1 Timothy 1:18–20 (ESV) — 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
NOTE: From the context, it would appear that Hymenaeus and Alexander were genuine believers. What did they do? They rejected the faith (in some way) and their conscience, and consequently shipwrecked their faith. It could be they justified sexual sin or taught some new doctrine that was incompatible with the gospel. Whatever happened, there were excluded from the church, and left to the world's realm for a time. I say "time" because they were to learn not to blaspheme, and it is possible they might learn the lesson and return to the body.
One conclusion is that, on the surface, a true believer can appear to go off the rails, even blaspheming the faith. One cannot lose their salvation, but one may have to undergo a severe time of discipline, up to and in some cases including physical death.
Timothy was charged to wage a good warfare in combatting false teachings that may have arisen as a result. For the believer, our warfare is conducted with the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit (the word of God), and the power of prayer. We don't need to get emotional. We don't need to get caught up in rage and fury, but we do need to engage people, in gentleness and respect.
PONDER:
- Do I keep a check on my teaching?
- Do I listen to criticism?
- Do I make sure my observations, interpretations, and applications are CLEARLY supported by the text?
PRAYER: Father, protect me from the enemies lies, attacks, and attempts to disrupt my teaching. I want to be right in my teaching. I don't want to mislead the sheep.
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