The faith: keep what is keeping you

Introduction:

The First epistle to Timothy is concluded with the message of an apostle to his successor to keep the apostolic faith in the midst of false or strange teaching and pointless teaching. Therefore, his message is simple, Timothy, keep what is keeping you, which is your faith.

I. What

Based on the next command we deduce that it is something that has to do with teaching. Teaching that made people swerve from faith.

Based on the larger context of the epistles sent to Timmothy, we discover what has been entrusted to 2 Timothy 2:2 - the faith, set of beliefs.

1. the biblical faith (apostolic teaching)

a) objective aspect - the set of beliefs that we deem as apostolical or biblical

1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons”

1 Timothy 4:6 “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”

b) subjective aspect - our personal commitment to embrace and live by this set of biblical teaching.

1 Timothy 1:5 “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

That’s why we say someone has denied the faith they either converted to a non christian religion, or they have chose willingly to live in sin.

1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

II. How

1. Avoid everything that compromise or deviate one’s attention from biblical teaching - what you believe (distorts or distracts from biblical teaching)

a) Distorts

the purpose of the law (example in 1 Timothy 1)

the purpose of godliness (example in 1 Timothy 6)

who Jesus was (1 John 2)

the grace of God (Jude 4)

b) Distracts

-by worldly irreverent talk

-vain discussion

-by speculation

-by myths and stories

-by traditions of men

2. Avoid everything that distorts or distracts from living out of that teaching (behavioral error)

2.1 Distort

2.1. by forbidding what is good

2.1.1 marriage

2.1.2 food

2.2 by allowing what is forbidden

2.2.1 sexual immorality

2.2.2 sexual perversions

b. Distract

from love

from purity

from godliness

from good conscience

from unity

from eternal life