.

Seth: As dads, we know what it m-

David: [laughs]

Seth: ... the, the effort it takes to be patient. Okay, cool.

David: Understood.

Seth: Verse 17, "To the King of ages and immortal."

David: [laughs]

Seth: What does it mean to have immortal-

David: Immortal patience

Seth: ... patience towards mortal failures?

David: Oh, my gosh.

Seth: I don't know, know another way to frame that except to say, like, the omnipotence in omni-aged-lessness of God-

David: [laughs] Yeah

Seth: ... should only heighten his impatience-

David: Right

Seth: ... towards creatures that live mere breaths.

David: Right.

Seth: He should be like, "Ugh, well, at least they're gonna die soon."

David: [laughs]

Seth: Like, that should be like, like, that... He, as an immortal being, he would have, it would be expected of him to have that type of calloused-

David: Right

Seth: ... impatience-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... towards lesser beings.

David: Right.

Seth: But the fact that he's an immortal and eternal God, yet he just chooses to define himself by his involvement and patience with sinful human beings-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... is even more incredible.

David: Right. It's one thing to say, "Oh, I'll wait for you." It's another thing to say, "I'll wait forever."

Seth: Yeah.

David: Like, God has waited forever to love you. So yeah, it's one thing to say, "I'll wait for you." It's another thing to say, "I will wait for you forever."

Seth: Mm.

David: And God has waited forever to love you, to love me, and he will wait forever with us. He'll be patient with us forever. You know, like, I'm just-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... the immortal patience of God is maybe the most mind-boggling thing I've ever thought of. [laughs]

Seth: [laughs]

David: So, uh, I can't think of a better place to end but right there.

Seth: I think, I think we did it.

David: That was awesome.

Seth: So thanks for listening to this, guys.

David: Yeah, and next week we'll be in 1 Timothy Chapter 2 and 3.

Seth: Yes, talking about men and women of the church-

David: Whoo

Seth: ... everyone's favorite topic, and, um-

David: A little bit of overseers and deacons maybe

Seth: ... elders, deacons, and the way the church is God's house.

David: Fun. All right. Well, we'll see you guys there. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next week in 1 Timothy Chapter 2. [outro music]

Outro: Thank you for listening to the Spoken Gospel podcast. Spoken Gospel creates short films, devotionals, and podcasts like this one. Everything we make is free because of generous supporters like you. To see our resources, visit spokengospel.com or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks for listening. See you next week. [outro music]

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The Gospel of Patience: Understanding the Law's True Purpose in 1 Timothy 1

Show Notes

The Challenge Timothy Faced in Ephesus

The Proper Use of the Old Testament Law

The Litmus Test for True Doctrine

Paul's Surprising Response to False Teachers

The Gospel of Patience

See For Yourself

Related Resources

Introduction to Letters to Timothy

View our devotional on 1 Timothy 1

Ready to study a different book?

Listen to the 1 Timothy 1: The Gospel of Patience podcast

Listen to the 1 & 2 Timothy Introduction podcast

Listen to the 1 Timothy 2-3: Men, Women, and Leadership in God's Home Part 1 podcast

Listen to the 1 Timothy 2-3: Men, Women, and Leadership in God's Home - Part 2 podcast

Listen to the 1 Timothy 4: How to Save Yourself podcast

Listen to the 1 Timothy 5:1-6:2: How to Correct Your Family podcast

Listen to the 1 Timothy 6:3-21: How to be Content podcast