1 Timothy 1:7 Ignorant Bluffers

1 Timothy 1:7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

Paul is talking to Timothy in this verse about the false teachers who he wants him to oppose. He points out the disconnect between their aspirations and the reality. They aspire to be teachers of the law. They want to be considered to be knowledgeable people, experts, those able to give instruction on matters of the law. In reality, they are ignorant and do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. They are bluffers. They make out as if they are talking sense with their confident affirmations but the truth is that they have nothing of value to say. This is a phenomenon that is seen to this very day and that exists in many spheres. The first thing we must do, especially if we are preachers, is to make sure that we are not guilty of the same thing. Okay you want to be a minister, a pastor, an elder, a teacher. Nothing wrong with that. But do make sure that you know what you are talking about and that your emphatic assertions have real solidity. In order to do that there is need for time to study - study to prepare for the work in general and study to deliver the particular message at the time. Without that we will be subject to more and more people who may sound knowledgeable and who may speak reassuringly and yet who are ignorant bluffers. Where we see this in others we must do what we can to expose their ignorance and bluff in order that others will not be led astray.