1 Timothy 1:5

1:5-11 Whatever tends to weaken love to God, or love to the brethren, tends to defeat the end of the commandment. The design of the gospel is answered, when sinners, through repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, are brought to exercise Christian love. And as believers were righteous persons in God's appointed way, the law was not against them. But unless we are made righteous by faith in Christ, really repenting and forsaking sin, we are yet under the curse of the law, even according to the gospel of the blessed God, and are unfit to share the holy happiness of heaven.

{4} Now the end of the {c} commandment is {d} charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: (4) The second admonition is, that the right use and practice of the doctrine must be joined with the doctrine. And that consists in pure charity, and a good conscience, and true faith. (c) Of the Law. (d) There is neither love without a good conscience, nor a good conscience without faith, nor faith without the word of God.

1 Timothy 1:5-7 . Now the end — The scope, design, or substance; of the commandment — Or charge, rather, as παραγγελια properly signifies, being a noun derived from the verb, translated, that thou mightest charge, 1 Timothy 1:3 . The apostle had desired Timothy to continue at Ephesus, that he might charge some to teach no other doctrine than what had been taught: here he informs him what the scope of his charge to these teachers was to be, namely, that instead of inculcating fables, &c., they should inculcate charity, or love to God and man, proceeding from a pure heart — That is, from a heart purified by the Word and Spirit of God, from the love of sin, the love of the world, and all inordinate self-love, and from all corrupt affections and dispositions; a good conscience — A conscience properly informed concerning sin and duty, thoroughly awakened and sprinkled from evil, or the guilt of sin, by the blood of Jesus, Hebrews 9:14 ; Hebrews 10:22 ; and faith unfeigned — Namely, in the truths and promises of the gospel, and in Christ, in whom those truths and promises are yea and amen. Observe, reader, this faith unfeigned is the root of the other particulars here named.

By it, and by it only, we obtain deliverance from the guilt and power of sin, essential to a good conscience; by it our hearts are purified, Acts 15:9 ; 1 Peter 1:22 : and as it always worketh by love, ( Galatians 5:6 ,) by it we obtain the love of God and of all mankind, the source, yea, and essence, of all piety and virtue. Here therefore the apostle asserts that the love which he speaks of, proceeding from the principles here named, is the scope and design of the gospel doctrine, or of the whole Christian institution, as it is indeed also of the moral law, and the writings of the prophets. From which — Love, accompanied with these other particulars; some having swerved — The verb αστοχησαντες , thus rendered, signifies to err from the mark at which a person shoots or aims; and is elegantly used in this place, as τελος , the scope aimed at, was introduced in the preceding verse: have turned aside into vain jangling — Unprofitable disputes and discourses. An affectation of high and extensive knowledge sets a man at the greatest distance from faith, and all proper sense of true experimental religion: and of all vanities none are more vain than dry, empty disputes on the things of God. Desiring to be teachers of the law — Greek, νομοδιδασκαλοι , a word which, in the evangelists, is rendered doctors of the law, of the same import with the Hebrew word rabbis.

Ver. 5,6 Now the end of the commandment is charity: the word translated commandment here is paraggelia, which rather signifies a particular charge given by superiors as to some thing, than a general law, Acts 5:28 16:24 ; and so in this chapter, 1 Timothy 1:18 ; which inclineth me to think, that though the proposition be true of the whole law of God, (for love is the fulfilling of the law ), and more eminently of the Divine doctrine in the gospel, for the end and perfection it aims at and produces is a pure, ardent love of God, and of men for his sake, and of the gospel, yet it is rather here to be restrained to the commandment relating to preaching, or discoursing the revealed will of God relating to men’s salvation, the end of which is doubtless charity, which ought to be finis operantis, the end of the workman, what he ought to intend and aim at; and is finis operis, the effect of the work, viz. the begetting in the souls of people love to God and their neighbour, neither of which can rationally be obtained by preachers telling people idle stories, and filling their heads with idle questions and speculations. Out of a pure heart: which love to God and men must proceed from a clean, and holy, and sincere heart. And of a good conscience; and a good and holy life, when conscience doth not sourly reflect upon men for presumptuous miscarriages.

And of faith unfeigned; which must all be rooted in and attended with a faith unfeigned; rooted in it, as faith signifies a steady assent to Divine revelation; attended with it, as it signifies the soul’s repose and rest upon Christ for the fulfilling of the promises annexed to him that believes and liveth up to such propositions. These are the noble ends of the whole law of God, and particularly of the charge or command God hath given ministers as to preaching, which can by no means be attained by teachers’ discoursing fables and endless genealogies to people, nor by people’s attendance to such discourses, for they can only fill people’s heads with notions and unprofitable questions, which serve to gender strife and contention amongst people, instead of love either to God or men, and so to defile instead of purifying the heart, and have no influence at all upon a holy life, all which can grow out of no root but an unfeigned faith. From which; from which things (for the article is plural, wn); from which commandment, and from the end of which commandment, from which pure heart, good conscience, and faith unfeigned. Some having swerved: astochsantev, the word signifies to wander from a scope or mark. Some men either propounding to themselves ends in their discourses to people different from the command concerning preaching, and the true end of that, or at least wandering from that true end, they have turned aside. To do an action well, two things are necessary: 1.

1 Timothy 1:5 . Τὸ τέλος , the end ) to which all things tend. The article denotes the subject. Whoever rightly looks to the end , cannot suffer his energies to be diffused on other things. Paul does not, even to Timothy, write about profound mysteries in particular, in order that he may the rather rebuke the Gentiles; the governor of a church ought to look to the things which are necessary, not to such as are sublime (too high-flown), in discharging the duties of his office.— τῆς παραγγελίας , of the commandment ) which you ought to urge upon men at Ephesus, 1 Timothy 1:3 ; 1 Timothy 1:18 .— ἀγάπη , love ) The foundation is faith , 1 Timothy 1:4 : the end is love , 1 Timothy 1:14 ; Titus 3:15 . Contentions are unfavourable to this love.— καθαρᾶς , pure ) 2 Timothy 2:22 ; Titus 1:15 .— συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς , a good conscience ) ch. 1 Timothy 3:9 ; 2 Timothy 1:3 ; 1 John 3:19 , note.[3] Here, with Paul, conscience is in the understanding; the heart is the seat of love . The former would be in the idea , the latter in the desire; comp. Matthew 22:37 , note.[4]— πίστεως , of faith ) Faith towards God becomes stronger when the heart is purified in respect of our neighbour, and when the conscience is cleansed (rectified) in respect of one’s self; wherefore faith is put in the third place. Pure faith and a good conscience are also treated of conjointly, in 1 Timothy 1:19 , and ch. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 . [3] Peter and Paul alone use the term συνείδησις , conscience .

The end of the commandment (τέλος τῆς παραγγελίας) The article with "Commandment" points back to might'st charge, 1 Timothy 1:3. Rend. therefore, of the charge. Τέλος end, aim, that which the charge contemplates. Love (ἀγάπη) See on Galatians 5:22. The questionings, on the contrary, engendered strifes (2 Timothy 2:23). Love to men is meant, as meant as N.T. When the word is used absolutely. See Romans 13:10. Out of a pure heart (ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας) Comp. Luke 10:27, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God out of they whole heart (ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας σου), and in or with (ἐν) thy whole soul," etc. For a pure heart, comp. 2 Timothy 2:22. Καθαρός pure in Paul only Romans 14:20. The phrase a pure heart occurs, outside of the Pastorals only in 1 Peter 1:22. For καρδία heart see on Romans 1:21. A good conscience(συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς) Comp 2 Timothy 1:3. Συνείδησις conscience is common in Paul. See on 1 Peter 3:16. Faith unfeigned (πίστεως ἀνυποκρίτου) Ἁνυπόκριτος unfeigned twice in Paul, Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:6, both times as an attribute of love. In James 3:17, it is an attribute of wisdom, and in 1 Peter 1:22, of brotherly love. Notice the triad, love, conscience, faith. There is nothing un-Pauline in the association of conscience and faith, although, as a fact, Paul does not formally associate them. In 1 Corinthians 8:7, 1 Corinthians 8:10, 1 Corinthians 8:12, conscience is associated with knowledge.

5. But—in contrast to the doctrine of the false teachers. the end—the aim. the commandment—Greek, "of the charge" which you ought to urge on your flock. Referring to the same Greek word as in 1Ti 1:3, 18; here, however, in a larger sense, as including the Gospel "dispensation of God" (see on [2463]1Ti 1:4; [2464]1Ti 1:11), which was the sum and substance of the "charge" committed to Timothy wherewith he should "charge" his flock. charity—LOVE; the sum and end of the law and of the Gospel alike, and that wherein the Gospel is the fulfilment of the spirit of the law in its every essential jot and tittle (Ro 13:10). The foundation is faith (1Ti 1:4), the "end" is love (1Ti 1:14; Tit 3:15). out of—springing as from a fountain. pure heart—a heart purified by faith (Ac 15:9; 2Ti 2:22; Tit 1:15). good conscience—a conscience cleared from guilt by the effect of sound faith in Christ (1Ti 1:19; 1Ti 3:9; 2Ti 1:3; 1Pe 3:21). Contrast 1Ti 4:2; Tit 1:15; compare Ac 23:1. John uses "heart," where Paul would use "conscience." In Paul the understanding is the seat of conscience; the heart is the seat of love [Bengel]. A good conscience is joined with sound faith; a bad conscience with unsoundness in the faith (compare Heb 9:14). faith unfeigned—not a hypocritical, dead, and unfruitful faith, but faith working by love (Ga 5:6). The false teachers drew men off from such a loving, working, real faith, to profitless, speculative "questions" (1Ti 1:4) and jangling (1Ti 1:6).