Answer
The apostle Paul wrote to encourage Timothy in his pastoral role over the church in Ephesus. In 1 Timothy 1:3–20, Paul charges Timothy with opposing false teachers: “Stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (verses 3–5).
Paul urges Timothy to remain steadfast amid challenging circumstances. False teachers were disrupting the church, teaching unsound doctrines (1 Timothy 6:3) and stirring up all kinds of foolish and worthless arguments (2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9). These teachers were not only conceited and ignorant (1 Timothy 6:4) but slaves to asceticism (1 Timothy 4:3) and greed (1 Timothy 6:5).
Paul states that love is the purpose of Timothy’s mission—that all believers would be filled with love for one another instead of the envy, strife, suspicion, and controversy the false teachers had aroused (see 1 Timothy 6:3–4). Paul identifies three internal sources supplying the believers’ love: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
A pure heart is an inner quality experienced only by those who have received forgiveness and cleansing from sin through faith in Jesus Christ (Psalm 51:7, 10; Matthew 5:8; 1 John 1:7; 3:3; Titus 1:15). Believers are purified and transformed because they obey the truth of the gospel. As a result, they are filled with a sincere and deep love that flows from inside their hearts to others (see 1 Peter 1:22).
The writer of Hebrews declares, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14). A good conscience relates to our conduct and godly behavior, primarily how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. A clean and clear conscience enables us to discern between right and wrong and to live godly lives, loving and serving others as Christ did.
A sincere faith is genuine, authentic trust in Jesus Christ and reliance on God the Father. The adjective translated as “sincere” in 1 Timothy 1:5 is anypokritou in the original Greek. It means “unhypocritical, unfeigned, genuine.” It is the same word Paul used later to describe Timothy’s faith: “I am 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).
False teachers have always been active in the church, from its first-century beginning until today. They constantly try to mislead people and steer them away from true faith in Jesus Christ. They “devote themselves to myths” and “promote controversial speculations” (1 Timothy 1:4). They reject the truth (Titus 1:14) in favor of “godless myths and old wives’ tales” (1 Timothy 4:7; see also 2 Timothy 4:4; 2 Peter 1:16). False teachers are religious pretenders who “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (Titus 1:16).
Paul said that false teachers “want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm” (1 Timothy 1:7). They desired to be seen as experts in the law, but they did not even understand what they taught. They misunderstood the true nature and purpose of the law. In so doing, they corrupted the gospel and departed from sincere faith (1 Timothy 6:20–21).
Sincere faith is more than mere talk. It is total trust and confidence in God. A person with sincere faith doesn’t get caught up in empty, useless arguments. He centers his life on correct doctrine, not false teachings. He doesn’t add to, take away from, or contradict Scripture. He stays rooted in the truth of God’s Word—the plain and simple gospel of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
