Theological term
Good Conscience
2 sermons · All terms
The Exhortation to Wage the Good Warfare
The closing verses of 1 Timothy 1 resume Paul's charge to Timothy to wage the good warfare against false teaching in Ephesus. This exposition works through two movements: the charge itself (vv. 18–19a), grounded in Timothy's apostolic authority and prophetic calling, and the conflict that necessitates it (vv. 19b–20), illustrated in the defection and discipline of Hymenaeus and Alexander. The sermon argues that gospel ministry in every age requires holding the objective content of the Christian faith, maintaining a good conscience, and exercising church discipline against those who blaspheme by contradicting the truth of Christ.
Wage the Good Warfare
Paul's charge to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18–20 — to wage the good warfare — is the ground for a sustained argument that gospel ministry requires both the positive exposition of truth and the courageous refutation of error. The sermon works through the basis of that charge (prophetic appointment), its necessary instruments (faith and a good conscience), and the catastrophic consequences of rejecting those instruments, illustrated by the named cases of Hymenaeus and Alexander. Church discipline, including excommunication into the realm of Satan, is presented not merely as punitive but as remedial — aimed at the repentance and restoration of the erring sinner. Every Christian, not only ordained ministers, is called to maintain fidelity to Christ and his gospel as soldiers and sailors in a genuine spiritual combat.