Ungodly Fables vs. Edification

1Timothy 1:3-6

As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: [so do].

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:

From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
Remember in the initial series we looked at 1 Timothy 4:7? "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness."

It seems like fables are at enmity with a godly life, based on these two Scriptures. I think it is fairly evident why. Placing a high value on truth is essential to maintain a godly outlook on life.


Fables are not based upon truth. They are either false/made-up or unverifiable in nature and thus conducive to doubt. The greek word is mythos - a myth or story.

The passage caught my attention because it included endless genealogies as something contrary to edification. I have been working on an extensive new discovery in my family tree over the past couple of days, so you can understand why. But considering another Scripture dealing with this issue of fables, I think we can gain a better understanding of what is meant here.

Titus 1:14
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

The Jews have a few fables that are outside of the authority of Scripture. These would have been a source of confusion to Jewish and Gentile believers alike as they grew in the faith in the early Christian church. Genealogies have an important place in the Scripture. We find them in Genesis and Exodus at the beginning of the Bible, as well as Chronicles in the middle and Matthew & Luke in the New Testament. However creating elaborate genealogies to justify positions and theories could have led to trouble. I'm not part of the camp who won't read Chronicles because of the genealogical lists not being "relevant" to my personal life. But I can see how endless references to genealogy by a learned person can overwhelm a person and cause confusion or doubt rather than edify someone in their faith.

One thing I find of concern as of late is certain traditions and histories, which may be fables, being used to "fill in the gaps" of Scripture. This is dangerous, given the deliciousness of the temptation to gain a more "complete" point of view, so to speak. But accepting the Scripture as the whole story is one of the first tests of faith we face.

There are many such fables out there: the urantia book fascinated me as a young teenager with its accounts of the early life of Jesus, not to mention the super-astral origins of God's creative work. Of course it is pure fiction, akin to Scientology and the beliefs portrayed in the video circulating about mormonism.

But I have also seen genealogies detailing the descent of Queen Elizabeth II from King Solomon. While I believe it is possible that the Queen is descended from the Israelite Royal House (as she is from many of the ancient royal houses in the wider European area), I can't place much faith in that genealogy. Of course we also then have the Merovingian bloodlines that have emerged as the foundation for numerous occultic conspiracies.

All of these things do indeed distract people from the truth. The bottom line here is that fables and genealogies breed questions, while godly edification builds the faith of a brother or sister.

We can all play a part in fellowship with one another by using Scripture and our God-given gifts to encourage others in their walk to grow in faith and discernment.


One more thing about edification before I conclude. I was impacted by the following Scripture this week.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

This is a crucial Scripture for today. It is our duty as Christians to provoke each other into love and doing good. We can't afford not to come together as the church of Christ and we must do so more as the day approaches. Brothers and sisters, I see the day coming - fast. So now is not the time to get caught up with the fables and stories of this age, but to build one another and encourage each other to look forward to the age that is to come.