“Derailed”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, February 13, 2023

1 Timothy 1:1-17 (Forward, p. 15) CEV p. 1244

We hear a lot about transportation issues these days, whether they be airline, railway or vehicular. Sadly, and unfortunately, news of train derailments seems to crop up somewhat frequently, and in most cases, are probably quite preventable. A cursory glance at these news reports catalogue a number of factors that are suggested as causes: faulty wheels or broken axles, or cracks in the rail, for instance, often attributable to cost cutting, reductions in the work force, and insufficient inspections and repairs. Often the causes among to very small things, but alas, the impacts or consequences can be quite catastrophic.

The apostle Paul, in today’s Scripture passage, also talks about derailments, but not of trains. Rather, he is talking about peoples’ faith getting derailed. And, once again, the causes of these spiritual derailments are quite small—and seemingly insignificant in themselves. Paul mentions four things:

a) False teachings/ doctrines (different doctrines). Already, by the time that Paul was writing to Timothy a couple of deviant doctrines had sprung up. One of them was characterized by the so-called Judaizers. These were Christians, so-called, who believed that converts to the Christian faith had to adhere to all the practices and

restrictions of Judaism if they were to be authentic Christians. The second group were the Gnostics, who basically believed that one was saved by what you knew, by having the correct and rather esoteric, lofty knowledge. Both of these tended to be rather elitist and both negated the idea that one was saved simply by grace, by having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, they touted the idea that one was saved, either by what you did or by what one believed. Jesus was left out of the equation entirely.

b) Senseless stories/ legends/ myths. Both Jews and Gentiles had wonderful stories from the past, stories of how ‘things came to be’, stories that gave them a sense of history, identity and belonging;

c) Endless lists of ancestors/ genealogies. The Jewish people of Jesus’ day delighted in being able to enumerate who all was in their family tree—and elaborate upon it ‘just a little’;

d) And, finally, the Law, if used wrongly or improperly, or dispensed with. The Law of Moses, more than anything else, was absolutely splendid as a guide to life, a guide to how we should live. It was not meant to control us unduly, to provide a stranglehold on life. It was meant to teach us right and wrong and point us in the right direction. And, of special interest to us, there were some people in the ancient world that thought that all laws should be dispensed with, that laws were unnatural and duly restrictive, and that all life and existence would be better if we were simply ‘free to do whatever we want.’

Sadly, unfortunately, these very things can also happen to us today. They are still around and can likewise derail our faith.

a) There are still people in our churches who would have us believe that authentic Christians do this or that or believe only a certain set of doctrines. There are still those who maintain that we must do certain things or believe certain things in order to be saved. The love, the salvation of Jesus Christ is therefore conditional upon something we do or believe. The free abundant, unmerited grace of God is thereby robbed of its power.

b) And there are those today who take the opposite ‘tack’ and maintain that in the guise of Christian freedom we should discard the rules, traditions and regulations and do whatever we want.

c) A pre-occupation with history, and a rather sanitized, glorified history at that, is still very much a part of our individual, corporate and national identities. Egypt, for instance, glories in the lore and history of its pharaohs, and America in its supposedly illustrious past (MAGA – Make America Great Again). Some from our First Nations people and African Americans harken back to their pre-colonial days, as if everything then was sweetness and light’, and some within England relish its days before wide-spread immigration and social unrest. And even within the church, I hear tales of the ‘good old days’ when churches were full, young people were everywhere and the church had ‘real influence’ in society. And even among older people we hear them speaking of ‘their golden years’.

d) And suddenly, genealogy has become the rage, with thousands of people submitting their samples for DNA testing to discover where their ancestors came from. And, my guess is that, like our ‘histories’ in general, something of those family histories will be somewhat manufactured and fanciful.

All this rootedness in history does have an impact, in providing us with an identity and a sense of purpose. However, it can also leave us stuck and unable to act or move ahead in the present, by rooting us in an imaginary past. Here I am reminded of the two persons walking on the Road to Emmaus. ‘We had hoped’, they explained to Jesus. There were so rooted in the past that they were unable to see, or accept, what God was doing in the present. And, moreover, unable to become part of it.

Paul is most concerned—and this is why he is so pointed in his remarks to Timothy—that his fellow Christians can far too easily through these seemingly innocent and ordinary things cause a derailment of their faiths. This Paul is most concerned about preventing, for them—and for us. Amen.

Forward notes: “But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith” (verse 5).

“When I read scripture, I practice dwelling in the Word. As I read the Bible passage once or twice, I reflect on words, phrases, and ideas that grab me. Why are these images and scenes important to me? How does it connect to my life? How is God working through me?

“When I read 1 and 2 Timothy in preparation for this month of devotions, I repeatedly found myself relating to Paul. He sounded like an older teacher helping a newer teacher continue in their vocation during a pandemic. In fact, I asked a younger teacher who I knew was a Christian to read them and ask me if it sounded that way to her. She said yes.

“Paul doesn’t want Timothy to let go of his work any more than I want young teachers to change professions. Paul is exactly right. The best instruction comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. In all that we do, we need this more now than ever.”

MOVING FORWARD: “Did you know Forward Movement donates resources to nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons? Learn how you can help in this vital ministry at ForwardMovement.org/Donate.”