As he begins his letter to Timothy, Paul mentions certain people who, judging from his words, were trying in the church at Ephesus...
As he begins his letter to Timothy, Paul mentions certain people who, judging from his words, were trying in the church at Ephesus to act as teachers of the Torah while, in essence, not understanding what the Torah is and why it was given by God to His people (vv. 3-7). It is hard to say exactly which "genealogies" the apostle mentions, but judging by the context, one can suppose that he is speaking about the genealogies of the Pentateuch, which occur there in great number. Considering that some of them are legendary, while the history of others is lost in the depth of the ages, it is no surprise that endless disputes, judging from Paul's words, were stirred up by discussion of this topic. Meanwhile, according to the apostle's testimony, the Torah is needed not for exercises in theology and not for discussions that in the end give no one anything spiritually, only arousing passions and perhaps even quarrels. Paul once again reminds us that the Torah is the instrument of a practitioner, not a theorist, a practitioner who needs a spiritual compass on the road to the Kingdom. It is not by chance that he says the Torah is needed not by the righteous person but by the sinner (vv. 8-11).
Of course, in this case he is speaking only about one aspect of the Torah, connected with the knowledge of one's own sinfulness; the apostle does not consider its other aspects. But, as we can see, without fully recognizing and grasping this function of the Torah, it was impossible to move further; it was impossible to speak about the inner Torah with those for whom the importance of keeping the commandments was not obvious. Meanwhile, in the church at Ephesus there were, apparently, certain "theorists" of the Torah who, perhaps having heard something about the inner Torah and lofty theological matters, decided that perfection in spiritual life could be attained by theoretically studying what, without practice, is not assimilated and brings no benefit. And Paul, as we can see, calls those carried away by this kind of "spiritual" theorizing to leave their theories behind and finally learn to keep the commandments, without which one cannot enter the Kingdom. And life itself in the Kingdom is not theory but practice. Practice which, like all real life, cannot be reduced to any theoretical concepts, however clever.
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1:1 Paul an apostle - Familiarity is to be set aside where the things of God are concerned. According to the commandment of God - The authoritative appointment of God the Father. Our Saviour - So styled in many other places likewise, as being the grand orderer of the whole scheme of our salvation. And Christ our hope - That is, the author, object, and ground, of all our hope.
1:2 Grace, mercy, peace - St. Paul wishes grace and peace in his epistles to the churches. To Timotheus he adds mercy, the most tender grace towards those who stand in need of it.The experience of this prepares a man to be a minister of the gospel.
1:3 Charge some to teach no other doctrine - Than I have taught. Let them put nothing in the place of it, add nothing to it.
1:4 Neither give heed - So as either to teach or regard them.To fables - Fabulous Jewish traditions. And endless genealogies - Nor those delivered in scripture, but the long intricate pedigrees whereby they strove to prove their descent from such or such a person. Which afford questions - Which lead only to useless and endless controversies.
1:5 Whereas the end of the commandment - of the whole Christian institution. Is love - And this was particularly the end of the commandment which Timotheus was to enforce at Ephesus, 1 Timotheum 1:3, 1 Timotheum 1:18. The foundation is faith; the end, love. But this can only subsist in an heart purified by faith, and is always attended with a good conscience.
1:6 From which - Love and a good conscience. Some are turned aside - An affectation of high and extensive knowledge sets a man at the greatest distance from faith, and all sense of divine things. To vain jangling - And of all vanities, none are more vain than dry, empty disputes on the things of God.
1:7 Understanding neither the very things they speak, nor the subject they speak of.
1:8 We grant the whole Mosaic law is good, answers excellent purposes, if a man use it in a proper manner.Even the ceremonial is good, as it points to Christ; and the moral law is holy, just, and good, on its own nature; and of admirable use both to convince unbelievers, and to guide believers in all holiness.
1:9 The law doth not lie against a righteous man - Doth not strike or condemn him. But against the lawless and disobedient - They who despise the authority of the lawgiver violate the first commandment, which is the foundation of the law, and the ground of all obedience. Against the ungodly and sinners - Who break the second commandment, worshipping idols, or not worshipping the true God. The unholy and profane - Who break the third commandment by taking his name in vain.
1:10 Manstealers - The worst of all thieves, in comparison of whom, highwaymen and housebreakers are innocent. What then are most traders in negroes, procurers of servants for America, and all who list soldiers by lies, tricks, or enticements?
1:11 According to the glorious gospel - Which, far from "making void," does effectually "establish, the law."