New Laws - 1 Timothy 1:5-11

1:5-6 - The topics of genealogy and Jewish fables weren’t the only things leading people astray but other teachings that seem more benign. I think that I get into trouble with this concept as well because I’ll learn something that I think is so interesting but when I talk about it, other people either aren’t interested or I get the feeling that while I enjoy this tidbit, it is not testimony strengthening to others. The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as teaching, “In God’s Church, the only approved doctrine is God’s doctrine. The Church is not a debating society; it is not searching for a system of salvation; it is not a forum for social or political philosophies. It is, rather, the Lord’s kingdom with a commission to teach his truths for the salvation of men.” I think that sometimes I get tied up in the whole fringes of the gospel and lose focus on the pure gospel. Just because I think it’s interesting and I want to talk about some of this stuff. But I need to keep in mind that everyone is at a different place in their testimony and I need to follow the Spirit it talking to people about aspects of the gospel. I guess the questions is, how do I know what I should learn, think about, or talk about? Paul answers that question saying, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” In every endeavor I need to keep the pure love of Christ in mind, meaning I need to remember that God loves all of us unconditionally and what do I need to do to help others feel and understand that love. Using my missionary motto, “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care,” we can apply that to people accepting the gospel. They aren’t interested in the “gospel” until they can feel Christ’s love for them, and for good reason. Faith in Jesus Christ begins because we have hope that He will save us from ourselves. But when contemplating if Jesus would really do that for us, we have to ask ourselves “why?” “Why would he do that for us?” The short answer is because he loves us so much. This love is kind of an abstract concept, especially if we come from a loveless life. If we want people to have the gospel, then we have to help them feel Christ’s love for them. The whole point of the commandments is for us to show love to ourselves, God, and others. This brings us all back into God’s love and life’s purpose. The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com quotes Joseph Smith as teaching, “How precious are the souls of men!... Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand, and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind… Why is charity so vital? Simply because it is the ultimate solution. There is no problem in the world or in any human heart that could not be directly or indirectly solved by the exercise of charity. Charity… if the pure love of Christ. The power and magnitude of that love is a greater factor and force than anything else that exists.” Charity not only helps us become better people, but it also helps other people feel Christ’s love for them and builds their testimonies. This helps them discern true gospel from “vain jangling.” 1:7-11 - The people who are teaching the things that aren’t profitable, Paul says they are “desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” They want to teach the law, but they don’t understand it, so that begs the question, why do they want to teach it? I’d assume it’s because of the power that comes with controlling the narrative of societal behavior. Paul says that the law can be good, “if a man use it lawfully.” I’m sure we can all think of a time when the law was used unlawfully and ended up with tragic consequences. Jim Crow was legal, Nazis were legal, so we can see that law doesn’t equal morally correct. Because of this Paul says “that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient.” He goes on to list many of the sins people commit like murder, adultery, lying, etc. He says that the law is for them, but what does that mean, that righteous people don’t need the law? I’ve ready somewhere that this reference here is specifically talking about the law of Moses, because the righteous have moved on from keeping that law to the new law given by Jesus. The article says “when you review the list of sins Paul mentions, it is clear that they are not even a temptation for a righteous individual. If an isolated community of the Lord’s most righteous individuals were created, they would not need to establish laws against murder, whoremongering, homosexuality, stealing, lying, or perjury. They would be above the law, so to speak, with respect to such sins. Certainly, it is true that those who ‘have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ don’t need to be told that they shouldn’t kill their mother.” It’s interesting that as we grow spiritually what is temptation for us, how it evolves.