19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,
In the following verses, Paul showed Timothy how to fight for the faith (v. 18). He was to be a man of faith with a good conscience.
19 having [holding] faith
To address the difficult situation in the Ephesian church, Timothy must have “faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim 1:5; 3:9). There are two ways to fight a spiritual war. Should the young pastor have lacked one, it would affect the other. Timothy was to be faithful to the gospel and the Word of God without wavering (1 Tim 6:20).
The word “faith” has a definite article preceding it, indicating the body of faith or doctrine God revealed. It is possible to grow our faith (Lu 17:5; Ro 10:17; Ju 20). However, it is possible to be weak in faith (Lu 22:31, 32; Ro 14:1).
PRINCIPLE:
Faith is our estimation of God.
APPLICATION:
Faith is crucial to fighting a spiritual war. The exercise of faith indicates our estimation of God. It calculates how much we believe He is trustworthy and that what He says in the Word of God is true.
Faith in the body of revelation that God has given is foundational to spiritual growth and stability. We need faith in both what we believe and how we believe. To exercise faith is to rest on God’s promises; it is to believe God has spoken and He has something to say about every aspect of our lives.
