“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1 Timothy 1:18-20)
We have a powerful phrase at the center of our text this morning: “Holding faith, and a good conscience.” It is through this that we war a good warfare, and if we forsake this duty, we risk shipwrecking not only our own lives but also the lives of others, bringing judgment upon ourselves. Notice—this was not a suggestion from the Apostle, but a charge: “This charge I commit unto thee.” I believe that we as Christians, and especially those of us in the ministry, ought to take this charge personally.
"This Charge I commit unto thee"
Paul gave this charge, but it was committed to Timothy. That is, Paul could command, but it was Timothy’s responsibility to keep it. And so it is with us. God Himself could come down upon the mountaintop and engrave stone tablets with His very finger, but if they are not obeyed, they are of no effect. The Gospel came in power and great glory 2,000 years ago, but men must still repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts the sinner’s heart and charges him to repent, yet many walk away resisting that call: “Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost” and “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” The charge means nothing if we are not committed to keeping it—that is, to obeying it.
"The Prophecies that went before on thee"
Timothy had the investment of many godly men in his life. He had been trained by the Apostle to the Gentiles. He had seen the earth-shaking, life-changing, prison-door-opening power of the Gospel firsthand. He had witnessed God’s power at work through the lives of these men, and it was through them that God had also worked in his own life. But now, Timothy was no longer merely an observer. He was no longer a beneficiary of the Gospel ministry—he had stepped into the position that Paul once filled in his life. The hands that had fed him from the Word and taught him in the ministry had been laid upon him to certify him into the Gospel ministry. And now, that same power that had once rescued him was at work in his life and ministry to rescue others.
"War a Good Warfare"
He had been ordained into the ministry, and ordination is simply enlistment into war. The battles he had seen Paul fight had been terrible. But watching a fight and being in one are two very different things. Now he was in the fight. The same devils that had buffeted Paul were buffeting him. The temptations were magnified. And when Satan could not find a hole in his character, he would attack those closest to him—his family, his friends, his church members, his brethren—until he found a crack in the wall. From there, the enemy would launch a full-scale assault.
So what do we do? We war. War is not a pleasant thing, but it has pleasant outcomes. Strength is gained in battle. Maturity is forged in the fight. Experience, hatred of sin, and many other graces are only found on the battlefield of personal attacks. So war on, friend. Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Victory lies just beyond this war.
"Holding faith and a Good Conscience"
In battle, it is easy to quit, to give up, or—perhaps even more dangerously—to continue warring while letting go of some things. In this war called ministry, we may let go of pretenses. We may let go of self. In fact, we must let go of many things to fight better. But we must never let go of faith and a good conscience. These two things are the shield and consolation of the Christian soldier.
What soldier would lay down his shield? If we do, we will be run through by every dart of the wicked one. Hold on to faith so that you may quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. When he shoots an arrow of doubt your way, lift up the promises of God, which can quench even the swiftest lies Satan has to offer. Protect your conscience. It is the inner compass that God has placed within every man. But the conscience of the Christian soldier is a delicate instrument—it must be guarded at all costs. If your conscience is seared, you will lose all sense of direction. You will wander deeper into enemy territory. You will compromise the rules of engagement and risk being court-martialed by the Captain of the Lord’s host. We must hold faith and a good conscience if we are to war a good warfare.
"Some have put away"
Then Paul reminds Timothy of some men who let go of what they never should have put away. It is as if he is saying, “Timothy, don’t you remember those men who used to be with us? Look at what happens when you forsake the good warfare and attempt to fight without faith or a good conscience!” Hymenaeus and Alexander had not stopped preaching—but they had abandoned the faith once delivered to them. They began preaching that the resurrection was past, robbing the body of Christ of the hope given to them by the promise of God. They laid aside the faith. And though their consciences must have been pricked, they forsook the ones who had loved them, turned away from the church that had raised them, and openly challenged godly leadership—all in the name of false doctrine.
Perhaps it was pride. Perhaps it was self-interest. Whatever the reason, the path they took required them to lay aside both doctrine and conviction. Dear friend, don’t let this be your course. If you have to forsake sound doctrine to move forward, then you’d better hold to the faith. If you have to assault your conscience to justify a decision, then you’d better hold to your conscience. The end of that road is shipwreck—not only for you, but for every follower you amass along the way.
"Delivered unto Satan, that they may learn"
When we let go of doctrine and cease to operate by God’s rules of engagement, we will soon find ourselves delivered into the hands of the enemy. The very one whom we were commissioned to fight against will rule over us! If we refuse to be taught by God’s Word, if we reject the Spirit’s conviction, then we may find ourselves handed over to Satan, that we might learn what we refused to learn under the loving discipline of the Lord.
To be delivered unto Satan in this context has both a spiritual and practical meaning. Practically, Paul put these men out of the fellowship of the church. That is where forsaking doctrine and a good conscience leads us—out of fellowship with God’s people, out from under the protective care of a God-called shepherd, and into the barren wasteland of Satan’s world. Out there, men learn to love the doctrine they once despised. Out there, they learn to listen to the voice of God they once ignored. Out there, they come to appreciate the flock, the food, and the shelter they once took for granted.
Dear reader, whoever you may be—hold on to faith. Never sacrifice it for anything. And be sure to operate by the rules of engagement that God has written on your heart. In doing so, you will not only war, but war a good warfare. But if you let go, you will lead others into the minefields of Satan’s territory—and you yourself will fall into the hands of the enemy, until you learn to love the doctrines you once let go of and to cherish the voice of God you once ignored.