1Timothy 1:18-20 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them might war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Twenty facts about faith: It can be shipwrecked (1:19). Put away or thrust away (1:19). Turned away from (Acts 13:8). Made void (Rom. 4:14). Exercised in vain (1Cor. 15:17). Held to or let go (1:19). Departed from (4:1). Denied (5:8; Rev. 2:13). Cast off (5:12). Erred from (6:10, 21). Overthrown (2Tim. 2:18). Abandoned (2Tim. 3:8). Kept or lost (2Tim. 4:7). Found missing (Mark 4:40; Luke 8:25). Adequate or fail (Luke 22:32). Made without effect (Rom. 3:3). Dead (Jas. 2:17, 20, 26). Obeyed or disobeyed (Acts 6:7). Built up or destroyed (Jude 1:20). Continued in or discontinued in (Acts 14:22; Col. 1:23; Heb. 10:39).
‘Hymenaeus’ – a man who thrust away and made shipwreck of his faith, becoming a blasphemer (1:19-20) and a false teacher, overthrowing the faith of others (2Tim. 2:16-18).
‘Alexander’ – Another man who thrust away and made shipwreck of his faith (1:19-20) and who became an enemy of the gospel (2Tim. 4:14-15; Acts 19:33). Both of these men had faith and a good conscience before making shipwreck of them (1:19). Thus, we not only have reference to a possibility of such shipwreck, but also a record of examples.
‘Whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.’ A Christian prayer unto salvation where the enemy can bring sinners or backsliders their necessary consequences that are required to open eyes and ears in times of sickness, poverty or distress and save one’s soul when they choose to turn to God. 1Timothy 5:24 says that some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment – thus they are now reaping the consequences that they sowed, and some men’s follow afterwards which means that the enemy keeps consequences away and people think they ‘got away’ with their sins and will receive no consequences, but that it will come eventually and then there is no more want for repentance. Consequences are the thing that helps people to repent and turn to God (Isa. 26:9-10) and not live in sin anymore (Rom. 6; 1John 3).
Living the Word 