I Tim. 1:5 ... "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
When the Lord revealed His will for us in Holy Scripture, He set before us definite goals to reach by the application of His instruction in our life experience. Through the prophet Isaiah He declared, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." (Isa. 55:10-11). Sometimes we cannot visibly discern the accomplishments of God's word when it has been proclaimed, but we can be assured that it does reach the goals set by God. In I Tim. 1:5, two of these goals are named: one is love, and the other is faith. When these incomparable spiritual entities are formed in one's inner being, they soon manifest themselves outwardly in many wonderful ways.
As the instruction from the Lord has its impact upon the heart and mind of people, at least upon those who consent to listen, learn, and obey, it generates love within their hearts. This is the "agape" love, love in its highest and purest essence that characterizes the very nature of God, (I Jno. 4:8 ... "for God is love"). It is the kind of love that operates when it's not recognized, appreciated, or returned. Notice that I Tim. 1:5 says this "love is from a pure heart." Such a beautiful spiritual force cannot be conceived in a heart that is polluted by moral filth, excited by evil imaginations, or coerced by unholy desires. We are taught in Pro. 4:23 to "watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." The heart must be purified before love at its truest and best can generate and then grow to maturity there. Nor can a heart that is once pure and conceives love bring it forth into action in one's outer life when that heart is allowed to receive and entertain corruption. In Mat. 13:22, in the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said, "The one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." Our Lord's phrase, "the worry of the world," includes the moral pollutants which defile the heart and choke out the word, the objective of which is to plant and then nurture love within the heart.
Faith is the other goal of planting God's word in a human life. This purpose is also emphasized in Rom. 10:17, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." But faith, like love, will not flourish where there is a mind of insincerity. The lead text above uses the phrase, "a sincere faith," and indicates that one's faith must be genuine and authentic, not the pretended faith of those who come into Christian fellowship for selfish, unspiritual reasons. Pretense and hypocrisy preclude faith in direct proportion to their activity within the heart. The beauty and value of a true Christian life is apparent to most people, who therefore desire to be identified as Christians. But it requires diligent effort, self-denial, and sacrifice, exertions which do not appeal to most people. Rather, "the pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25) are much more appealing and popular because they bring immediate gratification, even if it is only "passing." Consequently, it is easy, and therefore all so common, for people to put on a mask of Christian faith to enjoy the benefits of that identity at the same time they are indulging in the pleasures of sin. The "good conscience" mentioned in the text, however, is offended by this dichotomy within the personality and acts to prevent it. Being open and receptive to the guiding power of God's instruction, it not only eliminates pretense from the heart to let faith grow with complete sincerity, but it also purifies the heart to receive the richness of divine love.
