The Church Needs Sound Doctrine | 1 Timothy 1:15-20
We live in the age of information, the age of affirmation and the age of accessibility.
Information: In today’s world, you can find teaching on anything and everything at the click of a button whether it is ordering a book on amazon or finding a podcast or church online.
Affirmation: Our modern era of living is all about affirmation. We look for affirmation from every corner of our society and our lives—looking for acceptance into community and people to celebrate us / affirm how we are living.
Accessibility: Everything is accessible for us—you can find anything on the internet or even in a library that will affirm your thinking rather than challenge your thinking.
The church in Ephesus was surrounded by many teachings, many ideas, much information and even different religions. They were also facing information that affirmed their beliefs that were contrary to God’s proper doctrine and proper teaching—Paul calls out this false teaching publicly and calls the church to avoid Alexander and Hymenaeus’ false doctrine they are teaching the church.
The main reason and issue regarding the writing of this letter to Timothy:
“As I exhorted you when going to Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may command certain ones not to teach a different doctrine,”
--1 Timothy 1:3
What a Church believes will directly shape how that community lives and behaves. Allowing the Scriptures and good news about Jesus to form you will lead to a life of integrity and good works.
- The Elders of the Church are called to protect God’s sheep from false doctrines, false teachings about Jesus
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
--Matthew 7:15-20
“Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight. Keeping faith and a good conscience, which some, having rejected, suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”
--1 Timothy 1:18-20
“and their word will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,18 who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”
--2 Timothy 2:17-18
This church in Ephesus is off the rails—it is no longer fighting the fight of faith. It is not contending for the faith anymore. They believe godless myths and genealogies, they celebrate and live by their sin and emotions and Paul is using his authority to warn the church, to correct the church.
“But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and godless, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for sexually immoral persons, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”
--1 Timothy 1:8-11
Notice how this is happening WITHIN the church. God gives instruction both to the church and for those outside of the church when it comes to judgement, discipline and the tolerance of sin.
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. And you have become puffed up and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst…I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or greedy, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Are you not to judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God will judge. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.’”
--1 Corinthians 5:9-13
“…but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be put to shame, but is to glorify God in this name.17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
--1 Peter 4:16-17
“Now you may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
--Deuteronomy 18:21-22
We live in a day and age where there is a church on every street corner, where thousands of pastors share their sermons on youtube and spotify, where finding any kind of doctrine of God is possible—we live in the day of apostasy—where theology and teaching will tickle ears instead of convicting hearts. This is why we will call out false teaching publicly at us teach—so you can know, so you can be warned. Test the spirits, be careful, don’t believe everything you hear and see, take it to God, take it to scripture and test it.
- Give to Satan what belongs to Satan—that is Deception, Sin and False Doctrine.
“Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”
--1 Timothy 1:20
This should be terrifying. What does it mean to “hand over to Satan?” The urgency is evident in Paul’s tone. False doctrine is a deception from Satan who is trying to take God’s children away from God and bring them into hell.
“And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
--Revelation 12:7-9
Jesus even warns of the army of deceivers that will come from Satan, false teachers, be wary, be on guard, know Christ’s voice so you can tell if it is Christ speaking or if it is someone other than Christ speaking.
“So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
--John 10:7-10
παραδίδωμι paradídōmi, par-ad-id'-o-mee; to give into the hands (of another)
to give over into (one's) power or use. To deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned
“From other New Testament passages we can surmise that he did this by putting them outside the church, into the world, which is the devil’s domain. The punishment was a removal of protection, not an infliction of evil. The Lord protects us from many attacks from Satan (Job 1:10; Luke 22:31-32), and much of this protection comes to us in what we receive as we gather together as Christians.”
--Enduring Word Commentary
This is why the church has practiced church discipline throughout its entire history. The early church practiced excommunication services, repentance services where they would call members to repentance (on a Sunday morning) they would fence the communion table until there was proper, biblical reconciliation between church members. Penance made all this private instead of communal because you were to pay your personal penance or purgatory and individual confess to your priest (this put more power in the papal priesthood than the congregation). This led to church reformation where Martin Luther and John Calvin tried to restore back to the proper ways of repentance and church discipline.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”
--Acts 20:28-31
In modern world, everything is private, individual, in some of our churches the communion table is never fenced off and sin is dealt with silently, privately instead of congregationally leading to more gossip, more slander, more speculation and the festering of sin / false doctrines within the church.
- Preach the true Jesus. Get to know Him, wrap your life around Him and live by His sound Doctrine.
“It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. Yet for this reason I was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all His patience as an example for those who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life. Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
--1 Timothy 1:16-17
Jesus changes lives. Jesus brings freedom. Jesus’ love and mercy on us is amazing—His grace is amazing! Our church’s main reason to exist is to preach Christ—to show Him, to shine His light both in our church community and world. Paul is reminding Timothy to rely on God as he leads this church—as he has the tough conversations, the accusations after these false teachers get outed and dealt with. The task in front of Timothy may be impossible for him but it isn’t impossible for God.
“The great concern of the New Testament Epistles is not about the size of the church. It is about the purity of the church.”
--Martin Lloyd-Jones