Guarding the Doctrine of the Church

Paul writes Timothy after leaving him to strengthen the Church in Ephesus. Timothy was left in a good church, but one that like most churches has / had problems. The church was weak on leadership and had some who believed wrongly. There were bits and pieces of false doctrine that were starting and had to be corrected. While Timothy knew in his head most of the right theology, there was a bit of a problem as he was young and not very authoritative. To help him Paul has written this letter of instruction. It was written down with the authority of the apostle and was to help Timothy to stand. Here at the end, Paul has been finishing up with short exhortations that were heavy on his heart. He had covered behavior in the church to the different age groups and sexes. He had told Timothy what the job of the pastor and the Church was. He had showed Timothy the characteristics of a good minister. Finally, he had encouraged Timothy in his pursuit of God. Now He has reached the last lines of the letter. Let’s look at the last words of Paul and where his heart is, guarding the truth of God’s Word. Join us as we look into this section.