SOAP 05/26/2016; 1 Timothy 1:5

Today's reading: Proverbs 1, 2, 3; Romans 7*


S) "⁵ But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

1 Timothy 1:5 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read 1 Timothy 1

O) Paul's letter to Timothy have a lot to do with leadership, since Timothy was a young leader in the church where he was. Paul considered him a son, and so many of these instructions seem to have a tone like David's words to Solomon, at the end of his life. In this verse, Paul addresses the motivation for giving instruction in the first place. As with other letters, Paul brings love into the forefront, that much is clear. The next breakdown can be a little ambiguous, because there's no punctuation in Greek, but either way actually makes a lot of sense, so maybe it really is both. It could be he highlights that real love is rooted in (a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere heart). Or else he could be saying that the goal is love from a pure heart, and the goal is a good conscience, and the goal is a sincere faith. Because he said goal, singular, and because it comes across more all-inclusive, I tend to think it s the former. True love is the goal, and true love will flow from those three things working at once.


A) My goals should ultimately be the same as Paul's, here. Like Paul taught spiritual truth to Timothy, and considered him a son, I should always have in mind to teach my own children spiritual truths. But, not that they would have knowledge just for the sake of having it. My goal must also be love. My goal is to love them. My goal is that they would love. In both of those cases, my aim is love and the way to get there is to let God purify my heart, and to keep a good conscience through obedience, and to have a sincere faith through humbly submitting myself to Christ. Similarly, my goal is that they would love because of these three things as well.


P) Father, thank You for giving me a clean heart. Thank You for the Holy Spirit within me, giving me the strength to obey. Thank You for Your lovingkindness, which drew me into relationship with You. You softened my heart to Christ, allowing me to submit to His lordship in the first place. In the same way, please work in my children, that they would acquire pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faiths, and that through them, they would learn to love. In Your grace, let my instruction to them be effective, and help me keep love central to all that I am teaching. Help me be effective in my discipline, all of this to Your glory. Let Your will be done in them, and in me. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.