Avoiding Speculation

“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.”

 (1 Timothy 1:3-4 ESV)

Although we confess the gospel of Christ, and although we claim that our task is to spread this message, we often get side-tracked. We get caught up in things that do nothing to instill God’s Word within us or others.  If anything, they distract us from the Lord.

We get caught up in works of fiction, penned by believers, which we believe illustrate the truth of God’s Word. In fact, we get more excited about them than we do the gospel.  We get caught up in speculation about politics, world events, and the end times.  We invent theories about how things will play out.  And these become the things into which we invest our time and energy. 

Books are written to promote these theories. “Bible studies” are taught, which focus on this speculation rather than Scripture. Classes are taught that attempt to force these ideas onto the Bible.

This is the very thing Paul was warning Timothy about in the above passage. Timothy was to allow no other doctrine to be taught, other than the one Paul had proclaimed to them. He was to ensure that the Word of God was rightly taught.  And he was to command that the people not devote themselves to myths and speculation.

We can’t be exactly sure what Paul is referring to.  It seems, however, that they may have been looking at the genealogies in Scripture and speculating about them. Perhaps they were even inventing allegorical tales that were replacing the gospel in the minds of some.

Whatever the case, Paul was telling them that, instead of investing into these things, they were to invest their time and energy into the proclamation of the gospel. They were to invest their time and energy into the teaching of sound doctrine.  They were to ensure that nothing else became the focus of their instruction.

May this also be the case with us.  Let’s not get caught up with every fad that takes over the Church.  Let’s not get swept away by the speculation offered by some.  Let’s keep our focus where it belongs.  Let’s keep our focus on the Word of God.  Let’s keep our focus upon Christ.