There has never been a time in
the world’s history when the Word of God has been so readily available as
today; yet we know of no other time when unrest, lawlessness, and revolution
have been so widespread. We can attribute this alarming state to the setting
aside of this very Book and its teachings. Men persist, however unknowingly, in
a course leading to self-destruction, being led on by "the wicked one."
This course of things is clearly marked out in the Scriptures and so we are not
surprised to see it.
On the other hand, what is the
cause of the widespread spiritual decline among the Lord’s people, evidenced by
carelessness and indifference in spiritual matters? One sees as a common thing
the letting go of many precious truths which has resulted in many believers
becoming worldly and losing sight of their heavenly hope. A reason for this may
be that believers act against that which they consciously know to be the Lord’s
mind and will as revealed in God’s Word. In so doing a good conscience is set
aside. This causes incalculable damage to the soul, opening the door to
everything that is destructive to a heavenly life and testimony. It relates not
only to conduct but to unsound teaching also.
Let us trace this course of
things from its beginning to its very sad end.
"All the counsel of
God" was the burden of Paul’s ministry to the Ephesians. "For three
years, night and day, I ceased not admonishing each one [of you] with
tears" (Acts 20:27, 31; all references in this article are from the JND
translation). Imagine sitting under such holy ministry godly care as that for
three years! Oh what blessing they must have received! How edifying it must
have been!
In the course of time, Paul
later wrote Timothy at Ephesus to "enjoin some not to teach other
doctrines, nor to turn their minds to fables and interminable
genealogies." (1 Tim. 1:3,4). Why was such a charge necessary if Paul had
previously established them so thoroughly at Ephesus? "The end of what is
enjoined is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned
faith" (1 Tim. 1:5). This describes the proper spiritual condition that is
needed if we are to maintain truth and to practice godliness. The next verse
says, "which [things] some having missed, have turned aside to vain
discourse." This answers our question. If a good conscience is not
maintained as well as love and faith, even the best instruction will not
preserve us from the snares and pitfalls that the enemy is permitted to lay in
our path.
Next we see that the
"some" who "turned aside" became Judaizers and in ignorance
of God’s grace introduced "law." It is not "the law" which
is introduced, but "law"; that is, the principle which is opposed to
grace. Such preaching is described as "vain discourse" (v. 6). This
is not a ministry of love or edification, but is a misuse of law, as the
context of the verses following clearly shows. The law, as a principle, is
properly used as a sword for the conscience in convicting the ungodly of their
sins. The law, as a principle, is not meant to be used for the Lord’s people
for it is not edifying. But these law-teachers, who have missed "love out
of a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned faith," have
introduced this misuse of law and thereby have displaced edifying ministry.
It is easy to see that this is a
declining pathway and it descends still further. In verse 6 "a good
conscience" was "missed," and now in verse 19 this is "put
away," a much more definite thing with a more serious result:"which
[last] some, having put away, have made shipwreck as to faith." So the
good conscience that is needed for "maintaining faith" is put away
and the door is opened through which Satan can come with wicked and destructive
doctrines. Let it be understood that FAITH IN CHRIST is not lost, nor indeed
can it be; but the power of our Christian lives which is that precious personal
confidence and fellowship that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ can be lost. Such
is the case of the two named in verse 20, Hymenaeus and Alexander. Sad
notoriety indeed!
Continuing in this sad vein, we
read in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 that Hymenaeus along with Philetus are the
instruments of Satan for the introduction of a wicked and destructive doctrine.
"Their word will spread as a gangrene; of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
[men] who as to the truth have gone astray, saying that the resurrection has
taken place already; and overthrow the faith of some." Notice that it is
not a denial of the fact of the resurrection, but a perversion of the truth by
their teaching that it had already taken place. If the resurrection be past we
are robbed of our heavenly hope. The best we have left is this world. Then we
must devote our energies, our abilities, and our wealth to its causes. We must
join all the associations dedicated to self-improvement and world-improvement.
We must cater to the flesh in its seeking of pleasure and comfort. We are then
become as those described in Revelation 3:10 "them that dwelt upon the
earth." Their hopes are earthly for they have no faith. Such cannot rise
above this world. These will face the wrath of God when His judgments are in
the earth, thus losing all that they value, things temporal and earthly. So, if
the resurrection be past then neither do the Lord’s people have anything beyond
this scene. This wickedness is termed "gangrene" which overthrew
"the faith of some," and so it spread in that day. But how much more
it has spread today! Christendom is a vivid picture showing the result of this
destructive doctrine. What a solemn responsibility they have who not only
turned aside themselves but are responsible for others being turned aside.
How necessary it is then that we
maintain "faith and a good conscience"; thus shall our work be made
manifest at the judgment seat of Christ as "gold, silver, precious
stones" (1 Cor. 3:12) to the glory of His name.
In view of all of the foregoing,
some, however, might conclude that one must as the world says, "Let his
conscience be his guide." Now this subtle maxim of worldly wisdom is to be
utterly rejected on the basis of the Word of God itself.
The apostle Paul’s own life
before His conversion is an example of one being guided by one’s conscience.
Paul, in Galatians 1:13-14 says, "I excessively persecuted the assembly of
God, and ravaged it … being exceedingly zealous of the doctrines of my
fathers"; in Philippians 3:6 "As to zeal, persecuting the
assembly"; in 1 Timothy 1:13 "who before was a blasphemer and
persecutor, and an insolent overbearing [man]:but mercy was shown me because 1
did it ignorantly, in unbelief"; and finally in Acts 23:1, " have
walked in all good conscience with God unto this day." Paul, who was Saul
of Tarsus before his conversion, with a fiery zeal and a good conscience wasted
the assembly thus persecuting Christ. This he did as a service to God! But his
conscience could never have led him to the truth that Jesus is the Christ. His
course of action was as contrary to God’s way as it could be, even though he
was going that way in all sincerity. What was it then that changed his course?
On the road to Damascus he was arrested by the vision of the Lord Jesus in His
resurrection glory. He thus received the light of the truth as to Christ and
acted upon this henceforward. Paul thus became the instrument of Christ in
establishing the assembly rather than being its waster. So he found mercy and
grace and became a pattern of the long-suffering of God to those who would afterward
believe (1 Tim. 1:13-16).
In summing up, we believe that
the conscience should be formed not by our own natural thoughts or even
religious ones but by the Word of God. Further, the conscience is to be
maintained in its purity by obedience to the Word of God. This is the secret of
our spiritual growth, of our grasping "even the depths of God," and
of our having a powerful testimony in the face of the abounding wickedness of
this world.
EXTRACT
Letting
go of the truth we become occupied with fables and interminable genealogies
which appeal to reason, and only occupy the mind with questions, but do not
lead to godly edifying which is in faith. "Endless genealogies" are
as pleasing to the natural mind as to religious flesh, for they shut out God
and make much of man. Such genealogies assume that all blessing is a process of
development from one generation to another. For this reason, the religious Jew
made a great deal of his genealogy. So, too, the man of the world, with his
science falsely so-called, seeks to shut out faith in a creator by speculative
theories which view everything in creation as a gradual and evolutionary
development of one thing from another. Human speculation, appealing to reason,
can only raise "questions" which leave the soul in darkness and
doubt. Divine truth, appealing to conscience and faith, can alone give
certainty and godly edification.