Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck. 1 Timothy 1:19
Shipwrecks are sad and tragic things, and the sight of a ship that has been wrecked on the rocks is pathetic. The very thought of a shipwreck carries with it the thought of loss: possible loss of life among the crew, certain loss of cargo, and loss of the vessel itself. Famous shipwrecks such as that of the Titanic always evoke discussions about what could have been done to avoid them. So it’s a serious thing when our text speaks of Christians making shipwreck of their lives and testimonies for the Lord. It is in the matter of faith that shipwreck is made; tragedy and loss all because of a failure to trust in the Lord as we should. So how do we avoid the shipwreck of our faith? Are there precautions we can take?
The first precaution to take against shipwreck is to hold onto those truths that we have received. Consider Hebrews 2:1: ‘Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip’. If we allow those things to slip, we will lose sight of the precious doctrines on which our faith is founded. And we will be taken up with the cares of life and with the empty pursuits of the world rather than with obedience to our Lord and devotion to His service. We avoid shipwreck by our daily feeding and study of the Word of God.
We also avoid shipwreck by our support for each other in our Christian experience. Consider Hebrews 3:13: ‘But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin’. God has not left us to ourselves but has commanded us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). Just as coals of a fire maintain their heat and brightness as they remain tightly clumped, so saints maintain their fervent spirit by spending time and by working in each other’s company. We are instructed to love one another, to serve one another, to pray for one another, to encourage one another, to worship with one another, to work with one another, and to appreciate one another. This helps our faith to avoid shipwreck.
Simple trusting faith in God is a great protection from shipwreck. Consider Philippians 1:6: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ’. If we trust the precious promises of God, we will be able to withstand the doubts and attacks that come along.
It is not the storms of life that cause shipwreck of our faith, it is the failure to take precautions for the storms that result in shipwreck. The storms will come. Those who take precautions avoid shipwreck – Jim MacIntosh