1 Timothy 1:19

Holding faith. Timothy was to be girded with the conviction that God had spoken through Paul and the prophets of the church when they appointed him to leadership in the gospel ministry and had predicted his future usefulness. Timothy could succeed only if he maintained conviction that men of God had spoken God’s will for him and that in doing his task faithfully he could be assured of God’s blessing. The cumulative counsel of God’s Word, at that time the OT, would be an additional weapon in the “warfare” (v. 18) against the divisive teachers (vs. 3-7).

Good conscience. This was to be Timothy’s second weapon in the warfare against error and sin. Whatever problem Timothy faced, his strength would consist in a sincere effort to act in accordance with the principles laid down by Paul and by the Word of God. Christian workers today will likewise find their deepest convictions growing dull and nerveless if their personal lives do not validate the message they preach.

Having put away. Gr. apothed, “to thrust away,” “to reject” (see Acts 13:46). Paul here describes those who willfully rejected the voice of conscience. The tragic steps of apostasy are: (1) the violations of a pure conscience, (2) loss of conviction as to the relevancy of Christian principles, and (3) deliberate rejection of the faith.

Faith. Literally, “the faith.” That is, the faith of those who heed not the voice of conscience.

Shipwreck. Like the ship’s captain who turns from his compass to rely upon his own judgment, only to court disaster, so the Christian will make “shipwreck” of his faith when he turns from the dependable Word of God to rely upon his own judgment or that of someone else.