1 Timothy (Written)

Friday, 12 January 2018

Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 1 Timothy 5:1

The term translated here as “older man” is the same Greek word used to speak of an elder within the church. Though there is disagreement, the NKJV is probably correct in stating “older man.” The word can mean either; and the likelihood, based on the feminine word being used of an older woman in the next verse, surely settles the matter.

Timothy is being asked to not rebuke an older man, using a word which signifies “to strike at in a vulnerable place.” Thus it figuratively means to sharply rebuke someone with insensitive or brutal words. The older men in the church may have come from a long life of debauchery or licentiousness. Old ways are hard to let go of, and so Paul asks Timothy to be sensitive towards an older man, and to “exhort him as a father.”

Unless one is perverse, he will not lash out at his own father. Instead, he will be kind to him and willing to put up with his failures. He is, after all, the one who raised the son, even if in a failing manner. To establish this now, at the beginning of the church age, Paul writes this to Timothy, and it is expected to be followed though with by all pastors at all times.

Finally, he directs him to exhort “younger men as brothers,” In other words, just as a normal person would treat their own brother, so should pastors treat the younger men of the church. There is no point in being harsh to brothers in Christ, because we truly are “brothers” in Christ. It is for this reason that Paul now admonishes Timothy.

Having said this, if someone is openly sinning in the church, there are other guidelines which are to be followed in order to bring them back into the fold, or have them excommunicated.

Life application: If you have a pastor who openly rebukes people in church for no valid reason, you should probably find a new pastor. He is not being careful to follow the guidelines laid out here by Paul.

Heavenly Father, it truly is a delight to fellowship with other Christians, but there are those who can wear us down as well. Grant us patience to deal with them, and not to become unhinged too quickly. Help us to be gracious, patient, and thus pleasing in Your eyes as we deal with those who are a bit rough around the social edges. Amen.

Thursday, 11 January 2018

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16

Paul now closes out Chapter 4 with words which support what he has already said a few verses ago. He begins with, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.” Scholars generally agree that it should say “to the teaching” rather than “to the doctrine.” What is noteworthy is that Paul implores Timothy to first take heed to himself. If he cannot tend to himself, then his teaching of others would naturally be faulty as well. The words of Paul are always logical and orderly.

Next he says, “Continue in them.” Taking heed to oneself, and right teaching for the man of God, are things that are never to be set aside. Rather, pursuing these things should be a daily practice. In our walk with the Lord, there is nothing static. We are either moving forward in right conduct, or we are moving backward. This is what Paul is saying to Timothy here.

Finally, he closes out the verse with, “for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” The words appear to be pointing to works-based salvation, but that is not the case at all. In teaching right doctrine, those who are taught will be saved (if they choose to accept God’s gracious offer in Christ). In caring for the salvation of others, a minister is demonstrating that he cares for his own salvation. It is the gospel which brings salvation to men. Paul is ensuring that Timothy understands that he has an enormous responsibility in teaching the word.

Life application: Right doctrine really matters. If false teachings are introduced into a church, those who have not yet come to Christ, and are led astray by these teachings, will never be saved. What a terrible burden to bear… all for the sake of being unwilling to study and show oneself approved in that which is proper.

Lord God, thank you for Your kind hand upon us. You lavish your creatures with blessings unimaginable, and you meet our needs according to Your wisdom. We so very much appreciate all You do for us. Help us to let our gratitude shine forth by telling others about the wonderful and eternal blessings which are found in Christ our Lord. Praises to You in the highest. Amen.

Wednesday, 10 January 2018

Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 1 Timothy 4:15

The Greek word translated as “meditate” is used only here and in Acts 4:25 where “the people plot vain things.” In classical Greek, it gives the sense of attending to something carefully. Thus, by implication, it would be to revolve something around in the mind – meditate, ponder, imagine, etc. Paul is asking Timothy to be diligent in caring for the things he has been instructed in, and to think on them constantly.

He then says to, “give yourself entirely to them.” Paul’s obvious intent is that Timothy was not to merely have head knowledge of these things, but to put them into action, devoting his time and energy, completely and wholly, to accomplishing them. The more distractions he allowed into his life, the less effective he would be in being the example that Paul has so carefully admonished him to be.

And the reason again is obvious. Paul follows up with, “that your progress may be evident to all.” The spiritual growth of a pastor is something that should be lifelong. There should be no time that he is not moving forward in the faith. If he stagnates, then those he teaches will likewise stagnate. It is for this reason that Paul had just told him to not neglect the gift that is in him.

Life application: The job of a pastor who cares about his responsibilities is a tiring and difficult job. If it appears that he is beginning to stagnate, it may be that he is having trials that he is keeping to himself. It is always a good thing to have an attentive eye on how he is progressing, and to offer a sympathetic ear to his situation. A trusted confidant is a valuable thing for his position. Maybe you are the one to be such a person.

Lord God, Your word implores pastors to ponder right doctrine always, to give themselves entirely to their labors, and to always move forward with those he leads. Help each of us to make this possible by supporting our pastor’s needs, giving encouragement as necessary, and keeping an eye on times when he seems to be struggling. Whether a little church on the hill, or a big church in the city, help us to be aware of the needs of the one who leads our church. Amen.

Tuesday, 9 January 2018

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 1 Timothy 4:14

Paul – after telling his young protege Timothy to be an example to the believers, and to give attention to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine – now reminds him to “not neglect the gift that is in you.”

Based on an analysis of the word translated as “gift” here, this is surely not referring to something that was uniquely endowed to him at the time Paul will mention next, but it is the whole body of who he is as a person, recognized as such by those who ordained him. It is referring to his life as created by God, his circumstances, his training as a youth, his growth into an adult, his meeting Paul and being mentored by him, and so on. All of this was recognized as his gift that was found in him. For a very thorough study of this, refer to the commentary on this verse by Albert Barnes.

It is this concept of the whole person that “was given to you by prophecy.” In other words, the elders saw this young man’s qualifications, and they pronounced over him that he was suitable to the task of being an elder, with all that the job entails – and which Paul has been carefully detailing to him once again – and they noted this when they laid their hands on him. The laying of the hands did not impart this gift. Rather, it was an acknowledgment that it existed, and that it would be exactly what was needed for the church to move forward.

This recognition was noted “with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.” This act was a formal pronouncement, and a solemn act which acknowledged the gift in Timothy, and that it was now to be set apart for the glory of the Lord. The laying on of hands is an act, like baptism, which is intended to relay a truth to the world of a certain state of things. One is not saved through baptism, nor do they receive any special gift at the time of baptism. A careful study of the descriptive verses concerning baptism in Acts, and Paul’s prescriptive letters to the church, will clearly show this. The same is true with Timothy’s ordination here.

Having said that, there was certainly a divinely inspired selection of Timothy by Paul. The leading of Paul to Timothy is recorded in Scripture, and the marvelous father/son relationship which grew up between them is carefully noted for us to see and understand that the Lord was behind them coming together. It is a beautiful thing to read and understand, because through such things, we can then look back on our own lives and see how God has woven them together in a similar fashion. What at times may have seemed out of control, is later realized to be perfectly orchestrated by the Lord.

Life application: We are all a product of the many variables which wove our life together. Because of this, we all have a gift which we can use for God’s glory. This should be sought out and fanned into flame so that our particular abilities are properly used and not neglected. This is what Paul is reminding Timothy, and this is what we should pursue in our own lives.

Lord God, You have given each of us unique abilities as gifts of who we are. In Christ, we should use our gifts to Your glory. And so help us not to squander out time and our energy on that which is vain, but instead to fan our gifts into flame and let them be used as is befitting of the people of God that we are because of Christ. May it be so, and to Your glory! Amen.

Monday, 8 January 2018

Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 1 Timothy 4:13

Paul’s words, “Till I come,” give the hope of the apostle that he would, in fact, be coming to Ephesus at some point. He has already said once, in verse 3:14, that this was his intent. However, due to his absence, there was a need for doctrine to be established and maintained, and there was the need for Timothy to be the one to ensure that it was properly laid out for the people. And so Paul gives him three specific exhortations to ensure things would operate properly. The first is that he was to “give attention to reading.”

The public reading of Scripture was something practiced in synagogue, and that then carried over to the church. In Luke 4, it is recorded that Jesus read openly from the book of Isaiah “as His custom was.” In other words, there was a public reading of the Scriptures which was followed with words of explanation or instruction. This is then repeated in Acts 13. The Scriptures were read, and then Paul stood to speak. In 2 Corinthians 3:14, Paul mentions this same practice as well. Now he explicitly instructs Timothy to carry on this practice. Thus it shows us that it is something which is expected in all churches. The Scriptures are to be read, and then they are to be explained.

Next he says, “to exhortation.” The Greek word gives the sense of “holy urging.” It “is used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out His plan, delivering His particular message to someone else” (HELPS Word Studies). In context, it can refer to exhortation, warning, encouraging, and comforting. A modern “life-application” sermon might be used for exhortation.

And finally Paul notes, “for doctrine.” The Greek signifies instruction and teaching. It is properly applied teaching which then extends to necessary lifestyle modifications.

These things Paul specifically instructs Timothy to do. They are intended for the soundness of the church, and for the well-being of the congregants. To be deficient in any area, will then lead to a congregation which is not sound, and which can be easily swayed merely by a change in leadership. And how many times does this come to pass! One pastor moves out, and another moves in and changes the core doctrines of the church while the congregants stew in an unholy broth. This occurs because there was not the application of reading, exhortation, and doctrine all along.

Life application: The Bible is the word of God. Unless it is read and taught constantly and properly, there will be a sad void in the soundness of a congregation. Within a single changeover of leadership, the people can go from adherence to God’s word, to accepting perversion and false teachings. History has shown this to be true time and time again. Beware! Stand on the word! Follow the sound path of Scripture! Pursue Christ!

Lord, Your word is like a treasure chest filled with the greatest of riches. But treasure is absolutely worthless if it is at the bottom of the ocean, buried in an unknown location, or even sitting in a room with us – if the lock is still on the box. How many Bibles are lost in a pile of other books, covered in ages of dust, or simply carried to and from church, but never opened? All of the treasure… uselessly wasted for lack of initiative – on the part of church leaders, on the part of God’s people, on the account of seeking other riches in landfills of garbage. How we waste the true riches! Change our hearts, and open our minds to the radiant glory which issues forth from Your superior word. Please effect this change in us. Amen.