1 Timothy 1.19-Timothy Is To Continue Possessing Faith Resulting In A Good Conscience Which Some Have Rejected And Suffered Shipwreck Of Their Faith
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday March 3, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 1:19-Timothy Is To Continue Possessing Faith Resulting In A Good Conscience Which Some Have Rejected And Suffered Shipwreck Of Their Faith
Lesson # 31
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1:12.
This evening we will study 1 Timothy 1:19.
1 Timothy 1:18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, 19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. 20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.” (NASU)
“Keeping faith” is composed of the nominative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb echo (ἒχω) (eh-ho), “keeping” and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun pistis (πίστις) (pee-steece), “faith.”
The noun pistis refers to Timothy’s post-conversion faith in the Word of God.
It speaks of Timothy exercising absolute confidence in the Word of God in order to experience victory in spiritual combat.
It does not refer to the objective body of truth, the content of the Christian faith meaning Christian doctrine, although that is the object of the believer’s faith after salvation.
Rather, it refers to the Christian soldier’s faith or total and absolute confidence in God’s faithfulness to His promises.
In Timothy’s case it is faith in the prophecies that were told to Timothy that were from God.
Since we are dealing with spiritual combat here with Timothy, pistis speaks of taking up the “shield of faith” mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 6:16.
The failure to exercise faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. his gospel which was sound doctrine, was the problem with these pastors in Ephesus who wanted to be teachers of the Law.
This led to their poor conduct since unbelief produces ungodly conduct whereas godly conduct is direct related to faith in the Word of God.
The verb echo means “to be in a particular condition or state of possessing” and is a participle of means indicating Paul is saying that Timothy is to engage the enemy in spiritual combat “by” having faith in the Word of God.
The present tense of the verb is a “customary” present which indicates that Timothy is to “continue to making it his habit of” possessing faith in the Word of God.
“And a good conscience” is composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” and the accusative feminine singular form of the adjective agathos (ἀγαθός) (ah-ga-thoce), “a good” and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun suneidesis (συνείδησις) (see-nee-thee-sees), “conscience.”
These three words all appear together in 1 Timothy 1:5.
In 1 Timothy 1:19, the conjunction kai is used here in a consecutive sense indicating that possessing a good conscience is the direct result of possessing faith in the Word of God.
This is indicated in that the Christian’s norms and standards which reside in the conscience must be in accordance with the Word of God.
As was the case in 1 Timothy 1:5, the noun suneidesis in verse 19 means “conscience” and speaks of that aspect of the human soul where the Christian’s norms and standards reside, which are to be based upon the teaching of the Spirit in the Word of God.
So Paul is telling Timothy that he is to engage the enemy in spiritual combat by continuing to make it his habit of possessing faith in the Word of God which results in possessing a good conscience.
In 1 Timothy 1:19, the adjective agathos is modifying the noun suneidesis, “conscience” and describes the conscience as good in the sense that is divine in quality and character because it is in accordance with the Father’s will.
Therefore, Paul is saying in 1 Timothy 1:19 that in order to defeat the enemy in spiritual combat he must continue making it his habit of possessing faith in the Word of God resulting in a conscience that is good in the sense of being divine in quality and character because it is governed by the Spirit and the Word.
It is good in the sense that it is according to the will of the Father and the holy standards of God, which are revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God.
1 Timothy 1:19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
“Which some have rejected” is composed of the accusative feminine singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) (oce), “which” and the nominative masculine plural form of the indefinite pronoun tis (τις) (teece), “some” and the nominative masculine plural aorist middle participle form of the verb apotheo (ἀπωθέομαι) (ah-poe-leh-owe), “have rejected.”
The indefinite pronoun tis refers to certain unidentified Christian pastor-teachers who taught false doctrines in fulfillment of Paul’s prophesy recorded in Acts 20:28.
This is indicated in that Paul is contrasting the way Timothy is to conduct himself with how certain pastors in Ephesus led by Hymenaeus and Alexander conduct themselves according to false doctrine.
The former will be victorious in spiritual combat if he continues to make it his habit of possessing faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. his gospel while the latter has suffered defeat.
The verb apotheo means “to reject” and is used with these unidentified pastors in Ephesus as its subject.
Thus, the word indicates a conscious and deliberate rejection of the Word of God, i.e. Paul’s apostolic teaching, his gospel as well as the holy norms and standards of the Word of God, i.e. a good conscience by these pastors.
They rejected the revelation of God’s will in the Word of God and they rejected His holy standards which are to be reflected in the Christian’s standards, which are found in the conscience.
The word expresses their antagonism to the gospel and God’s standards.
The verb is related to these pastors in Ephesus who Paul does not name, though he does name two in verse 20, Hymenaeus and Alexander.
This verb indicates that this was not a passive rejection of the Word of God resulting in a rejection of His standards but a deliberate act on their part.
It makes clear that they are culpable and responsible for their own failure spiritually.
This verb also makes clear that they were not deceived into teaching false doctrine. It was not an intellectual problem that they did not understand Paul’s apostolic teaching or God’s standards revealed in this teaching.
This term indicates that these pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law did not want to be accountable to the Father, Son or the Spirit.
They sought to live independently of God, which is the essence of evil, which originated with Satan.
Though their conscience and the Spirit convicted them, they rejected the gospel.
This verb is a participle of cause meaning that “because” these pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law rejected possessing faith in the Word of God and possessing a good conscience, i.e. the holy standards of God, which are expressed in the Word of God, they suffered shipwreck of their faith.
The middle voice of the verb is an intensive middle which emphasizes the volitional responsibility of these pastors for their failure to possessing faith in the Word of God which would result in a good conscience.
1 Timothy 1:19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
“And suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith” is composed of the preposition peri (περί) (pe-ree), “in regard” and the articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun pistis (πίστις) (pee-steece), “their faith” and third person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb nauageo (ναυαγέω) (nah-fie-yeh-owe), “suffered shipwreck.”
This verb nauageo is used in a figurative sense in order to describe the spiritual disaster that has taken place in the souls of these pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law.
It speaks of the catastrophic damage to their fellowship with God as a result of rejecting Paul’s teaching and adhering to the false teaching of the Judaizers.
Consequently this rejection of Paul’s teaching adversely affected their conscience, i.e. their norms and standards.
Therefore, because these pastors in Ephesus rejected faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. his gospel, this rejection adversely affected their norms and standards and thus their conduct and speech.
So this verb describes the disastrous consequences of this rejection in that it caused them to lose fellowship God, which results in divine discipline from God.
The noun pistis refers to post-conversion faith of the Christian in the Word of God.
Specifically, it speaks of the post-conversion faith of certain pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law.
This is indicated by its articular construction which is anaphoric meaning that the word appeared earlier in the verse and is retaining the same meaning the second time it appears here in this verse.