This is Monday morning, October 7, 1974, in Richmond, Virginia. The ministry is given through Brother Stephen Kong.
We thank the Lord once again for gathering us together this morning.
I would like to read a few passages from 1 Timothy.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our hope;
unto Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine,
neither to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, the which minister questionings, rather than a dispensation of God which is in faith; so do I now.
But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned;
from which things some having swerved have turned aside unto vain talking;
desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm.
But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully,
as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
for fornicators, for abusers of themselves with men, for menstealers, for liars, for false swearers, and if there be any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;
according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called;
which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with you.
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness;
He Who was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the spirit,
Seen of angels,
Preached among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
Last night, we mentioned that, of all the letters written by Paul in the New Testament, there are three later letters that belong to a special group. These three letters occupy a unique place in the Bible: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. In these three letters, Paul deals especially with one subject: church government, or the government of the church.
Now, we mentioned last night that the church is not an organization; it is an organism. With an organization, system is everything. If you find a good system, you can run an organization. But with an organism, the basic principle is not system; it is life. It is the life of our Lord Jesus in the body, and that runs the body perfectly.
Nevertheless, we find that in the organism, in the body of Christ, there is a certain degree of government. But that government is not the result of system; it is the outcome of life.
As the church begins to grow, you will find government invariably coming into being. But again, we emphasize and say that it is not out of a system; it is out of life.
Last night we mentioned: What is the church of God? Paul says it is God’s house. We are the habitation of God in the Spirit. We who are of the Lord are built by none other than Himself. God is the Builder of His house.
Christ said, “I will build My church upon this rock; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” God’s people are built together to be God’s house, to be His dwelling, to be His home, to be His rest, to be His satisfaction. That is what we are: God’s house.
This house is also the assembly of the living God. The called-out ones gather together unto His name. They are one in the Lord. And it is the pillar and base of the truth. The truth is Christ, but the church is the pillar of the truth. That is to say, the church is to bear witness to the truth—to Christ.
It is also the base of the truth. Some versions say “ground”; that is, the depository of the truth, where the truth is deposited. That is what the church is.
When you think of the church as God’s house, you think mostly of building: how we need to be built up together by God into a house in which God can dwell in peace, in rest, and in enjoyment. When you think of the church as the assembly of the living God, you think of the unity of life. You think of love—how God’s people need to love one another as the assembly of the living God.
When you think of the church as the pillar and ground of the truth, you think more of testimony. How we need to be a testimony to the world. We bear the testimony of Jesus to this world.
So, brothers and sisters, here you find the fact: we are God’s house, and we are in God’s household. We are members of the family of God. We are the assembly of the living God, and we are in the assembly. We are the pillar and ground of the truth, and we are involved in the testimony, in the trust of the truth.
Now, because these are facts, we need to know how to conduct ourselves in God’s house. If these were not facts, then it would not matter whether we knew how to behave or not, because we would not belong, we would not be involved, and we would not be there.
But since these are facts—and I want to emphasize, and emphasize, and emphasize, because I think God’s people need to realize that we are God’s house, built by God; we are the assembly of the living God; we are the pillar and ground of truth—these are facts.
Because these are facts, it is very, very important for us to know how to conduct ourselves, how to behave ourselves in God’s house, in the assembly of the living God, in the pillar and ground of the truth, that we may glorify God and that our lives may correspond to what God has made us to be.
So our key verse is how one ought to conduct oneself in the house of God. The “one” there may refer to Timothy. Certainly Timothy needed to know how to conduct himself in the church at Ephesus, where he was at that time. But it may refer to any member in the body of Christ, because surely everyone needs to know how to conduct himself or herself. It is something that relates to every one of us.
You are in God’s house. You are a member of the family of God. Therefore, you are expected to know how to behave yourself as a member of the family of God. So you find that everyone concerned is related to this matter.
This letter to Timothy actually is not only written to Timothy, but it is written to Timothy for every one of us. Every one of us needs to know these things.
Last night we laid some foundations for this letter. This morning we would like to go ahead with the content of the letter. Of course, the main subject, or theme, of this letter is clear and definite: it concerns the government of the church.
But it deals with various aspects of church government. First, it deals with the matter of sound teaching. What is sound teaching? This is all part of the government of the church. Church government is not merely doing something in the matter of discipline or governing; you will find that it is concerned primarily with maintaining sound teaching.
It also deals with the matter of public meeting. Because God’s people are the assembly of the living God, if you do not assemble, how can you be an assembly? In the very nature of the church, it behooves us that we should assemble together. When we are assembled together, what are we going to do? How are we going to conduct ourselves when we come together?
There are certain instructions on public meeting: what God’s people should do and how we ought to behave ourselves when the church comes together.
Of course, in church government you find matters concerning the elders, the deacons, and the deaconesses. What are they? What are their functions? What are their qualifications? How should they conduct themselves as elders and deacons in the house of God? You find church offices—I do not like to use the word office, but I do not have another good word for it.
Then there is not only the matter of church offices, but also the matter of church discipline. Basically, this is part of the government of the church. A church that does not know how to exercise discipline is no church at all.
You find not only this matter of discipline, but also many affairs to be taken care of in the church. For instance, the widows: what are you going to do with the widows? And so on and so forth.
There is also ministry. In the church, you find body ministry and ministry that may be given to the church by the risen Lord: the matter of ministers and the relationship of ministry to the church.
So you find a great many things being dealt with in 1 Timothy. I do not believe we have time to go over every one of them, so I would like to group them into three categories:
This morning we will begin with the first one.
What is the church? The church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Therefore, for the church to exist, it is of tremendous importance that sound teaching should be maintained.
Let us go back a little bit to history. During Paul’s second missionary journey, he went through the places in Galatia and was thinking of going to Asia, but the Spirit of Jesus forbade him to go into Asia—the Roman province of Asia. Then he thought of going into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit would not allow him to go there either.
So he could not go south into Asia, and he could not turn north into Bithynia; therefore, he went west. He went all the way until he came to Troas. There was nowhere else to go.
That very night, he was given a dream, a vision. A Macedonian was calling him, “Come over and help us.” The next morning he shared his dream and vision with his companions, and they all felt that the Lord was calling them to cross over from Asia into Europe. That was a great step.
The gospel was brought from Asia as a continent to Europe as a continent. Paul and his companions crossed over into Europe. Of course, the first place was Philippi.
After he finished the second missionary journey, Paul returned by way of Ephesus. At the beginning of that journey he had not been allowed to go into Asia, but on his way back he was allowed by God to pass through Ephesus, because Ephesus was the principal city in the Roman province of Asia.
He was there probably only for one Sabbath. He did not have the liberty to stay, but he was given freedom just to pass through. As he passed through Ephesus, he went to the synagogue on that Sabbath and reasoned with the Jews concerning the Lord Jesus. He left an impression. They wanted him to stay and tell them more about Messiah Christ Jesus, but he said, “No, I have to go.”
So, during the second missionary journey, he did pass through Ephesus, probably only for a short time. But the seed was already sown. Remember, he left a couple there, Aquila and Priscilla.
This couple was a marvelous couple. They often seemed to go ahead of Paul in the work of God in various locations. They settled down in Ephesus. They were tentmakers and worked with their hands. When Apollos was passing through Ephesus, this couple helped him. They were very quiet, and yet they were laying the groundwork, as it were.
Then, during the third missionary journey, God constrained Paul to go to Ephesus. Ephesus became the main work of his third missionary journey. He made Ephesus his headquarters, as it were, and he stayed there three years, until all Asia heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The work of God was tremendous and very evident. You remember how those believers came and burned all their magic books, and it amounted to a great sum of money. Here you find the church in Ephesus coming in with such power, such purity, and such strength that it made an impact upon the world.
There was an uproar, inevitably, because the impact was too great. Satan was greatly alarmed. While Paul was in Ephesus for three years, he was able to share with them the whole counsel of God.
After three years, Paul left them. On his way to Jerusalem, he was constrained in spirit to arrive at Jerusalem by Pentecost. So, on his way back from Macedonia and Corinth, he came to Miletus, which was very close to Ephesus.
He did not feel free to go to Ephesus—not because he did not love them, but because he loved them too much. If he went, he was afraid he might be delayed there and become disobedient to the constraint of the Holy Spirit, because he was constrained to go to Jerusalem by Pentecost. Something was waiting there for him.
Instead of going to Ephesus, which would have been natural for him to do, he asked the elders in the church at Ephesus to come over to Miletus for a meeting. All the elders of the church in Ephesus came to Miletus to meet with Paul. This is recorded in Acts 20.
For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church.
Ye yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time,
serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews;
how I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house,
testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there;
save that the Holy Spirit testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
For I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house.
Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;
and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears.
And now I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.
I coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
When Paul met all these elders of the church, he shared with them what was upon his heart. There you find that he warned them. He said, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God.”
He said, “For I know that after my departure grievous wolves shall come in among you, not sparing the flock. Not only will they come in among you, but even from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” Then he committed them to the Lord and to the word of His grace.
You remember the story: after Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he was seized. He was in prison at Caesarea for two years, and after two years he was removed to Rome. There he was a prisoner in Rome for more than two years. How long, we do not know for sure.
But from the time he spoke to the elders of the church at Ephesus in Miletus to the time he wrote the first letter to Timothy, almost ten years had passed. Within those ten years, what happened to the church in Ephesus? What Paul had warned beforehand had come true.
Paul warned that after his departure grievous wolves would come in, not sparing the flock; and that among them people would arise speaking perverted things, drawing people away from Christ and to themselves.
You might say, “Certainly that would never happen at Ephesus.” Why? These elders and these people loved the Lord. They were in their first love. Ephesus was in its first love. They had such knowledge of the Lord; they knew the whole counsel of God. Surely they would never depart from God. Surely there would be no chance for false teachers to come into their midst.
But strange things happened. Within ten years, as Paul was released from the Roman prison, he revisited Ephesus. What sadness must have come to him. He found the church in Ephesus not as he had left it.
Evidently, first love had gradually faded away. That must have been the first thing. When first love gradually faded, human elements, things of this world, and other things began to creep in and grow in the church.
When he came to Ephesus, he found false teachings—other doctrines. The word other in the original Greek is not “other” of the same kind; it is “other” of a different kind. In other words, it was not the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
Evidently, by that time the original elders had passed away and gone to be with the Lord. A new eldership had come up, and there was definite weakness in leadership.
They allowed false teaching to be taught. Either they did not have discernment because they were not grounded in the word of God, or they were just loose in discipline. They allowed other doctrines to be taught in the church.
It was not what we would call heresy in the extreme sense as it is known today, but it was on the verge. If it was not checked, sound teaching would be perverted, the truth would be compromised and adulterated, and eventually it would become a serious matter.
Why? Because the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. When you find untruth, false teachings, and other doctrine allowed in the church, that affects the very nature and testimony of the church.
The church is nothing but the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When the church allows untruth to be mixed with truth, sooner or later you find that it pollutes the church.
The elders were not watchful. Probably they did not have a sound grounding in the word of God, or they were just too open to everything. Now, we should be open, but not open to everything.
This reflected upon the whole church. In the whole church of Ephesus, other doctrines and teachings were being propagated, and they were going on as though this were part of the truth.
It was so serious that it could not be dealt with merely by a short stay from the apostle. He had to leave Timothy behind to combat this false teaching.
Paul told Timothy to charge certain people in Ephesus not to teach a different doctrine. You have to stop it. But that is only the negative side. There is a positive way to deal with false teaching, and that is to teach sound teaching.
Timothy was left behind, on the one hand, to charge those false teachers not to teach false teaching; and, on the other hand, to teach sound teaching according to godliness, according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now, of course, we need to know what these false teachings were. Before Paul’s imprisonment, wherever he went to preach the doctrine, he was followed closely by the Judaizers. They were Jewish Christians. After they were converted to Christ, they still held on to Moses. They mixed Christ with Moses; they put Moses and Christ on the same level.
When Paul went to preach Christ, they would follow Paul and preach Christ and Moses. Everywhere he went, he was followed by these Judaizers.
But when you come to 1 Timothy, you find that these false teachers were not simply the former Judaizers. They were different. You find certain elements of Judaism in them because they went into fables and endless genealogies, all these Jewish things; but they were not really those Judaizers.
It was mixed with Gnosticism. In other words, it was mixed with philosophy, speculation, and mysticism of some kind. You find similar elements in Paul’s letter to the Colossians: people who not only thought they should be circumcised, but who entered into a kind of mysticism and asceticism.
During those years, false teaching was spreading over Asia. It was a mixture of Judaism and Gnosticism. On the one hand, they taught that believers in the Lord Jesus must keep the law in order to be perfect. You begin with Christ, but you have to be perfected with Moses.
On the other hand, they entered into all kinds of speculation. That is where the fables and endless genealogies came about. They went into speculative religion. It was a mixture of Judaism, philosophy, and mysticism. They mixed everything together as though it were something wonderful.
So you had neither Christ only nor the law rightly understood. Because of that, they led the people away from Christ and away from sound teaching.
In 1 Timothy, Paul describes them in many ways. He describes them as false teachers, as those who teach other doctrines—not the doctrine of Christ. They turn their minds to fables and endless genealogies. They go into speculation, and the result is questionings. It does not add to faith; actually, it tears down faith.
They miss the mark and enter into vain discourse. They like to speak a lot and discourse a lot, but it is all vain. They profess themselves to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they say or what they so confidently affirm. They do not really know what the law is.
More than that, some apostatize from the faith, giving their minds to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy. Instead of living in the Spirit and being guided by the Holy Spirit, they search their own minds and imagine that they know something more and better.
The demons give them spectacular teachings that make them feel that they know something. But they are speaking lies in hypocrisy. Their consciences are seared. They do not go according to a good conscience, and the result is that they participate in lies.
They make godliness a means of gain. Paul calls them vain babblers. Their words are simply babbling; they are not sound at all.
Dear brothers and sisters, during that time there were other doctrines and false teachings. Anything that leads people away from Christ to themselves is false teaching.
For the government of the church, these false teachings have to be stopped. Timothy was told to charge these men not to teach other doctrines.
Brothers and sisters, the church—the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth—must be open to the truth. The church is not a reservoir of some special truth only. The church is the depository of the whole truth of God. The church has to be open to all the truth.
But the church must be closed to anything that is untrue to the Lord. Sometimes we may be too tight, too exclusive, and shut off the truth of God, trying to maintain only certain truth. But at other times we may go to the other extreme and be wide open, so that anybody can come in and teach whatever they think they have to teach.
That was the problem with the church at Ephesus. They were wide open. They allowed these false teachers to teach anything—anything. Brothers and sisters, lots of God’s children do not have discernment.
So, for the government of the church, it means charging these teachers not to teach. But let us move on to the positive side, because it is the positive that we want to emphasize more.
Timothy was left behind in the church in Ephesus to combat false teaching. The best way to combat false teaching, the best way to protect God’s people from other doctrines, is to teach sound teaching.
Now, what is sound teaching? How do we know that something is sound? In 1 Timothy there are four points mentioned.
The first is in 1 Timothy 1:4: “further God’s dispensation, which is in faith.” Sound truth is that which is in the dispensation of God.
What is dispensation? The word dispensation can be translated in different ways. It can be translated economy, administration, stewardship, or trust. In other words, dispensation means God’s special plan and arrangement for the accomplishment of His purpose.
When God works, He has a definite plan and arrangement for the completing of His work. In a certain period, He works according to a certain principle. This dispensational working of God is for the fullness of His purpose. Through the dispensation, or working, of God, the full purpose of God shall be brought to completion.
I do not know, brothers and sisters, whether you have heard of dispensational teaching in the past. If you read the Scofield Bible, you will find that Scofield divides all dispensations into seven, I think: Adam in the Garden of Eden before the fall, the dispensation of innocence; after Adam’s fall, the dispensation of conscience; Noah, the dispensation of government; Abraham, the dispensation of promise; Moses, the dispensation of law; Christ, the dispensation of grace; and the millennial kingdom, the dispensation of righteousness.
Now, it may be truthful, but strictly speaking, the Bible does show us that God has a dispensation. God has His economy, His administration, His way, His methods, His plan, and His arrangements, working toward the fullness of His purpose.
Strictly speaking, the Bible teaches at least three dispensations: from Adam to Moses, from Moses to Christ, and from Christ to the kingdom. But, anyway, God has His dispensation.
What is sound teaching? Sound teaching is according to God’s dispensation. What is God’s dispensation now? It is grace. That is it.
These law teachers came into the midst of God’s people and began to teach the law. The law had its own dispensation. At one time, God did deal with His people according to law. From the time of Moses to the time of Christ, it was the dispensation of law. Because it was the dispensation of law, it was in works.
Under that dispensation, the law was everything, and works were demanded of people. The law has its place in the whole plan of God. But after Christ has come, the law has done its work. The law has shut all of us up unto Christ.
When Christ has come, the old dispensation—that is, God’s way of working—has changed. It is no longer law; it is grace. Because it is grace, it is by faith. If you try to teach the law in the dispensation of grace, it is unsound teaching.
Even though it may have a Scriptural background, you cannot call it a heresy as such; yet it becomes heresy because it is taught out of dispensation.
Brothers and sisters, we are in the dispensation of grace. Because this is the dispensation of grace, the principle is faith—faith in Christ—not doing this or doing that.
When Christ came, everything came into the right relationship and perspective. We do not know exactly the significance of the law until Christ. When Christ has come, then we know that the law has its place. The law is not for the righteous, but for the lawless.
That is how you need to use the law. The law is not to be applied to those who are redeemed and righteous before God. The law is to be applied to those who are unrighteous, so that they may be shut up to Christ. The misuse of the law is outside God’s dispensation; it is unsound teaching.
So, dear brothers and sisters, how do we know whether teaching is sound or unsound? We need to understand whether it is furthering God’s dispensation or whether it is against God’s dispensation.
The second point is in 1 Timothy 1:11: “according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.” The word entrusted is also related to dispensation—to administration.
What is sound teaching? It is according to the glad tidings, the gospel, of the glory of the blessed God. The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ—that is the gospel.
Brothers and sisters, anything that is not centered upon the glory of the blessed God in Jesus Christ is unsound. If the law was introduced with glory, so that people could not look at the face of Moses, how much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory?
We have the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. God came in Christ and brings us into God. That is sound teaching. Anything that is not centered upon this gospel of the glory of the blessed God is not sound.
The third point is that sound teaching is according to godliness. You find that in 1 Timothy 6:3:
If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and consenteth not to sound words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
he is puffed up, knowing nothing.
Sound teaching is according to godliness. What is the mystery of godliness? You find it in 1 Timothy 3:16. We often remember John 3:16, but we do not often remember 1 Timothy 3:16. That is a tremendous verse.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness;
He Who was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the spirit,
Seen of angels,
Preached among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
A mystery is something hidden in God that needs to be revealed by the Holy Spirit to us. But here you find that the mystery of godliness has been revealed. What is the mystery of godliness? No doubt, basically, it is Christ.
All sound commentators agree that this mystery of godliness is Christ—Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is the mystery of godliness.
What is sound teaching? Sound teaching teaches the mystery of godliness. Sound teaching teaches us Christ, because He is the mystery of godliness. Who is Christ? What has happened to Him?
Here you find six things mentioned. First, He was manifested in flesh. In the original text, it is very likely, “He Who was manifested in flesh.” Who is He Who was manifested in flesh? God. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth.
This speaks of incarnation. It speaks of Christ, God, manifested in flesh. He Who was equal with God emptied Himself. He took upon Himself the form of a servant, even the likeness of men. That is the first step in the mystery of godliness: the incarnation of Christ.
Second, He was justified in the Spirit. There are two different interpretations. If “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit, then probably it refers to the time when our Lord Jesus was baptized, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove.
But if it is paired with the first statement, “manifested in flesh,” then perhaps spirit refers to the human spirit. Our Lord, when He became a man, had a human spirit of His own. But this human spirit was completely justified. He did not live according to the flesh; He lived according to the spirit.
We are in the flesh, and yet oftentimes we live according to the flesh. If we live according to the flesh, it is death. But if we live according to the Spirit, it is life and peace. Our Lord Jesus, in His whole life, never lived in the flesh. He always followed the Spirit. As the Holy Spirit led His spirit, He lived, walked, and worked in the Spirit.
So you can take it either way: whether it refers to His baptism or whether it refers to His life.
Then you find that He was seen of angels. Why does it say, “seen of angels”? He was known to the angels even before He came into this world. But His very coming into this world was a testimony to the angels. He appeared not only to the good angels but also to the evil and fallen angels, showing them Who He is and what He came to do.
He was preached among the nations. Certainly our Lord Jesus was preached to the nations. He was believed on in the world. Thank God, even though many do not believe in Him, as many as believe in Him are given the right to become children of God.
Finally, He was received up in glory. It speaks of the ascension. Our Lord Jesus, after He completed His work on this earth, ascended and returned to glory—the glory which He had with the Father before the foundation of the world.
So, brothers and sisters, what is sound teaching? Sound teaching centers upon Christ, upon Christ the mystery of godliness: His incarnation, His baptism, His life, His affecting both the angels and the world, His being rejected or received by men, and His being received by the Father into glory.
In other words, the whole extent of the gospel is the whole life of Christ: from eternity, through time, and back to eternity. That is sound teaching.
But this verse has something more than that. Why? Because it is not only Christ Himself; it is Christ in you, the hope of glory. This verse can also be enlarged to include the church.
What is the church? The church is a mystery of godliness, because God the Spirit is like God. Because we are joined to Christ, whatever He is, that is what we are.
The church is God manifested in the flesh in a corporate way. As the incarnation of God was in a human body, in Jesus, on earth, so now that Christ has ascended on high, He has for Himself another body, another tabernacle—the corporate body. In the corporate body, He manifests Himself to this world.
God is manifested in flesh. Therefore, you find in the book of Acts that the Lord Himself continues to do and to teach through the church. That is what the church is: the manifestation of Christ in a corporate way.
Justified in the Spirit: in one Spirit we were baptized into one body, and we were made to drink of one Spirit. Even if the world does not recognize us, the Holy Spirit justifies us.
Seen of angels: the testimony of the church reaches to the angelic realm. Even now, to the principalities and powers, God makes known through the church the manifold wisdom of God. The holy angels look down upon the church and worship God for what He has done; and the fallen angels tremble.
Preached among the nations: the church preaches Christ to the world. Of course, it is not the church itself that is to be preached; it is Christ Who is to be preached to the world. The commission of the church is to preach Christ to the world.
Believed on in the world: not the church is to be believed on; it is Christ Who is to be believed on. And one day, we shall be received up in glory.
So, brothers and sisters, this is the mystery of godliness, and that is sound teaching. Anything that leads people away from Christ, anything that leads people away from Christ Who is to us the fullness of God’s glory, is unsound.
Finally, you find another standard of sound teaching in 1 Timothy 1:5:
But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned.
Unsound teaching always leads to dissipated living. Sound teaching leads to a life pleasing to God. You cannot divide teaching from living, doctrine from life. You cannot divide them.
If there is unsound teaching, invariably you find that it leads into loose living. It always ends up that way. If there is sound teaching, it builds up people, and the result always is love—love out of a pure heart.
It is not teaching in order to take advantage of people or to benefit oneself. It is out of a pure heart towards God, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. Anyone who leaves a good conscience makes shipwreck concerning the faith.
In other words, it is a simple faith, and out of that will come love: love to God and love towards one another.
So, brothers and sisters, the effect, the fruit, will tell you. If teaching is sound, it should produce love. This love is out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.
Anything that does not lead us into that, but leads us into questionings, strife, jealousy, contention, self-advantage, and falsehood, is unsound. The fruit will tell; the fruit will make it clear.
Here you find Timothy encouraged to teach sound teaching. By teaching sound teaching, he will save himself and those who hear him.
So, dear brothers and sisters, first of all, when we come to this matter of church government, the first thing is to maintain the truth—and that is sound teaching.
Our Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that Thou hast delivered the faith to the saints once for all. It is Jesus Christ and nothing else.
Lord, we pray that we may not be led away from Christ into many teachings, into many things. But Lord, we ask Thee to keep us to Christ, and Christ alone.
We pray that it may produce in us the fruit of the Spirit, which is love. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.