Chapter Six: Orders from Headquarters (1 Timothy 6)
Key theme: How to manage the ministry of the local church
I.THE CHURCH AND ITS MESSAGE—chapter 1
II.THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS—chapters 2–3
III.THE CHURCH AND ITS MINISTER—chapter 4
A.A good minister, preaching the Word—
B.A godly minister, practicing the Word—
C.A growing minister, progressing in the Word—
IV.THE CHURCH AND ITS MINISTRY—chapters 5–6
(1 Tim. 1)
(1 Tim. 2)
(1 Tim. 3)
(1 Tim. 4)
(1 Tim. 5)
(1 Tim. 6)
1 Timothy 1
Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
That advertisement appeared in a London newspaper and thousands of men responded! It was signed by the noted Arctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, and that was what made the difference.
If Jesus Christ had advertised for workers, the announcement might have read something like this:
“Men and women wanted for difficult task of helping to build My church. You will often be misunderstood, even by those working with you. You will face constant attack from an invisible enemy. You may not see the results of your labor, and your full reward will not come till after all your work is completed. It may cost you your home, your ambitions, even your life.”
In spite of the demands that He makes, Jesus Christ receives the “applications” of many who gladly give their all for Him. He is certainly the greatest Master for whom anyone could work, and the task of building His church is certainly the greatest challenge to which a believer could give his life.
Timothy was one young man who responded to Christ’s call to help build His church. He was one of the Apostle Paul’s special assistants. Along with Titus, Timothy tackled some of the tough assignments in the churches that Paul had founded. Timothy was brought up in a religious home () and had been led to faith in Christ by Paul himself. This explains why Paul called Timothy “my own [genuine] son in the faith” ().
Timothy was born of mixed parentage: his mother was a Jewess, his father a Greek. He was so devoted to Christ that his local church leaders recommended him to Paul, and Paul added him to his “missionary staff” (). Paul often reminded Timothy that he was chosen for this ministry (; ). Timothy was faithful to the Lord () and had a deep concern for God’s people ().
But in spite of his calling, his close association with Paul, and his spiritual gifts, Timothy was easily discouraged. The last time Paul had been with Timothy, he had encouraged him to stay on at Ephesus and finish his work (). Apparently Timothy had physical problems () as well as periods of discouragement; and you get the impression that some of the church members were not giving their pastor the proper respect as God’s servant (; ).
Ephesus would not be the easiest place to pastor a church. (Are there any “easy places”? I doubt it.) The city was devoted to the worship of Diana, the patroness of the sexual instinct. Her lascivious images helped promote sexual immorality of all kinds (see Acts 19). Paul had done a great work in Ephesus during his three-year ministry, so “all they which dwelt in [the province of] Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus” (). It was not easy for Timothy to follow a man like Paul! Of course, Satan had his workers in the city; for wherever there are spiritual opportunities there are also satanic obstacles ().
Paul wrote the letter we call 1 Timothy to encourage Timothy, to explain how a local church should be managed, and to enforce his own authority as a servant of God. In 1 Timothy 1 Paul explained the three responsibilities of a pastor and people in a local church.
From the very greeting of the letter, Paul affirmed his authority as a servant of Jesus Christ. Those who were giving Timothy trouble needed to remember that their pastor was there because God had put him there, for Paul’s authority was given by God. Paul was an “apostle,” one whom God sent with a special commission. His apostleship came by “commandment” from Jesus Christ. This word means “a royal commission.” Both Paul and Timothy were sent by the King of kings!
Jesus Christ is not only Lord, but He is our “Saviour,” a title used ten times in the Pastoral Epistles (; ; ; ; ; , ; , ). To discouraged Timothy, the title “our hope” () was a real boost. Paul wrote the same encouragement to Titus (; ; ). Knowing that Jesus Christ is coming for us encourages us to serve Him faithfully.
One reason Christian workers must stay on the job is that false teachers are busy trying to capture Christians. There were teachers of false doctrines in Paul’s day just as there are today, and we must take them seriously. These false teachers have no good news for lost sinners. They seek instead to lead Christians astray and capture them for their causes.
Paul used military language to help Timothy and his people see the seriousness of the problem (). Charge means “to give strict orders from a superior officer.” Paul used this word (sometimes translated “commandment” and “command” in KJV) eight times in his two letters to Timothy (, , ; ; ; , ; ). He was conveying this idea: “Timothy, you are not only a pastor of the church in a difficult city. You are also a Christian soldier under orders from the King. Now pass these orders along to the soldiers in your church!”
What was the order? “Do not teach different doctrines from those taught by Paul!” In the original text there are thirty-two references to “doctrine,” “teach,” “teacher,” “teaches,” and “teaching” in the three Pastoral Epistles. In the early church, the believers were taught the Word of God and the meanings of basic Christian doctrines. In many churches today, the pulpit and choir loft are places for entertainment, not enlightenment and enrichment.
God had committed the truth of the Word to Paul (), and Paul had committed it to Timothy (). It was Timothy’s responsibility to guard the faith () and to pass it along to faithful people ().
Paul identified the false teaching as “fables and endless genealogies” (). Titus faced the same kind of false teaching in Crete (; ). The false teachers were using the Old Testament Law, and especially the genealogies, to manufacture all kinds of novelties; and these new doctrines were leading people astray. The false teachers were raising questions, not answering them. They were not promoting “God’s saving plan” (“godly edifying,” ), but were leading people away from the truth. Instead of producing love, purity, a good conscience, and sincere faith, these novel doctrines were causing division, hypocrisy, and all sorts of problems.
Paul used the word “conscience(s)” twenty-one times in his letters, and six of these references are in the Pastoral Epistles (, ; ; ; ; ). The word “conscience” means “to know with.” Conscience is the inner judge that accuses us when we have done wrong and approves when we have done right (). It is possible to sin against the conscience so that it becomes “defiled” (). Repeated sinning hardens the conscience so that it becomes “seared” like scar tissue ().
It is tragic when professed Christians get off course because they refuse “healthy doctrine” (“sound doctrine,” ). Paul also calls it “the doctrine … according to godliness” (), “sound words” (), “sound doctrine” (; ; ), “faith” (; ), and “sound speech” (). But many prefer the “vain jangling” () of those who teach novelties rather than the pure Word of God that produces holiness in lives. It is unfortunate today that we not only have “vain jangling” (“meaningless talk,” NIV) in teaching and preaching, but also in music. Far too many songs not only teach no doctrine, but many even teach false doctrines. A singer has no more right to sing a lie than a teacher has to teach a lie.
The reason for this false doctrine was a misuse of the Old Testament Law. These false teachers did not understand the content or the purpose of God’s Law. They were leading believers out of the liberty of grace () into the bondage of legalism, a tragedy that still occurs today. The flesh (our old nature) loves religious legalism because rules and regulations enable a person to appear holy without really having to change his heart.
Paul listed fourteen kinds of people who were condemned by the Law (). This is one of several such lists in the New Testament (see ; ; ). The lawful use of the Law is to expose, restrain, and convict the lawless. The Law cannot save lost sinners (; ); it can only reveal their need for a Saviour. When a sinner believes on Jesus Christ, he is freed from the curse of the Law (); and the righteous demands of the Law are met by the indwelling Holy Spirit as a believer yields to God ().
Paul () centered particularly on five of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:
No. 5—“Honor thy father and thy mother”—“murderers of the fathers and … mothers.”
No. 6—“Thou shalt not kill [murder]”—“murderers of fathers and … mothers … manslayers.”
No. 7—“Thou shalt not commit adultery”—“whoremongers [fornicators] … them that defile themselves with mankind [sodomites].”
No. 8—“Thou shalt not steal”—“men-stealers [kidnappers].”
No. 9—“Thou shalt not bear false witness”—“liars … perjured persons.”
It is the “glorious Gospel” that saves lost sinners. Paul had experienced the power of the Gospel (), and he had been entrusted with the ministry of the Gospel (). Law and Gospel go together, for the Law without the Gospel is diagnosis without remedy; but the Gospel without Law is only the Good News of salvation for people who don’t believe they need it because they have never heard the bad news of judgment. The Law is not Gospel, but the Gospel is not lawless ().
The mention of “the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (, literal translation) moved Paul to share his own personal testimony. He was “Exhibit A” to prove that the Gospel of the grace of God really works. When you read Paul’s testimony (see also ; ; ), you begin to grasp the wonder of God’s grace and His saving power.
What Paul used to be (v. ). He was a blasphemer because he denied the deity of Jesus Christ and forced others to deny it. He was a persecutor who used physical power to try to destroy the church. “Murderous threats” were the very breath of his life (, NIV). He persecuted the Christian church () and then discovered that he was actually laying hands on Jesus Christ, the Messiah! () During this period of his life, Paul consented to the stoning of Stephen and made havoc of the church ().
Paul was injurious, a word that means “proud and insolent.” A modern equivalent might be “bully.” It conveys the idea of a haughty man “throwing his weight around” in violence. But the basic causes of his godless behavior were “ignorance” and “unbelief.” Even though Saul of Tarsus was a brilliant man and well educated (; ), his mind was blinded from the truth (; ). He was a religious man, yet he was not headed for heaven! It was not until he put faith in Jesus Christ that he was saved ().
How Paul was saved (vv. ). How could the holy God ever save and forgive such a self-righteous sinner? The key words are “mercy” and “grace.” God in His mercy did not give Paul what he did deserve; instead God in His grace gave Paul what he did not deserve. Grace and mercy are God’s love in action, God’s love paying a price to save lost sinners. It is not God’s love alone that saves us, for God loves the whole world (). It is by grace that we are saved () because God is rich in mercy () and grace ().
What did Paul’s “ignorance” have to do with his salvation? Is ignorance an excuse before God? Of course not! The fact of his ignorance is related to a special Jewish law (; ). If a person sinned knowingly “with a high hand” in Israel, he was cut off from the people. But if he sinned in ignorance, he was permitted to bring the proper sacrifices to atone for his sins. Jesus recognized this principle when He prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (). Their ignorance did not save them, nor did Christ’s prayer save them; but the combination of the two postponed God’s judgment, giving them an opportunity to be saved.
Paul stated that it took “exceedingly abundant” grace to save him! Paul liked to use the Greek prefix huper (meaning “an exceeding abundant amount”), and he often attached it to words in his letters. You might translate some of these as “superincrease of faith” (); “superabounding power” (); “superconqueror” (). This same prefix has come into the English language as hyper. We speak of “hyperactive” children and “hypersensitive” people.
Paul makes it clear that this salvation is not for him only, but for all who receive Jesus Christ (). If Jesus could save Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners, then He can save anybody! We admire Paul’s humility, and we note that he considered himself to be the “least of the apostles” () and the “least of all saints” (). Notice that Paul did not write “of whom I was chief” but “of whom I am chief.”
What Paul became (vv. , ). The grace of God turned the persecutor into a preacher, and the murderer into a minister and a missionary! So dramatic was the change in Paul’s life that the Jerusalem church suspected that it was a trick, and they had a hard time accepting him (). God gave Paul his ministry; he did not get it from Peter or the other Apostles (). He was called and commissioned by the risen Christ in heaven.
God saw that Paul was faithful, and so He entrusted the Gospel to him. Even as an unbelieving and Gospel-ignorant Jewish leader, Paul had maintained a good conscience and he lived up to the light that he had. So often those who are intensely wrong as lost sinners become intensely right as Christians and are greatly used of God to win souls. God not only entrusted the Gospel to Paul, but He enabled Paul to minister that Gospel (; ). When someone obeys God’s call to serve, God always equips and enables that person.
But Paul not only became a minister; he also became an example (). In what sense is Paul an example to lost sinners who believe on Christ? None of us has had the same experience that Paul had on the Damascus road (Acts 9). We did not see a light, fall to the ground, and hear Jesus speak from heaven. But Paul is a pattern (“type”) to all lost sinners, for he was the chief of sinners! He is proof that the grace of God can change any sinner!
But there is a special application of this to today’s people of Israel, Paul’s countrymen, for whom he had a special burden (; ). The people of Israel, like unconverted Saul of Tarsus, are religious, self-righteous, blind to their own Law and its message of the Messiah, and unwilling to believe. One day, Israel shall see Jesus Christ even as Paul saw Him; and the nation shall be saved. “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced” (). This may be one reason why Paul said he was “born out of due time” (), for his experience of seeing the risen Christ came at the beginning of this Church Age and not at its end ().
Paul gave a third responsibility for the local church to fulfill besides teaching sound doctrine and proclaiming the Gospel.
Again, Paul used military language to enforce his statement, for the word “charge” () means “an urgent command handed down from a superior officer” (). Paul also reminded Timothy that God had chosen him for his ministry. Apparently some of the prophets in the local assemblies had been led by the Spirit to select Timothy for service (see for an example of this procedure).
It was not easy to serve God in pagan Ephesus, but Timothy was a man under orders, and he had to obey. The soldier’s task is to “please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (), and not to please himself. Furthermore, Timothy was there by divine appointment: God had chosen him and sent him. It was this fact that could give him assurance in difficult days. If you are God’s servant, called by the Spirit, obeying His will, then you can “stay with it” and finish the work. These assurances enabled Timothy to war the good warfare.
Paul changed the illustration from army to navy (). He warned Timothy that the only way to succeed was to hold fast to “faith and a good conscience.” It is not enough to proclaim the faith with our lips; we must practice the faith in our daily lives. One man said of his hypocritical pastor, “He is such a good preacher, he should never get out of the pulpit; but he is such a poor Christian, he should never get into the pulpit!”
A good conscience is important to a good warfare and a good ministry. The magazine editor H.L. Mencken defined conscience as “the inner voice which warns us that somebody may be looking.” But a man with a good conscience will do the will of God in spite of who is watching or what people may say. Like Martin Luther, he will say, “Here I stand; I can do no other, so help me God!”
Professed Christians who “make shipwreck” of their faith do so by sinning against their consciences. Bad doctrine usually starts with bad conduct, and usually with secret sin. Hymenaeus and Alexander deliberately rejected their good consciences in order to defend their ungodly lives. Paul did not tell us exactly what they did, except that their sin involved “blaspheming” in some way. Hymenaeus said that the resurrection was already past (). Alexander was a popular name in that day, so we cannot be sure that the man named in Paul’s next letter to Timothy () is the same man; but if he is, no doubt he withstood Paul by teaching false doctrine.
“Delivered unto Satan” () implies an apostolic discipline (see ) and disassociation from the local church. The verb “learn” () means “to learn by discipline.” When a Christian refuses to repent, the local fellowship should exercise discipline, excluding him from the protective fellowship of the saints, making him vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. The fellowship of the local church, in obedience to the will of God, gives a believer spiritual protection. Satan has to ask God for permission to attack a believer (see Job 1–2; ).
Each local church is in a constant battle against the forces of evil. There are false prophets and false teachers, as well as false christs. Satan is the originator of false doctrines, for he is a liar from the beginning (). It is not enough for a local church to teach sound doctrine and to proclaim the Gospel. The church must also defend the faith by exposing lies and opposing the doctrines of demons ().
It is important that our ministry be balanced. Some churches only preach the Gospel and seldom teach their converts the truths of the Christian life. Other churches are only opposing false doctrine; they have no positive ministry. We must be teachers of healthy doctrine (“sound doctrine,” ) or the believers will not grow. We must preach the Gospel and keep winning the lost to Christ. And we must defend the faith against those who would corrupt the church with false doctrine and godless living. It is a constant battle, but it must be carried on.
Timothy must have been greatly helped and encouraged when he read this first section of Paul’s letter. God had called Timothy, equipped him, and put him into his place of ministry. Timothy’s job was not to run all over Ephesus, being involved in a multitude of tasks. His job was to care for the church by winning the lost, teaching the saved, and defending the faith. Any task that did not relate to these ministries would have to be abandoned. One reason some local churches are having problems is that the pastors and spiritual leaders are involved in too many extracurricular activities and are not doing the tasks God has called them to do.
It might be a good idea for our churches to take a spiritual inventory!
1 Timothy 2
Let all things be done decently and in order” () is a basic principle for the conduct of the ministry of the church. Apparently, young Timothy was having some problems applying this principle to the assemblies in Ephesus. The public worship services were losing their order and effectiveness because both the men and the women members of the church were disobeying God’s Word.
“The church is an organism,” a pastor told me, “so we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on organization. We should allow the Spirit to have freedom.”
“But if an organism is disorganized,” I quickly reminded him, “it will die. Yes, I agree that we must permit the Spirit to have freedom, but even the Holy Spirit is not free to disobey the Word of God.”
Often, what we think is the “freedom of the Spirit” are the carnal ideas of some Christian who is not walking in the Spirit. Eventually this “freedom” becomes anarchy, and the Spirit grieves as a church gradually moves away from the standards of God’s Word.
To counteract this tendency, Paul exhorted the men and women in the church and reminded them of their spiritual responsibilities.
The priority of prayer (v. ). “First of all” indicates that prayer is most important in the public worship of the church. It is sad to see how prayer has lost importance in many churches. “If I announce a banquet,” a pastor said, “people will come out of the woodwork to attend. But if I announce a prayer meeting, I’m lucky if the ushers show up!” Not only have the special meetings for prayer lost stature in most local churches, but even prayer in the public services is greatly minimized. Many pastors spend more time on the announcements than they do in prayer!
The late Peter Deyneka, Sr., my good friend and founder of the Slavic Gospel Association, often reminded me: “Much prayer, much power! No prayer, no power!” Prayer was as much a part of the apostolic ministry as preaching the Word (). Yet some pastors spend hours preparing their sermons, but never prepare their public prayers. Consequently, their prayers are routine, humdrum, and repetitious. I am not suggesting that a pastor write out every word and read it, but that he think through what he will pray about. This will keep “the pastoral prayer” from becoming dull and a mere repetition of what was “prayed” the previous week.
But the church members also need to be prepared to pray. Our hearts must be right with God and with each other. We must really want to pray, and not pray simply to please people (as did the Pharisees, ), or to fulfill a religious duty. When a local church ceases to depend on prayer, God ceases to bless its ministry.
The variety of prayer (v. ). There are at least seven different Greek nouns for “prayer,” and four of them are used here. Supplications carries the idea of “offering a request for a felt need.”
Prayers is the commonest term for this activity, and it emphasizes the sacredness of prayer. We are praying to God; prayer is an act of worship, not just an expression of our wants and needs. There should be reverence in our hearts as we pray to God.
Intercessions is best translated “petitions.” This same word is translated “prayer” in , where it refers to blessing the food we eat. (It is rather obvious that we do not intercede for our food in the usual sense of that word.) The basic meaning is “to draw near to a person and converse confidently with him.” It suggests that we enjoy fellowship with God so that we have confidence in Him as we pray.
Giving of thanks is definitely a part of worship and prayer. We not only give thanks for answers to prayer, but for who God is and what He does for us in His grace. We should not simply add our thanksgiving to the end of a selfish prayer! Thanksgiving should be an important ingredient in all of our prayers. In fact, sometimes we need to imitate David and present to God only thanksgiving with no petitions at all! (see Ps. 103)
“Prayer and supplication [petition] with thanksgiving” are a part of Paul’s formula for God’s peace in our hearts (). It is worth noting that Daniel, the great prayer-warrior, practiced this kind of praying ().
The objects of prayer (vv. ). “All men” makes it clear that no person on earth is outside the influence of believing prayer. (We have no examples of exhortations that say we should pray for the dead. If we should pray for the dead, Paul certainly had a good opportunity to tell us in this section of his letter.) This means we should pray for the unsaved and the saved, for people near us and people far away, for enemies as well as friends. Unfortunately, the Pharisees did not have this universal outlook in their prayers, for they centered their attention primarily on Israel.
Paul urged the church to especially pray for those in authority. Godless Emperor Nero was on the throne at that time, and yet the believers were supposed to pray for him! Even when we cannot respect men or women in authority, we must respect their offices and pray for them. In fact, it is for our own good that we do so: “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (, NIV). The early church was always subject to opposition and persecution, so it was wise to pray for those in authority. “Quiet” refers to circumstances around us, while “peaceful” refers to a calm attitude within us. The results should be lives that are godly and honorable.
To be sure, Paul has not named all the persons we can and should pray for, since “all men” covers the matter fully. We can’t pray for everybody in the world by name, but we certainly ought to pray for those we know and know about. Why? Because it’s a good thing to do and because it pleases God.
The reasons for prayer (vv. ). The word “good” is a key word in Paul’s pastoral epistles (, ; ; , , ; , ; , , ; , ; ; ; ; , ; , ). The Greek word emphasizes the idea of something being intrinsically good, not just good in its effects. “Fair” and “beautiful” are synonyms. Certainly prayer of itself is a goodly practice, and brings with it many good benefits.
But prayer is also pleasing to the Lord. It pleases the Father when His children pray as He has commanded them to. The Pharisees prayed in order to be praised by men () or to impress other worshipers (). True Christians pray in order to please God. This suggests that we must pray in the will of God, because it certainly does not please the Father when we pray selfishly (; ). It’s often said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth.
What is God’s will? The salvation of lost souls, for one thing. We can pray for “all men” because it is God’s will that “all men” come to the knowledge of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God loved the world () and Christ died for the whole world (; ). Jesus died on the cross that He might draw “all men” to salvation (). This does not mean all people without exception, for certainly the whole world is not going to be saved. It means all people without distinction—Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, religious and pagan.
If God doesn’t want anyone to perish, then why are so many lost? God is long-suffering with lost sinners, even delaying His judgment that they might come to Christ (). But salvation depends on a “knowledge of the truth” (). Not everyone has heard the truth of the Gospel, and many who have heard have rejected it. We cannot explain the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility (see ), but realize that both are taught in the Bible and are harmonized in God’s great plan of salvation. We do know that prayer is an important part of God’s program for reaching a lost world. We have the responsibility of praying for lost souls () and making ourselves available to share the Gospel with others.
The basis for prayer (vv. ). Many believers do not realize that prayer is based on the work of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Mediator. As the God-Man, Jesus Christ is the perfect Mediator between the holy God and His failing children. One of Job’s complaints had to do with the absence of a mediator who could take his message to the throne of God. “There is no umpire between us, who may lay his hand upon us both” (, NASB).
Since there is only one God, there is need for only one Mediator; and that Mediator is Jesus Christ. No other person can qualify. Jesus Christ is both God and man, and, therefore, can be the “umpire” between God and man. In His perfect life and substitutionary death, He met the just demands of God’s holy law. He was the “ransom for all.” The word ransom means “a price paid to free a slave.” His death was “on behalf of all.” Though the death of Christ is efficient only for those who trust Him, it is sufficient for the sins of the whole world. Jesus said that He came “to give His life a ransom for many” ().
Christ died for “all men,” and God is willing for “all men to be saved.” How does this Good News get out to a sinful world? God calls and ordains messengers who take the Gospel to lost sinners. Paul was such a messenger: he was a preacher (the herald of the King), an apostle (one sent with a special commission), and a teacher. The same God who ordains the end (the salvation of the lost) also ordains the means to the end: prayer and preaching of the Word. This Good News is not for the Jews only, but also for the Gentiles.
If the basis for prayer is the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, then prayer is a most important activity in a church. Not to pray is to slight the cross! To pray only for ourselves is to deny the worldwide outreach of the cross. To ignore lost souls is to ignore the cross. “All men” [people] is the key to this paragraph: We pray for “all” because Christ died for “all” and it is God’s will that “all” be saved. We must give ourselves to God to be a part of His worldwide program to reach people before it is too late.
The attitude in prayer (v. ). Paul stated definitely that “men” should pray in the local assembly. Both men and women prayed in the early church (), but the emphasis here is on the men. It is common to find women’s prayer meetings, but not often do we find men’s prayer meetings. If the men do not pray, the local church will not have dedicated leaders to oversee its ministry.
It was customary for Jewish men to pray with their arms extended and their hands open to heaven. Our traditional posture of bowing the head, folding the hands, and closing the eyes is nowhere found or commanded in Scripture. Actually, there are many prayer postures found in the Bible: standing with outstretched hands (); kneeling (); standing (); sitting (); bowing the head (); lifting the eyes (); falling on the ground (). The important thing is not the posture of the body but the posture of the heart.
Paul stated three essentials for effective prayer, and the first was “holy hands.” Obviously this means a holy life. “Clean hands” was symbolic of a blameless life (; ). If we have sin in our lives, we cannot pray and expect God to answer ().
“Without wrath” is the second essential, and requires that we be on good terms with one another. “Without anger” might be a better translation. A person who is constantly having trouble with other believers, who is a troublemaker rather than a peacemaker, cannot pray and get answers from God.
“Doubting” suggests that we must pray in faith, but the word really means “disputing.” When we have anger in the heart, we often have open disagreements with others. Christians should learn to disagree without being disagreeable. We should “do all things without murmurings and disputings” ().
Effective praying, then, demands that I be in a right relationship with God (“holy hands”) and with my fellow believers (“without murmurings and disputings”). Jesus taught the same truth (). If we spent more time preparing to pray and getting our hearts right before God, our prayers would be more effective.
In these days of “Women’s Lib” and other feminist movements, the word “submission” makes some people see red. Some well-meaning writers have even accused Paul of being a “crusty old bachelor” who was antiwomen. Those of us who hold to the inspiration and authority of the Word of God know that Paul’s teachings came from God and not from himself. If we have a problem with what the Bible says about women in the church, the issue is not with Paul (or Peter—see ), but with the Lord who gave the Word ().
The word translated “subjection” in is translated “submitting” and “submit” in and . It literally means “to rank under.” Anyone who has served in the armed forces knows that “rank” has to do with order and authority, not with value or ability. A colonel is higher in rank than a private, but that does not necessarily mean that the colonel is a better man than the private. It only means that the colonel has a higher rank and, therefore, more authority.
“Let all things be done decently and in order” () is a principle God follows in His creation. Just as an army would be in confusion if there were no levels of authority, so society would be in chaos without submission. Children should submit to their parents because God has given parents the authority to train their children and discipline them in love. Employees should submit to employers and obey them (, where the immediate reference is to household slaves, but the application can be made to workers today). Citizens should submit to government authorities, even if the authorities are not Christians (Rom. 13; ).
Submission is not subjugation. Submission is recognizing God’s order in the home and the church, and joyfully obeying it. When a Christian wife joyfully submits to the Lord and to her own husband, it should bring out the best in her. (For this to happen, the husband must love his wife and use God’s order as a tool to build with, not a weapon to fight with—.) Submission is the key to spiritual growth and ministry: husbands should be submitted to the Lord, Christians should submit to each other (), and wives should be submitted to the Lord and to their husbands.
The emphasis in this section () is on the place of women in the local church. Paul admonished these believing women to give evidence of their submission in several ways.
Modest dress (v. ). The contrast here is between the artificial glamour of the world and the true beauty of a godly life. Paul did not forbid the use of jewelry or lovely clothes, but rather the excessive use of them as substitutes for the true beauty of “a meek and quiet spirit” (see ). A woman who depends only on externals will soon run out of ammunition! She may attract attention, but she will not win lasting affection. Perhaps the latest fashion fads were tempting the women in the church at Ephesus, and Paul had to remind Timothy to warn the women not to get trapped.
The word translated “modest” () simply means “decent and orderly.” It is related to the Greek word from which we get the English word “cosmetic.” A woman’s clothing should be decent, orderly, and in good taste. “Shamefacedness” literally means “modesty, the avoidance of extremes.” A woman who possesses this quality is ashamed to go beyond the bounds of what is decent and proper. “Sobriety” comes from a Greek word that means “having a sound mind and good sense.” It describes an inner self-control—a spiritual “radar” that tells a person what is good and proper.
Ephesus was a wealthy commercial city, and some women there competed against each other for attention and popularity. In that day expensive hairdos arrayed with costly jewelry were an accepted way to get to the top socially. Paul admonished the Christian women to major on the “inner person,” the true beauty that only Christ can give. He did not forbid the use of nice clothing or ornaments. He urged balance and propriety, with the emphasis on modesty and holy character.
“It’s getting harder and harder for a Christian woman to find the right kind of clothes!” a church member complained to me one summer. “I refuse to wear the kind of swimsuits they’re selling! I simply won’t go swimming. Whatever happened to old-fashioned modesty?”
Godly works (v. ). Paul did not suggest that good works are a substitute for clothing! Rather, he was contrasting the “cheapness” of expensive clothes and jewelry with the true values of godly character and Christian service. “Godliness” is another key word in Paul’s pastoral letters (, ; ; ; , , ; ; ). Glamour can be partially applied on the outside, but godliness must come from within.
We must never underestimate the important place that godly women played in the ministry of the church. The Gospel message had a tremendous impact on them because it affirmed their value before God and their equality in the body of Christ (). Women had a low place in the Roman world, but the Gospel changed that.
There were devoted women who ministered to Jesus in the days of His earthly ministry (). They were present at His crucifixion and burial, and it was a woman who first heralded the glorious news of His resurrection. In the Book of Acts we meet Dorcas (), Lydia (), Priscilla (), and godly women in the Berean and Thessalonian churches (, ). Paul greeted at least eight women in Romans 16; and Phebe, who carried the Roman epistle to its destination, was a deaconess in a local church (). Many believing women won their husbands to the Lord and then opened their homes for Christian ministry.
Quiet learning (v. ). “Silence” is an unfortunate translation because it gives the impression that believing women were never to open their mouths in the assembly. This is the same word that is translated “peaceable” in . Some of the women abused their newfound freedom in Christ and created disturbances in the services by interrupting. It is this problem that Paul addressed in this admonition. It appears that women were in danger of upsetting the church by trying to “enjoy” their freedom. Paul wrote a similar admonition to the church in Corinth (), though this admonition may apply primarily to speaking in tongues.
Respecting authority (vv. ). Women are permitted to teach. Older women should teach the younger women (). Timothy was taught at home by his mother and grandmother (; ). But in their teaching ministry, they must not “lord it over” men. There is nothing wrong with a godly woman instructing a man in private (); but she must not assume authority in the church and try to take the place of a man. She should exercise “quietness” and help keep order in the church.
Paul gave several arguments to back up this admonition that the Christian men in the church should be the spiritual leaders. The first is an argument from Creation: Adam was formed first, and then Eve (). (Paul used this same argument in .) We must keep in mind that priority does not mean superiority. Man and woman were both created by God and in God’s image. The issue is only authority: man was created first.
The second argument has to do with man’s fall into sin. Satan deceived the woman into sinning (; ); the man sinned with his eyes wide open. Because Adam rejected the God-given order, he listened to his wife, disobeyed God, and brought sin and death into the world. The submission of wives to their own husbands is a part of the original Creation. The disorder we have in society today results from a violation of that God-given order.
I do not think Paul suggested that women are more gullible than men and thus more easily deceived; for experience proves that both men and women are deceived by Satan. On one occasion, Abraham listened to his wife and got into trouble (Gen. 16). Later on, she gave him counsel and God told him to obey it (Gen. 21). In my own pastoral ministry, I have benefited greatly from the encouragement and counsel of godly women; but I have tried not to let them usurp authority in the church. In fact, the godly women I have known have no desire to “run” things in the church.
The creation of humans and their fall both seem to put the woman in an inferior position, but she does have a ministry from God (). There was probably a close relationship in Paul’s mind between what he wrote here and what Moses wrote in —the promise of the Saviour who would be “made of a woman” (). It was through a woman that the Saviour came into the world. (Keep in mind that Jesus had an earthly mother but not an earthly father—; .)
But Paul teaches a practical lesson (). He promised that the woman would “be kept safe through childbirth” (NIV) if “they” (both husband and wife) continued in sincere dedication to the Lord.
Does this mean that Christian mothers will never die in childbirth? History and experience both tell us that they do. God has His purposes, and His ways are far above our thoughts (). Paul laid down a general principle that encouraged the believing women of that day. Their ministry was not to “run” the church, but to care for the home and bear children to the glory of God (). Their home congregation would give them abundant opportunities for teaching the Word and ministering to the saints (see ).
Godly women do have an important ministry in the local assembly, even though they are not called to be teachers of the Word in a pastoral sense. If all is done “decently and in order,” then God will bless.
1 Timothy 3
Everything rises or falls with leadership, whether it be a family or a local church. The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to believers for ministry in the local church, and among those gifts are “pastors and teachers” () and “helps” and “governments” (“administration,” , NIV). As we noted before, even though the church is an organism, it must be organized or it will die. Leadership is a part of spiritual organization.
In this section, Paul described the bishop, the deacon, and the church itself. By understanding these three descriptions, we shall be able to give better leadership to the ministry of the church.
According to the New Testament, the terms “bishop,” “pastor,” and “elder” are synonymous. Bishop means “overseer,” and the elders had the responsibility of overseeing the work of the church (, ; ). “Elder” is the translation of the Greek word presbutes, which means “an old man.” Paul used the word presbytery in , referring not to a denomination, but to the “eldership” of the assembly that ordained Timothy. Elders and bishops (two names for the same office, , ) were mature people with spiritual wisdom and experience. Finally, “pastor” means “shepherd,” one who leads and cares for the flock of God.
When you compare the qualifications given here for bishops with those given for elders in , you quickly see that the same office is in view. Church organization was quite simple in apostolic days: There were pastors (elders, bishops) and deacons (). It seems that there was a plurality of elders overseeing the work of each church, some involved in “ruling” (organization and government), others in teaching ().
But these men had to be qualified. It was good for a growing believer to aspire to the office of bishop, but the best way to achieve it was to develop Christian character and meet the following requirements. To become an elder/bishop was a serious decision, one not treated lightly in the early church. Paul gave sixteen qualifications for a man to meet if he expected to serve as an elder/bishop/pastor.
Blameless (v. ). This word literally means “nothing to take hold upon”; that is, there must be nothing in his life that Satan or the unsaved can take hold of to criticize or attack the church. No man living is sinless, but we must strive to be blameless, or “above reproach” (NIV).
The husband of one wife (v. ). All of the qualifying adjectives in this passage are masculine. While there is ample scope for feminine ministry in a local assembly, the office of elder is not given to women. However, a pastor’s homelife is very important, and especially his marital status. (This same requirement applies to deacons, according to .) It means that a pastor must not be divorced and remarried. Paul was certainly not referring to polygamy, since no church member, let alone a pastor, would be accepted if he had more than one wife. Nor is he referring to remarriage after the death of the wife; for why would a pastor be prohibited from marrying again, in the light of and ? Certainly the members of the church who had lost mates could marry again; so why penalize the pastor?
It’s clear that a man’s ability to manage his own marriage and home indicate ability to oversee a local church (). A pastor who has been divorced opens himself and the church to criticism from outsiders, and it is not likely that people with marital difficulties would consult a man who could not keep his own marriage together. I see no reason why dedicated Christians who have been divorced and remarried cannot serve in other offices in the church, but they are disqualified from being elders or deacons.
Vigilant (v. ). This means “temperate” or “sober.” “Temperate in all things” (, literal translation). Or “keep your head in all situations” (NIV). A pastor needs to exercise sober, sensible judgment in all things.
Sober (v. ). He must have a serious attitude and be in earnest about his work. This does not mean he has no sense of humor, or that he is always solemn and somber. Rather it suggests that he knows the value of things and does not cheapen the ministry or the Gospel message by foolish behavior.
Of good behavior (v. ). “Orderly” would be a good translation. The pastor should be organized in his thinking and his living, as well as in his teaching and preaching. It is the same Greek word that is translated “modest” in , referring to women’s clothing.
Given to hospitality (v. ). Literally, “loving the stranger.” This was an important ministry in the early church when traveling believers would need places to stay (; ; ). But even today, a pastor and wife who are hospitable are a great help to the fellowship of a local church.
Apt to teach (v. ). Teaching the Word of God is one of an elder’s main ministries. In fact, many scholars believe that “pastors and teachers” in refer to one person but to two functions. A pastor is automatically a teacher (, ). Phillips Brooks, famous American bishop of the 1800s, said, “Apt to teach—it is not something to which one comes by accident or by any sudden burst of fiery zeal.” A pastor must be a careful student of the Word of God, and of all that assists him in knowing and teaching that Word. The pastor who is lazy in his study is a disgrace in the pulpit.
Not given to wine (v. ). The word describes a person who sits long with the cup and thus drinks to excess. The fact that Paul advised Timothy to use wine for medicinal purposes () indicates that total abstinence was not demanded of believers. Sad to say, some of the members of the Corinthian church got drunk, even at the love feast that accompanied the Lord’s Supper (). The Jewish people diluted their wine with water to make sure it was not too strong. It was a well-known fact that water was not pure in those days, so that weak wine taken in moderation would have been healthier to drink.
However, there is a vast difference between the cultural use of wine in Bible days and supporting the alcohol industry of today. Paul’s admonition and example in Romans 14 (especially ) would apply today in a special way. A godly pastor would certainly want to give the best example and not be an excuse for sin in the life of some weaker brother.
No striker (v. ). “Not contentious, not looking for a fight.” Charles Spurgeon told his Pastor’s College students, “Don’t go about the world with your fist doubled up for fighting, carrying a theological revolver in the leg of your trousers.”
Not greedy of filthy lucre (v. ). Paul will have more to say about money in . It is possible to use the ministry as an easy way to make money, if a man has no conscience or integrity. (Not that pastors are paid that much in most churches!) Covetous pastors always have “deals” going on outside their churches, and these activities erode their character and hinder their ministry. Pastors should “not [work] for filthy lucre” ().
Patient (v. ). “Gentle” is a better translation. The pastor must listen to people and be able to take criticism without reacting. He should permit others to serve God in the church without dictating to them.
Not a brawler (v. ). Pastors must be peacemakers, not troublemakers. This does not mean they must compromise their convictions, but that they must “disagree” without being “disagreeable.” Short tempers do not make for long ministries.
Not covetous (v. ). You can covet many things besides money: popularity, a large ministry that makes you famous, denominational advancement, etc. This word centers mainly on money.
A godly family (vv. ). This does not mean that a pastor must be married, or, if married, must have children. However, marriage and a family are probably in the will of God for most pastors. If a man’s own children cannot obey and respect him, then his church is not likely to respect and obey his leadership. For Christians, the church and the home are one. We should oversee both of them with love, truth, and discipline. The pastor cannot be one thing at home and something else in church. If he is, his children will detect it, and there will be problems. The words “rule” and “ruleth” in mean “to preside over, to govern,” and suggest that a pastor is the one who directs the business of the church. (Not as a dictator, of course, but as a loving shepherd—.) The word translated “take care of” in suggests a personal ministry to the needs of the church. It is used in the Parable of the Good Samaritan to describe the care given to the injured man ().
Not a novice (v. ). “Novice” literally means “one newly planted,” referring to a young Christian. Age is no guarantee of maturity, but it is good for a man to give himself time for study and growth before he accepts a church. Some men mature faster than others, of course. Satan enjoys seeing a youthful pastor succeed and get proud; then Satan can tear down all that has been built up.
A good testimony outside the church (v. ). Does he pay his bills? Does he have a good reputation among unsaved people with whom he does business? (see and )
No pastor ever feels that he is all he ought to be, and his people need to pray for him constantly. It is not easy to serve as a pastor/elder, but it is much easier if your character is all God wants it to be.
The English word deacon is a transliteration of the Greek word diakonos, which simply means “servant.” It is likely that the origin of the deacons is recorded in Acts 6. The first deacons were appointed to be assistants to the Apostles. In a local church today deacons relieve the pastors/elders of other tasks so that they may concentrate on the ministry of the Word, prayer, and spiritual oversight.
Even though deacons are not given the authority of elders, they still must meet certain qualifications. Many faithful deacons have been made elders after they proved themselves.
Grave (v. ). A deacon should be worthy of respect, a man of Christian character worth imitating. A deacon should take his responsibilities seriously and use the office, not just fill it.
Not double-tongued (v. ). He does not tell tales from house to house; he is not a gossip. He does not say one thing to one member and something entirely opposite to another member. You can depend on what he says.
Not given to much wine (v. ). We have discussed this in our comments on 1 Timothy 3:3.
Not greedy of filthy lucre (v. ). Deacons handle offerings and distribute money to needy people in the church. It may be tempting to steal or to use funds in selfish ways. Finance committees in churches need to have a spiritual attitude toward money.
Doctrinally sound (v. ). The word mystery means “truth once hidden but now revealed by God.” The great doctrines of the faith are hidden to those outside the faith, but they can be understood by those who trust the Lord. Deacons must understand Christian doctrine and obey it with a good conscience. It is not enough to sit in meetings and decide how to “run the church.” They must base their decisions on the Word of God, and they must back up their decisions with godly lives.
I have noticed that some church officers know their church constitutions better than they know the Word of God. While it is good to have bylaws and regulations that help maintain order, it is important to manage the affairs of a church on the basis of the Word of God. The Scriptures were the “constitution” of the early church! A deacon who does not know the Bible is an obstacle to progress in a local assembly.
A pastor friend of mine, now home with the Lord, took a church that was a split from another church and constantly at war with itself. From what he told me, their business meetings were something to behold! The church constitution was revered almost as much as the Bible. The people called it “the green book.” My friend began to teach the people the Word of God, and the Spirit began to make changes in lives. But the enemy went to work and stirred up some officers to defy their pastor in a meeting.
“You aren’t following the green book!” they said.
My friend lifted his Bible high and asked, “Are we going to obey the Word of God, or a green book written by men?” This was a turning point in the church, and then God blessed with wonderful growth and power.
A deacon who does not know the Word of God cannot manage the affairs of the church of God. A deacon who does not live the Word of God, but has a “defiled conscience,” cannot manage the church of God. Simply because a church member is popular, successful in business, or generous in his giving does not mean he is qualified to serve as a deacon.
Tested and proved (v. ). This implies watching their lives and seeing how they conduct themselves. In most churches, a new member or a new Christian may begin serving God in visitation, ushering, helping in Sunday School, and numerous other ways. This is the principle in : “Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things.”
It is worth noting that quite a few leaders mentioned in the Bible were first tested as servants. Joseph was a servant in Egypt for thirteen years before he became a second ruler in the land. Moses cared for sheep for forty years before God called him. Joshua was Moses’ servant before he became Moses’ successor. David was tending his father’s sheep when Samuel anointed him king of Israel. Even our Lord Jesus came as a servant and labored as a carpenter; and the Apostle Paul was a tentmaker. First a servant, then a ruler.
It always weakens the testimony of a local church when a member who has not been proved is made an officer of the church. “Maybe Jim will attend church more if we make him a deacon,” is a statement that shows ignorance both of Jim and of the Word of God. An untested Christian is an unprepared Christian. He will probably do more harm than good if you give him an office in the church.
Godly homes (vv. ). The deacon’s wife is a part of his ministry, for godliness must begin at home. The deacons must not be men who have been divorced and remarried. Their wives must be Christians, women who are serious about the ministry, not given to slanderous talk (literally “not devils,” for the word devil means “slanderer, false accuser”), and faithful in all that they do. It is sad to see the damage that is done to a local church when the wives of elders or deacons gossip and slander others.
Some students think that refers, not to the wives of deacons, but to another order of ministers—the deaconesses. Many churches do have deaconesses who assist with the women’s work, in baptisms, in fellowship times, etc. Phebe was a deaconess from the church at Cenchrea (, where the word is diakonon). Perhaps in some of the churches, the wives of the deacons did serve as deaconesses. We thank God for the ministry of godly women in the local church, whether they hold offices or not! It is not necessary to hold an office to have a ministry or exercise a gift.
A willingness to work (v. ). He is to use the office, not just fill it. The Greek word translated “degree” means “rank (as in the army), a base, a step, or rung on a ladder.” What an encouragement to a faithful deacon! God will “promote” him spiritually and give him more and more respect among the saints, which means greater opportunity for ministry. A faithful deacon has a good standing before God and men, and can be used of God to build the church. He has a spiritual boldness that makes for effective ministry.
Certainly a part of this blessing could include the possibility of a “spiritual promotion.” What a joy it is to a pastor to see deacons become elders, and then to see some of the elders called into pastoral ministry on a full-time basis. (It should be remembered that, in the New Testament churches, the elders were called from out of their own local congregations. They were not usually imported from other places.)
It is a serious matter to serve the local church. Each of us must search his own heart to be certain that he is qualified by the grace of God.
Elders, deacons, and church members need to be reminded of what a local church is. In this brief paragraph, Paul gave three pictures of the church.
The house of God (v. ). God’s church is a family, so “household” might be a better translation. One of Paul’s favorite words is “brethren” (see ). When a sinner believes in Jesus Christ as Saviour, he immediately is born again into God’s family (; ). Paul advised young Timothy to treat the members of the local church as he would treat the members of his own family ().
Because the local church is a family, it must be fed; and the only diet that will nourish the people is the Word of God. It is our bread (), milk and meat (; ), and honey (). A pastor must take time to nourish himself so that he might nourish others (). A church does not grow by addition, but by nutrition (). It is tragic to see the way some pastors waste their time (and their church’s time) all week long and then have nothing nourishing to give the people on the Lord’s Day.
Like a family, a church needs discipline in love. Children who are not disciplined become rebels and tyrants. The spiritual leaders of the assembly should exercise discipline (1 Cor. 4:18–5:13; ). Sometimes the children need rebuke; other times the discipline must be more severe.
Children also need encouragement and example (). Spiritual leaders must have the gentleness of a nursing mother and the strength of a loving father.
The assembly (v. ). The word church is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia (ek-klay-SEE-a), which means “assembly.” It referred to the political assemblies in the Greek cities (, ) where business was transacted by qualified citizens. But it is used about 100 times in the New Testament to refer to local churches, assemblies of believers. The Greek word means “those called out.” (It is used in to describe the nation of Israel, called out of Egypt; but Israel was not a “church” in the New Testament sense.)
Paul wanted young Timothy to know how to “conduct himself” as a leader of a local assembly. The Pastoral Epistles are guidebooks for conduct of a local church. Scores of books have been published in recent years, purporting to tell us how to start, build, and increase a local church; and some of them contain good counsel. However, the best counsel for managing a local church is found in these three inspired letters. The young pastor in his first church, as well as the seasoned veteran in the ministry, should saturate himself with the teachings Paul shared with Timothy and Titus.
There are many different kinds of “assemblies,” but the church is the assembly of the living God. Because it is God’s assembly, He has the right to tell us how it ought to be governed. The church has been purchased with the blood of God’s Son (); therefore, we must be careful how we conduct ourselves. Church officers must not become religious dictators who abuse the people in order to achieve their own selfish ends (; ).
The pillar and ground of the truth (vv. ). This is an architectural image which would mean much to Timothy at Ephesus, for the great temple of Diana had 127 pillars. The word ground suggests a bulwark or a stay. The local church is built on Jesus Christ the Truth (; ); but the local church is also itself a pillar and bulwark for the truth.
It is likely that the pillar aspect of the church’s ministry relates primarily to displaying the truth of the Word, much as a statue is put on a pedestal so all can see it. We must hold “forth the Word of life” so the world can see it (). The local church puts Jesus Christ on display in the lives of faithful members.
As a bulwark, the church protects the truth and makes sure it does not fall (for elsewhere “truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter”—). When local churches turn away from the truth () and compromise in their ministry, then the enemy makes progress. Sometimes church leaders must take a militant stand against sin and apostasy. This does not make them popular, but it does please the Lord.
The main truth to which a church should bear witness is the person and work of Jesus Christ (—it is probable that this verse is quoted from an early Christian hymn). Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh, not only at His birth, but during His entire earthly ministry (). Though His own people as a nation rejected Him, Jesus Christ was vindicated in the Spirit; for the Spirit empowered Him to do miracles and even to raise Himself from the dead (). The very presence of the Spirit in the world is itself a judgment on the world ().
Seen of angels suggests the many times that the elect angels were associated with the life and ministry of our Lord. (The word angelos, translated “angels,” also means “messengers.” See . Perhaps Paul was referring to the chosen messengers who witnessed the resurrected Christ.) However, Christ did not die for angels, but for lost sinners; and so He was preached unto the nations. This reminds us of the commissions the Lord gave to His church to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth, where He is believed on in the world. At the Ascension, He was received up in glory (, ); and He will return one day to take His church to share that glory.
What an exciting challenge it is for your local church to witness of Jesus Christ to lost sinners at home and around the world!
1 Timothy 4
If you were to write a job description for your pastor, what would it contain? How would it compare with the description he might write? A pastor preaches regularly, performs weddings and other Christian services, visits the sick, and counsels the distressed. But what is his ministry, and what kind of person must he be to fulfill his God-given ministry?
In this section of his letter to Timothy, Paul emphasized the character and the work of the minister himself; and he listed three qualities that a minister must possess if he is to be successful in serving God.
A Good Minister, Preaching the Word ()
Paul had warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers would invade the church (); and now they had arrived. The Holy Spirit had spoken in specific terms about these teachers, and the prophecy was starting to be fulfilled in Paul’s time. Certainly it is fulfilled in our own time! We can recognize false teachers by the description Paul gave in this paragraph.
They are energized by Satan (v. ). This is the only place where demons are mentioned in the Pastoral Epistles. Just as there is a “mystery of godliness” concerning Christ (), so there is a “mystery of iniquity” that surrounds Satan and his work (). Satan is an imitator (); he has his own ministers and doctrines, and seeks to deceive God’s people and lead them astray (). The first test of any religious doctrine is what it says about Jesus Christ ().
It comes as a shock to some people that Satan uses professed Christians in the church to accomplish his work. But Satan once used Peter to try to lead Jesus on a wrong path (), and he used Ananias and Sapphira to try to deceive the church at Jerusalem (Acts 5). Paul warned that false teachers would arise from within the church ().
They lead people astray (v. ). Their goal is to seduce people and get them to depart from the faith. This is the word apostasy, and it is defined as “a willful turning away from the truth of the Christian faith.” These false teachers do not try to build up the church or relate people to the Lord Jesus Christ in a deeper way. Instead they want to get disciples to follow them and join their groups and promote their programs. This is one difference between a true church and a religious cult: A true church seeks to win converts to Jesus Christ and to build them spiritually; conversely, a cult proselytizes, steals converts from others, and makes them servants (even slaves!) of the leaders of the cult. However, not all apostates are in cults; some of them are in churches and pulpits, teaching false doctrine and leading people astray.
They are hypocrites (v. ). “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (). These false teachers preach one thing but practice another. They tell their disciples what to do, but they do not do it themselves. Satan works “by means of the hypocrisy of liars” (, literal translation). One of the marks of a true servant of God is his honesty and integrity: He practices what he preaches. This does not mean he is sinlessly perfect, but that he sincerely seeks to obey the Word of God. He tries to maintain a good conscience (see , ; ).
The word seared means “cauterized.” Just as a person’s flesh can be “branded” so that it becomes hard and without feeling, so a person’s conscience can be deadened. Whenever we affirm with our lips something that we deny with our lives (whether people know it or not), we deaden our consciences just a little more. Jesus made it clear that it is not religious talk or even performing miracles that qualifies a person for heaven, but doing God’s will in everyday life ().
An apostate is not just wrong doctrinally; he is wrong morally. His personal life became wrong before his doctrines were changed. In fact, it is likely that he changed his teachings so that he could continue his sinful living and pacify his conscience. Believing and behaving always go together.
They deny God’s Word (vv. ). The false teachers in Ephesus combined Jewish legalism with Eastern asceticism. You find Paul dealing with this same false doctrine in his Letter to the Colossians ( especially). For one thing, the false teachers taught that an unmarried life was more spiritual than a married life, which is contrary to Scripture. “It is not good that the man should be alone” are God’s own words (). Jesus put His seal of approval on marriage (), though He pointed out that not everybody is supposed to marry (). Paul also affirmed the biblical basis for marriage (), teaching that each person should follow the will of God in the matter.
Beware of any religious teaching that tampers with God’s institution of marriage. And beware of any teaching that tampers with God’s creation. The false teachers who were infecting the Ephesian church taught that certain foods were taboo; if you ate them, you were not spiritual. The fact that God called His own Creation “good” (, , , , ) did not interest these teachers. Their authority to dictate diets gave them power over their converts.
Those who “believe and know the truth” are not impressed with the do’s and don’ts of the legalists. Jesus stated that all foods are clean (). He taught this lesson again to Peter (Acts 10), and reaffirmed it through Paul (). A person may not be able to eat certain foods for physical reasons (an allergy, for example); but no food is to be rejected for spiritual reasons. We should not, however, use our freedom to eat and drink to destroy weaker Christians (). The food we eat is sanctified (set apart, devoted to God) when we pray and give thanks; so the Word of God and prayer turn even an ordinary meal into a spiritual service for God’s glory ().
The emphasis in a minister’s life should be on “the Word of God and prayer” (). It is tragic when a church keeps its pastors so busy with menial tasks that they have hardly any time for God’s Word and prayer (). Paul reminded young Timothy of his great responsibility to study, teach, and preach the Scriptures, and to spend time in prayer. As a “good minister” he must be “nourished up in the words of faith” (). Timothy had certain responsibilities in the light of this growing apostasy:
Teach the church the truth (v. ). God’s people need to be warned about false doctrine and religious apostasy. A minister must not major on these subjects, because he is obligated to teach “all the counsel of God” (); but neither should he ignore them. As we travel the streets and highways, we see two kinds of signs: those that tell us where we are going (“Boston 45 miles”) and those that warn us of possible dangers (“Bridge Out!”). A pastor must teach positive doctrine so that people will know what they believe and where they are going. But he must also expose false doctrine so that people will not be seduced and led astray.
He must nourish himself in the Word (v. ). Of course, every Christian ought to feed daily on the Word (; ; ); but it is especially important that a pastor grow in the Word. It is by daily studying the “good doctrine” and meditating on the Word that he grows in the Lord and is able to lead the church.
The “good minister” preaches the Word that he himself feeds on day by day. But it is not enough to preach the Word; he must also practice it.
A Godly Minister, Practicing the Word ()
Paul shifted to an athletic illustration at this point in his letter. Just as a Greek or Roman athlete had to refuse certain things, eat the right food, and do the right exercises, so a Christian should practice “spiritual exercise.” If a Christian puts as much energy and discipline into his spiritual life as an athlete does into his game, the Christian grows faster and accomplishes much more for God. Paul discussed in this section three levels of life.
The bad—“profane and old wives’ fables” (v. ). These are, of course, the false teachings and traditions of the apostates. These doctrines have no basis in Scripture; in fact, they contradict the Word of God. They are the kind of teachings that silly people would discuss, not dedicated men and women of the Word! No doubt these teachings involved the false doctrines just named (). Paul also warned Titus about “Jewish fables” (). Paul warned Timothy about these same “fables” in his second letter ().
A believer cannot rediscover new doctrines. Paul admonished Timothy to remain true to “the good doctrine which you have closely followed up to now” (, literal translation). He warned him not to “give heed to fables and endless genealogies” (). While a pastor must know what the enemy is teaching, he must not be influenced by it. A chemist may handle and study poisons, but he does not permit them to get into his system.
The temporary—“bodily exercise” (vv. ). Again, this is an athletic image. Certainly we ought to care for our bodies, and exercise is a part of that care. Our bodies are God’s temples, to be used for His glory (), and His tools for His service (). But bodily exercise benefits us only during this life; godly exercise is profitable now and for eternity. Paul did not ask Timothy to choose between the two; I think God expects us to practice both. A healthy body can be used of God, but we must major on holiness.
The eternal—“godliness” (vv. ). Phillips Brooks said, “The great purpose of life—the shaping of character by truth.” Godly character and conduct are far more important than golf trophies or home-run records, though it is possible for a person to have both. Paul challenged Timothy to be as devoted to godliness as an athlete is to his sport. We are living and laboring for eternity.
Paul used two similar athletic images in writing to the Corinthians (), emphasizing the disciplines necessary for godly living. As an athlete must control his body and obey the rules, so a Christian must make his body his servant and not his master. When I see high school football squads and baseball teams going through their calisthenics under the hot summer sun, I am reminded that there are spiritual exercises that I ought to be doing (). Prayer, meditation, self-examination, fellowship, service, sacrifice, submission to the will of others, witness—all of these can assist me, through the Spirit, to become a more godly person.
Spiritual exercise is not easy; we must “labor and suffer reproach” (). “For this we labor and strive” (NIV). The word translated “strive” is an athletic word from which we get our English word agonize. It is the picture of an athlete straining and giving his best to win. A Christian who wants to excel must really work at it, by the grace of God and to the glory of God.
But exercising ourselves in godly living is not only profitable for us; it is also profitable for others (). It enables us to be good examples, so that we encourage others. Paul named several areas of life in which you and I should be examples.
“In word” () implies that our speech should always be honest and loving, “speaking the truth in love” ().
“In conduct” (the KJV’s “conversation” means “walk,” not “talk”) suggests that our lives are to be controlled by the Word of God. We must not be like the hypocrites Paul described to Titus (): “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him.”
“In love” (charity) points to the motivation of our lives. We do not obey God to be applauded by men (), but because we love God and love God’s people.
(“In spirit” is not in many manuscripts, but it would describe the inner enthusiasm and excitement of a child of God.)
“In faith” implies that we trust God and are faithful to Him. Faith and love often go together (; ; ; ; ). Faith always leads to faithfulness.
“In purity” is important as we live in this present evil world. Ephesus was a center for sexual impurity, and the young man Timothy was faced with temptations. He must have a chaste relationship to the women in the church () and keep himself pure in mind, heart, and body.
But godly living not only helps us and other believers; it also has its influence on the lost. Paul reminded pastor Timothy that Jesus Christ is the Saviour (), and it is the believer’s task to share that Good News with the lost. In effect he wrote, “We Christians have fixed our hope in the living God, but the lost have no hope and do not know the living God. All that many of them know are the dead idols that can never save them.”
The title “Saviour of all men” does not imply that everybody will be saved (universalism), or that God saves people in spite of themselves; for Paul added “specially of those that believe.” It is faith that saves one’s soul (). Since God “will have all men to be saved” (), and since Christ “gave Himself a ransom for all” (), then any lost sinner can trust Christ and be saved. Christ is “the Saviour of all men,” so nobody need despair.
Timothy should not fear to practice the Word of God and apply it to the life of the church, for this Word is “a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation” (). These faithful sayings made up a summary of truth for the early church (see ; ; ; ). The fact that Timothy was a young man (the word then applied to a person from youth to forty) should not deter him from practicing the Word. In fact, he was to “command” these things, and this is our military word “charge” (). The local church is a unit in God’s spiritual army, and its leaders are to pass God’s orders along to the people with authority and conviction.
A Growing Minister, Progressing in the Word ()
The key thought in this section is “that thy profiting may appear to all” (). The word profiting (“progress,” NIV) is a Greek military term; it means “pioneer advance.” It describes the soldiers who go ahead of the troops, clear away the obstacles, and make it possible for others to follow. As a godly pastor, Timothy was to grow spiritually so that the whole church could see his spiritual progress and imitate it.
No pastor can lead his people where he has not been himself. “Such as I have, give I thee” is a basic principle of life and ministry (). The pastor (or church member) who is not growing is actually going backward, for it is impossible to stand still in the Christian life. In his living, teaching, preaching, and leading, the minister must give evidence of spiritual growth. But what are factors that make spiritual progress possible?
Emphasize God’s Word (v. ). “Give attendance to” means “devote yourself to, be absorbed in.” Ministering the Word was not something Timothy was to do after he had done other things; it was to be the most important thing he did. Reading means the public reading of Scripture in the local assembly. The Jewish people always had the reading of the Law and the Prophets in their synagogues, and this practice carried over into Christian churches. Jesus read the Scriptures in the synagogue at Nazareth (), and Paul often read the lessons when he visited a synagogue ().
In my itinerant ministry, I have noted that many churches have dispensed with the public reading of God’s Word; and I am disappointed. They have time for “special music” and endless announcements, but there is no time for the reading of the Bible. The pastor may read a text before he preaches, but that is a different thing. Every local church ought to have a schedule of Bible readings for the public services. It is commanded by Scripture that we read God’s Word in the public assemblies. (I might add that those who read the Word publicly ought to prepare themselves privately. Nobody should be asked “at the last minute” to read the Scriptures publicly. The Bible deserves the best we can give.)
Exhortation () literally means “encouragement” and suggests the applying of the Word to the lives of the people. The pastor was to read the Word, explain it, and apply it. Doctrine means “teaching,” and is a major emphasis in the pastoral letters. There are at least twenty-two references to “teaching” or “doctrine” in these thirteen chapters.
“Apt to teach” is one of the qualifications of a minister (); and it has been correctly said, “Apt to teach implies apt to learn.” A growing minister (or church member) must be a student of the Word. Before he teaches others he must teach himself (). His spiritual progress is an example to his flock and an encouragement to others.
Use your spiritual gifts (v. ). So much has been written in recent years about spiritual gifts that we have almost forgotten the graces of the Spirit (). The word gift is the Greek word charisma. It simply means “a gracious gift from God.” (The world uses the word charisma to describe a person with magnetic personality and commanding appearance.) Every Christian has the gift of the Spirit () and at least one gift from the Spirit (). The gift of the Spirit, and the gifts from the Spirit, are bestowed by God at the moment of conversion (see ).
However, when God calls a believer into a special place of ministry, He can (and often does) impart a spiritual gift for that task. When Timothy was ordained by the elders (“presbytery”), he received an enabling gift from God when the elders laid hands on him. But for some reason, Timothy had neglected to cultivate this gift which was so necessary to his spiritual progress and ministry. In fact, Paul had to admonish him in his second letter, “Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” ().
It is encouraging to know that the God who calls us also equips us to do His work. We have nothing in ourselves that enables us to serve Him; the ministry must all come from God (; ; ). However, we must not be passive; we must cultivate God’s gifts, use them, and develop them in the ministry of the local church and wherever God puts us.
Devote yourself fully to Christ (v. ). “Meditate” carried the idea of “be in them, give yourself totally to them.” Timothy’s spiritual life and ministry were to be the absorbing, controlling things in his life, not merely sidelines that he occasionally practiced. There can be no real pioneer advance in one’s ministry without total dedication to the task. “No man can serve two masters” ().
While I do not want to sound critical, I must confess that I am disturbed by the fact that too many pastors and Christian workers divide their time and interest between the church and some sideline. It may be real estate, trips to the Holy Land, politics, civic duties, even denominational service. Their own spiritual lives suffer, and their churches suffer, because these men are not devoting themselves wholly to their ministry. “This one thing I do” was Paul’s controlling motive, and it ought to be ours too (). “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” ().
Take spiritual inventory (v. ). Examine your own heart in the light of the Word of God. Note that Paul put “thyself” ahead of “the doctrine.” Paul had given this same warning to the Ephesian elders in his farewell message: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves” (). A servant of God can be so busy helping others that he neglects himself and his own spiritual walk.
The great American evangelist of the 1800s, Charles Finney, used to preach on this text. He titled his sermon “Preacher, Save Thyself!” That sermon is needed today, for we are seeing people having to leave the ministry because their lives have not kept up with their profession. Moral problems, divorces, and other kinds of shameful conduct have destroyed many of God’s servants. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” ().
The building up of the saved and the winning of the lost are the purposes for our ministry, to the glory of God. But God must work in us before He can effectively work through us (). As good ministers, we preach the Word; as godly ministers, we practice the Word; as growing ministers, we progress in the Word.
1 Timothy 5
The first problem the early church faced was also a modern one: A group of church members was neglected by the ministering staff (Acts 6). I once heard a certain pastor described as “a man who is invisible during the week and incomprehensible on Sunday.” Again, somebody in his congregation was feeling neglected.
Then Paul instructed Timothy how to minister to specific groups in his church.
Paul admonished Timothy to minister to the various kinds of people in the church, and not to show partiality (). Since Timothy was a younger man, he might be tempted to ignore the older members; so Paul urged him to love and serve all of the people, regardless of their ages. The church is a family: Treat the older members like your mother and father, and the younger members like your brothers and sisters.
From the beginning of its ministry, the church had a concern for believing widows (; ). Of course, the nation of Israel had sought to care for widows; and God had given special legislation to protect them (; ; ). God’s special care for the widows is a recurring theme in Scripture (; ; ). It was only right that the local church show compassion to these women who were in need.
However, the church must be careful not to waste its resources on people who really are not in need. Whether we like to admit it or not, there are individuals and entire families that “milk” local churches, while they themselves refuse to work or to use their own resources wisely. As long as they can get handouts from the church, why bother to go to work?
Paul listed the qualifications a widow must meet if she is to be supported by the church.
Without human support (vv. , , “desolate”). If a widow had relatives they should care for her so that the church might use its money to care for others who have no help. If her own children were dead, then her grandchildren (the KJV translates them “nephews” in ) should accept the responsibility. When you recall that society in that day did not have the kind of institutions we have today—pensions, Social Security, retirement homes, etc.—you can see how important family care really was. Of course, the presence of such institutions today does not relieve any family of its loving obligations. “Honor thy father and thy mother” is still in the Bible (; ).
Suppose a relative is unwilling to help support his loved one? “He … is worse than an unbeliever!” was Paul’s judgment (, NIV; also see v. ). A missionary friend of mine, now with the Lord, came home from the field to care for her sick and elderly parents. She was severely criticized by some of her associates (“We should love God more than father and mother!”), but she remained faithful to the end. Then she returned to the field for years of fruitful service, knowing she had obeyed God. After all, we love God by loving His people; and He has a special concern for the elderly, the widows, and the orphans.
A believer with a faithful testimony (vv. ). The church could not care for all the widows in the city, but it should care for believers who are a part of the fellowship. We should “do good unto all … especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (). A widow the church helps should not be a self-indulgent person, seeking pleasure, but a godly woman who hopes in God and has a ministry of intercession and prayer. See for an example of a godly widow.
It has been my experience in three different pastorates that godly widows are “spiritual powerhouses” in the church. They are the backbone of the prayer meetings. They give themselves to visitation, and they swell the ranks of teachers in the Sunday School. It has also been my experience that, if a widow is not godly, she can be a great problem to the church. She will demand attention, complain about what the younger people do, and often “hang on the telephone” and gossip. (Of course, it is not really “gossip.” She only wants her friends to be able to “pray more intelligently” about these matters!) Paul made it clear () that church-helped widows must be “blameless”—irreproachable.
At least sixty years old (v. ). A woman of this age was not likely to get remarried in that day, though sixty is not considered that “old” today. Perhaps the verb “taken into the number” gives us a clue. It literally means “to be enrolled and put on the list.” The word was used for the enrollment of soldiers. The early church had an official list of the names of qualified widows, and we get the impression that these “enlisted” women ministered to the congregation in various ways. (Remember Dorcas and her widow friends, ?) Paul probably would have told us if they had been officially ordained as deaconesses.
A good marriage record (v. ). We have met this same requirement before, for bishops () and for deacons (). The implication is that the widow was not a divorced woman. Since younger widows were advised to remarry (), this stipulation cannot refer to a woman who had a temporary second marriage after the death of her husband. Faithfulness to one’s marriage vows is very important in the eyes of God.
A witness of good works (v. ). If a person is faithfully serving God, the light will shine and others will see it and glorify God (). “Brought up children” can refer either to a widow’s own children or the reference may be to orphans who needed a home. If it refers to her own children, then they would have to have died; otherwise the church would not support her. It is likely that the reference here is to the practice of rescuing abandoned children and raising them to know the Lord.
Hospitality is another factor, for this was an important ministry in those days when travel was dangerous and safe places to sleep were scarce. The washing of feet does not refer to a special ritual, but to the common practice of washing a guest’s feet when he arrived in the home (). It was not beneath this woman’s dignity to take the place of a humble servant.
“Relieved the afflicted” could cover many kinds of ministry to the needy: feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, encouraging the sorrowing, etc. Every pastor gives thanks for godly women who minister to the material and physical needs in the church. These widows were cared for by the church, but they, in turn, helped to care for the church.
The younger widows would technically be women under sixty years of age, but no doubt Paul had much younger women in mind. It was not likely that a fifty-nine-year-old woman would “bear children” if she remarried! () The dangers of travel, the ravages of disease, war, and a host of other things could rob a young wife of her husband. But Paul forbade Timothy to enroll the younger widows and put them under the care of the church.
The reasons for refusing them (vv. ). Because of their age, younger widows are naturally attracted to men and want to marry again. What is so bad about that? Paul seems to imply () that each of the widows enrolled pledged herself to remain a widow and serve the Lord in the church. This pledge must not be interpreted as a “vow of celibacy,” nor should we look on this group of ministering widows as a “special monastic order.” There seemed to be an agreement between the widows and the church that they would remain widows and serve the Lord.
There is another possible interpretation: These younger widows, if supported by the church, would have opportunities to “live it up” and find other husbands, most likely unbelievers. By marrying unbelievers, they would be casting off their first faith. However, I prefer the first explanation.
Paul does make it clear () that younger widows, if cared for by the church, would have time on their hands and get involved in sinful activities. They would get in the habit of being idle instead of being useful. They would gad about from house to house and indulge in gossip and be busybodies. There is a definite connection between idleness and sin.
Paul warned Timothy against using the “charity” ministry of the church to encourage people to be idle. The church certainly ought to assist those who really need help, but it must not subsidize sin. As a pastor, I have had to make decisions in these matters, and sometimes it is not easy.
Requirements for younger widows (vv. ). Moving from the negative, Paul listed the positive things he wanted the younger widows to do to be accepted and approved in the church. He wanted the younger widows to marry and have families. While not every person is supposed to get married, marriage is natural for most people who have been married before. Why remain in lonely widowhood if there was yet opportunity for a husband and a family? Of course, all of this would have to be “in the Lord” ().
“Be fruitful and multiply” was God’s mandate to our first parents (), so the normal result of marriage is a family. Those today who refuse to have children because of the “awfulness of the times” should check out how difficult the times were in Paul’s day! If Christians do not have children and raise them to live for God, who will?
“Guide the house” () literally means “rule the house.” The wife should manage the affairs of the household, and her husband should trust her to do so (). Of course, marriage is a partnership; but each partner has a special sphere of responsibility. Few men can do in a home what a woman can do. Whenever my wife was ill, or caring for our babies, and I had to manage some of the affairs of the home, I discovered quickly that I was out of my sphere of ministry!
The result of all this is a good testimony that silences the accusers. Satan (the adversary) is always alert to an opportunity to invade and destroy a Christian home. The word occasion is a military term that means “a base of operations.” A Christian wife who is not doing her job at home gives Satan a beachhead for his operations, and the results are tragic. While there are times when a Christian wife and mother may have to work outside the home, it must not destroy her ministry in the home. The wife who works simply to get luxuries may discover too late that she has lost some necessities. It may be all right to have what money can buy if you do not lose what money cannot buy.
How Christian wives and mothers manage their homes can be a testimony to those outside the church. Just as a pastor is to have a good reputation with outsiders (), and the servants are not to bring reproach on God’s Word (), so the wives are to have a good witness. Women may not be able to be elders of the church, but they can minister for the Lord right in their own homes. (See for an additional emphasis on this vital ministry.)
Paul then summarized the principle of each family caring for the needs of its own members (). Paul did not tell them how these widows should be relieved—giving them a regular dole, taking them into a home, giving them employment, etc. Each local assembly would have to decide this according to the needs of individual cases.
How does this principle apply to Christians today? Certainly we must honor our parents and grandparents and seek to provide for them if they have needs. Not every Christian family is able to take in another member, and not every widow wants to live with her children. Where there is sickness or handicap, professional care is necessary, and perhaps this cannot be given in a home. Each family must decide what God’s will is in the matter, and no decision is easy. The important thing is that believers show love and concern and do all they can to help each other.
The instructions in this section deal primarily with the elders, but the principles also apply to a pastor’s relationship with any officer in his church. It is a wonderful thing when the elders and deacons (and other officers) work together in harmony and love. It is tragic when a pastor tries to become a spiritual dictator (), or when an officer tries to be a preeminent “big shot” ().
Apparently Timothy was having some problems with the elders of the church at Ephesus. He was a young man and still had much to learn. Ephesus was not an easy place to minister. Furthermore, Timothy had followed Paul as overseer of the church, and Paul would not be an easy man to follow! Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20) shows how hard he had worked and how faithful he had been, and how much the elders loved Paul (). In spite of the fact that Paul had personally sent Timothy to Ephesus, the young man was having a hard time.
This situation may be the reason for Paul’s instruction about wine (). Did Timothy have stomach trouble? Was he ill because of his many responsibilities and problems? Or had he tried to follow the ideas of some ascetics (), only to discover that his diet was making him worse instead of better? We do not know the answers to all these questions; we can only read between the lines. It is worth noting that Paul’s mention of wine here is not an endorsement of the entire alcohol industry. Using wine for medicinal reasons is not an encouragement for social drinking. As we have seen, though the Bible does not demand total abstinence, it does denounce drunkenness.
Paul counseled Timothy in his relationship to the elders by discussing three topics:
Paying the elders (vv. ). In the early church, instead of one pastor, several elders ministered to the people. These men would devote themselves full-time to the work of the Lord, and, therefore, they deserved some kind of remuneration. In most congregations today, the elders are laymen who have other vocations, but who assist in the work of the church. Usually the pastoral staff are the only full-time workers in the church. (Of course, there are also secretaries, custodians, etc., but Paul was not writing about them.)
There were two kinds of elders in the church: ruling elders who supervised the work of the congregation; and teaching elders who taught the Word of God. These elders were chosen from the congregation on the basis of God’s call, the Spirit’s equipping, and the witness and work of the men themselves. After they were chosen, they were ordained and set apart for this ministry (; , ; ).
The local church needs both ruling and teaching. The Spirit gives the gifts of “helps” and “governments” to the church (). If a church is not organized, there will be wasted effort, money, and opportunities. If spiritually minded leaders do not supervise the various ministries of the local church, there will be chaos instead of order. However, this supervision must not be dictatorial. You do not manage the work of a local church in the same manner as you do a grocery store or a manufacturing plant. While a church should follow good business principles, it is not a business. The ruthless way some church leaders have pushed people around is a disgrace to the Gospel.
But ruling without teaching would accomplish very little. The local church grows through the ministry of the Word of God (). You cannot rule over babies! Unless the believers are fed, cleansed, and strengthened by the Word, they will be weak and useless and will only create problems.
Paul told Timothy to be sure that the leaders were paid adequately, on the basis of their ministries. He quoted an Old Testament law to prove his point (). (The best commentary on this is .) Then Paul added a statement from our Lord Jesus Christ: “The laborer deserves his wages” (, NIV). This was a common saying in that day, but Paul equated the words of Christ with Old Testament Scripture!
If pastors are faithful in feeding and leading the people, then the church ought to be faithful and pay them adequately. “Double honor” () can be translated “generous pay.” (The word honor is used as in “honorarium.”) It is God’s plan that the needs of His servants be met by their local churches; and He will bless churches that are faithful to His servants. If a church is not faithful, and its pastor’s needs are not met, it is a poor testimony; and God has ways of dealing with the situation. He can provide through other means, but then the church misses the blessing; or He may move His servant elsewhere.
The other side of the coin is this: A pastor must never minister simply to earn money (see ). To “negotiate” with churches, or to canvass around looking for a place with a bigger salary is not in the will of God. Nor is it right for a pastor to bring into his sermons his own financial needs, hoping to arouse some support from the finance committee!
Disciplining the elders (vv. ). Church discipline usually goes to one of two extremes. Either there is no discipline at all, and the church languishes because of disobedience and sin. Or the church officers become evangelical policemen who hold a kangaroo court and violate many of the Bible’s spiritual principles.
The disciplining of church members is explained in ; ; 1 Corinthians 5; ; ; ; ; ; and .
Paul in this passage () discussed the disciplining of church leaders. It is sad when a church member must be disciplined, but it is even sadder when a spiritual leader fails and must be disciplined; for leaders, when they fall, have a way of affecting others.
The purpose of discipline is restoration, not revenge. Our purpose must be to save the offender, not to drive him away. Our attitude must be one of love and tenderness (). In fact the verb restore that Paul used in means “to set a broken bone.” Think of the patience and tenderness involved in that procedure!
Paul’s first caution to Timothy was to be sure of his facts, and the way to do that is to have witnesses (). This principle is also stated in ; ; and . I think a dual application of the principle is suggested here. First, those who make any accusation against a pastor must be able to support it with witnesses. Rumor and suspicion are not adequate grounds for discipline. Second, when an accusation is made, witnesses ought to be present. In other words, the accused has the right to face his accuser in the presence of witnesses.
A church member approached me at a church dinner one evening, and began to accuse me of ruining the church. She had all sorts of miscellaneous bits of gossip, none of which was true. As soon as she started her tirade, I asked two of the officers standing nearby to witness what she was saying. Of course, she immediately stopped talking and marched defiantly away.
It is sad when churches disobey the Word and listen to rumors, lies, and gossip. Many a godly pastor has been defeated in his life and ministry in this way, and some have even resigned from the ministry. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” may be a good slogan for a volunteer fire department, but it does not apply to local churches. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” could possibly mean that somebody’s tongue has been “set on fire of hell!” ()
Paul’s second caution was that Timothy do everything openly and aboveboard. The under-the-counter politics of city hall have no place in a church. “In secret have I said nothing,” said Jesus (). If an officer is guilty, then he should be rebuked before all the other leaders (). He should be given opportunity to repent, and if he does he should be forgiven (). Once he is forgiven, the matter is settled and should never be brought up again.
Paul’s third caution () is that Timothy obey the Word no matter what his personal feelings might be. He should act without prejudice against or partiality for the accused officer. There are no seniority rights in a local church; each member has the same standing before God and His Word. To show either prejudice or partiality is to make the situation even worse.
Selecting and ordaining the elders (vv. ). Only God knows the hearts of everyone (). The church needs spiritual wisdom and guidance in selecting its officers. It is dangerous to impulsively place a new Christian or a new church member in a place of spiritual responsibility. Some people’s sins are clearly seen; others are able to cover their sins, though their sins pursue them (). The good works of dedicated believers ought to be evident, even though they do not serve in order to be seen by people ().
In other words, the church must carefully investigate the lives of potential leaders to make sure that there is nothing seriously wrong. To ordain elders with sin in their lives is to partake of those sins! If simply saying “Good-bye” (God be with you) to a heretic makes us partakers of his evil deeds (), then how much guiltier are we if we ordain people whose lives are not right with God?
No pastor or church member is perfect, but that should not hinder us from striving for perfection. The ministry of a local church rises and falls with its leadership. Godly leadership means God’s blessing, and that is what we want and need.
1 Timothy 6
This chapter continues Paul’s advice to Timothy on ministering to the various kinds of believers in the church. The atmosphere is military, for Paul used words that belong to the army: “Fight the good fight of faith” (). “I give thee charge” (, which is the same military term used in ). “Charge them that are rich” (). “O Timothy, keep [guard] that which is committed to thy trust” (). In other words, you might say Paul was the general, giving Timothy orders from the Lord, the Commander in Chief.
D.L. Moody did not want his soloist, Ira Sankey, to use “Onward, Christian Soldiers” in their evangelistic campaigns. Moody felt that the church he saw was very un like an army. If the average military man on our side in World War II had behaved toward his superiors and their orders the way the average Christian behaves toward the Lord, we probably would have lost the war! Instead of “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” someone has suggested that perhaps we ought to sing “Backward, Christian Soldiers.”
Paul instructed Timothy how to minister to four more groups in the church, and also how to keep his own life in the will of God.
Some historians have estimated that half of the population of the Roman Empire was composed of slaves. Many of these people were educated and cultured, but legally they were not considered persons at all. The Gospel message of salvation and freedom in Christ appealed to the slaves, and many of them became believers. (The word translated “servant” in the KJV New Testament usually means “slave.”) When slaves were able to get away from their household duties, they would fellowship in local assemblies where being a slave was not a handicap ().
But there was a problem: Some slaves used their newfound freedom in Christ as an excuse to disobey, if not defy, their masters. They needed to learn that their spiritual freedom in Christ did not alter their social position, even though they were accepted graciously into the fellowship of the church.
Slaves with unbelieving masters (v. ). No Christian master would consider his slaves “under the yoke,” but would treat them with love and respect (; ). For a slave to rebel against an unsaved master would bring disgrace on the Gospel. “The name of God” and His doctrine would be blasphemed (). This is one reason Paul and the early missionaries did not go around preaching against the sinful institution of slavery. Such a practice would have branded the church as a militant group trying to undermine the social order, and the progress of the Gospel would have been greatly hindered.
Slaves with believing masters (v. ). The danger here is that a Christian slave might take advantage of his master because both are saved. “My master is my brother!” a slave might argue. “Since we are equal, he has no right to tell me what to do!” This attitude would create serious problems both in the homes and in the churches.
Paul gave three reasons why Christian slaves should show respect for their believing masters and not take advantage of them. The most obvious reason is: Their masters are Christians (“faithful”=believing). How can one believer take advantage of another believer? Second, their masters are beloved. Love does not rebel or look for opportunities to escape responsibility. Finally, both master and servant benefit from obedience (“partakers of the benefit” can apply to both of them). There is a mutual blessing when Christians serve each other in the will of God.
I recall counseling a young lady who resigned from a secular job to go to work in a Christian organization. She had been there about a month and was completely disillusioned.
“I thought it was going to be heaven on earth,” she complained. “Instead, there are nothing but problems.”
“Are you working just as hard for your Christian boss as you did for your other boss?” I asked. The look on her face gave me the answer. “Try working harder,” I advised, “and show him real respect. Just because all of you in the office are saved doesn’t mean you can do less than your best.” She took my advice and her problems cleared up.
Paul had opened this letter with warnings about false teachers (), and had even refuted some of their dangerous teachings (). The spiritual leaders in the local church must constantly oversee what is being taught because it is easy for false doctrines to slip in (). A pastor I know discovered a Sunday School teacher who was sharing his “visions” instead of teaching God’s Word!
The marks of these false teachers (vv. ). The first mark is that they refused to adhere to “the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching” (, NIV). This teaching is godly and it promotes godliness. Isaiah’s first test of any teacher was, “To the Law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (). It is important that a church “hold fast the form of sound [healthy] words” ().
A second mark is the teacher’s own attitude. Instead of being humble, a false teacher is proud; yet he has nothing to be proud about because he does not know anything (; also ).
A believer who understands the Word will have a burning heart, not a big head (; and see ). This “conceited attitude” causes a teacher to argue about minor matters concerning “words” (). Instead of feeding on the “wholesome words of … Christ,” you might say he gets sick about questions. The word doting () means “filled with a morbid desire, sick.” The result of such unspiritual teaching is “envy, quarreling, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction” (, NIV).
The tragedy of all this is that the people are “robbed of the truth” (, NIV) while they think they are discovering the truth! They think that the weekly arguments in their meetings, during which they exchange their ignorance, are a means of growing in grace; meanwhile the result is a loss of character, not an improvement.
The motive for their teaching (vv. ). These false teachers supposed “that godliness is a way of financial gain” (literal translation). “Godliness” here () means “the profession of Christian faith” and not true holy living in the power of the Spirit. They used their religious profession as a means to make money. What they did was not a true ministry; it was just a religious business.
Paul was always careful not to use his calling and ministry as a means of making money. In fact, he even refused support from the Corinthian church so that no one could accuse him of greed (). He never used his preaching as “a cloak of covetousness” (). What a tragedy it is today to see the religious racketeers who prey on gullible people, promising them help while taking away their money.
To warn Timothy—and us—about the dangers of covetousness, Paul shared four facts:
Wealth does not bring contentment (v. ). The word contentment means “an inner sufficiency that keeps us at peace in spite of outward circumstances.” Paul used this same word later. “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (). True contentment comes from godliness in the heart, not wealth in the hand. A person who depends on material things for peace and assurance will never be satisfied, for material things have a way of losing their appeal. It is the wealthy people, not the poor people, who go to psychiatrists and who are more apt to try to commit suicide.
Wealth is not lasting (v. ). I like to translate this verse: “We brought nothing into this world because we can carry nothing out” (see ). When someone’s spirit leaves his body at death, it can take nothing with it because, when that person came into the world at birth, he brought nothing with him. Whatever wealth we amass goes to the government, our heirs, and perhaps charity and the church. We always know the answer to the question, “How much did he leave?” Everything!
Our basic needs are easily met (v. ). Food and “covering” (clothing and shelter) are basic needs; if we lose them, we lose the ability to secure other things. A miser without food would starve to death counting his money. I am reminded of the simple-living Quaker who was watching his new neighbor move in, with all of the furnishings and expensive “toys” that “successful people” collect. The Quaker finally went over to his new neighbor and said, “Neighbor, if ever thou dost need anything, come to see me, and I will tell thee how to get along without it.” Henry David Thoreau, the naturalist of the 1800s, reminded us that a man is wealthy in proportion to the number of things he can afford to do without.
The economic and energy crises that the world faces will probably be used by God to encourage people to simplify their lives. Too many of us know the “price of everything and the value of nothing.” We are so glutted with luxuries that we have forgotten how to enjoy our necessities.
The desire for wealth leads to sin (vv. ). “They that will be rich,” is the accurate translation. It describes a person who has to have more and more material things in order to be happy and feel successful. But riches are a trap; they lead to bondage, not freedom. Instead of giving satisfaction, riches create additional lusts (desires); and these must be satisfied. Instead of providing help and health, an excess of material things hurts and wounds. The result Paul described very vividly: “Harmful desires … plunge men into ruin and destruction” (, NIV). It is the picture of a man drowning! He trusted his wealth and “sailed along,” but the storm came and he sank.
It is a dangerous thing to use religion as a cover-up for acquiring wealth. God’s laborer is certainly worthy of his hire (), but his motive for laboring must not be money. That would make him a “hireling,” and not a true shepherd (). We should not ask, “How much will I get?” but rather “How much can I give?”
While caring for the needs of his people, Timothy needed to care for himself as well. “Take heed unto thyself” () was one of Paul’s admonitions. The phrase “But thou” () indicates a contrast between Timothy and the false teachers. They were men of the world, but he was a “man of God.” This special designation was also given to Moses (), Samuel (), Elijah (), and David (); so Timothy was in good company.
Paul gave four admonitions to Timothy that, if obeyed, would assure him success in his ministry and a continued testimony as “a man of God.”
Flee (v. ). There are times when running away is a mark of cowardice. “Should such a man as I flee?” asked Nehemiah (). But there are other times when fleeing is a mark of wisdom and a means of victory. Joseph fled when he was tempted by his master’s wife (), and David fled when King Saul tried to kill him (). The word “flee” that Paul used here did not refer to literal running, but to Timothy’s separating himself from the sins of the false teachers. This echoes the admonition in : “From such withdraw thyself.”
Not all unity is good, and not all division is bad. There are times when a servant of God should take a stand against false doctrine and godless practices, and separate himself from them. He must be sure, however, that he acts on the basis of biblical conviction and not because of a personal prejudice or a carnal party spirit.
Follow (v. ). Separation without positive growth becomes isolation. We must cultivate these graces of the Spirit in our lives, or else we will be known only for what we oppose rather than for what we propose. “Righteousness” means “personal integrity.”
“Godliness” means “practical piety.” The first has to do with character; the second, with conduct.
“Faith” might better be translated “faithfulness.” It has well been said that the greatest ability is dependability.
“Love” is the agape love that sacrifices for the sake of others. It seeks to give, not to gain.
“Patience” carries the idea of “endurance,” sticking to it when the going is tough. It is not a complacency that waits, but a courage that continues in hard places.
“Meekness” is not weakness, but instead is “power under control.” Courageous endurance without meekness could make a person a tyrant. Perhaps “gentleness” expresses the meaning best.
Fight (vv. ). The verb means “keep on fighting!” It is a word from which we get our English word agonize, and it applies both to athletes and to soldiers. It described a person straining and giving his best to win the prize or win the battle. Near the end of his own life, Paul wrote, “I have fought a good fight” ().
This “fight,” however, is not between believers; it is between a person of God and the enemy around him. He is fighting to defend the faith, that body of truth deposited with the church (see ). Like Nehemiah of old, Christians today need to have a trowel in one hand for building, and a sword in the other hand for batthng (). It is sad when some Christians spend so much time fighting the enemy that they have no time do to their work and build the church. On the other hand, if we do not stand guard and oppose the enemy, what we have built could be taken from us.
What is it that encourages us in the battle? We have “eternal life” and need to take hold of it and let it work in our experience. We have been called by God, and this assures us of victory. We have made our public profession of faith in Christ, and others in the church stand with us.
Another encouragement in our battle is the witness of Jesus Christ our Saviour. He “witnessed a good confession” () before Pontius Pilate and did not relent before the enemy. He knew that God the Father was with Him and watching over Him, and that He would be raised from the dead. It is “God who makes all things alive” (literal translation), who is caring for us, so we need not fear. Timothy’s natural timidity might want to make him shrink from the battle. But all he had to do was remember Jesus Christ and His bold confession, and this would encourage him.
Paul gave Timothy military orders: “I give thee charge” (, also ). He was to guard the commandment and obey it. Why? Because one day the Commander would appear and he would have to report on his assignment! The only way he could be ready would be to obey orders “without spot or blame” (, NIV).
The Greek word translated “appearing” () gives us our English word epiphany which means “a glorious manifestation.” In Paul’s day, the word was used in the myths to describe the appearing of a god, especially to deliver someone from trouble. Paul used it of the first coming of Jesus Christ () and of His return (, ). We do not know when Christ will come again, but it will be “in His own time” (, NIV) and He knows the schedule. Our task is to be faithful every day and abide in Him ().
The subject of is God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Ruler, though others may take the title. “Potentate” () comes from a word that means “power.” The kings and rulers of the earth may think they have power and authority, but God is sovereign over all (see Ps. 2).
“King of kings, and Lord of lords” () makes us think of Jesus Christ (; ); but here the title is applied to God the Father. Jesus Christ, of course, reveals the Father to us; so He can justly claim this title.
“Immortality” () means “not subject to death.” Man is subject to death, but God is not. Only God has immortality as an essential and inherent part of His being. He is “immortal, invisible, the only wise God” (). Because God is not subject to death, He is Life and the Giver of life. He is incorruptible and not subject to decay or change. In this life, believers are in mortal bodies; but when Jesus Christ returns, we shall share His immortality ().
Keep in mind that Paul explained all these truths about God in order to encourage Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith” and not give up. We need not fear life because God is the Ruler of all; and we need not fear death because He shares immortality with us.
Timothy lived in the godless city of Ephesus, but God dwells in glorious light. “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire” (). “Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment” (). John’s description of heaven emphasized the glory of God that gives light to the city (, ; ). Of course, light is a symbol of holiness (). God dwells apart from sin, and God is glorious in His holiness.
It is impossible for a sinful human to approach the holy God. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be accepted into His presence. Jacob saw God in one of His Old Testament appearances on earth (); and God allowed Moses to see some of His glory (). “No man hath seen God at any time” () refers to seeing God in His essence, His spiritual nature. We can only see manifestations of this essence, as in the person of Jesus Christ.
Why did Paul write so much about the person and glory of God? Probably as a warning against the “emperor cult” that existed in the Roman Empire. It was customary to acknowledge regularly, “Caesar is Lord!” Of course, Christians would say “Jesus Christ is Lord!” Only God has “honor and power everlasting” (). If Timothy was going to fight the good fight of faith, he had to decide that Jesus Christ alone was worthy of worship and complete devotion.
Be faithful (vv. ). God had committed the truth to Paul (), and Paul had committed it to Timothy. It was Timothy’s responsibility to guard the deposit and then pass it along to others who would, in turn, continue to pass it on (). This is God’s way of protecting the truth and spreading it around the world. We are stewards of the doctrines of the faith, and God expects us to be faithful in sharing His Good News.
The word science () does not refer to the kind of technology we know today by that name. “Knowledge falsely so called” is a better translation. Paul referred here to the teachings of a heretical group called “gnostics” who claimed to have a “special spiritual knowledge.” (The Greek word for “knowledge” is gnosis, pronounced NO-sis. An “agnostic” is one who does not know. A gnostic is one who claimed to know a great deal.)
There is no need to go into detail here about the heretical claims of the gnostics. Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written to counteract them. They claimed to have “special spiritual knowledge” from visions and other experiences. They also claimed to find “hidden truths” in the Old Testament Scriptures, especially the genealogies. They considered matter to be evil, and they taught that a series of “emanations” connected God with man. Jesus Christ, they said, was only the greatest of these emanations.
The gnostics actually had a doctrine that was a strange mixture of Christianity, Oriental mysticism, Greek philosophy, and Jewish legalism. Like many of the Eastern cults we see today, it offered “something for everybody.” But Paul summarized all that they taught in one devastating phrase: “profane and vain babblings.” Phillips translates it “the godless mixture of contradictory notions.”
Why should Timothy avoid these teachings? Because some who got involved in them “wandered from the faith” (, NIV). Not only will wrong motives (a desire for money) cause a person to wander from the faith (), but so will wrong teachings. These lies work their way into a person’s mind and heart gradually, and before he realizes it, he is wandering off the path of truth.
Paul had already written about the danger of the love of money, but he added a special “charge” for Timothy to give to the rich. We may not think that this charge applies to us, but it does. After all, our standard of living today would certainly make us “rich” in the eyes of Timothy’s congregation!
Be humble (v. ). If wealth makes a person proud, then he understands neither himself nor his wealth. “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is He that gives thee power to get wealth” (). We are not owners; we are stewards. If we have wealth, it is by the goodness of God and not because of any special merits on our part. The possessing of material wealth ought to humble a person and cause him to glorify God, not himself.
It is possible to be “rich in the world [age]” () and be poor in the next. It is also possible to be poor in this world and rich in the next. Jesus talked about both (). But a believer can be rich in this world and also rich in the next if he uses what he has to honor God (). In fact, a person who is poor in this world can use even his limited means to glorify God, and discover great reward in the next world.
Trust God, not wealth (v. ). The rich farmer in our Lord’s parable () thought that his wealth meant security, when really it was an evidence of insecurity. He was not really trusting God. Riches are uncertain, not only in their value (which changes constantly), but also in their durability. Thieves can steal wealth, investments can drop in value, and the ravages of time can ruin houses and cars. If God gives us wealth, we should trust Him, the Giver, and not the gifts.
Enjoy what God gives you (v. ). Yes, the word enjoy is in the Bible! In fact, one of the recurring themes in Ecclesiastes is, “Enjoy the blessings of life now, because life will end one day” (; , ; ; ; ). This is not sinful “hedonism,” living for the pleasures of life. It is simply enjoying all that God gives us for His glory.
Employ what God gives you (vv. ). We should use our wealth to do good to others; we should share; we should put our money to work. When we do, we enrich ourselves spiritually, and we make investments for the future (see ). “That they may lay hold on eternal life” () does not suggest that these people are not saved. “That they may lay hold on the life that is real” would express it perfectly. Riches can lure a person into a make-believe world of shallow pleasure. But riches plus God’s will can introduce a person to life that is real and ministry that is lasting.
Paul’s final sentence was not for Timothy alone, because the pronoun is plural: “Grace be with all of you.” Paul had the entire church in mind when he wrote this letter, and certainly all of the elders, not just Timothy. As leader of the church, Timothy needed to heed the word of the apostle; but all of his church members had a responsibility to hear and obey as well.
And so do we today.