To the Church: "Continue in Them"
steward's great aim is to hear on that day, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
To the Church: "Continue in Them"
"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."
1 Timothy 4:16
Doctrine is not for debate only. It is for continuance. It is for salvation.
Paul's final charge in this trilogy brings the stewardship of doctrine full circle. It begins with personal nourishment, it is authenticated by personal integrity, and it culminates in personal continuance. The word "continue" is epimene, meaning to remain, to abide, to persevere, to stay in. It is not a call to visit the truth occasionally. It is a call to reside in it permanently. The steward and the church are not tourists of doctrine. They are citizens. They do not sample it; they dwell in it. They do not move on from it; they build their lives upon it.
The command to "take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine" places character and content side by side. Attention to oneself without attention to doctrine leads to moralism. Attention to doctrine without attention to