Mensa Otabil - Reject Wrong Doctrine
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1 Timothy 1:3 and 4: As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification, which is in faith.
So, in First Timothy, as I said, it’s a pastoral letter. So, Paul is addressing problems in the church, especially in Ephesus at this time. The early church had problems just like the church today has problems, and there were people who taught doctrines that were not based on Christ. Some of the preachers did not take the time to fully understand the message of Christ and went about teaching error, sometimes doing so very confidently.
Part of Paul’s charge to Timothy was to correct errors in the church, and he described these errors as fables and endless genealogies. When he talks about fables, he’s referring to Greek mythology, which had crept into the church. Endless genealogies had to do with the Jews. The Jews were very particular about ancestry—whose father you were, whose son you were, to which ancestry you belonged—and they took it into the church almost as if you came from the right family, then God would bless you, and if you came from a certain family, then you were cursed.
Sometimes we see the same thing here, where there are endless genealogies in our preaching the truth of the Gospel. When we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, God becomes our Father. In that sense, Jesus becomes the head of our family or our genealogy. So, if you want to trace my ancestry, it’s going to end up in Jesus Christ, and there is blessing in Him. Don’t allow anybody to trace your ancestry to someone and say that the person is cursed, and as a result, you’re going to have problems and be cursed. Our ancestry is in God, and Christ is the head of this family; He is the one to whom we trace our ancestry, and in Him, there is salvation. In Him, there is grace. In Him, there is favor. In Him, there is increase. In Him, there is abundance.
And so, Paul says don’t let people take the church through these endless genealogies, which he said lead to disputes and do not bring glory to God. The message of the church that Paul is talking about is that it must always lead to godly edification and must always strengthen our faith. In other words, wherever the Gospel is preached, it must edify us. The word «edify» means it must build us up in a godly way. Being built in a godly way means that the character of Christ is built in you. You begin to trust God; you begin to depend on Him. He becomes real to you. And that is what God has called us to preach. This is what Paul wanted Timothy to teach in Ephesus, contrary to other messages that were promoting endless genealogies and fables.
And so today, as you hear the Gospel being preached all over, ask yourself: Does it help me to grow in Christ? Does it help me to become more Christlike? Does it build godliness in me? Does it help to edify me to become the child of God that He wants me to be? Because at the end of the day, Christ must be our all in all and the completion of our heart’s desires. That is what Christianity is about.
Let’s share a word of prayer. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I reject every doctrine that holds me captive to fear and myths. I trust in the sufficiency of your grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.