The Goal is Love

1 Timothy 1:5, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

Love is one of those things that many of us think that we understand. But we cannot truly understand what love is outside of God’s word. In 1 Timothy 1:5, God has given us 3 important ingredients that make up love: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Without all three of these things present, we cannot achieve the goal of love. Let’s look at each aspect. 

A Pure Heart

We cannot have genuine love without a pure heart. A pure heart is one that is untainted, clean. It is a heart that obeys God even in difficult requests such as forgiving others, and praying for those who hurt us. If we find that our heart is impure, we can ask God to help us. In Psalm 51:10 it says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” The responsibility is ours to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) in order to ensure that it remains pure before God.

A Good Conscience 

A good conscience is one that is responsive to the Holy Spirit. No matter what situations we face in life, the Holy Spirit speaks to us. In Isaiah 30:21 it says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” When we have a good conscience, we will do what He tells us to do. In Hebrews 3:15 it says, “As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” Let’s make it our habit to be obedient to God’s voice and in so doing, keep a clear conscience before Him. 

A Sincere Faith 

Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” A sincere faith refers to a faith that is without hypocrisy. Oftentimes throughout scripture, Jesus makes mention of the faith of those that He has healed. For example, to the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8 He said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” A sincere faith requires action. James 2:26, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” Let us examine ourselves to ensure that we have a sincere faith. 

A pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith, all help us to achieve the goal of love. But what is love? The answer is made very clear in 1 John 4:8 where it says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The ultimate goal is to know God. Apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). In God, we have all that we need.