A SACRED STEWARDSHIP

Pastors have a sacred stewardship. Paul underscores this by his personal example and pointed exhortation in 1 Timothy 1. He speaks of “the stewardship from God that is by faith,” (v. 4). A steward was one who was “entrusted,” (v. 11) with his master’s riches as a household manager. This was his “charge,” (v. 5, 18)—the “appointing…to his service,” (v. 12). In this case, Paul was entrusted with the glorious Gospel. Paul testifies that His Master, “Christ Jesus our Lord…judged me faithful,” (v. 12). Now, he will say to his young protege, “This charge I entrust to you Timothy,” (v. 18). This is the sacred stewardship of every God-called preacher.

The Apostle begins with THE GREETING, (v. 1-2). This is more than a formality, but sets the context for this pastoral letter. Paul immediately identifies himself as the author, speaking with authority as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope,” (v. 1). He is fulfilling his calling by enlisting and equipping “Timothy, my true child in the faith,” (v. 2). It is vital to the church’s continued witness to raise up future leaders. As an apostle, Paul is not offering good suggestions about what might work in a local church, but demanding God’s essentials as imperatives. 

God is our Savior—the Father who has ordained salvation’s plan, and Christ Jesus is our hope—the One who is the object of faith who has brought redemption. Our only hope is in a relationship with Him by faith in Him. Now, we have the responsibility to carry that message to the ends of the earth. Through the preaching of the Gospel, we are regenerated as Timothy, “a true child in the faith,” (v. 2a). 

The Gospel is one of “grace.”  We receive what we could never deserve—heaven. It is one of “mercy.”  We do not receive what we do deserve—hell. The Gospel is one of “peace.”  God is no longer at war with us, as we have surrendered to Him. Peace with God flows from the grace and mercy we have experienced. This is the Gospel we are to faithfully proclaim.

Next, Paul warns of THE GODLESS, (v. 3-10). Timothy is warned of those who would dilute the truth with liberalism or distort the truth with legalism—but, either way, godless messengers preach a perverse message and promote godlessness in their hearers.  False teachers will either subtract from the Gospel or add to the Gospel—and, thus, subvert the Gospel.

Satan does not always undermine the church by direct confrontation, but often through subtle infiltration. They “teach…different doctrine,” of “myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations,” (v. 3-4). The faithful preacher must found his message and fortify the members on the pure Gospel of Christ. This means he will not only speak the truth, but confront its twisting by false teachers. 

Older pastors have the duty to the church to raise up younger men who are throughly vetted, solidly instructed, and consistently monitored as to their faithfulness to the Gospel. The results will be “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith,” (v. 5). 

“Swerving,” from the truth, (v. 6) is to wind up in a wreck.  Satan does not care which ditch he diverts the pastor into—liberalism or legalism—the church is off the straight and narrow road of truth.  The opposite effect of the Gospel is experienced: schism instead of “love,” a perverse heart instead of “a pure heart,” a guilty conscience instead of “a good conscience,” and fraudulent faith instead of “a sincere faith.”  False teachers may speak eloquently and carry an air of authority, but they have “wandered away into vain discussion…without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions,” (v. 6-7). 

Paul hits the matter of legalism head on in verses 8-10. The law of God is good for it is of God who is only good. It is an expression of His holiness. The problem is not in the law, but in us. We cannot keep it. An external code can condemn us, but cannot change us. That can only be accomplished by the Gospel which internally transforms us. The proper preaching of the law is meant to convict us of sin and call us to salvation in Christ alone. It is meant to drive us in despair to Him.

This brings us to THE GOSPEL, (v. 11-20). Our preaching is to be “in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which [we] have been entrusted,” (v. 11). This is the sacred stewardship of the preacher. The law is only bad news as it condemns us, but this message is good news—the literal meaning of “gospel,” in that is converts us. It is glorious for it is all of God’s grace and thus for His glory. We are accountable to Him for faithfulness in preaching it, (v. 12).

Paul bears testimony to the power of the Gospel that transformed him. He had been “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent,” of Christ, (v. 13a). But the Lord had extended “mercy,” in his ignorance and unbelief, (v. 13b). Overflowing grace washed him as he came to faith in Christ and love for Christ, (v. 14). It was a radical change from a man who saw himself as the foremost of sinners, (v. 15). He is an example of the difference the Gospel makes, (v. 16). How grateful we should be for God’s “patience,” in bringing us to Himself and exclaim with the Apostle, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (v.17). 

Paul concludes by driving home the seriousness of our stewardship, (v. 18-20). We are on a battleground not a playground, (v. 18). We must be tenacious in holding onto faith and a good conscience. The church is a Gospel battleship, and to fail to chart a straight course is to make “shipwreck of…faith.” Paul pointedly presents Hymenaeus and Alexander as false teachers. They had been excommunicated from the church—where Satan would hurt them, in hopes that the discipline would bring them to repentance and restoration, (cf. 1 Cor. 5).  We had best take the stewardship of the Gospel seriously, for it is evident that God does!