1 Timothy 1, Galatians 6:14-16

Carl Belcher

I've had the privilege of spending the last couple of weeks in Perth seeing my Dad and brother who have both emigrated to Australia. As well as doing the mandatory stuff like having lots of BBQ's, stroking kangaroos and showing off my didgeridoo skills, I've been able to see the sights and take in some of the culture and history that Perth has to offer. It seems like just about everyone here has a boat or access to a friends boat and everyone has a tale of either escaping from some man killing sea creature or managing to kill it and throw it on the Barbie!! Not many are willing to share their stories of capsizing their boats or getting shipwrecked however.

Hardly surprising is it? Not exactly something to brag about. But after reading the 1st chapter of 1 Timothy, it got me thinking about the whole subject of being shipwrecked.

In this passage Paul is writing to his son in the faith Timothy warning him to watch out for certain people and the damage they cause. He concludes the chapter with the phrase "hold on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1Tim 1:19)

I started thinking I wonder what a shipwrecked faith looks like? What causes someone to shipwreck their faith? Just as no one would be stupid enough to put their boat on a collision course with large rocks just to see what would happen, I'm pretty certain that no one intentionally wakes up one day and says "I think I'll shipwreck my faith today". And yet Paul clearly spells out that there are people who do end up shipwrecked in their faith. So how does this happen? Like most things, it's not the one-offs that cause the problems, but a process of allowing aspects of our life and character to remain unchecked.

There are 3 things that Paul warns Timothy about which grabbed my attention.

How do we shipwreck our faith?

1. By adding or taking away from the gospel of grace

The Jewish teachers loved to flex their theological muscles by debating obscure texts and finding hidden meaning and divine revelation that no one else had discovered.

The truth is though, if no one else has discovered it by now, it probably doesn't amount to much or have anything divine about it.

So be aware of people who claim to have special truth or revelation. How do you recognise them? Measure what they say by the fruit it produces.

• Does it draw attention to Jesus and give Him glory or themselves?


• Does it produce the goods? (1Cor 1:22-26, 2:1-6), do people find Jesus i.e. Come to a sure faith of who He is, experience His power in their lives to heal, restore and transform?


• Does it inspire people to love Jesus more/want their lives to be more like His?

d)
• Does it help unite and strengthen God's people or bring controversy? (1 Tim 1:4)

If the answer is no, then maybe that might be a good indicator to keep well clear.

Because of these sorts of people in the early church, Paul is quick to remind the churches that it is all about Jesus. Jewish law emphasises man's efforts to remain right before God. And Paul makes sure that Timothy knows that we simply can't match up to God's standard by our own effort. Without Jesus stepping in to restore our relationship with our father we are stuffed.

That's why we must always remember that the most important thing in our lives must be Jesus, nothing more and nothing less.

I remember listening to a really wise guy talking about spiritual maturity and this is what he said.