The Goal of Our Instruction (Part 5)

The Goal of Our Instruction (Part 5)

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: The Goal of Our Instruction (Part 5)-------------- Date: 2/15/2000
Keywords: "conscience" "faith" "heart" "love" "pure"

Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.

Passage: 1 Timothy 1:5*

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Question

How are we to instruct others if we ourselves have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards?

Practical help

Over the past five days we have looked at one verse, 1 Timothy 1:5. On the first day, we studied it in context and noted that it comes from a letter written by Paul to a younger man named Timothy. Timothy was instructed to stay in the city of Ephesus and pastor a little church.

On day two we thought about love from a pure heart. The third day we thought about love from a good conscience and finally on day four, love from a sincere faith.

Now let’s step back and look at the whole sentence once again. Paul told Timothy that the goal of our instruction as Christian workers is to love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. One way we could interpret this is that we should teach others to love from a pure heart, etc. But even more profound is the thought that as we interact with others as Christians, our instruction should exemplify love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. In other words, we should not teach what we are not living. Character matters. The problem is, however, that we fall short all the time. Our hearts aren’t always pure, our consciences aren’t always good and our faith is not always sincere.

I have had my bout with pornography and so I understand personally the problems people face in this area. Thankfully, however, I have also experienced God’s forgiveness and His power to release me from it’s grip. This does not mean I’m immune, in fact I think it is the opposite. I know I am weak and easily able to fall under the right circumstances. For this reason, the messages (or instructions) I have shared with you, I testify have been true in my own life. It is possible for you to return to a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. It doesn’t happen over night, and I confess to you that I have not yet completely arrived, but it’s God’s work, not mine, so I can rest easy in His grace. That’s my prayer for you as well my friend.

May you taste the same grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord, that Paul prayed for his young friend, Timothy.

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLEŽ, Š Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."