| The Christian Life | November 1946 |
Love, Good Conscience, Faith
The End of the Commandment
“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”—I Timothy 1: 5
IN I John 1:5 we learn that “God is light,” and in chapter 4:8,16, of the same epistle we have the much quoted and little believed text, “God is love.” We may say that light is God’s essence (he dwells “in the light which no man can approach unto”), and love is his character. All the sons of God on the various planes of being who will enjoy eternal life must become like him. In other words they must become living expressions of love. It has been well said that in order to have a knowledge of the divine, there must be a character likeness to the divine.
The lower animals are a long way from understanding man. Some of them can understand him more and some less, according to their position in the scale of intelligence. In the same way, man can understand something of, and can reason with, his Creator, because of having been created with similar mental and moral qualities, and some of these have measurably survived the wreck of the fall. Hence through the prophet, Jehovah says even to fallen man, “Come now, and let us reason together.”—Isa. 1:18
But the measure of man’s ability to understand his Creator depends upon his position in the mental and moral scale. Hence the Psalmist says, “With the pure thou wilt shew thyself [thou wilt appear to be] pure; and with the forward thou wilt shew thyself [appear to be] forward.” (Psalm 18:26) So our knowledge of the Heavenly Father depends upon the measure of our desire to be like him. This, then, according to Jesus, Paul, and Peter, is the desirable and all-important attainment for the Christian.—Matt. 5:48; Col. 1:28; I Thess. 4:7,8; I Pet. 1:15,16
“The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” The word here translated “commandment” means “charge,” and is so translated in the Revised Version. When a man is appointed to an important position, his superiors will frequently give him a charge at the time of his induction into office—a solemn exhortation to carry out his duties and responsibilities faithfully. For instance, a clergyman at his ordination receives a charge from the bishop to “preach the Word,” which charge, unfortunately, is seldom carried out.
The Lord’s people have been called out from the world, justified and anointed to be the Lord’s representatives, his ambassadors, and to be prepared for a place in the millennial kingdom soon to be set up. To each of these called ones the Lord gives a charge—the message contained in his Word of truth, the Bible. Here we have a body of doctrine and exhortation to enable us to prove faithful to our calling, “that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”—II Timothy 3:17
Why We Are Given the Truth
Various opinions might be entertained as to why we have been given the truth, and why we are glad to have this enlightenment. Is it that we might have the benefit and pleasure of the knowledge of the plan of God? Is it in order to have the advantage over others in argument? Has God favored us with the truth that we might enjoy rest and peace in the midst of the world’s turmoil, doubt, and uncertainty; or kept from the delusions of this evil day; or that we might be the Lord’s witnesses and spread the message near and far?
While all these are among the advantages that present truth brings to us, Paul shows that God has a much more important end in view than any of these; namely, “The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, a good conscience and a faith unfeigned.” Let us consider these three things in the reverse order from which they are here given:
An Unfeigned Faith
Unfeigned faith means a real, true, sincere belief and trust in the things God has revealed in his Word, desiring and endeavoring to the best of our ability that both our words and works may be in accord therewith. Some today, although they will not proclaim plainly that eternal torment is the fate of the unsaved, imply that this is the case, although in their hearts they do not believe it. There are others who accept much of present truth, and yet continue to support the systems of churchianity (Babylon) with all the misrepresentations of the divine character and plan which they contain.
This would be far from an unfeigned faith—a faith that will earnestly endeavor to bring the whole life into harmony with one’s beliefs. For instance, if we believe we have received the spirit of sonship and thus have become children of God, we must walk as such, being “followers of God, as dear children,” rather than taking the Lord’s name in vain. (Eph. 5:1) If we believe we have been honored by being made the Lord’s ambassadors; we will “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”—Col. 3:17
If we believe that Jesus gave himself “a ransom for all,” we must tell how, in due time, a blessing is to come to all. (I Tim. 2:6) If we believe the end of the age has come, we must live in accord with its implications: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be?”—II Pet. 3:11
Surely we will not hide our light under a bushel and keep quiet because the message is unpopular, or act as those who say, “All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,” and set our affections on the things that are to pass away! (II Pet. 3:4) If we believe we are heirs of a heavenly inheritance we will think much about it, and eagerly look forward to our hope for abundant entrance into the kingdom.
A young man who is an heir to an estate will think a great deal about it, and look forward to his coming of age when he will assume its responsibilities. So God’s people must delight to meditate upon the things promised them, including the “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you [or margin, us].”—I Pet. 1:4
Finally, if we believe that Jesus has set us an example that we should follow in his steps, we will earnestly endeavor to so walk and copy him. Such is real, sincere, living, “unfeigned faith.” Such a condition is not attained at the beginning of our entrance into the narrow way, but is one of the ends our Heavenly Father has in view in his dealings with us, in the experiences he permits to come to us, and the lessons he wants us to learn. Our faith must eventually become such a real thing and so full and complete that it will bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”—II Corinthians 10:5
A Good Conscience
Conscience is the faculty by means of which we discern right from wrong; that quality of mind and heart which serves as a guide in moral conduct. All men have some conscience, some appreciation of right and wrong, but not all have a “good conscience.” Similarly, all men are guided by some law—God’s written law, the law of conscience or self-interest.
A man brought out of the heart of Africa will do in perfect innocence some things that we would not do, without knowing they were wrong, because that feature of God’s law which originally was a part of human perfection and which should tell him of his transgression has been effaced from his moral nature. Hence Paul says, “Sin is not imputed when there is no law,” however sin does make its ugly mark upon the character. Therefore, Paul shows all short of perfection and hence sinners, nevertheless.—Rom. 5:12,13
To the Christian, God has given his Word in order to regulate and educate the conscience. By becoming familiar with the divine standards and examples our conscience is educated and trained, so that after a time it will act naturally along right lines. By meditating and acting upon the truth, the mind will gradually become grooved out so to speak, so that our thoughts and acts will sooner or later run naturally in harmony with the divine standards. As the apostle expresses it: “Beholding as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord,” we are “changed into the same image from glory to glory.” (II Corinthians 3:18) We are transformed by the renewing of our minds and “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”—Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10
Adam, in his perfection, had no need of a written law to guide him, for God’s law was written in his very being; and his “good conscience” told him instinctively what was in accord with the will of God, and what was not. But with the fall, the clear-cut outline of the divine law originally written in man’s being, became blurred and to some extent effaced, so that, as Paul says (speaking not so much for himself but for Jews in general under the law covenant):
“I had not known sin [before the law came through Moses. I had lost sight of the fact that certain things were sinful], but by the law: for I had not known lust [that it is wrong to desire something possessed by another], except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (Rom. 7:7) And, as he says again: “Without the law sin was dead.” (Rom. 7:8) Without either the written law or the law of conscience sin would not be recognizable as such, although its effects would be the same; namely, death—the wages of sin.
Again, the apostle says, “Far when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work [substance] of the law [the remnants of the original law], written in their hearts”—that it has not all been effaced by the fall and the reign of sin. (Rom. 2:14,15) The law of conscience, however, will only tell us that certain things are wrong, and we “need the Word of God to educate and train such conscience as we may have by nature, that we may become “alive unto God” concerning all the features of his gracious will. (Rom. 6:11) Therefore “the end of the commandment is [the development of] a good conscience.”
The same wonderful work of grace will go on in the hearts of the world of mankind during the Millennium, under the New Covenant—that gracious arrangement whereby God will put his law into men’s inward parts, and write it in their hearts; that a good [perfect] conscience may be their guide throughout the eternal ages. (Jer. 31:33) Then man will no longer need a written law for his guidance and instruction, as symbolically described by the Revelator, “They need no candle [Diaglott, lamp], neither light of the sun.”—Revelation 22:5
The End of the Commandment
In explaining the operation of the love that is of God, Paul summarizes his remarks with the statement, “But the greatest of these is love.” (I Cor. 13:13) This means not merely love in the abstract, but love that acts from and is governed by right principles, pure motives. Much that passes for love is selfishness. Our Lord intimates this, saying, “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.” (Luke 6:32) The worldly love their families, children, and friends, and’ this is quite right and proper; but the followers of Jesus must go much further than this. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Hence it is this unselfish love of God that must be “shed abroad in our hearts.”—Romans 5:5
Phileo-Agape
Two words in the New Testament are translated love—phileo and agape. Phileo is the love that is exercised between persons close of kin, illustrated in the text, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matt. 10:37) It is also the love which is exercised by those who have received the Holy Spirit, toward others in whom we see the Holy Spirit operating. In other words, it is the love that is called forth by that which is naturally lovable in others. Hence, in the Greek we have the word philadelphia, meaning “love of the brethren.”—I Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; II Pet. 1:7
The other word translated love is agape. This has been defined as disinterested love—a love that will go out to all, including those who are not naturally lovable—a love that will operate in spite of things that would tend to hinder its operation. This is the love that Paul describes in I Corinthians 13. Such is the unselfish love of God.
Indeed, agape love is the perfect expression of unselfishness. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (I John 4:9) “Hereby perceive we the love [Greek], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (I John 3:16) This, then, is the end, the goal toward which we are taught to strive. All we study and all we do should be with this desirable and all-important end in mind—“love out of a pure heart.”
But what a warning is given in the verse following our text: “From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling”—unprofitable discussions, strifes about words, etc. (I Tim. 1:6) Brethren, whatever we do, let us not swerve from this divinely marked out way of life! Let us not be hypercritical in connection with non-essentials, or insist that every doctrine must be expressed in the same phraseology that we ourselves would use!
Let us avoid all side issues, and keep the end in view that God has arranged for us, which is “love out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith.” Thus Christ shall be formed in us, and eventually we shall be prepared for the kingdom—“presented faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. … Amen.”