In 1 Timothy 1:3-11, the apostle Paul establishes one
obvious though often overlooked principle: good
doctrine is vital for good churches. This concern appears immediately in
the command he gives Timothy in 1:3:
“As
I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may
charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.”
Here was the situation: the church at Ephesus was in danger
of being led astray by teachers who had risen up from among its own members;
“certain persons,” as Paul calls them. Paul himself had already been engaged in
warning and guarding the church according to Acts 20, but now with the shepherd
leaving they were in great danger. Thus, Timothy was to provide the leadership
and pastoral care necessary to protect the flock in the apostle’s absence.
The question becomes, though, why is such protection even
necessary? What is the problem with “different doctrine” in the church? Paul
gives two reasons why false teaching is dangerous.
First, Paul says that false teachings “promote speculations
rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (1:4). Simply put, “different
doctrine” doesn’t build up the church. In terms of the old children’s tale,
trying to build the church with unorthodox teaching is like the little pig
building a house out of straw: it takes little to blow it down! By contrast, in
God’s plan, sound doctrine and strong teaching are the bricks and mortar by
which the church is built up and made secure. As Paul says elsewhere, we are to
be mature in our understanding as Christians “so that we may no longer be
children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of
doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:13-14). Apart from sound doctrine, the church is weak
and vulnerable, prone to attacks from the Enemy.
Second, Paul says that sound doctrine is linked to “love”
(1:5). What a contrast to today, where many people even in the church think of doctrine and love as incompatible! Not
so with Paul: true, robust Christian love is built on good doctrine. How? Think
of it this way: the truth of God as revealed in the Gospel is meant for us as a
blessing- the greatest of all blessings in fact. If we rob people of this truth
through false teaching, we rob them of the blessing of God in Christ. What
could be more awful and hateful than that?! By contrast, the most loving thing
we can do is to lead people to the truth of God that they might know him and his
blessing. The measure of our love for others is ultimately the extent to which
we show them the true way of salvation.
So, good doctrine builds up the church and promotes the
highest Christian virtue of love among God’s people. Now we ask, how does this
affect our Life Groups? Here are a few suggestions:
1.
Learn sound doctrine yourself
You can’t defend what you don’t know, and
you can’t lead if you don’t know where you’re going! As leaders, we have to put
in some extra time to better understand the truth.
2.
Pick the best studies and prepare well
Ask yourself: is this curriculum or
workbook taking us deeper into the truth of God, or is it just “fluff”? Also:
how can I best facilitate this study in order to guide us all into a better
grasp of sound teaching?
3.
Approach error in love and wisdom
We’ve all been there: during discussion time,
someone says something that just is not right or healthy doctrinally. What do
we do as leaders and shepherds? We do what we are called to do: in love, with
discretion and care, we seek to guide the group to truth. Again, we do this in
love and with wisdom. Our job is not to police or attack the sheep, but to
guide and guard them. We must learn how to do this.
