1 Timothy 1
Paul uses some pretty vivid language at the end of this chapter. I am still stuck on v. 19: "Holding on to the faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith."
Shipwreck... I guess Paul would know what he was talking about since he was shipwrecked at least once himself. He would know the utter chaos, immense danger and extreme panic that would accompany a ship floundering at sea or unexpectedly running aground and breaking up on some rocks. This is how Paul sees people who are giving up the faith and a good conscience. These act like the ballast and rudder to keep the journey of our life under control and on course. (I still like the NLT take on this verse: "Cling..." - goes very nicely with the shipwreck imagery).
I've read this chapter everyday for about a week now and just glided (is that the past tense of "glide" or should it be "glid") over the phrase "whom I have handed over to Satan...". Wow! That's pretty extreme! I think what Paul means is that they have been excluded from the community of disciples. In 1 Corinthians 5 handing over to Satan is synonymous with being excluded from fellowship.
Paul was serious about church discipline - for the protection of the fellowship and for the good of the person being disciplined. In this case, they were handed over to be taught not to blaspheme, indicating that they would be welcomed back when they had learned their lesson. In 1 Corinthians 5, the incestuous man was handed over to deal with his sin, indicating that he would be welcomed back upon repentance and restoration.
I need to value the role of community and the church more highly. If being handed over to Satan means being removed from fellowship then I must never voluntarily remove myself from fellowship and must be very careful that my actions, teaching and life promote the development of community and not destroy it. The fellowship of the disciples of Christ acts as a protection against the work of Satan. It must be valued very highly!
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2 comments:
wow...you said something that totally struck a chord here with me...the whole "i never want to remove myself from fellowship" thing.
how many Christians get annoyed or discouraged with their current church and then leave, possibly not "going to church" again? is this voluntarily handing yourself over to Satan! interesting...
as well, the whole idea of church discipline is, in my opinion, inherently avoided today. it's a fine balance between accountability and judging others i suppose. i'd like to discuss this issue more on another post sometime...
um, FYI, just so you're aware...your link to Scott's page doesn't work. you need to change the "a" in "upward" to "o" for "upword".
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