⁵ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 

경계의 목적은 청결한 마음과 선한 양심과 거짓이 없는 믿음으로 나는 사랑이거늘

Timothy is being urged to fight against the false teachers who teach false doctrines and devote themselves to meaningless formalities (v.3) which is the opposite of God’s work that is managed the Holy Spirit who gives faith in Christ (v.4). The purpose of warning those false teachers is, however, to put them back into ‘love’ [1] from which they have left. Such love is associated with ‘pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith’. It is agape in the second sense in the definition below, i.e. active love God’s people have for God and people, but surely initiated by the active love of God for his Son and his people. To put them back into this love is the purpose of the fight, going far beyond just judging them and proving them wrong.   

⁶ Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 

사람들이 이에서 벗어나 헛된 말에 빠져

Meaningless talk that the false teachers have turned to would then be the opposite of ‘a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith’, which is associated with agape. This reminds us of the well-known verse: ‘If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’ 내가 사람의 방언과 천사의 말을 할지라도 사랑이 없으면 소리나는 구리와 울리는 꽹과리가 되고 (1 Cor 13:1). There, love is introduced as the most excellent of all gifts (1 Cor 12:31).

The gifts are from the Holy Spirit, without whom one cannot confess Jesus as the Lord (1 Cor 12:3). Therefore, we can be assured that Paul’s teaching, the genuine gospel, has to do with knowing and confessing Jesus as Christ and my Lord, whose work is the culmination of God’s love and power that are determined to save us.      

⁷ They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

율법의 선생이 되려 하나 자기의 말하는 것이나 자기의 확증하는 것도 깨닫지 못하는도다

In contrast, the goal of the false teachers is to be teachers of the law [2], which is the opposite of ‘love’ in this context. The term ‘teacher of law’ occurs three times in the New Testament: twice in the gospels, referring to the real teachers of law such as Gamaliel, and once here, referring to those who say they are gospel teachers but only mimic the law-teachers’ skills. Had they known what they were teaching, they may have been able to fulfil their ambition. But sadly, that cannot be achieved either, because they do not even know the content of their focus, i.e., its consequences or effect. Not only are they missing the mark by not using the law [3] (which can mean the whole of the Old Testament) properly to point to Christ, but they are also making the law into a vain, useless thing by not adding the core. In essence, what they teach and promote is neither the law nor the gospel.

Dear Lord, we divert so easily unless we are guided by your Spirit. We miss things and make even good things into vain ones because we focus on ourselves, denying, delaying, or putting aside your Spirit that enables us to confess YOU as our focus and Lord. Lord, if we see anybody this weekend who appears to have left your love and instead engages in meaningless talks of self-promotion, then let us remember your purpose. Let us thus not judge them only but endeavour to put them back to your love where they belong by seeing myself in them, changing my attitude, and therefore taking part in promoting your love. Let us resonate with you. Then we are not empty. Even if we perish, we do not perish for good. We are more than conquerors with you.

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[1] ἀγάπη (agapē) ‘love’ (G0026) love, in the NT usually the active love of God for his Son and his people, and the active love his people are to have for God, each other, and even enemies; love feast, the common meal shared by Christians in connection with church meetings

[2] νομοδιδάσκαλος (nomodidaskalos) ‘teacher of the law’ (G3547)

[3] νόμος (nomos) ‘law’ (G3551) a law, Rom. 4:15; 1Tim. 1:9; the Mosaic law, Mt. 5:17, and frequently ; the Old Testament Scripture, Jn. 10:34; a legal tie, Rom. 7:2, 3; a law, a rule, standard, regulation, principle; this has a broad range of meanings and referents, ranging from law as a principle revealed in nature or reason, to the OT Scriptures as a body, the first five books of the Scriptures, or any single command of the Scriptures; a rule of life and conduct, Gal. 6:2, Jas. 1:25

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Image: Alexander Louis Leloir. Jacob wrestling with the angel (1865). Public domain.