I Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned
Recently I was talking with a number of people on the staff of the Bill Rice Ranch. Not everyone on staff is from a Christian home, but many of us are. So, I asked a question, “Were the Christians that you grew up with, people from your youth group or Christian school, your parents, youth pastor, neighbors, pastor, the best people you know?” In some cases, the answer may be yes and in some cases the answer may be no, but how terrible if a person grows up in a thoroughly Christian environment around people who are cantankerous, dishonest, and have no conscience! That is certainly not the way it should be.
Paul was addressing this young man Timothy, his “son in the faith,” and he warned Timothy against doctrine which ministered questions instead of building up other people. Now, I can go through life cynical and always looking critically at other people, or I can take the truth, live the truth, have a good conscience, a pure heart, and love to build up the body of Christ.
Verse 5 says, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart.” This is a theme you find throughout the Bible. Jesus says as much when He says that the first and great commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Now there are ten commandments if you are just talking about The Ten Commandments, but the Bible here says, “The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” Does that describe you?
Serving as I do with so many Christian people and what you might call Christian professionals, I work with a group of people whom I esteem to be smart, hardworking, and love the Lord. But I will tell you that sometimes I am privileged to preach in churches where there are lot of Christian college graduates, which is a good thing, but from whom I get the sense they are kind of sitting back with their lips pursed and their finger on their lips thinking, “Hmmm…what is wrong about this? I wonder where he stands on x, y, and z.” Now, we should be discerning and we should not be naïve, but we shouldn’t be cynical. Other people grow up and think they are around a lot of hypocrites, so when they graduate, they just do whatever their selfish heart desires. It shouldn’t be that way.
On the other hand, I’ve met people who have been recently saved and have an open heart, a willing mind, and are informing their consciences by reading the Bible. A new believer won’t know everything, but in the end, it doesn’t matter how much you know if what you know doesn’t make you loving, pure, and honest. I met a new Christian just last month who had the love of God and a love for other people in his heart and had a conscience that was being informed by the Word of God. He had conviction and his faith was genuine. What he had learned was working. Is that true of you today?
Oftentimes my prayer for those of us here on the Ranch is, “God, help us not to just be good, on time, and skilled at what we do, but help us to be godly. Help us to love You and to be people who are decent and do right.” Are you godly, or are you merely theologically informed? Are you godly, or do you merely know all the expectations of other people? “The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.” If I allow God to produce that in my heart, the work of God will not suffer and people will be encouraged and built up by what God is doing in my life.