Verse 1. "All who are under the yoke as slaves are to
regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and
our doctrine will not be spoken against."
Paul the Apostle wrote this letter to Pastor Timothy, a younger
man left behind when Paul responded to God's call and traveled by ship across
the Aegean Sea to Europe. Timothy had been put in charge of
the churches at Ephesus in Asia and Paul is writing with instructions about how
best to lead and serve the church. In this letter we are given an
excellent look into the mind of Paul, a man led by the Holy Spirit, as to how he
felt the church should function. Paul has been asked about the master-slave
relationship, a common part of the world at that time.
New converts to Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, were learning
much about the Bible (the Old Testament) and they had heard or read many of
the words of Jesus. Psalm 146:7 reveals, "The Lord sets the prisoners
free..." Jesus said, "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"
(John 8:36). Paul said in another place, "The law of the Spirit of life
has set you free in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 8:2). Believers in Christ
were asking Timothy, "Does this mean we are free from our earthly "masters."
Paul is saying, "No" to that question. In fact, new converts to Christ who
were slaves, and most in that culture were slaves, were to "regard their own
masters as worthy of all honor." It was intended the "masters" would see the change in
their servants and be drawn to believe in Christ themselves.
Verse 2. "Those who have believers as their masters must
not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them
all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.
Teach and preach these principles."
How was the Christian slave to act toward his "master," if his
master had trusted in the Lord? We are to "love one another" and can "know
that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers" (1 John
3:11-14). Since the slave and the master are brothers in Christ, are they now
equals in the mind of the Lord and in the sight of the church? Paul is
saying here that in the mind and heart of the Lord, the two are equally loved,
but in relation to society, the outward relationship would probably remain the
same as it was.
The world is watching us, seeing flaws in our behavior and
lives that might not even occur to us, and they are deciding whether or not to
trust in Christ based on what we do. They look at us to see if we conform
to the accepted standards of the time, and they judge us to see if we
follow God's Word. Society deems it appropriate that earthly workers
should respect their bosses. And we are to do so even if they are Christian
brothers (and sisters) in the Lord.
Verse 3. "If anyone advocates a different doctrine
and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with
the doctrine conforming to godliness,"
Paul is actually referring here to his entire letter, called
the letter of First Timothy, but he is especially speaking about the verses
surrounding this one. We are to be respectful of human authorities.
Do we say to our President or King, if we happen to meet them, "Hey buddy, How
are you doing?" Or do we address them as "Mr. President" or "Your
Majesty?" In response to Paul's statement in Verse 1, we are to regard our
leaders "as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and
our doctrine will not be spoken against."
God, through Paul in these verses is telling us what is at
stake: If we are respectful to human authorities, our behavior will tend to
encourage others to trust in Jesus Christ. Life is not merely about your
opinions or mine and it's not only about our feelings. It's much more. We can count for the Lord if we respond
to His Word. Our lives can matter deeply if we are in accord with His
will. And how it matters is found in our regard for others. If we
love them, we will show them respect for the offices they hold (Romans 13:7).
Verse 4. "he is conceited and understands nothing;
but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about
words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,"
Again, Paul in the verses of this context refers to the
entire letter of First Timothy in which we are warned to watch out for false teachers,
to receive and share Christ, to pray, to appoint the right people to church offices, and
it is about caring for the needy, such as widows in the church. The immediate context
is about respect. We are to be respectful of those who are in authority,
whether they know the Lord or not. Our respectful LIVES will draw others
to God.
And how to we treat the "masters"
of Verses 1 and 2 if they are cruel to us? Do we necessarily quit our jobs
or yell back at our supervisors or call the authorities? There are times
when such actions indeed are appropriate. But Paul is telling us to be very
slow to respond in anger and be quick to show honest respect - for their office,
if nothing else. Peter spoke on this subject also and he said, "Servants,
be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle,
but also to the unjust" (1 Peter 2:18). Even if they are unkind,
respond with respect.
Verse 5. "and constant friction between men of
depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a
means of gain."
There truly are people who go into the ministry thinking only
of income, fame, power and whatever else it might bring to them. They "suppose
that godliness is a means of gain." "Gain"
is not the reality for most in ministry.
The truth about full-time service is that when you respond to the call of God
and agree with Him and serve Him in the manner of His choosing, you are actually
taking what is called a "vow of poverty." Yes, some are financially
well-off who are in the ministry, but most are not.
When God calls and we respond, it often means that we must not
only be in full-time ministry, but have a full-time secular job as well.
Or our spouse must work, or we must already have some kind of pension from a
previous career. God can provide for you and He will do so, but it is
seldom in the manner we expect. And if we disagree with these statements of
Paul, bringing "friction" into our relationships with
others, it demonstrates that we are "deprived of the truth."
We are to pray about what we do and why it is we do it.
Lord, we know You are leading us in what we should do,
what we should say, but often we do not hear. Help us to hear, help us to
respond to You and to one another, in love and also with respect. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Verse 6. "But godliness actually is a means of
great gain when accompanied by contentment."
Some have read this verse, discovering that "godliness
actually is a means of great gain," but have ignored its context.
In Verse 8, we find the Holy Spirit through Paul, telling us that "if
we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." He
continues, "those who want to get rich fall into temptation"
(Verse 9), and in Verse 10, we are told that "the love of
money is a root of all sorts of evil." Money can be a help to ministry,
but it can also bring us to "ruin," as we
will see in Verse 9.
Those are strong words, but the "great
gain" of this verse has little to do with money. Our "great
gain"
is "the fruit of the Spirit," glimpsed in places
like Galatians 5:22 & forward, which include, "love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (and)
self-control." You can be rich with money, but
empty inside. You can be beautiful in appearance, but dead in your soul.
The "godliness" offered by our Lord is indeed "great
gain" - you will know "contentment" deep in
your soul.
Verse 7. "For we have brought nothing into the world,
so we cannot take anything out of it either."
The man, Job, in the Old Testament, suffered sudden,
unspeakable loss, and in relation to it, managed to say, "Naked
I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the
Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).
He had been a rich man who had children and he suddenly lost - everything. He understood life
like Paul the Apostle did. Our wealth, our possessions, even our human
relationships may be satisfying, but there is no permanent satisfaction in them.
Whatever we have has been given to us by Almighty
God. Thinking back on our lives, it's not necessary to remember being in
the womb, but it is certain that we possessed nothing during those months.
We merely lived and received - everything. And it's the same when we leave
this earth. We were merely the holders of a temporary lease on life.
Even our own bodies really belong to God. Only our faith in Him will last.
Verse 8. "If we have food and covering, with these we
shall be content."
Paul recognized that our income, our possessions, our health,
our relationships have all come from God. We own nothing, even though we
may have paperwork that says a house or some other property belongs to us. It
really is God's property and we just live in it for a time. When
we are honest we realize that even our human bodies are not "ours" - we were
created, body and soul, for the purposes and out of the love that comes from
God.
I had a teacher in seminary who taught the Bible and made his
living from it, but he did not seem to believe what he taught. His classes
were much more a criticism of the Bible than anything else. One time,
after reviewing one of my term papers, he sneered at me, saying, "I bet you're
one of those people who believes that if God guides, God provides;" he then
turned and walked away. I remember his words clearly and the truth is,
after decades of thinking about it, yes I do believe. As I look back,
there were times I had nothing, and yet God always provided "food
and covering" for me and my children, and because of Him, I have learned
to be "content."
Verse 9. "But those who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men
into ruin and destruction."
There actually is nothing wrong with being wealthy.
Abraham was a very wealthy man. So was David the King, the former shepherd
boy. One of the Weyerhaeuser brothers felt that he was called by God to be
wealthy so he could give large sums of money to worthy causes, and he did give
90% of his income in such a manner. Proverbs 3:9 teaches, "Honor the Lord
with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce..."
But there is danger. The "rich" do have resources
enabling them to do things that other people cannot do. A great
"temptation" the rich can "fall into" is to become proud. Wealth, whether
through inheritance, hard work or winning the lottery, is a gift from God
intended for His purposes in this world, such as helping those who have less.
How many have entered lives of "ruin and destruction"
which would not have
happened except they had the money to do it? - The answer is that the love of
money is indeed a "snare." Whether you have money or not, learn to pray
about what you spend it on - He intends to lead you and help you in all areas of
your life, including your money.
Verse 10. "For the love of money is a root of all
sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs."
Many of us in the body of Christ, the church, have experienced
surprising financial reversals in our lives. When it happens, the tendency
is to shout, "Why me, Lord?" and think we are somehow defective. Actually
we ARE "defective," each in our own way. As Scripture puts it: "ALL have
sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But God has
surprising good
purposes in store for us when financial and other troubles are allowed in our lives.
There are many ways to deal with financial losses. Some
work harder in response or take a second or even a third job. Others buy
lottery tickets and some turn to lives of crime. Notice in this verse that
it is not "money" that is "a root of...
evil," but instead money tends to be
loved by people to the extent where it becomes literally an idol, a thief that
steals our trust in God. Indeed, "some by longing for it have wandered
away from the faith," piercing themselves and their families "with many griefs."
Lord, whether we have money or not, we look to Your will
for our lives. Help us to understand that every good thing is from You.
Reveal Your will for our resources and give us the courage to respond to Your
will. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - 1 Timothy 6:11-15
Verse 11. "But flee from these things, you man of
God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and
gentleness."
The writer of this letter shouts through the written words of
these verses to Timothy, the young man Paul had placed in charge of the churches at
Ephesus when the Apostle sailed to Europe. We have seen that God intends
to heal us of the "love of money" mentioned in Verse 10. Note that most
people, in grappling with a desire for money, tend to prefer effort over faith.
Actually, both faith in God and effort are necessary in most human situations, but if
the things of God are lacking in us, He will often withhold money,
looking to our improvement in other areas.
Some of those areas are listed in this verse. Included
are "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness," with
the latter also translated as "meekness." All of those attributes are
misunderstood by a world that rejects our Lord. Each of us is to be "a man
(or woman) of God" who becomes willing to have faith in
the Lord instead of merely trusting in
ourselves. Withdrawing the security of money can contribute to the
growth of "righteousness" within.
Verse 12. "Fight the good fight of faith;
take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the
good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
"Fight the good fight" is better translated "be a good
contestant," referring to the contestants in the Olympic Games of that time.
Those who sought the prizes in sports such as wrestling, chariot racing or foot
racing, would "carry on the contest" until a winner was announced. This
context in Paul's letter is about "faith," in which the faith of a man or woman
is pitted against the bullets of unbelief fired at all of us by the enemy.
The reference to taking "hold of eternal life"
alludes
to the great HOPE offered us in Christ, and the glory of it is that YOU are
being called to "eternal life," just like Timothy and Paul. It is
wonderful, by the way, that like Timothy, our confession of Christ is not
merely a private act. We are called to publically confess our Lord, and
those who encounter us are "witnesses" to the good work God is doing in us.
In Romans 10:9, two actions are required of us - You are to "confess with your
mouth the Lord Jesus" and also "believe in your heart that God raised Him from
the dead." If you do so, "you WILL be saved."
Verse 13. "I charge you in the presence of God, who
gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good
confession before Pontius Pilate,"
For someone to be charged "in the presence of God" is to add
a dimension in life that is not only very important, but it also leads us on the
path to JOY.
Timothy, the recipient of this letter sent by Paul, was in the center of God's
will, within a ministry wrought by God. And he was being reminded of the
"LIFE" that is given by the Lord. This is not only the breath in your
lungs or the beating of your heart; it is "LIFE" in the Spirit. As John
the Apostle observed, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son
of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12).
What great models Timothy had in his life.
This young man especially had Paul the Apostle as his mentor, who called him,
"Timothy, my true son in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:2). In addition, the
other apostles were still alive at that time; most of them anyway. And yet
the important model for Timothy and for us all, is not merely a man; it's Jesus
Christ Himself, who spoke God's truth, the good news, the gospel, to all who
would listen. He testified to men like
Governor "Pontius Pilate," who likely did not listen in a manner that would lead
the man to salvation. However, the hardened governor did hear and observe, responding about
the Lord: "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4).
Verse 14. "that you keep the commandment without stain
or reproach until the (AJ)appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
The charge of the older apostle, Paul, to the young
pastor, Timothy, was to "keep the commandment!" To this you might ask:
"What commandment?" It is said there are some 613 commandments in the Old
Testament, but this is not precisely about them. In the context of this
verse is the act of Jesus in which He "testified to Pontius Pilate," the Roman
governor. Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent (Luke 23:4) and our lives are to
be filled with innocence as well - "without stain or reproach" because we are His.
The "commandment" of this verse is reflective
of the command of the Risen Jesus that we are to "Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). He revealed
Himself to Pilate and others, and we are to reveal Jesus to the world. We do not do this in
our own strength, but in the Lord's (2 Corinthians 12:9), and we do not do it
out of duty or to satisfy some requirement, but because we are being given His "love (which we express)
for one another" (John 13:34-35).
Verse 15. "which He will bring about at the proper
time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings
and Lord of lords,"
Verse 14 ends with a mention of the "appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ," and many have wondered: "When? When will He return to this earth?
When is the second coming of Jesus Christ going to be? Is it soon?"
The answer we need is here in this verse: Jesus will return "at the proper
time." If we were making such decisions about the return of the Lord, our timing
would be very poor. For one thing, we would likely want Him to come back
right NOW, which would eliminate many in the future from the Kingdom of God who have not yet
placed their faith in the Lord.
God's timing is perfect. And His choice in sending His
Son, Jesus Christ, is also the perfect remedy for those in humanity. In
the Old Testament, a prophesy was given about the Lord. It was said He
would be "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace"
(Isaiah 9:6). It's one thing to say such things and it's another to actually
live out such promises. Jesus did it all. Isaiah looked ahead; Paul
looked back and they said much the same about the now finished work of Jesus Christ:
He "is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and Lord of lords."
He is indeed "Wonderful."
Father, we look to You, for Your timing is perfect and so is
Your love. Faith includes trusting that not only You CAN do anything, but
also You WILL do what is needed, at just the right time. We praise Your Holy
Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Verse 16. "who alone possesses immortality and
dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To
Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."
One thing we can observe conclusively about the human race and every
creature of this earth is that we all eventually die. Advances in
medicine have certainly improved the quality of life for many, but our lives are
far shorter than our earliest ancestors, as revealed in the early chapters of
the Book of Genesis. "Immortality" would seem to be desirable, but can you
imagine living forever in this crazy world? However, everything changes
for the good when we trust in the Lord. We are given "eternal life," as reported
in places like John 3:15, where it says, "Whoever believes in Him (will)
have eternal life."
We are offered LIFE that never ends, filled with the JOY of
the Lord. In our natural state, the Lord is "unapproachable" as we see in
this verse in Timothy. We would be blinded and destroyed if we were
somehow able to see Him. For those who are reported in Scripture to have
"seen" God, He modified Himself, limiting His glory, so that men such as Moses
and Paul would not be destroyed by His Presence. He is indeed wonderful,
and yet we can be changed deep inside right now and amazingly we will somehow be
"like Him" in eternity. Scripture teaches, "We shall be like Him because
we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Our Lord is truly wonderful, and
most amazing of all is that He honestly and completely loves you and me.
Verse 17. "Instruct those who are rich in this
present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the
uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to
enjoy."
It's so common for people to acquire "riches" or have good
looks, or achieve fame or create works of art, and decide that THEY are somehow
wonderful. To become "conceited" as it says in this verse is a real danger. The solution to the trap of thinking we are something when
we're not is to "fix (our)
hope," our attention and our love on
the God who gave us
- everything. This is not some kind of "theology," but rather it is the
love of God expressed through a human being.
If your body looks acceptable and can accomplish good things;
if your mind works well and others admire you for it; it's important to remember
that you didn't create the body you live in. Everything you are is the gift
of a loving God to the people of this world. All you have, everything
you are, is from God. He is the One who "richly supplies us with all
things to enjoy." It's time for us to indeed "fix(our) hope on... God," for
He truly loves you and me.
Verse 18. "Instruct them to do good, to be rich in
good works, to be generous and ready to share,"
Those who have trusted in Christ are "new creatures" in Him (2
Corinthians 5:17). We are expected to be different (in a good way) than we
were before. And you might wonder, what does that difference look like?
What are we going to be as we mature in the Lord? One thing for sure, we
will not change on our own. We are "not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit..." (Romans 8:9) and it is the Spirit's work that is needed.
In our natural state, we are in life for ourselves.
When the Holy Spirit comes into us, He points out that others have needs also and we
will want "to do good" for them. Previously we
merely wanted to enjoy life and now
we find ourselves with a need to do "good works" that will benefit people like
our neighbor. Before, we thought from the perspective that this is "my
time... my money..." and so on. Gradually we become people who are
"generous and ready to share" what we have, as the Lord leads.
Verse 19. "storing up for themselves the treasure of
a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which
is life indeed."
Everyone knows that it's a good idea to plan for the future.
We may not do it, but all of us seem to know that planning is important.
Since we all will die, an insurance policy makes sense. An IRA is
important in order to have future retirement income. When I was young, I
KNEW that I should plan for retirement, but life became financially difficult
and instead of saving, I spent in order to help my family survive.
I knew better and did the best I could, but life took logical
decision making away from me. But here's what also happened: God did in
my life what I could not and did not do. The Lord Himself became my
"foundation," doing wonders for me in my life (2 Timothy 2:19). He has
provided financially, but much better, He has provided for my soul. I am
safe - for all eternity. Our true need is to "take hold of that which is
life indeed."
Verse 20. "O Timothy, guard what has been
entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing
arguments of what is falsely called 'knowledge'-"
If the Lord calls you into ministry, it is the greatest gift
of all. Whether it's feeding the poor or preaching to a few or even thousands,
it's the only calling in life that reaps benefits forever. You can meet
people in a convalescent home who will say, "I was a doctor," or "a plumber," "a
musician, "an attorney," or something else. Those careers can be "callings" also,
and the best in life is to be in the will of God, no matter what the label might
be.
But the worst in life is to have the outward appearance of
ministry, but involve yourself in "worldly and empty
chatter." Many theologians are like the philosophers, advancing
"new" theories and attempting to repudiate the words of all who came before.
John the Apostle revealed a man named Diotrephes, warning others that the man was "talking
nonsense against us with malicious words" (3 John 10). We are to
love the Lord's people; not spend our lives arguing with them.
Verse 21. "which some have professed and thus gone
astray from the faith. Grace be with you."
It's time for all of us to see that God is not pleased with
argumentative people. There are times to stand up for what we believe, but
there are also times to be quiet. In the church we tend to argue about
spiritual gifts, doctrinal concepts and denominational ideas. The reality
is that those who persist in a constant need to be "right," tend to go "astray
from the faith" and mislead others also.
"Faith" is so simple that some
miss it because they confuse it with the "knowledge"
of Verse 20. The "arguments" mentioned in that
verse are actually irrelevant to anything that is wholesome, permanent and
lasting. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
Word of God" (Romans 10:17). If you trust like a little child,
living in His Word, the "grace" of God will be with
you - forever. And if you trust the Lord enough to gently share His love
with others, they will tend to receive His "grace"
as well.
Father, teach us to lead, to serve, to learn and to love.
Show us when to share and when to be silent. Let Your love in us be seen,
sought and found by those in need. In Jesus Name. Amen.
