My True Son in the Faith

It is customary to refer to other Christians with familial terms. The marriage and family bond is one of the strongest bonds in the human experience. It is no surprise then that it is appropriated by New Testament writers to designate how strong our bond is with one another in Christ.

          In Paul’s letter to Timothy he begins by identifying him as “my legitimate/true child in the faith”(1 Timothy 1:2). This is a fascinating reference because of two words Paul uses.

          First, Timothy is  true/legitimate (gnesios). This word carries with it the idea of the real, genuine thing. When I read Paul’s two letters to Timothy, I am immediately struck with the genuine friendship and relationship that existed between these two Christians. Paul knew Timothy’s family well, and entrusted the young man to some very responsible tasks connected with the apostolic ministry.

          Second, the tender word for “child” (teknon) helps Paul express how dear, special and familial Paul feels toward this young man Timothy. Later on in this very letter, once again, Paul addresses him as “Timothy, my son…”(1 Timothy 1:18). He wants to get Timothy’s attention as he instructs him how to fight the good fight of faith in the face of opposition. As his father in the faith, he knows that this precious young man in the faith is about to face some pretty stiff opposition.

          For each of us today, God has placed in our stewardship the a spiritual “true son/daughter in the faith.” Who is that person? Do they know of your spiritual concerns for them? Do they hear affirmation from you regarding the bond of genuine friendship? Do you watch out for their spiritual welfare, and seek to instruct them?

          “My true son in the faith”—what a beautiful expression!

In Christian love, Curtis

Promoting and Advancing the Work of God

When the apostle Paul writes to Timothy about what he needs to focus on as a young evangelist, Paul is interested in how Timothy promotes or advances the work of God. In doing so, Paul uses one of the strangest phrases for ministry in all of the New Testament: “a stewardship of God in the faith.” What in the world can he mean by that?

          Paul had expressly left Timothy in Ephesus to urge certain individuals not to teach anything differently. Early on in the church we already have a distinction between heterodoxy and orthodoxy. Anything taught differently from the apostolic tradition would be suspect and identified as “heterodoxy.”  In this immediate context (1 Timothy 1:3-7) they were devoting themselves to myths and endless genealogies.

The myths were legendary, fictional stories-- but unfortunately Paul does not name them so we do not really know their content or anything else about them. Whatever they were, it is evident that they were designed to replace the central story of Jesus.

The next thing that was heterodoxy was the unending genealogies, or the tracing of one’s ancestors or family tree. Rogers makes the following apt comment on this practice: “In postexilic Judaism there was a keen interest in family trees, and this played a part in controversies between Jews and Judaism” (Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, p. 487). Interestingly, this may be what is behind the very reason that both Matthew and Luke include a genealogy of Jesus.

Essentially  what Paul is telling Timothy is that one does not promote or advance the work of God by making up stories to replace the central story of Jesus, nor trying to make a family connection that would prove one’s faithfulness to an established, traditional religion.

I am really intrigued by this expression “a stewardship of God in the faith” that Paul uses to describe ministry for Timothy. Does each one of us see our gifts and ministry as stewardship before God?

In Christian love, Curtis

 

SINCERE FAITH

What does “sincere faith” look like? Where does it come from? Why is it important, and how does one get it?

          For starters this expression (“sincere faith”) is used by Paul twice in his correspondence with the young evangelist Timothy. The word “sincere” translates the Greek word, anupokritos. It can be translated literally into English as “non-hypocritical.”  Here are both of those verses:

          “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).

          “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your  grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).

          Some significant insights present themselves from these two readings. “Sincere faith” is one of three things necessary in order for a person to truly love.

          Additionally, a “sincere faith” can be spoken of as something that lives in people. Because of Paul’s reference to Timothy’s mother and grandmother, the implicit implication that he does not spell out is that this “sincere faith” can be passed on  to succeeding generations.

          The questions that all of this raises is vital indeed.

1.   Does my love for God and others flow from a “sincere faith?”

2.   Does “sincere faith” live in me?

3.   Am I gratefully aware of how that “sincere faith” first lived in my parents and grandparents and was passed on to me?

The greatest need of the hour for Christianity in our culture is a “non-hypocritical faith.”  Does it live in me so that others can see Jesus?

In Christian love, Curtis