"Certain persons"

BLIND GUIDES: 1 Timothy 1:6-7

Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

The Apostle has just stipulated the three "legs" on which the "stool" of the charge of love rests: a "pure heart", a "good conscience", and "sincere faith". Now he addresses the problem of those who have abandoned these legs, seeking to rest the basis of ministry (the "stool") on other things, namely discussion and opinion.

Dialogue is good, and in the Wesleyan tradition we regard Christian conferencing as a "means of grace". But unless grounded in the word of God and the life of the Spirit, discussion and debate, even with the best of intentions, drifts into mere sentimentality or worse, rationalization in which we reinforce one another's errors.

James warns us that we need to be careful about being teachers, because we will be judged with greater severity. This passage goes a step farther, and warns not only about the behavior of teachers, but the content of their teaching as well.

Humility is in order here. So is continuing grounding in the word in Scripture, and attention to one's faith and life. Quality, sound teaching relies on all of the above.


Lord, safeguard my life and my teaching. Let me not run ahead of where You lead and guide, nor make things up where You have not given light. If you would have me be a teacher and guide of others, let me be a sound one, filled with faith, keeping good conscience, single in heart, and above all aglow with Your love, reflecting it to others. Amen.


Fulton, Maryland