A Wrong Reading

READ: 1 Timothy 1:18-20



Wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having
rejected,... have suffered shipwreck. 1 Tim. 1:18-19

William Scoresby was a British seafaring explorer in the 19th century who responded to Gods call to the ministry. An interest in the workings of navigational compasses stayed with him during his work as a clergyman. His research led to the discovery that all newly built iron ships had their own magnetic influence on compasses. This influence would change at sea for various reasons leading crews to read the compass incorrectly. Often this led to disaster.

There is a striking parallel between the misread compass and false biblical teaching. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul warned against fables and endless genealogies (v.4) man-made changes in the doctrines of Gods Word. People who teach false doctrines have suffered shipwreck, Paul concludes (v.19). Two people who opposed the Word of God by placing false teaching in its place, and who thus faced spiritual shipwreck, were Alexander and Hymenaeus (v.20).

Biblical truth is being questioned and in some cases even replaced in the church today. Our opinions must never replace the truth of Gods Word. The Bible, not mans erroneous opinions about it, is the ultimate guide for our conscience in navigating lifes changing seas. Beware of wrong readings. Dennis Fisher

Gods words of pure, eternal truth
Shall yet unshaken stay,
When all that man has thought or planned,
Like chaff has passed away. Anon.

The first point of wisdom is to know the truth; the second, to discern what
is false.


A Message from
Joseph Lonth - Jesus Youth.org