Paul is writing to Timothy, a young pastor who is overseeing the church in Ephesus. At the time, the church of Ephesus was struggling to overcome false teaching, satanic attack, impoverished leadership, and general divisiveness among the church. Timothy had his work cut out for him to help this new congregation and turn this body of believers back around to the true path Christ has laid out. Timothy’s struggle is applicable to what we see today in our current ‘Americanized’ church, there is a lot that is no longer walking in sound biblical doctrine, and plenty of false teaching to be seen everywhere. Many want to pick and choose teaching the law of the bible, without understanding the nature of Jesus and what He has done. So what does Paul speak to us in this chapter?

nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1:4-5

Paul encourages us to stay away from discussion of the world and its speculations, but rather to seek sound truth through our faith in God. Too many people get caught up in discussion not based in faith and truth, but rather by empty opinion. We are asked to rebel against this culture where we are encouraged to have vain conversation and have foolish ignorant controversy between one another. We aren’t to be catering to one another in our faith based on what is easy and palatable in scripture, nor are we meant to bend scripture to fit our lives. Our lives are supposed to revolve around the truth of the living word in the Bible, through a deep rooted faith in our Lord God.

Paul calls us to work out of love that comes from a pure selfless heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. We are to seek God, so that he can steward our lives, and then be able to show others the redemptive mercy available to each one of us. If we do that, then we are able to teach others out of a humble heart, the nature of God, without sprinkling any of it with our prideful assertions. Jesus taught us the way to live our lives through a complete selfless humility through His sacrificial life. Paul speaks of Jesus and how he, Paul, was the foremost sinner, yet Jesus chose Him to carry the cross to all nations and speak the truth. Paul shows us that he was a total mess up, yet because of Jesus ability to see through that, and His unending mercy, Paul was brought to his knees and changed. Paul recognized the depth of his sin, leading him to praise, because there was no saving himself. Only Jesus could, and did, for every one of us. Out of our own gratitude for the mercy we are shown by our God, we should drop our cares and worldly opinions, to only speak and seek out sound truth, rooted in an unshakable faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and what he did for us. Your opinion doesn’t matter, only One does.

But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.  But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:14-16