1 Timothy 6:14 – Noticeably Spotless



13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless …

"If there be anything that can make men believe," confides Charles Spurgeon in his sermon "The Glorious Gospel on 1 Timothy 1:15, "it is a true picture of the Person of Christ. Seeing is believing in this case. A true viewing of Him will no doubt begat faith in the soul."

Paul sounds this sort of theme to Timothy again as he ends his first canonical letter. He calls to mind Christ's perfect, surrendered witness before Pontius Pilate as an empowering snapshot for Timothy, his picture that, in Christ, he can overcome the urge to make things easiest for himself. By following this Gospel scene with an emphasis on spotlessness in verse 14, Paul shows us another aspect of Christ's witness.

Not only was Christ's testimony before Pontius Pilate strength displayed in weakness, sovereignty displayed in surrender, but it was compelling even to one with no mind of his own for spiritual things. Christ's witness, and the One we have by him, can cause Pontius Pilate to declare, I find no fault with this man." His testimony can engage those who grade by the rubric of the Word, but it is so attractive that it can speak to those who have no such background. Even they can smell blamelessness.

Is that not enough, Christian, to keep us hungering and thirsting for righteousness? Is that not enough to keep us turning aside by Christ's power each temptation to pride and to the place of provision? Don't see me, world, see Christ the Blameless One instead.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Enthusiasm, Even If We Have To Work At It

On Fixer Upper, a real estate renovation show, perpetually upbeat contractor Chip Gaines faces the usual list of hassles incumbent in his work with the reflection that his father's greatest gift to him was to show him that work could be fun. Conversely, as I asked my usual questions of a new acquaintance in Bible study about what he looks for in new hires, he shared separately that enthusiasm can't be trained. I can't, he said, teach you to have fun at your job. The two insights are not necessarily contradictory. Chip's father had a prolonged impact on his attitude toward work at a time when Chip's child heart was as flexible as the body of an infant who can peacefully fall asleep in postures an adult would find uncomfortable if not crippling. The cafeteria manager spoke to the rest of us who either were not presented with that inspirational outlook or who have been distracted from that by work's more aggravating aspects. For those of us who don't come b
Read more

A Hobby Or A Habit?

Chris is a firefighter's firefighter.  He is passionate about the equipment. He is passionate about the people he gets to help. He is passionate about the honor of a career in the fire service. He is passionate enough to attend a training to sharpen his skills on his vacation time. When a college kid at the same training referred to firefighting as a hobby, Chris was not passionate in affirming that kind of divided enthusiasm. Would he have my back, Chris questioned? Would he rescue someone on the second floor if doing so involved in some personal risk?   Chris didn't have a chance to ask these questions or confront this attitude during the brief training. Perhaps someone else in a more long-standing relationship with this kid will have the opportunity fo model professionalism and to extend it to confrontation where necessary. If not, the progression is predictable, and extends far beyond firefighting. Observing a similarly nonchalant attitude in a young pitcher, Michael Lew
Read more

New Year All At Once, And New Me A Little At A Time

Thank you for stopping by my blog. This is my chance to come up for air, to reflect on life's input since the last time I posted, to order it, make sense of it, and to reject some of it altogether as distracting or misinterpreted noise. This new blog is also my chance to share some of what I have learned and have grown through in a format that lets me actively seek feedback as I attempt to develop a writing voice similar to that of those narrators I admire who can convey the world they are exploring to their readers. Since my faith teaches me that knowledge either puffs me up or is graciously offered in ways that creatively serve others, I'm opting for the latter in 2017. That means I'm hoping to hear from you about specifics from my entries that bless you or confuse you. Writing, like any other skill, has talent as an ingredient, but it is improved with time, practice, and adaptation based on input from other people. This, along with my request for your help, is my effort
Read more