A Shipwrecked Faith

 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.  1Timothy 1:19

The apostle Paul was no stranger to the sea.  In his many travels, he often found himself aboard various sailing vessels as he made his way from port to port, carrying the gospel throughout the Empire.  He also was no stranger to the dangers associated with sea travel, having experienced, yet surviving shipwreck on a number of occasions, one in which he spent a day and night in the water before making it to safety (2Cor. 11:25).  Without a doubt, these perilous and sometimes tragic maritime experiences are in the forefront of Paul’s thoughts as he describes the miserable end of certain believers, who regarding the faith have been ruined, or as he states, have made shipwreck.

The Christian life has often been compared to a journey.  We receive the gospel, believe in Jesus Christ, and thus begin our lifelong trek toward the kingdom of God and life eternal.  In this journey, we are confronted with great tribulations, temptations, hardships, and countless other obstacles, which arise along the way to hinder us from reaching our destination.  Our journey is as it were, a voyage across a great and oftentimes turbulent sea, prone to violent storms which can only be safely navigated by the Captain of our salvation.  Yet in spite of the danger inherent to this voyage, we have confidence that our Captain will safely guide us into eternal safety.

But what if in the course of our journey, at a certain port perhaps, we board a ship other than that which we at the first sailed upon- a ship which we assume is the same as at the start, yet in truth is another, having perhaps some resemblance to the former, but indeed having never been sailed by our Captain, inasmuch as it is not his ship?  Certainly this change of ship foreshadows a grave end, for it is evident that any journey aboard this latter vessel will end in shipwreck.

So what indeed is a shipwrecked faith?  It is a ruined faith, a faith that has drifted from sound doctrine and a faith that has lost moral clarity.  It is a faith which fails to secure its original end and fails to reach its desired destination.  If you can imagine what an actual shipwreck might look like, you will have a better understanding of what is meant by the statement concerning faith have made shipwreck. Consider for a moment the destruction involved in an actual shipwreck.  Scattered planks, splintered lumber, broken masts, shredded sails, damaged cargo, and helpless passengers- all floating in disarray until at last disappearing in the deep to be seen no more.  The shipwrecked faith is similar, yet even more tragic.  Scattered families, broken homes, sunken morals, drowned consciences, fractured orthodoxy, and fragments of truths once held- all drifting toward the eternal shore, arriving in turn to testify of a disaster at sea.

But the faith which we first received in Christ is not so, for it was given to us as a sure vessel, a vessel which can endure the dangerous voyage set before us, which sails from glory to glory, from righteousness to righteousness, until at last arriving safely in the eternal Fair Havens.

Now in our text, Paul sets forth two essentials for securing a successful voyage:  faith and a good conscience.  Holding faith implies loyalty to that faith which was “once delivered to the saints.”  It is an adherence to the “apostles’ doctrine,” and a commitment to established truth.  It does not seek to be innovative or “on the cutting edge” with regard to biblical revelation (show me a man who seeks new interpretations regarding Scripture, and I will show you a heretic.)  Holding faith is continuing in historical, biblical Christianity by maintaining those doctrines that define orthodoxy, i.e.  that Jesus Christ is truly God, and truly man; that He is the Only-Begotten Son of God; that He is the only sacrifice for the sins of man; that there is salvation in none but Christ alone; that there is a literal heaven and a literal hell; that there is a judgment and resurrection for both the living and dead, the righteous and wicked; that Jesus Christ shall come again to recompense all men according to their works; etc., etc..  To abandon these tenets of faith, or the many others like them, which have been held from antiquity, to disregard the necessity for moral excellence, holiness, and purity regarding the faith, is to indeed “change ships” mid-voyage, and consequently “make shipwreck” concerning the faith.  One who has denied that which is orthodox may assert that he yet possesses faith in Christ, that even though he rejects the morality set forth in Scripture, he is yet a follower of the Christian faith.  But know for certain that such a one is driven by strong winds and raging seas whose end is inevitable destruction.

Now Paul not only exhorts us to hold faith, but also a good conscience.  It is this good conscience that some have put away or rejected.  If our faith in Christ can be compared to a sailing vessel, then the conscience is the lodestone or compass.  It is the conscience that would direct our path, and keep our voyage steady and on course.  To put away conscience from our faith is to throw our compass overboard.  It is to sail with no bearings, to randomly drift about carried by the will of the sea, with no true sense of location or direction. 

But what does it mean to put away a good conscience?  The conscience is that inward sense that all men possess- to varying degrees- of right and wrong.  It is man’s inward voice which either accuses or excuses him regarding his actions (Rom. 2:15).  Although it may not be a perfect guide, or the final authority concerning right and wrong, it will if allowed lead to the perfect Light and will recognize and bear witness to the truth.  The Scripture has many strong statements regarding the topic of conscience which I will not address in this article.  Every professing Christian would do well to study this topic. I will say this much, the Scripture is clear that the believer is to maintain a good or clear conscience, that actions contrary to conscience are sinful actions, and that in those things in which our conscience (heart) condemns us, we lack the approval of God as well (1John 3:20).   Thus, the conscience plays a vital role in the Christian faith.

But the conscience can be ill-treated.  It can be “seared as with a hot iron,” so as to no longer function properly, it may be “defiled” or corrupted, it can be suppressed, or as in our text, it may be put away or rejected.  To put away a good conscience is to no longer concern oneself with how he or she truly feels within regarding his or her actions.  It is to ignore and suppress that inward voice, and to convince one’s self that acceptance with God exists regardless of the contrary testimony of one’s own heart. 

Now once the conscience is put away, the waves of sin pour over the sides of the ship.  Nothing seems all that bad any longer.  Immorality, uncleanness, drunkenness, and the like are all in play- in spite of the fact that Paul warns us that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Moral restraints are rejected and a new revelation of “spiritual liberty”- which judges nothing and allows for anything- is embraced.  And with each wave of sin that washes over the ship comes a new twisted interpretation of Scripture, of faith, of grace, of righteousness- flooding the conscience lest at any time its call to repentance be heard.

I cannot state strongly enough the dangers associated with the putting away of conscience.  No faith can be validated where the conscience is suppressed, ignored, or denied.  If a man habitually disobeys his conscience, in what sense does he obey God?  Does his faith truly confirm him while his heart condemns him?  Can he be true to God when he is untrue to himself?

“To thine own self be true”

And if true to your own conscience, “Thou canst not then be false to any man,” neither can you be false in the sight of God.  And he that will hold to the faith, and keep it in a good conscience, will have a safe voyage in spite of stormy seas, but he that abandons a clear conscience abandons his Lord and regarding the faith of Christ makes shipwreck.