"In accordance with the gospel"

THE ENTRUSTED WORD: 1 Timothy 1:11

... in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

This verse closes out the first major section of chapter 1. The emphasis here is on being entrusted; this is not some "word" or teaching that Paul has cooked up, nor is the good news some product of his overheated wishful thinking, a dream he is trying to force into reality. Rather, it reflects a sacred charge. But to what end?

Safekeeping. In the ritual for ordination in The United Methodist Church, the ordinand is charged and pledges to proclaim the doctrine of the Church "and no other". Part of the role of the Christian teacher is to safeguard the treasure "old and new" of the message of salvation, and its attendant messages of God's righteousness, human sin and the wrath of God, and the eternal intention and purpose of God to redeem the fallen humanity whom He loves. Our message must be rooted securely in the word received -- as it is, not as we would want or amend it to be -- unchanging but interpreted afresh and given vitality in our own time, in every time that is "now", "today".

Proclaiming. This is a treasure, yes, this Gospel -- but it is one which is by name and design that is to be shared. As the holiness of God both tell us that God is perfectly righteous, yet is used by God to bring us into a relationship of righteousness before Him -- to make us righteous -- so also the Gospel is meant to define the people of God called the Church, but in such a way as to draw "all men unto" the Lord of the Church. God's judgment is intended to bring us to mercy. Our defining the bounds of the Church and her message must be in order to drawing others within those bounds, not for the purpose of holding them out.

Paul is therefore responsible: to the message, and to the Lord of the message. It is an awesome charge, in the true sense of that overused word. The word "entrusted" (episteuthen) comes from the verb pisteuo, the same verb as "to believe", "to trust". Paul is called to keep faith, so that others might have faith. And it all rests, so to speak, on Christ's faith in Paul, to whom He has entrusted the message. With what has Christ entrusted you and me? How do we keep faith?

And it is awesome in another way: Paul mentions "glory" (doxa), a reference to the same attribute of God's holiness which filled the tabernacle and the temple with His Presence, and which is the destiny of the children of God. Contrary to the parodies of this world, seen in entertainment and media and held by many, God does not call us to death, bondage, boredom, or hopelessness, but to glory, joy, and abundant life. "Satan's glory glitters; God's glory shines."


Prince Frederick, Maryland (Providence)

"The lawless and disobedient"

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE CONSCIENCE: 1 Timothy 1:9-10 (part 2)

The Apostle writes to his protege that the design of the law, and therefore we infer God's intention for the law, did not have its first or main reference to those who do right and live according to God's revealed will, i.e., the "just". For whom is it, then?

The Lawless. These are those persons who recognize no authority beyond themselves, a malady of soul which manifests itself with many symptoms. For some, it is the continual questioning of the authenticity, relevance, or applicability of the law as revealed in the word of God. Questions are good, and skepticism to what one is told or taught is a useful tool. But beyond a certain point, honest seeking becomes dishonest obstructionism, an unwillingness to bow the will. A seemingly relatively inert comment such as, "I have my own religion" or the so-common-as-to-be-almost-trite "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere" may be symptoms of this disease.

Great evils, like great achievements, start from tiny seeds which take root in the soul. When someone asks, "How can there be such great wrong in God's world?" it is unnecessary to look any farther than the unwillingness to honor God as God by recognizing and submitting to God's will. "The fool says in his heart, there is no God." A Biblical exemplar of lawlessness is Pharaoh, whose "foxhole faith" under fire from the ten plagues is the contrast note to a background of practical atheism where the God of Israel is concerned. The first result is lawlessness. The second result is death for the Egyptians, but freedom for God's chosen people Israel.

The Disobedient. These are those who know perfectly well that God is real and just and that the law of God is valid, but do what they want to do, anyway.

The offense may appear small. While acknowledging it is wrong to steal, someone pads his expense report, fails to disclose a bit of income on her tax return, trims the time on the clock at work, pirates the occasional movie or software. Recognizing that there should be no other "gods" in our hearts ahead of the one true Lord God, one fails to spend time acknowledging that God in prayer and praise and Bible study, neglects worship, and allows the Name or the sabbath to be violated without concern or comment. ("After all, God will always be there. This opportunity won't be ....") The commandments, a framework for our lives, number ten. The ways in which we violate them are nearly endless. Perhaps all the while, professing faith in and love of God.

Every human being falls into one of these categories at times, perhaps often. Rare is the disciple who readily and determinedly faces her or his own transgression honestly, and doggedly seeks to root it out, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Instead, self-justification flows from a happening to a habit, to a hobby, to a habitual way of life. The Biblical definition of a saint is one who, conscious of this trend and the gravitational force of wickedness, overcomes shame and sloth to stand desperately bare in the blinding light of God's holiness, to be embraced in the warmth of God's gracious love, no matter what the cost.


"King of sinners though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me." Lord, the lawless man and the disobedient child both reside in my spirit. Often, they are me and I am they. Forgive me, O God. Teach me to invite you into the remotest parts of my life, and the secret places of my soul. Prompted by your Holy Spirit, let me not stand for any rebellion against you in my life. And let me be alert to -- lovingly -- help to alert for and remove it in others, as you direct. Amen.


Prince Frederick, Maryland (Providence)