Day 201

Advice concerning false teachings 

Key Verses: 4, 7, 9, 15, 17,

There are people who are up to no good! We can’t trust the motives and actions of some people. We are in a political season right now, so I don’t need to say anything more, do I? This is not a new phenomenon. Paul had it in his day.

Paul left Timothy in the city of Ephesus to provide an anchor for the believers. Timothy would not stray from the Truth, unlike others who were all too eager to drift. They were getting pulled into endless speculative arguments about a non-existent hierarchy of gods that was being circulated in their world at the time. Paul tells them it does them no good to spend time doing this, because it gets them off track. Love is the goal: love experienced and love expressed.

I notice that we too can get pulled off track and into activities that have little or no eternal value, that pull us away from love in action. They may not be theological speculation, but something as simple as Facebook. We, like the original readers of this letter, must evaluate our activities in light of our central work a Jesus-followers. Otherwise we seek attention for ourselves instead of for Christ.

The short list of characteristics of people who are not following Jesus is given. But notice that Paul says the Law is not for believers. That is because the purpose of the Law was to bring us to our knees in humility and contriteness. As believers, we have already been and continue to stay on our knees. We know that it is grace that brought us into a relationship with God, and grace that sustains us.

But there are some things that can ruin our relationship with Him, some things are contrary to God’s character, and some things that God just can’t stand. Some things on Paul’s list we would all agree on, and some have become so politically charged that we might waver in our support. Don’t waver because of political correctness, even if it means you get labeled “intolerant.” When we get labeled this, they are being intolerant of us. And I am OK with that.

In order for us to really understand grace we must know just how much we needed it. Paul had Christians killed before he came to faith. He knew he needed God’s grace, that his actions had violated God’s standard, that he had done wrong. If we aren’t able to see the depths of our sin we can never see the heights of God’s grace. And when we do see our depths, we give genuine honor to the Lord when we surrender.

Not everyone stays the course of faith. Some get off track. Some fall away.