”...having faith and a good conscience, which some, having rejected, around the faith did shipwreck...”
-Some have joined the fight, but things are not looking too good for them at them moment. They have actually "shipwrecked". The ship of their faith has run aground - or worse. And if there was one thing Paul knew something about, it was getting shipwrecked. Happened to him at least three times in fact (2Corinthians 11.25). He uses this very poignant term, something with which he was very familiar, to describe what had happened to some who had been following Christ. This vessel which was transporting you somewhere, carrying you through treacherous seas to some desired destination, this vessel is broken. It can carry you no further. Whether it hit the rocks, or got hit by some huge storm, this ship - and you along with it - is stranded. For the time being at least. Thankfully, shipwreck does not have to be permanent. In fact it is avoidable! Chef Paul here gives us his surefire recipe for how to avoid it...
-To avoid shipwreck, one needs two key ingredients, to keep holding on to two things: faith, and a good conscience. The first thing, faith, is trust, and it is placed in an object. In this case, we are talking about God and His Truth, the Truth of His Word and specificially what He has revealed in His Word about His Son Jesus. That is where we put our trust. It doesn’t have to be humungous sized faith - a tiny bit the size of a grain of mustard seed will suffice - it simply needs to be locked in on Jesus. On His goodness and faithfulness. On His provision and sovereignty. On His death AND resurrection. Keep on trusting, keep on holding on to these things. When the going gets tough and the battle gets fierce and the stormy winds begin to rage and the waves are rocking our boat, we need to hold on to the Lord. Hold on to His promises. Keep on trusting Him (Psalm 34.8). Keep on truckin’, baby. I know that sounds too simple, that it sounds like platitudes, easy for someone else to say when their own boat is docked in safe harbor, but the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by fellow brothers and sisters the world over. Every day, folks face both private and public battles, they focus on Jesus, and put one foot in front of the other. One step at a time. Fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12.1).
-The other vital aspect of shipwreck prevention, Paul says, is a good conscience. In other words, you always sincerely try to do it right, whatever it is, and if (when) you mess up, you sincerely try to make it right, with whomever you need to make it right. You are as innocent or as forgiven as can possibly be. A good conscience. Not surprisingly Paul is our shining example in this (Acts 23.1, 24.16; 2Corinthians 1.12). He’s already mentioned the importance of a good conscience and sincere faith back in 1Timothy 1.5. It is when we reject these things that we get into trouble, increasing our chances of shipwreck. We cut spiritual corners. We compromise. We neglect to confess a sin, or apologize for something, we cover something up. And then we do it again, and again. The little things begin to add up. We lose sight of God’s promises. We take our eyes off of Jesus, get them focused on the wind and the waves surging all around us. We came to drain the swamp, but it’s full of alligators. The pressure and the doubt and the guilt begin to snowball and push us away from the Lord and His people. It IS a fight, and not only for the church and for the faith handed down to us by our forebears - it is a fight for our own personal faith. Every day. There is a battle to be waged and won, a struggle to hold on to Jesus and to the Truth about Him, God’s Truth. And to do the right thing especially when the going gets tough. Some days the battle is tougher than others. There are entire seasons where the fighting is fierce, every day a struggle to keep holding on and trusting that God is good, that He will provide, that He is faithful to His promises, that He will somehow work this all together for good. It is when we relax, we let up, we let that little doubt creep in and linger unattended, that little compromise here or there, that slight transgression is unconfessed and unaddressed - that rejecting of faith and a good conscience is a surefire recipe for spiritual disaster...
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