1 Timothy 1:18-20 - Handed over to satan

1:18

Paul then addresses Timothy personally, calling him his son. This does not mean Paul was actually his father, but that he was his father in the faith, having trained him up as a servant of the Lord. But it was not just Paul who had brought Timothy up, he had received prophecies from the church. We are not told the precise details of these prophecies, but they were presumably about the ministry he would have, the way in which he would serve the Lord. These prophecies were to be an encouragement to Timothy in fighting the battles he would face. Prophecy is an important gift to the church and here we see one of its prime uses. It is significant that we do not know the details of the prophecies. They were not intended to have lasting Scriptural significance (unlike those of Isaiah, Hosea etc), but they were important to Timothy and his service to the Lord. There are no grounds in Scripture for believing that this use of prophecy has ceased. Above all else God speaks to us through His written word, the Bible. He also speaks to us as individuals in many and various ways. All this has to be measured against the Bible, but He does communicate on a personal level as well.

1:19

In our battles we need to have faith and a good conscience. This means two things. First, we hold to the faith. This is not just faith that we will win the battle, but faith in the truth of the gospel. This provides a solid foundation for our lives. We also need a good conscience. So we should avoid doing things which are “bad”. Naturally we should not sin full stop, but sometimes we will. However, we should be as careful as possible, for one of the effects of sin is on the conscience and it makes us less able to fight battles. If we do not follow these instructions we may shipwreck our faith. It has serious and lasting consequences.

1:20

Paul then mentions two specific people, one of whom gets mentioned in 2 Timothy as well. By the way, this counts against the letter being written by someone other than Paul. For if someone was trying to pass this off as a letter from Paul why mention names? Paul has handed these people over to Satan. What this means is that he has put them out of the church and left them to fend for themselves in the world. The purpose is that they will learn the error of their ways. Today we would be accused of being hard-hearted if we did this, but this is an example of tough love. It matters what we believe, and it matters how we live. These things are not to be trifled with.