Myths and Endless Genealogies – 1 Timothy 1:3-7

We have a tendency to make mountains out of mole hills, in the church and out.  If I were to draw a target, with a bulls eye and several larger areas of circle, we could describe what is the bulls eye or core issues of Christian faith, and the gradually less core areas of faith.  At the core, at the bulls eye, would be the gospel of salvation by faith in Christ alone and the truths about who Christ is, who the Father is, and who the Holy Spirit is.  But the temptation is to put other less core doctrines in that place, and then argue and speculate about them.  I love the doctrine of the rapture, the catching up of living believers to Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) right after dead saints are resurrected.  But there are three or four views of when the rapture will take place.  Is one of those views a bulls eye doctrine?  No way.  But we are tempted to make it so.  Paul and Timothy are dealing with this in the Ephesian church, only their temptation is to make keeping the Law a part of that.  They are moving toward potential heresy.

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.  (1 Timothy 1:3-7 ESV)

One of the constant thorns in the side of the church is the temptation that people yield to for power and influence coming from altering the teaching of the gospel and presenting it as an upgrade on the truth.  Paul particularly dealt with many who thought that they needed to add the law of Moses back into the gospel.  This was going on at Ephesus where Timothy was ministering.

So Paul urges Timothy again to make sure these teachers are corrected.  Their attachment to genealogies and myths only lead to speculative theology rather than carrying out the responsibilities God has given us to love one another and reach the world with the message of hope.

True doctrine leads to love from a pure heart, a good conscience before God, and sincere faith.  Teaching of the law in such ignorant ways as these teachers are doing leads away from such basic and crucial characteristics.  This is one of the ways we discern false teaching.