Paul now states the aim (“purpose,” goal, true end) of his instruction to Timothy. Charge (Good News Translation “order”) most certainly goes back to verse 3, where the same Greek word is used. This means that the content of this charge is for Timothy to order the false teachers to stop teaching their false doctrines. The pronoun our most certainly is exclusive; in fact it looks like it refers to Paul himself, which means that the use of the plural pronoun here may be simply stylistic. If this is the case, then it may be more natural in some languages to change the plural into a singular, hence “my charge,” “my order.” Whereas the aim of our charge may thus be expressed in many languages as “My purpose (or, aim) in giving you this command is” or “The reason why I am ordering you to do this is.” Revised Standard Version‘s use of the word whereas is misleading. Paul is not introducing an argument that is opposed to an earlier statement, but he is simply reinforcing the command in the previous verse. Translators will do well to follow Good News Translation‘s model here and omit a connective word.
The purpose, then, of Timothy’s ordering the false teachers to stop is “to arouse love.” Who should exercise this love is not explicitly stated. Is it to arouse love in the “certain persons” mentioned in verse 3? Or is it to arouse love among the believers? This latter possibility seems to be the more logical one. In some languages this expression may be rendered as “to cause the believers to have a love for each other that comes from…” or “to cause the believers to love each other. This love comes from….” By their activities these false teachers have caused “arguments” (1.4, Good News Translation), “foolish discussions” (1.6, Good News Translation), “disputes” (6.4, Good News Translation), and “evil suspicions” (6.4, Good News Translation). In other words these false teachers did not bring about love to the community but its exact opposite. If they stop their activities, it is very possible that the members of the Christian community will once again show love and concern for one another.
The source of this love is threefold: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Heart: in many cultures the heart is considered the center of thought and will and is often thought of as the center of emotions as well; in fact it often represents the total person as one who can think and feel and make choices. In other languages, though, “the mind” is thought of as being the part of the person that thinks, feels, and makes choices, and the heart, liver, or some other organ is concerned with emotions. Translators need to consider carefully the vocabulary in the receptor language that deals with human psychology. This will often differ greatly from the Greek and other languages. Pure is here used in a moral sense; a person whose heart is pure is one who is not double-minded but is sincere in both intention and purpose. A pure heart therefore describes a person whose thoughts and feelings are free from any hidden motives. A pure heart may therefore be rendered as “a heart (or, mind) that has no wrong motives” or “a heart (or, mind) that has no bad or sinful thoughts.”
Conscience is a Greek concept that refers to a regular way of thinking and of self-examination that enables a person to make moral decisions based on certain accepted standards. Through conscience a person is able to determine the difference between right and wrong, between what is acceptable and what isn’t. Finally a person experiences a sense of satisfaction as a result of doing something right or acceptable, and a sense of guilt or shame as a consequence of doing what is considered wrong or unacceptable. In the Pastoral Letters conscience is usually modified by a descriptive adjective. Here conscience is described as good, which means that it is expected to lead a person to make and act out correct moral decisions. Some cultures translate conscience as “the heart that decides between right and wrong.” Others use more idiomatic expressions such as “the little man who stands within me,” “my internal shadow,” “the echo of my heart” (suggested in A Handbook on the Acts of the Apostles, page 432). A good conscience (Good News Translation “clear conscience”) may thus be rendered as “a heart that makes decisions about right and wrong correctly.”
Faith here can refer either to trust and confidence in God or Jesus Christ, or more likely to the content of the Christian message, hence Christian doctrine. If the former, sincere faith means trust that is not polluted by any pretense or hypocrisy. If the latter, sincere faith refers to truly holding on to accepted Christian teachings in contrast to the false teachers who advocate teachings that are not in agreement with the good news and message of Jesus Christ. Another way of translating this is “sincerely holding to (or, believing) the true Christian teachings.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• The reason why I am ordering you to do this is to cause the believers (or, Christians) to love each other with a love that comes from a heart that has no bad motives and can clearly distinguish between right and wrong. When they love each other this way, it means that they are sincerely holding to the true Christian teachings.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .