Paul Describes the Fruit of False Teachings in the Church: 1 Timothy 6:4-5 - Pt 2
July 9, 2023 Speaker: Bob DeWaay Series: Acts of the Apostles
Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:4-5
We continue to teach about the nature of the church and the need for elders who correct error; we are focusing on 1 Timothy 6:3-5. Today we deal with verses 4 & 5 as we finish this section. Timothy is in Ephesus, years after Paul had addressed the Ephesian elders as described in Acts 20. Now Paul is imprisoned in Rome and writes to Timothy about false teachers who were harming the church, as predicted in Acts 20:29-30. Today’s discussion is about the nature of the local church. Later in church history, the church became institutionalized in ways which made it something entirely different than the body of Christ defined by Christ and His apostles. My claim is that the institutional church which arose more than two centuries after the death of John exists for different purposes than the church Paul addressed in Acts 20, Ephesians, and 1 & 2 Timothy. Institutions, churches or otherwise, exist to expand, empower, and perpetuate themselves by any available means. They usually are run the descendents of their founders. As they grow bigger they usually become more corrupt. The institutional church creates layers of authorities, power structures, processes, and teachings which have little to do with the faith once for all handed down to the saints. Eventually very few in these institutions are truly born of the Spirit. The remedy is to reject self-perpetuating institutions and see the church as a local fellowship of born again Christians with elders and deacons as the only leadership positions. The authority of Scripture and priesthood of every believer are fundamental to the biblically defined church. The bad fruit Paul describes in 1 Timothy 6:4-5 is precisely what institutional churches look like once they are run by people who are unregenerate, religious authorities. We have a robust discussion including whether the idea of revival is relevant to the biblically defined church. My claim is that what is called “revival” is typically an attempt to revive an institution or geo-political state. The church which consists of those born of the Spirit who are attached to the Jesus Christ the heard, are by definition alive. We discuss the fruit of the Spirit and the need for the pure teaching of God’s word. At the least, we need to rethink what “revival” means after Pentecost. Those who are truly the Lord’s dear flock are never dead, but need admonishment, encouragement, and sometimes correction and discipline. If they are dead, they are not part of the church.