5:2Men in the ministry can avoid improper attitudes toward women by treating them as family members. If men see women as fellow members in God's family, they will protect them and help them grow spiritually.
Life Application Study Bible1 TimothyChapter 5
1 Timothy 5
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 2062, 2063, 2064
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
51 Timothy 5
Advice about Widows, Elders, and Slaves
1Never speak harshly to an older man,* but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. 3Take care of* any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. 5Nowa true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. 6But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives. ’ Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. 8But those who won't care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. 9A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband.*!°She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly?* Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good? 11The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. ‘?Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. 12And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn't. 14So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. 15For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan. 16]f a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone. 17Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,* especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”"* 19Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. 20Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. 21I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone. 22Never be ina hurry about appointing a church leader.* Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often. 24Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be reveated until later. 251n the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.
Textual footnotes
Life Application Notes 6 notes
5:3ffPaul wanted Christian families to be as self-supporting as possible. He insisted that children and grandchildren take care of the widows in their families (5:4); he suggested that younger widows remarry and start new families (5:14); he ordered the church not to support lazy members who refused to work (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Nevertheless, when necessary, the believers pooled their resources (Acts 2:44-47); they gave generously to help disaster-ridden churches (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); they took care of a large number of widows (Acts 6:1-6). The church has always had limited resources and has always had to balance financial responsibility with generosity. It only makes sense for members to work as hard as they can and to be as independent as possible, so they can adequately care for themselves and for less fortunate members. When church members are both responsible and generous, everyone's needs will be met.
5:3-5Because there were no pensions, no social security, no life insurance, and few honorable jobs for women, widows were usually unable to support themselves. The responsibility for caring for the helpless naturally fails first on their families—the people whose lives are most closely linked with theirs. Paul stresses the importance of each family caring for the needs of its widows and not leaving it for the church. The church can then care for those widows who have no families. A widow who had no children or
5:21Church leadership is a heavy responsibility. As difficult as it might be, Timothy was not to waver on any of Paul’s instructions (and particularly the instructions about rebuking elders). Any needed disciptine or rebuke must be administered without regard to Timothy’s personal inclinations or favoritism. Likewise, leadership in the church today must be handled with maturity, faithfulness, godliness, and lack of favoritism. The health of a body of believers is far more important than playing favorites with someone who is not meeting the standards set forth here.
5:22,24,25Paul says that a church should never be in a hurry about choosing its leaders, especially the pastor, because major problems or sins might be overtooked. It is a serious responsibility to choose church leaders. They must have strong faith and be morally upright, having the qualities described in 3:1-13 and Titus
5:23itis unclear why Paul gave this advice to Timothy. Perhaps contaminated water had led to Timothy's indigestion, and so he should stop drinking only water. Whatever the reason, this statement is not an invitation to overindulgence or alcoholism.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 2063
women? Could you help match their gifts and abilities with your church's needs? Often their maturity and wisdom can be of great service in the church. 5:15 “Gone astray and now follow Satan” refers to the immoral conduct that identified these women with their pagan neighbors. 5:17 Preaching and teaching are closely related. Preaching is proclaiming the Word of God and confronting listeners with the truth of Scripture. Teaching is explaining the truth in Scripture, helping learners understand difficult passages, and helping them apply God’s Word to daily life. Paul says that these elders are worthy of double honar. Unfortunately, however, we often take them for granted by not providing adequately for their needs or by subjecting them to heavy criticism. Think of how you can honor your leaders who work hard at preaching and teaching. 5:17, 18 Faithful church leaders should be supported and appreciated. Too often they are targets for criticism because the congregation has unrealistic expectations. How do you treat your church leaders? Do you enjoy finding fault, or do you show your appreciation? Do they receive enough financial support to allow them to live without worry and to provide for the needs of their families? Jesus and Paul emphasized the importance of supporting those who lead and teach us (see Galatians 6:6 and the notes on Luke 10:7 and 1 Corinthians 9:4-10}. Our ministers deserve to know that we are giving to them cheerfully, gratefully, and generously. 5:19-21 Church leaders are not exempt from sin, faults, and mistakes. But they are often criticized for the wrong reasons— minor imperfections, failure to meet someone's expectations, personality clashes. Thus, Paul said that accusations should not even be heard unless two or three witnesses confirm them. Sometimes church leaders should be confronted about their behavior, and sometimes they should be rebuked. But all rebuking must be done fairly and lovingly and for the purpose of restoration.
other family members to support her was doomed to poverty. From the beginning, the church took care of its widows, who in turn gave valuable service to the church. The church should support those who have no families and should also help the elderly, young, disabled, ill, or poverty-stricken with their emotional and spiritual needs. Often families who are caring for their own helpless members have heavy burdens. They may need extra money, a listening ear, a helping hand, or a word of encouragement. Interestingly, those who are helped often turn around and help others, turning the church into more of a caring community. Don’t wait for people to ask. Take the initiative and look for ways to serve them. 5:8 Healthy homes remain the best possible training environment for children. When in comes to caring for relatives and honoring parents, children take most of their cues by watching how Mom and Dad honor the grandparents. If our children see the way we, as parents, care for our parents, they will understand the importance of such honor for us in the future. Healthy, practical honor becomes a priceless gift that one generation gives to another. Disrespect and lack of care provide harmful examptes that will eventually turn on us. The warning in the verse is ominous indeed. 5:9-16 Apparently some older widows had been “put on the list for support,” meaning that they had taken a vow committing themselves to work for the church in exchange for financial support. Paul lists a few qualifications for these church workers: These widows should be at least 60 years old, should have been faithful to their husbands, and should be well known for their kind deeds, Younger widows should not be inciuded in this group because they might desire to marry again and thus have to break their pledge (5:11, 12). Three out of four wives today eventually are widowed, so many of the older women in our churches have Jost their husbands. Does your church provide an avenue of service for these