1Timothy Study
Seattle Conference
October 7-9, 2011
10 Orderly Rulers (5:17-25)
11 Orderly Contentment (6:1-12)
12 Keep the Commandment (6:13-21)
1Timothy 5:17-25
5:17“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
Tit 1:5,7 shows that the words “elder” and “bishop” can be used interchangeably
Acts 20:28 The Greek word that is translated “bishop” in the pastoral epistles is translated “overseers.”
bishops = overseers = elders
“double honour” not appear elsewhere in scripture
Closest use of “honour” is 1Tim 5:3-4 where it means to financially support
5:18 makes clear that the concept is financial support
1Cor 9:5-14 The workers of the ministry are entitled to receive support.
Gal 6:6 Those who teach should be financially supported
The phrasing of this verse suggests that there are elders who do not labour in word or doctrine and yet receive financial support.
This means those elders are actually doing something.
5:17labour in word and doctrine
Ecc 12:12 Study involves labour
2Tim 2:15 Study involves work
1Th 5:12-13 The saint should esteem those that LABOUR
Esteem is not based upon position or preaching but labour in the word.
Most preaching does not actually include labour.
5:18“For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his reward.”
Deut 25:4
Luke 10:7
This suggests that Luke is written prior to 1Timothy.
5:19“Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.”
Deut 19:15 The OT standard of proof is two or three witnesses (2Cor 13:1)
This verse is not about the standard of proof but who must be present for the accusation to even be received.
6:12 makes clear that “before many witnesses” = in the presence of the witnesses
What 5:19 is really about is that you should not receive an accusation privately but in the presence of others.
This greatly discourages false accusations because the accuser’s credibility is now on the line. False accusations are far less likely if they are made publicly.
Having multiple witnesses also tends to mitigate subsequent disputes about exactly what was said.
This is the exact opposite of receiving anonymous accusations.
2Ti 3:3 The last days are filled with false accusation
Deut 19:15-21 When someone bears false witness, they should receive the punishment that would have been inflicted on the person falsely accused.
This could mean capital punishment for bearing false witness.
Society tolerates a lot of false witness today, much of it anonymous, and it is not a good thing.
5:20“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”
Q: What can this mean?
The church is full of saints who sin.
If you rebuked every saint who sinned, you wouldn’t have time to do anything else.
This is limited to accusationsagainst elders in 5:19 that are made and then proven.
The “sins” in view are those that would disqualify the bishop under 1Tim 3:2-7.
Notice that 1Tim 3:2-7 says “must be”
If an elder is guilty, it should be publicly declared.
It is healthy to fear evil and the consequences thereof.
2Tim 1:7 We don’t have a spirit of fear
2Tim 1:8 This lack of fear is with regard to men.
Php 1:14 We should not have fear that prevents us from speaking
Rom 3:18 Fear of God is good. (Eph 5:21, Col 3:22)
Pr 1:7 Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
2Cor 7:1 Fear of God leads to holiness
5:21“I charge [thee] before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,”
Paul charges Timothy before God b/c God is watching.
5:21“and the elect angels”
Angels watch the BOC.
1Cor 4:9 Paul was set forth as a spectacle unto angels
1Tim 3:15-16 The BOC today is seen of angels
Col 2:18 We cannot see angels today
2Th 1:7 Angels are revealed in the future
5:21“that thou observe these things without preferring one before another,”
Rom 12:10 You should prefer the brother over yourself but you should prefer all brothers the same
5:21“doing nothing by partiality”
The leader needs to be impartial.
Jam 2:1-4 One danger for an assembly is to show partiality toward the wealthy
There is a temptation to favor those who give the most
The fear is that you cannot afford to lose them from a financial standpoint.
In most churches, a few people do most of the giving.
5:22“Lay hands suddenly on no man”
Two possible meanings
- Don’t apprehend/confront a wrongdoer too quickly
- Don’t ordain someone into the ministry too quickly
The laying on of hands is used once in Paul's epistles to mean an arrest (Ac 21:27), and thus 5:22 could refer to the confrontation of a wrongdoer.
If so, then, Gal 6:1 would seem to explain the "partakers of other men's sins" phrase.
However, the confrontation interpretation seem wrong because
- When a saint is confronted about his bad behavior, it is not that he is apprehended or arrested by the other saints
- The immediately preceding reference to the laying on of hands is in 4:14, which refers to a man being ordained into the ministry.
5:22 is about not ordaining men into the ministry until they have been proven
1Tim 3:6,10 Let men be tested first before laying on hands.
5:22“neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.”
Two possible meanings.
1. You are responsible for the acts of those you precipitously ordain
2. Don’t participate in the sins of those around you
2Jo 1:11 The idea is that if you aid false teachers you are partaking in their evil deeds
What 1Tim 5:22 is saying is don’t quickly ordain people into the ministry because then you are responsible for the false teaching and trouble that they will cause.
“other men’s sins”
Eph 5:3-7 don’t participate in the sins of those around you
5:23“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.”
This is an incredibly popular verse and often used to defend alcohol consumption.
Observations on alcohol during the DOG
1Tim 5:23 seems to preclude teaching total abstinence during the DOG (“use a little wine”).
Deut 14:22-26 The OT explicitly approves of spending a tithe on wine or strong drink
DW: I have a hard time forbidding under grace that which the law permits.
Teaching total abstinence as a requirement is clearly wrong.
1Cor 15:56 The strength of sin is the law
The more you forbid, the more you empower sin.
Col 2:20-23
There is a difference between what you personally choose and what you teach as doctrine
There are a number of reasons that you could personally choose total abstinence based upon the scriptures (Pr 20:1)
Drinking wine is flirting with danger
5:23This verse is about a medicinal use of wine to address physical infirmities.
Eph 5:18 Be not drunk.
1Tim 3:8, Tit 2:3 Use of much wine disqualifies from office.
Rom 14:21 Don't make your brother stumble through use of wine.
5:24“Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some [men] they follow after.”
The world says “what goes around, comes around" or believes in karma, which is essentially that you get back what you give.
This concept is not always true in an earthly sense.
It is true in the sense of God's justice but not necessarily in this life.
There is no guarantee that the wrongs of this life are corrected in this life.
1Co 3:13 God's word shall try all works and make the truth clear.
1Co 4:1-5
5:25“Likewise also the good works [of some] are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.”
Eph 5:13 God shall shine light upon all that men have done.
Don’t get too caught up in how things look right now.
6:1“Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all
honour, that the name of God and [his] doctrine be not blasphemed.”
It is easy to resent our earthly masters – after all, they are sinners.
Eph 6:5-8 Serve your master with singleness of heart b/c you are really serving Christ.
You serve your master not because of their inherent worthiness of being served but out of obedience to Christ.
Sound doctrine is blasphemed by bad behavior.
Rom 2:23-24
Tit 2:5
This is yet another proof that the JSC is an evaluation not just of the believer’s doctrine but his walk.
6:2“And they that have believing masters, let them not despise [them], because they are brethren; but rather do [them] service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.”
despise = to hold a low opinion of
“because they are brethren”
The servant who has a master that is a believer might have a very low opinion of his master, thinking that the master out of obedience to the scriptures ought to set the servant free.
Thus, the servant is expressly told not to despise the master who is a believer.
Operating under grace means giving the brother freedom to make a different decision than you would without resenting him for it.
Philemon example
Rom 14:1-5 Do not resent the brother who has different convictions
diet, observing holydays, servants, etc.
In any business or organization, decisions have to be made. Not everyone will agree with those decisions. The servant is not to have a grumbling, complaining attitude.
Php 2:14
6:3“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;”
1Cor 14:37 What Paul wrote was the words of the LJC
6:3There is a doctrine according to godliness.
Ps 12:1 godly = faithful
When scripture uses parallelism in this manner, it is teaching you synonyms.
Pr 31:10
Pr 20:5,6 The male equivalent of the virtuous woman is the faithful man
The way to be godly today is to be faithful to the truth.
Q: What produces godliness?
1Tim 4:6-7, Tit 1:1
Godliness is based upon doctrine.
God-like-ness comes from thinking like God
6:3Legalists believe godliness is based upon:
rules
the nurturing of character qualities
outward behavior
Matt 23:27 Beautiful outward appearance.
Lots of things look nice that are not real.
There is no true godliness apart from sound doctrine, irrespective of what it looks like.
6:4“He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,”
This is what happens when one rejects Pauline doctrine.
People that do not operate according to sound doctrine are PROUD.
6:4“knowing nothing”
1Cor 14:37 "think himself to spiritual"
in other words, he is not.
1Cor 14:38 Rejecting Paul's doctrine is IGNORANCE.
“Anyone who teaches otherwise, and does not devote himself to sound precepts – that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ – and to good religious teaching, is a pompous ignoramus with a morbid enthusiasm for mere speculations and quibbles” (1Tim 6:3-4 Revised English Bible)
6:4“doting about questions and strifes of words”
People who reject Paul's doctrine will
quibble about what the “original” said
quibble about what Greek words mean
find ways to deny what the verses literally say
6:4When people dote about questions and strifes of words, it inevitably leads to:
envy
1Cor 13:4 charity envieth not
strife – this is abundant in churchianity
2Tim 2:14 men strive about words to no profit
Tit 3:9
Isa 28:9-10 True Bible study is not quibblings about words but comparing verse with verse
1Cor 13:5 charity is not easily provoked
railings = clamoring with insulting language, uttering reproachful words
evil surmisings
surmise = to suspect; to imagine without certain knowledge; to entertain thoughts that something does or will exist, but upon slight evidence
1Cor 13:5 Charity thinketh no evil
1Cor 13:7 believeth all things, hopeth all things
The common thread of what is described in 1Ti 6:4 is an absence of charity.
When you reject Paul’s doctrine, you end up lacking in charity.
What is ironic is that those who are indifferent to sound doctrine, say that we should set aside doctrine and just love one another.
The truth, of course, is that those who oppose sound doctrine are greatly lacking in charity.
6:5“Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”
2Cor 11:3 People's minds are corrupted away from the simplicity of Christ.
2Tim 3:8 corrupt minds are reprobate concerning the faith
“destitute of the truth”
This is being penniless as to the truth.
6:5“supposing that gain is godliness”
The way the world tries to identify godliness is to first look for gain.
“God must be blessing that church because look how fast it is growing.”
The world looks for:
- increased attendance
- increased offerings
- more programs
As we will see, it is error to suppose that gain is godliness.
6:5“from such withdraw thyself”
2Th 3:6 You are to withdraw from a brother who walks disorderly, not after the way of truth.
Debates are not productive.
Rom 1:29 debate is a form of unrighteousness
6:6“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
False ViewTrue view
gain → godlinessgodliness w/ contentment→ gain
(size)(edification)
When you don't measure your ministry by the Book, you will use an earthly standard, such as numbers.
You will then manage your ministry to accomplish a goal different from the scriptures.
The world views gain as size, popularity, numbers.
God views godliness with contentment as gain, even if there are no numbers.
Not only are most ministries not a success – they don't even understand what it means to be a success. They have the wrong definition and thus focus on the wrong things.
6:7“For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.”
Don't become concerned about stuff.
Job 1:21 naked came I and naked shall I return
Ecc 5:15-16 man can take nothing of his labour with him
Luke 12:20-21
6:8“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
"Keeping up with the Joneses"
This is the contentment of verse 6.
All you need to be materially content is just food and clothing.
Even the poorest in Americanearly always have food & clothing.
Godliness + contentment = great gain
Contentment = food + raiment + attitude
1Cor 4:11 Paul was often hungry and naked
2Co 11:27 same
Acts 20:33 Paul went without nice clothing.
Php 4:11 Contentment is not based upon one’s state.
6:9“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
"they that will be rich" – this is a mindset
If you focus on getting rich, you will face temptations and snares that you would not otherwise face.
In pastoral epistles, two mentions of snare and both connected to the devil.
1Ti 3:7
2Ti 2:26
2Cor 4:4 Satan is the god of this world
Therefore, the world is designed to have lots of things that seem desirable and will attract our attention and whose real purpose is to draw us away from the truth.
1Cor 7:5 Satan tempts people not in putting specific people in your path but in designing a world that has a certain course to it
Eph 2:2
6:10“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
ALL, a. awl. [Gr. Shemitic from calah, to be ended or completed to perfect.]
1. Every one, or the whole number of particulars.
2. The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength. This word signifies then, the whole or entire thing, or all the parts or particulars which compose it. It always precedes the definitive adjectives, the, my, thy, his, our, your, their; as, all the cattle; all my labor; all thy goods; all his wealth; all our families; all your citizens; all their property.
This word, not only in popular language, but in the scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part. Thus, all the cattle in Egypt died; all Judea and all the region round about Jordan; all men held John as a prophet; are not to be understood in a literal sense, but as including a large part or very great numbers.
Gen 6:13, 6:17 “all” in these verses does not mean every one
Matt 21:26
all= a large portion of, the vast majority of
This verse is not saying that the love of money is the cause of every single evil act, but it is the cause of much of the evil that is done.
The issue here is the LOVE of money. It is the mental attitude toward money not the money itself.
6:10Q: What is coveting?
A: Rom 7:7 It is lust.
This is one illustration of the scripture telling you that two terms mean the same thing.
Eph 5:5 A covetous man is an idolator.
Idolatry is worshipping something else other than God in place of God.
Matt 6:24 You cannot serve God and mammon.
2Tim 3:1-2 The last times are characterized by
1. self-esteem
2. lusts (sex, materialism, etc.)