"that you might charge certain not to teach any other thing, nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, that cause questions rather than the building up of God that is in faith: -- And the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned," (1 Timothy 1:3-5).
Timothy was asked to abide in Ephesus so that he might charge others not to teach things that do not build up faith. The Greek words genealogiais aperantois is usually translated to mean endless genealogies.[1] Another translation of these words is; to generate sayings unaccomplished.[2] Accomplished means completed; effected; established; complete in acquirement as in the result of training.[3] This meaning of accomplished fits with verse 7, that these people were desiring to teach but were not affirmed nor accomplished to do so. No matter what the translation a good summary is that Paul is writing that teachers should be accomplished, equipped in faith, teaching the gospel to build up the faith with the end charge being love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. Unfeigned means not hypocritical.[4] Unfeigned faith is one that is sincere and genuine, it is pure and good, accomplished. Those who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). When we allow God to search our hearts he will show us of any hurtful ways (Psalm 139:23-24).
Paul writes to encourage Timothy to fight the good fight, holding to the faith, with a good conscience, putting away that teaching which some had turned into a shipwreck, v.19. Imagine a shipwreck of the time; pieces of wood intermixed with that which was on board; a tangle of a mess. These teachers had taken the message and turned it into things that were causing people to doubt or question their faith; it did not build up but continued to toss them to and fro eventually causing shipwreck. Teaching is to edify and build up in faith, "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." Teaching is to build up, into faith in Christ, the church which is a part of his body and when equipped and working properly builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:16). An amazing verse, if the body is accomplished in Christ, who is the head, it builds itself up in love.
"There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift....And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:4-16).
Our God Saves - Paul Baloche