Holding Faith

1Tim 1:18-20 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.

Our society is suffering from what has been described as the Smorgasbord Factor. Differing beliefs, views, and values are displayed to the public. Then each person is encouraged to pick and choose those that appeal to him, to experiment with that which is new and trendy, and above all, to never pass judgment on anything which he finds to be personally distasteful. It may offend his moral or intellectual taste buds, but satisfy someone else's. Exercising the freedom of choice is a priority, and we are to be tolerant of those who choose to believe and behave differently.

Not surprisingly, this trend has dramatically affected Christianity. Doctrine and convictions often take second place to diversity and choice. And as choices increase, commitment to an absolute standard of truth decreases. Almost anything passes for Christian beliefs these days; almost anything is permitted as Christian behavior. Ordaining women to the ministry? Mother God? A fallible Jesus? Homosexual ministers? In the absence of a definitive standard, anything becomes possible.

The forces that Timothy battled were different from those we fight today, but their objective was the same: to cause Christian leaders like Timothy to weaken their convictions about the Word of God and its influence on Christian beliefs and behavior. In these verses, Paul encourages Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words he had learned from Paul, to faithfully adhere to the doctrinal truths he had received.