1 Tim 1
For their own purposes some men corrupt what God has taught. But God gave the truth so that we can know what the truth is. Men are supposed to "teach no other doctrine". This means if you cannot clearly get a teaching out of scripture, you should be cautious about putting your trust in that teaching. Some men’s teaching can result in questions and doubt rather than enlightening God's ways.
Among other categories, these teachings can fall into fables and endless genealogies.
Fables are stories made up to illustrate a teaching. We should be very careful of illustrations. They should only teach what the Bible teaches and should not veer away, as if in a detour or side street.
Think of a genealogy being connected to a specific culture. Endless genealogies are an attempt to place yourself in some higher status among men. It is not that we should ignore the cultural setting in which God sets forth as principals. If God has set forth a principle in one people or culture, and the principle was true then (since it is God’s principle), it is always true. It will be true in any other culture, at any other time. The principle may take different forms between cultures. Whereas shame facedness may mean a veil in Iran, shame facedness means something else in the USA. But it still means shamefacedness, modesty, restraint. We in the USA think veils are extreme; nevertheless, a godly person should still exhibit modesty and restraint.
People who chafe at some of the restrictions named in God’s word are saying God wrote an irrelevant book. They think sections of it have gone out of date and have lost their meaning. They say we can determine our own way to act. If we can cancel or throw out this part of God's word, what other parts can we throw out? Which of God's principles can be selectively disregarded? Can we disregard the ban of adultery if we are married? Can we disregard the ban against murder if the person is yet unborn?
We can, and we do. But what about the part of God’s word that speaks of a final judgment for such things as adultery and murder? Do we dare cancel or throw that out too?
