The Shipwreck of Faith
OK, show of hands… who remembers “The Swiss Family Robinson” 1960 Disney film about a family who are stranded on a tropical island? Adventure, romance, comedy, action… pirates! Some fifty years later, I still love it.
The family ends up on the island because their ship flounders in a storm and smashes on the rocks. I don’t remember exactly how that was portrayed on the screen, but I know it must have been scary. I can only imagine the nightmares I must have had following that scene. While I have never been involved in a shipwreck, and perhaps the only real shipwrecks I have ever seen were in Disney classic films, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture the total disaster and wreckage that would occur following the destruction of a ship.
The Apostle Paul was no stranger to a shipwreck. In Acts 27, Paul is on a ship to Rome, under arrest, imprisoned, and on his way to appeal to Caesar. Storms on the Mediterranean Sea can arise quickly and be surprisingly violent. And so, Paul finds himself shipwrecked with the crew and fellow passengers on the island of Malta. I don’t think we have a “Swiss Family Robinson” situation here, but there are some parallels!
Having lived through it once, Paul’s use of “shipwreck” as an analogy in 1 Timothy 1:18-20 takes on a more pregnant meaning. I doubt Paul used this term loosely—he intends to convey the significant disaster, damage, and destruction of walking away from the faith. In these verses, Paul is encouraging Timothy to maintain his hold on sound teaching, to avoid the dangers of a “different doctrine” (vs. 3). In contrast, Paul points out others who have “made a shipwreck of their faith” (vs. 19). The picture here of complete devastation is clear through Paul’s metaphoric language.
But, I think it is fair to run the analogy even further. Certainly part of the idea behind “shipwreck” is destruction, but there’s probably more going on here. A ship only wrecks when it is on its way somewhere. Ships have a purpose, a goal. Ships imply a journey, action, movement. Using this imagery to describe the collapse of faith also says something about faith itself—that it is a journey, a trip, with a purpose and goal for us all. When we think of faith as simply something that we “have,” we lose sight of this active, purpose-filled component of following Jesus.
For me, the imagery of a shipwreck also brings forth the idea of stormy, rocky seas. While I suppose it is possible for a ship to be smashed on rocks in calm weather, it’s more natural to think of turbulent waters. Of course, nothing parallels our daily Christian experience, like the realization that life is lived amidst stormy seas. Our faith is tested in troubled times; our faith shines amidst trauma; our faith is revealed when challenged. Of course, this is not “of us” but “of God;” true faith is a gift of the Lord, and we are blessed during rocky times with the assurance of God’s love and goodness.
Paul’s use of “shipwreck” for those who turn from true doctrine to false teachings is a powerful one—it portrays the damage and destruction of the loss, while building upon a dynamic image of a vibrant faith. I hope and pray that your own experience in the faith is as a one on the way, with purpose, amidst the struggles of life, safe and secure in His hands!
In preparation for worship this Sunday, read 1 Timothy 1:18-20.
1. What “charge” is Paul entrusting to Timothy? Reflect back on verses 3-7.
2. Speculate on what possible “prophecies” Paul might be referring to. We don’t know for sure what these might be, but why would Paul stress them so?
3. It appears that “by the prophecies” Timothy is to wage a good warfare. How might these “prophecies” be part of the warfare Timothy is to wage?
4. Why would Paul use such language as “warfare” to Timothy? Who is Timothy supposed to go to “war” against? Why describe it as such?
5. In verse 19, what is the “this” that is being rejected? How would one “reject” these? What might that look like?
6. What is behind the analogy of a “shipwreck?” Why is this, or not, a good analogy for our faith?
7. What is Paul’s purpose in handing these men to Satan? What is his goal? See 1 Corinthians 5 for more.
