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. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)
When Paul urged Timothy to remain in Ephesus while he traveled to Macedonia, he understood that the centrality of the Gospel was being threatened in at least two ways: by different doctrines and distracting doctrines. The different doctrines were falsehoods that could not be tolerated by Paul. Such false teachings undermined the core beliefs of the Christian faith. According to Paul in 1 Cor. 15:3-4, the core, distinctive beliefs of the Christian faith pertained to the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Understandably, there are many other doctrines of the Christian faith related to these distinctive beliefs about Jesus. For instance, these elements of the gospel of Jesus as summarized by Paul presuppose many things. Jesus, as the Son of God, was distinct in His person from the Father, yet, still one in His essence with the Father. Hence, the Father sent his one and only begotten Son into the world to save sinners from His wrath, yet, the Father did not become flesh, dwell among men, and die on a cross. Instead, it was the Son who took on flesh, lived among men, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. The point here is that the gospel of Jesus Christ as summarized by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 is a seamless, interrelated garment of core theological truths. One must be careful to discern and differentiate between essential doctrines and non-essential doctrines by how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If a particular doctrine or understanding undermines the core truths of the gospel of Jesus, then that doctrine must be rejected. In this regard, as Martin Luther put it, “The cross is the test of everything.” Christians must not tolerate doctrines that undermine the gospel of Christ.
With that said, heretical doctrines are not always the biggest threat to the established church. In Timothy’s case in Ephesus, while some people were teaching false doctrines, others were preoccupied with non-essential or distracting doctrines. Admittedly, Paul omits the exact nature of these distracting doctrines for the modern reader, which Paul assumed Timothy was already aware of and not in need of further explanation. For you, however, as a pastor, you must recognize that there is a threat to the Gospel in your church when the attention of your people becomes infatuated with non-essential doctrines.
In Timothy’s case, Paul condemned these doctrines as those that encouraged “endless speculation.” In our modern case, though, such doctrines or focuses may have little to do with speculation and more to do with mere distraction. Pastor, you must recognize that our Enemy, who seeks to destroy Christ’s people, does not have to make people eat of the poison of false doctrine if he can deprive them of the nourishment of the gospel. Deprivation is as deadly as poison. You have a responsibility to labor for the centrality of the Gospel in Christ’s church. Yet, the attack on the Gospel’s preeminence might not always look like what we expect. Many times, the move away from the centrality of the gospel in a local church will be subtle. Instead of someone overtly challenging the deity of Christ, they might be more preoccupied with the format of the bulletin or the balance of the building fund. Preoccupation with such matters can actually undermine the work of God by insisting upon a form of religiosity that is devoid of faith. It does not take faith to complain, criticize, or capitulate. It takes faith to boldly set forth the centrality of Jesus’ message of salvation and hope to a lost and dying world. Pastor, keep the Gospel at the center of your ministry!
CBH
