Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope; to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, neither to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith—but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith; from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned aside to vain talking; desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm. But we know that the law is good, if a man uses it lawfully, as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine; according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
Questions
- Do you have any “children in faith”?
- Do you know of Bible teachers who “major in the minors”? That spend way too much time on myths and genealogies? That look for a fight rather than teach the administration, or stewardship we have in God? That practice talking in vain?
- Is your walk with Christ marked by love? What about a pure heart? What about a good conscience? What about a sincere faith?
- If the walk of a Christ follower is to be marked by all these things that Paul encourages in this passage, then what purpose does the law (Old Testament) play in our lives?
