This section is about widows. It is very interesting and has a practical bearing on today’s problems. How should the aged and dependent be cared for?

The emphatic overall teaching of this portion is that, generally speaking, it is a private and not an ecclesial matter. Well-meaning individuals may feel this should be ecclesially organized and undertaken on a large and official manner. But all the emphasis and force of Paul’s words here is on restricting organized ecclesial participation’ except in special circumstances and on stressing individual responsibility. Three times he emphasizes this basic principle: vv 4,8,16.

In a sense the ecclesia itself is a “widow”, since her bridegroom has been taken away (Mat 9:15) and she awaits the return of her husband or lord (Rev 19:7,8). There are, therefore, important lessons for the whole ecclesia to learn from these verses (ie, v 10; Mat 25:34-40).

A. 5:3-10: Widows Indeed

Paul says it is acceptable for “widows indeed”, those with absolutely no one who should care for them, to be taken on as regular ecclesial responsibility, but even then only with several rigid and demanding restrictions (vv 9,10 — which we shall examine).

What of others who are equally in need, but do not so qualify? The general and consistent instruction of the Scriptures concerning love and care for others, especially those of the Household, would adequately take care of all needs in a Body that is truly and spiritually alive. The divine command to all is:

“He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none, and he that hath meat let him do likewise” (Luke 3:11).

All who are truly in the Truth will not only be willing, but happy and eager to do so, as children of a bountiful Father. For those not of this enlightened and spiritual disposition, God has nothing to offer. “As a man soweth, so shall he reap.”

3	Honour widows that are widows indeed.

The Greek for honour is timao, from which “Timothy” is derived. Honour means “support” (Diag.), as in the English “honorarium”. The same Greek word clearly means this in Acts 28:10. “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother” (Mat 15:4). “Despise not thy mother when she is old” (Pro 23:22). There were ample provisions for the care of widows in the Old Testament (Exo 22:22; Deu 14:29; 27:19), as well as for fatherless and strangers. God Himself set the pattern in His care for the weak (Deu 10:18; 24:17; Psa 68:5). The trouble was that the Jews did not truly live by the Law. It remains for the followers of Christ to fulfill this requirement. This is the essence of true religion — “To visit the fatherless and afflicted” (Jam 1:27). We see hints of this assistance in Acts 6:1; 9:39.

4	But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.

Nephews is translated as “grandchildren” by RSV and NIV.

Let them learn first to show piety at home means ‘Let their relatives learn as their first obligation to be “dutiful”‘ (Diag), their duty being the honouring or support of parents (Mat 15:4, 6). “These should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents” (NIV). In these verses in Matthew, Christ condemned those Jews who claimed to “dedicate” their goods to God’s service, when their sole aim was to preserve their own wealth and to avoid contributing to the welfare of their parents.

Requite means “To render proper returns…” (Diag). Can we ever repay our parents? Our children learn how to treat us by the way we treat our parents.

5	Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.

A widow indeed would be the widow who would not fit into the above category (v 4). That is, she would have no relatives to care for her. The RSV substantiates this. “She who is a real widow and is left all alone.”

The truly desolate, those with no strength of their own, “the poor of this world”, are those most able to trust in God. We must first learn to humble ourselves, to see ourselves for what we are, weak and pitiable, before we can have true trust and faith in our Heavenly Father. Here is the Divine rationale for pain and suffering.

Such a person knows her help comes from above. She is like the lily, who relies wholly upon God’s care:

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Mat 6:28,29).

Thus she is a widow in the natural sense only, because the Father in Heaven is her true Husband and Protector.

Supplication and prayers would be ‘petitions and devotions’ (1Ti 2:1n). Anna was a superb example of this:

“And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37).

See also Psa 119:164 (“Seven times a day do I praise thee”) and Dan 6:10 (“He kneeled upon his knees three times a day”).

6	But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.

Life is given to man for one reason only, to serve and glorify God, to give Him pleasure and to be useful in His eternal purpose.

Pleasure in the abstract is not of itself wrong. There is, in fact, infinitely more true pleasure and enjoyment and satisfaction in the Way of Life than the way of death. David said of that glorious condition to which he looked forward in faith.

“In Thy presence is fullness of joy, and at Thy right hand are pleasures evermore” (Psa 16:11).

But Paul is talking about self-pleasing as a motive, compared with God-pleasing as a motive. It is the motive and the motivation that determines whether our service is spiritual or carnal. If we serve God simply to get ourselves into the Kingdom and enjoy its pleasure, this is merely a higher and disguised form of the same old selfishness.

But if we forget ourselves, and serve God out of the joy of love and gratitude and worship and devotion, we shall find all other things are added unto us. Pleasure sought selfishly is never found. It only comes as a by-product of love and service.

Pleasure means ‘self-indulgence’ (Diag, RSV). The only other occurrence of this word is in Jam 5:5, where the rich men are addressed.

“Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

The word does not necessarily imply what the world calls wicked. It really has to do with pampering and spoiling oneself.

For additional comments on the phrase dead while she liveth cp Rom 8:13: “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die.” And Rev 3:1: “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead”. In Eph 2:1,5 Paul speaks in a positive fashion of those once “dead” in trespasses and sins, who have been “quickened” or made alive. But the sad truth is that so many of these, in little ways, and step by step, relapse into the death-state of selfish indulgence.

7	And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.

These things has reference to what is mentioned in verses 5 and 6. Give in charge means “command” — as in 1Ti 1:18 — to the widows.

They refers to the widows who were to be blameless. That is, whether seeking support from the public alms of the ecclesia or not, the widows of the congregation should struggle after an irreproachable, self-denying life, and show publicly before men that they were indeed the servants of Christ. In these words there seems a hint that the former lives of many of these women-converts to the Truth had been very different from their current lives, and that in their new profession as believers there was great need of watchfulness on their part not to give any occasion to slanderous tongues.

8	But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Paul has made his instruction clear to the widows. Now he instructs the brethren in their duties regarding the care of widows.

In the words if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, we are again reminded that the true faith is a way of life, in love. The Faith may be denied in daily practice, even if hypocritically kept in word and appearance — many of the scribes and Pharisees being perfect examples (v 4). Neglecting the most elementary Christ-like duties is no less to be condemned than renouncing the Truth itself. All we have belongs to God; we will answer for our use of what is His.

A person who does not provide for his family is worse than an infidel or an “unbeliever” (Diag), because he has no excuse, being responsible (through his knowledge) to serve God, on penalty of death at the judgment if he fails. Even an “unbeliever” will perform these duties from natural promptings.

9	Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man.

In the phrase taken into the number a very special word is used only here. Katalego (from which we get the English “catalogue”) signifies “enrolled” or “listed”. There must have been a special roll in the ecclesia with the names of those widows to be supported in whole or part by the ecclesia (cp Acts 6:1). The names on the roll were to be limited to those who had the qualifications of these two verses. “Let not a widow be enrolled, unless she has been… “

It is the intention of all of us, widows included, to be “enrolled” in the book of life (Phi 4:2,3). But in this too, we must first meet the qualifications.

Having been the wife of one man means simply, a faithful wife (cp 1Ti 3:2). This cannot be a ban against a second marriage for a widow, because Paul himself says that the young widows should marry (v l4). And a woman twice widowed could be just as worthy as one who had been married only once.

In a spiritual vein, the True “Israel” must have been the faithful “wife of one man” and one man only (Eze 16:8; cp Pro 31:10-31)!

10	Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

The qualifications here are quite similar to those other lists in 1Ti 3 which can be read for particulars not expounded here. Cp also the similarities with the works which elicit the approval of Christ the Judge in Mat 25:34-36.

A widow well reported of is one who has “borne witness” within and without the ecclesia “for good works” (which Paul enumerates here).

If she have brought up children means if she has reared them in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”, a primary duty for wives and mothers. Bishops’ children were always to be well-behaved and faithful (1Ti 3:4). (Of course, we cannot suppose that this would exclude the childless widows from ecclesial care, if they were otherwise deserving.)

Others have rendered this: “If she have nourished children”. She should have given those young ones under her care a solid diet of spiritual food — to produce healthy children of God. “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Pro 22:6). This word “to train” may be given as “initiate” or “dedicate” (as Samuel’s mother dedicated him to the service of Yahweh in His temple — 1Sa 1:28).

In a broad way, the exhortation to parents (and particularly the sister-mothers) could be stated as: “Give your children adequate and regular meals of the spiritual food of life, that they might gain full understanding and become dedicated thereto.”

The word for “child” in the verse (Pro 22:6) means “a child from infancy to adolescence”. This is the period of development when a child is receptive to principles which will mold his character for a lifetime. The same word is used in Pro 20:1: “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right”. Whilst lacking in full understanding, a child may nevertheless manifest an attitude toward the things of God that will identify him or her as one striving to develop divine principles in daily life (Luke 2:52; 1Sa 2:26: Pro 3:1-4).

The phrase if she have lodged strangers means ‘if she has shown hospitality to travelers (1Ti 3:2n).

See John 13:2-11 for the example of Christ who washed the saints’ feet. This ties in with hospitality, but it depicts the true and most complete love and consideration. Paul had no doubt experienced such hospitality. For a man travelling great distances on foot, either in sandals, or barefooted, the feet would be in dire need of washing from the dust, and for the aches and possible blisters. It depicts true servitude and is perhaps symbolic of all humble and commonplace tasks done on behalf of others (1Sa 25:41; Luke 7:38). Such “menial” tasks, though despised by the proud and mighty, receive their reward from God. Jesus spoke of visiting the sick as an honorable task and he praises the feeding and clothing and giving of drink to even the least among his disciples (Mat 25:35-40; cp Jam 2:15,16).

The phrase if she have relieved the afflicted indicates that Paul may be concerned at this time with some widespread persecution of the Christians. He is writing here during the time of Nero, who ruthlessly mistreated and even killed the saints of the Most High. It was during this time that Peter wrote his first letter exhorting the believer how best to survive the time of severe trial.

It is almost needless to point out that brethren may be afflicted in ways other than open persecution so that “relieving the afflicted” may take many other forms as well. The ecclesia is, or should be, a family, and it is largely by mixing in one another’s homes that we can really get to know each other, to learn of another’s weaknesses and problems (Gal 6:2), and grow in mutual concern and brotherly love (2Pe 1:7,8). Here is plenty of opportunity for useful work for any and every widow.

B. 5:11-16: Young Widows

The young widows are those most likely to be drawn aside by temptations, to marry out of the Truth, to “live in pleasure”. Giving such as these a guaranteed income (on a permanent basis, at any rate) would only open the door to other troubles, as Paul shows.

11	But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry.

Wax wanton is better translated “to grow restless”, as it comes from a root word signifying “to remove the reins”. We have here a metaphor of a horse being freed and allowed to run wild. The young woman is freed from the necessary guiding and perhaps restraining influence of a husband in the Truth.

Most translators render wanton as “sensual” or “passionate”. After having close marital companionship cut off, it is possible that this young widow will seek to involve herself in order to fulfill her previously awakened desires. Her mind could then be on more or less immediate self-gratification, as opposed to service in the ecclesia and obedience to Christ. It is a pity that, in early life, when health and zeal and energy are strong, we serve self rather than God — and that only later, when the natural vigor for life declines, do we turn our hearts fully toward God. Let us listen to Solomon:

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecc 12:1).

Nothing is wrong with widows marrying in the Truth; so Paul must mean by the phrase they will marry — marriage with an alien, perhaps hastily entered, in opposition to the command to marry “only in the Lord” (1Co 7:39). Cp v 14. The key to this verse is in the phrase “against Christ”.

12	Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.

They have “apostasized”. Very few things are more destructive to a life in the Truth than to marry one outside the saving name of Christ. From the very beginning there has been a sharp distinction between the children of God and the children of the world. God’s whole purpose of redemption depends upon the former maintaining a faithful and holy separation from the latter. Union between them, in defiance of this eternal ordinance and purpose, has brought untold misery and punishment and evil. It has, time and time again, sidetracked the called-out people of God into the dead-end of failure.

The Scriptures abound in warnings against alien marriage. The sons of God marrying the daughters of men resulted at last in the Flood. Abraham and Isaac, faithful sojourners looking for the kingdom, opposed such marriages for their sons (Gen 24:3; 28:1). The Law forbade the yoking together of the clean ox and the unclean ass (Deu 22:10). Moses said to take no alien spouses (Deu 7:3,8). Solomon’s alien wives turned his heart from God (1 Kings 11:1-11). Ezra (Ezra 9; 10) and Nehemiah (Neh 13:23-29) tell us of the evils of such alliances, and Paul has stressed the serious wrong of such unions (2Co 6:14-18).

13	And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

And withal can be paraphrased as ‘and even if this is not the case, they will…’

The phrase wandering about from house to house means not just wandering aimlessly, but “gadding about” (Diag, RSV) with the express purpose of gossip. “By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands and the house droppeth through” (Ecc 10:18). This “house” may well be the house of the ecclesia. In contrast to this is the description of the virtuous woman:

“She looketh well to the ways of her household; and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Pro 31:27).

Both the Proverbs and the prophet talk of the feet that “run to evil, and make haste to shed innocent blood” (Pro 1:16; 6:18; Isa 59:7). Such idle gossips may be murderers in the Lord’s sight. How do they kill? With a word or an insinuation, they sneak through the night and shoot arrows at the unsuspecting and innocent. “Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Mat 5:21,22).

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life in prospect” (1Jo 3:15).

The perfect picture of righteousness to follow is the description of the woman of Pro 31:

“She openeth her mouth with wisdom: and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (v 26).

But how far we fall short of this ideal! Unless we are constantly careful and unless we are purely motivated by love and the mind of the Spirit we shall find that much of our conversation about others, when honestly evaluated by divine standards, comes under the heading of gossip and backbiting — or in other words — tattlers and busybodies, speaking things which [we] ought not.

True, there are times when it is necessary to speak of the faults of others. But unless it is truly necessary, and done in the scriptural way and in the proper Scriptural spirit we are running a grave risk of divine condemnation. The Spirit through Solomon declares:

“The words of a talebearer are wounds and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly” (Pro 26:22).

The immediate reaction of the flesh, on reading this passage, is to be struck with how remarkably it fits someone else. But let us for the time being curb this evasive reaction and consider how remarkably they fit ourselves — how many times we have allowed the natural malice, of which we all have a share, to lead us into this flesh-gratifying sin. “The words of a tale-bearer are as dainty morsels” (Prov26:22, RV) — how true and searching is this divine analysis!

The way of the Truth is the way of love, in all relationships. If our feelings toward our brethren and sisters are not in pure love, regardless of their faults and weaknesses, then we ourselves are not the children of God, but are of the world. Love is kindness and gentleness and a desire to help and strengthen. Solomon records again:

“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love, but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends” (Pro 17:9).

This does not mean a glossing over or condoning of what is wrong, but a proper, pure-hearted, sympathetic, loving approach with a desire to build up. Let us take heed that we do not stand at the judgment seat exposed before all as what Paul describes as “tattlers and busybodies”. It is a very easy and common sin. “Speak evil of no man” is the command (Tit 3:2).

14	I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

As all the context [v 11] shows clearly, Paul must be speaking of younger widows when he speaks of younger women. It is better to marry if they find they cannot contain themselves (1Co 7:8, 9). Again, of course, marriage is to be “only in the Lord” (1Co 7:39).

For comments on bear children see 1Ti 2:15n.

The phrase guide the house is from oikodespoteo, literally “to rule the household”.

The question arises: Is this verse a prohibition against married sisters working outside the home? After all, the “virtuous woman” is pictured as diligent in business, at least some of which would need to be carried on in the outside world (Pro 31:16,24). It is best not to lay down absolute rules in this matter, while at the same time affirming the wisdom of general principles. Generally, and most of the time, a married sister’s surpassingly useful sphere is in the home. And especially is this true when she is the mother of small children. No ‘baby-sitters’ or ‘day-care centers’ can begin to do for her children what she can. The young mother who goes out to work each day, for the sake of a higher “standard of living”, will very likely do a second-rate job at both her tasks. The loss to her secular employment will be temporal and minimal, but the spiritual loss to her family may be incalculable!

[There is a considerable difference between going out of the home for a short period of time to transact business, and being away all day with a nine to five job working for a boss. We must not forget that the virtuous woman had servants at home to look after the children when she was out. Putting a child in a ‘child care’ center, or letting them fend for themselves when they come home from school is in no way comparable to this.]

The solution? Forget about “keeping up with the Joneses”; and be thankful for the opportunity (rare in these days!) of making a real “sacrifice” for the Truth. Recognize that the common tasks of the household are a test of your patience and faith; as much as accomplishing some “great thing for the Truth”, they are the means to gain eternal life, if done joyfully and wholeheartedly, as unto the Lord (1Ti 2:15).

For comments on the phrase give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, compare 1Ti 3:6,7. The first-century believers had many pagan opponents. The word for “adversary” here means “one who is set over against”, as in Tit 2:8. These men went about seeking whom they might devour (1Pe 5:8). Inconsistent behavior by one believer would place all her brethren in the same bad light before the heathen and would bring reproach upon the gospel and the God she claimed to serve.

15	For some are already turned aside after Satan.

Some had turned aside to the world. Perhaps their alien husbands had led them away from the Truth. (Satan is the world, as in 1Ti 1:20, the “adversary” — v 14 — of the Christians.) What a sad thing this must have been! Some had served the Truth for a time, but had been drawn aside by the cares of the world. Their cases were so well-known that Paul needed not even to mention their names. And the warning is so clear that it really need not be mentioned either: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (types), and are written for our admonition. Wherefore let him thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1Co 10:11,12). What a pity that in the “books” of the Father some saints are remembered only in that they turned aside from their high and glorious calling to mingle and marry with the world, and to perish at last in the “wilderness”.

16	If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.

Let not the ecclesia be charged means ‘let not the ecclesia be instructed to care for such’.

The word relieve has reference to financial relief. Indiscriminate hand-outs by an organization are not always the best policy — our governments have begun to discover this. In the household we must guard against this also. Institutionalized charity is a cold and humiliating and depersonalizing thing. Individual and private love and care is a beautiful, mutually-blessing bond of perfectness. Officially organized schemes can easily have dangers and problems and disadvantages.

We must be guided by the Spirit’s teaching, whether we see its wisdom or not. But we often can see the wisdom, especially if we first submit in humble faith. In this case we can clearly observe around us many ill-effects from schemes that ignore the Spirit’s teaching —

• Encouragement of shirking personal responsibility;

• Constant pressuring for money to keep ambitious schemes afloat; Unhappy and unsatisfactory conditions of the recipients;

• The constant danger of an ever-growing centralized bureaucracy;

• and an organization held together more and more by its external structure and less and less by any common faith.

We have just finished considering Paul’s words in 1Ti 3:16 concerning the “mystery of godliness”. This mystery has been revealed for all the world to believe. This revealed mystery is an affirmation of certain basic, logical and wholly satisfying truths. It is an intelligible mystery (Luke 8:10; Rom 11:25) to all those who are not lost (2Co 4:3). But here Paul presents to us a second mystery — a mystery that has enslaved much of the ‘civilized’ world. This mystery is termed (even by its proponents) ‘an incomprehensible mystery’. Its doctrines are in no way logical, but rather they are a concoction of flesh-pleasing, God-defying theories. Those who question certain points are branded as ‘heretics’. Paul also calls this second mystery the “mystery of iniquity”.

“There shall come a falling away first, and that man of sin (shall) be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God… For the mystery of iniquity doth already work… whose coming is after the working of Satan with all the power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2Th. 2:3,4,7,9-11).

How would this apostasy develop? It would grow up gradually in the early ecclesia. It would gain its impetus from greedy and ambitious worldly “bishops”, who had forgotten (or never learned) the admonitions of Paul (1Ti 3:1-7).

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4; cf 2Pe 2:1).

Greek philosophy and the Gnostic mysteries were embraced by some leaders in the early ecclesia. There was (and still is) something appealing about the mysterious. Since many of the converts were of this persuasion before baptism, they would perhaps bring with them into the ecclesia doctrines other than the Truth. Another element which led to the adulteration of the Truth was the teaching of the Judaizers (Acts 15:1; Gal 5:1-3; Rev 2:9). This was warned against by Paul (Gal 1:6-9; 1Ti 1:4-7). Several years before, when Paul had spoken personally to the elders of Ephesus, he had told them this:

“Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30).

The union of the two apostate systems (Greek-Roman paganism and corrupted Judaism) — from whence the Catholic system sprang — was prophesied in Zech. 5: Here the prophet saw a woman sitting within an ephah, a measuring container used in trade. She was called a “curse” (v 3) and “wickedness” (v 8) and she originally resided at Jerusalem where ungodly priests “made merchandise” of religion. But she was lifted up from the earth and carried to a new dwelling place in Shinar or the land of Babylon (v 11). The woman represented the Jewish apostasy, with its cold formalism, its “letter of the law” rather than the spirit. She was the murderer of the Lord, and she resided in Jerusalem until 70 AD, when the temple was overthrown and the Jews scattered. But the same spirit of apostasy was carried over into Christianity — the evidence of which may be seen throughout Paul’s letter to the Galatians and in Acts 15, where certain Jewish Christians were contending that Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the law. This false ‘woman’ held her children in bondage to the Law of Moses, which had been done away with in Christ.

It is a great warning for us that such a gruesome apostasy as that to be seen in the ‘Holy Mother Church’ should have its beginnings within the ecclesia! “In the latter times many shall depart from the faith”. Hence the exhortation “Examine yourselves (to see) whether ye be in the faith” (2Co 13:5).

A. 4:1-5: Latter Day Apostasy

1	Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

Now — “But” (RV, Diag.) indicates sharp contrast to what just came before. Paul had been speaking of the wonderful gospel mystery in its purity; but now he must present the very antithesis of this, in the blasphemous mystery of iniquity.

The Spirit most likely here is equivalent to Jesus himself. Paul probably has in mind the warnings of Jesus, as in the Olivet prophecy:

“Take heed that no man deceive you… for many shall come in my name… and shall deceive many… And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many… and shall show great signs and wonders” (Mat 24:4,5,11,24).

That Jesus is sometimes (after his glorification) referred to as “the Spirit” may be seen in various references: The messages to the seven ecclesias in Asia, are sent from the one holding the seven stars in his right hand (Rev 2:1), having been dead and yet now being alive (v.8), the “Son of God” (v.18), etc. But those same letters are also described as “what the Spirit saith unto the ecclesias” (Rev 2:7,11,17,29, etc). And again, Paul refers to the glorified Jesus as a “quickening (i.e. life-giving) Spirit” in 1Co 15:45.

The word expressly is used only once in the New Testament. Other versions render it “distinctly”. But the root word means “to pour out”: God had revealed through His Holy Spirit to Paul this warning of apostasy to come. He had “poured out” this infallible revelation upon the apostle. Possibly Paul is thinking of that communication which led to his statement in Acts 20:28-30, concerning a falling-away to come.

In the latter times some shall depart from the faith — that is, “in later days” — a phrase that may include the very “last days”, but also all the intervening time periods. In the original the word depart carries an implication of apostasy but stronger even than that, it signifies “to desert”, or “to instigate to revolt”.

In every age since Paul spoke this prophecy, many have revolted against the one true faith. Perhaps he was merely reciting the prophecy of Dan 11:35, spoken of the time when the “god of the earth” would come into power:

“And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end.”

(In the Bible, “some” may often be read as “many” — as in John 6:64,66: “‘There are some of you that believe not’… From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” (See also note regarding “some”, 1:3.)

The very purpose of most of Paul’s correspondence was to fight this tendency to fall away. In 2 Thess. 2:7 (written in 54 A.D.) Paul had said that the “mystery of iniquity” was already at work.

But Paul is talking to us today as well, in the very last times — the last days of the rule of the nations. It is in this time when apostasy can be clearly seen not only in the great churches around us, but in the very body of Christ also, among those who have the true form of godliness, but who by their actions deny the power thereof (2Ti 3:5).

“When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Will the believers still be living and praying as they should? Jesus’ words from a remote time ring very true today.

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved” (Mat 24:11-13).

Yes, these words may have had applications to other ages than our own. But who can deny their fitness even today?

Seducing means “deceitful” or “wandering” (in the sense of vacillating from side to side). In 1Jo 4:1, spirits is the term used of teachers:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

These men with their false doctrines wander from place to place. They creep stealthily into a group; they travel wherever itching ears are ready to receive their words.

These same teachers were described by Jude at approximately the same time, as recalling memories of Cain, Balaam and Korah. Furthermore he says:

“These are spots in your feast of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” (Jude 11-13).

Certainly a warning to those in Paul’s and Jude’s time, but no less a warning to us today!

In the phrase “Doctrines of devils” devils should be translated “demons” as in the RV margin; RSV; and NIV. In New Testament language, those persons who are insane or in some such way afflicted are said to be possessed by demons, or even to be themselves demoniacs. Their “wisdom” is not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and “demoniac” (Jam 3:15). The leaders of Catholicism, and their deluded followers, have become insane in their opposition to God’s truth. (Witness the terrible atrocities of their inquisitions and scourges through the Middle Ages). The Pope and his top-level advisers are mad in their desire for authority over the world. The Pope expounds his ludicrous theories, and his priests run to and fro to “demonize” their subjects with their “power and signs and lying wonders”. And a Protestant Christendom, which once at least made a show of opposing Popery, now moves closer and closer toward reconciliation and cooperation with the power in the Vatican. The “harlot daughters”, once estranged, are now returning to their infamous Mother. Paul foresaw this demoniac madness which the Wicked One manifests, a madness which will deceive many, until it realizes its abrupt end in the destruction of the brightness of Christ’s coming (2Th 2:8).

Paul may also have in mind the supposed disembodied spirits so commonly worshipped by the apostasy (Rev 9:20). It was the renowned pagan philosopher Plato who said, “All demons are an intermediate order between gods and mortals.” The deification of heroes and emperors by the polytheistic Greeks and Romans was encountered by Paul (see Acts 17:18 — where the strange “gods” — AV — is actually this very word “demons”!), and it was the worship of such that he described as “… sacrificing to”, “having fellowship with”, “drinking the cup of… demons” (1Co 10:20,21). This worship of “demon-idols” was carried over intact into Roman Catholicism. Hundreds of “saints” — some pagan, some Catholic, some who never even existed — have been “canonized” by the Pope and his Cardinals. These “saints”, just like the ancient gods and goddesses, are assumed to be mediators and benefactors for their constituents, on a retail basis. (This is a direct violation of the Scriptural doctrine that there is only one mediator, the man Christ Jesus — 2:5). Untold millions in revenue have found their way into the purses of the Church, as its priests buy and sell the souls of men (Rev 18), as garments and bones purported to have been those of the great “saints” are foisted upon their subjects, and “lying miracles” are heralded as witnesses to the truth of Catholicism.

Thus men claiming to be Christian do not worship God through His Son Jesus, but they prostrate themselves before the Virgin Mary, ‘Mother of God’, St. Joseph, St. Francis and all the other ‘saints’ “in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (Col 2:18).

“But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces” (Dan 11:38). John Thomas translates this as “gods of fortifications”, and he connects this with the “demons” of Catholicism in the following extract:

“Chrysostom, in his homily on the martyrs of Egypt, says: ‘The bodies of those saints fortify the city more effectually for us than impregnable walls of adamant; and like towering rocks placed around on every side, repel not only the assaults of enemies that are visible, but the insidious stratagems also of invisible demons, and counteract and defeat every artifice of the devil as a strong man overturns the toys of children’. The Greeks and Latins made the most of these wonderful martyrs. Believing in ghosts, or disembodied human spirits, they proclaimed the translation of their shades to heaven to act as mediators and intercessors with the Virgin and her Son; but kept their bones and dust in church-shrines to protect, defend, or guard them from all enemies, demons, and other evils to which the flesh is subject. Speaking of these times of intense superstition, Gibbon says: ‘The Christians of the seventh century had insensibly relapsed into a semblance of paganism; their public and private vows were addressed to the relics and images that disgraced the temples of the east; the throne of the Almighty was darkened by a cloud of martyrs, saints, and angels, the objects of popular veneration; and the Collyridian heretics, who flourished in the fruitful soil of Arabia, invested the Virgin Mary with the name and honours of a goddess’.” (Exposition of Daniel, p. 62; see the entire sections, “A God of Guardians” and “Guardian’s Bazaars”, pp.61-70.)

Some would translate this last phrase of v 1 as “doctrines taught by demons” (NIV), thus making it virtually equivalent to the preceding “seducing spirits”. There is no difficulty in accepting such a translation when it is recognized that “demons” are in reality men who are possessed — by the “demons” of mental illness and delusion. In a very real sense, men who imagine and teach the existence of disembodied spirits may become that which they worship — demonizing and seducing “spirits” who corrupt others. It was said of the false gods in David’s day, that “they that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Psa 115:8).

2	Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.

For comments on speaking lies in hypocrisy see notes, 1:20. The purpose of The Great Apostasy is to seduce others by a show of sanctity — as did the Pharisees (Mat 15:1-14; ch. 23). “A mouth speaking great things” (Dan 7:8; 11:36).

Those who speak lies have their consciences seared with a hot iron. Seared means ‘branded’ (RV; RSV), marked in the forehead (Rev 14:9; 17:5). The metaphor is from the practice of branding slaves and criminals, the latter on the brow. A Scriptural comparison would be the mark God placed upon Cain (Gen 4:15). Those deluded by the Catholic superstition “brand” themselves with the sign of the cross, the mark of the beast. They brand themselves as “slaves”, slaves of their masters Sin and the ecclesiastical Sin-Power, whom they serve even unto death (Rom 6:16, 21). And, like Cain, they are thus marked by God as criminals in His sight.

The word “seared” is translated also as “cauterized” implying a self-inflicted insensibility and callousness. The followers of the apostasy are cauterized with a hot iron in their foreheads or minds. They are willingly ignorant (2Pe 3:5), having given themselves over wholeheartedly to their deluded state:

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Eph 4:18, 19).

God only goes so far with such people. If they continue in their course of willful sin, He will at last leave them completely (2 Thess. 2:11; Rom 1:28).

Even in the Truth we may fall to such a degree that our consciences, no longer guided by the Word of God, cannot any more turn us from wrongdoing. Let this consideration spur us on! Each individual must never cease to examine himself, his motives, and his actions. And he must act as a watchman, that those around him do not fall prey to the blindness of heart that leads to a seared conscience and willful sin.

3	Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

By their pretended piety in forbidding to marry, the priests of Rome try to win support for their absurd doctrines. The language here presupposes a power strong enough in its full maturity to enforce its peculiar doctrines upon others, as the Catholic hierarchy does to its clergy. Merely to teach and practise celibacy, as have done a number of exotic minorities, is not enough to provide a fulfillment of this prophecy. “Forbid” is a strong word and implies commanded and enforced celibacy rather than chosen celibacy. Only the Catholic Church has effectively done this.

Such a state of forced celibacy is so unnatural for most, negating as it does the benefits of home and family influence (1Ti 3:2,12). These often act as softening agents upon those who would otherwise be self-centered and narrow-minded. The Levitical priests were never prohibited from marrying.

Perhaps Paul’s recommendations to some (who could receive it) in 1Co 7 (“Seek not a wife”, and “It is good to abide even as I”) have been misused in forcing celibacy upon all the Catholic clergy. But it is more likely that this false doctrine had its beginning among the small Jewish sect of Essenes which flourished in this time.

Again, we may refer to Dan 11:36,37, where the prophet speaks of the king who shall arise, exalting himself above every god, and disregarding the desire of women. And so he continues and prospers “until the indignation of God is accomplished”.

Commanding to abstain from meats was a common practice in the Catholic Church for centuries. Recently the hierarchy has begun to “modernize” their rules ever so slightly in anticipation of appealing to the Protestant “daughters”. “Let no man judge you in meat or drink” (Col 2:16).

This no doubt had its beginnings with the Judaizers, who tried to enforce the law regarding the abstinence from “certain” meats. There were also different sects in Paul’s day whose ascetic behavior called for abstinence from meat, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving. He is “the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1Ti 6:17). Although many receive God’s blessing without ever acknowledging Him, it is not His desire that they do so. And in the future Kingdom there will be sustained and unanimous thanksgiving to Yahweh — for all men will believe and know the Truth, “from the least to the greatest”. But for now we alone render true Godly thanksgiving.

Of them which believe and know the truth refers to those who have “full (complete, accurate) knowledge” (epi-gnosis). Not just the incomplete partial “gnosis” of the Gnostics. Such people as these should not, because of their marriage and eating of meats, feel inferior to the ascetic hypocrites (v 8). “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy” (Rom 14:17).

4	For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.

Every creature of God is good since everything that God created He called “very good” (Gen 1:31; cp Gen 9:3). As Paul tells the Romans, “There is nothing unclean of itself… All things indeed are pure” (Rom 14:14,20).

“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled” (Tit 1:15).

The word refused or “rejected” (RSV, NIV) literally means “to be thrown away”. This is what Peter learned so dramatically, when he saw a certain vessel descending from heaven with all manner of animals therein. He was commanded by God to kill and eat, but he protested, only to be rebuked: “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common”. And Peter was able to say, “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:9-16, 28). Our Lord also says, “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him” (Mark 7:15). In this very matter of eating, again Paul has said that dietary differences among people are of no consequence:

“For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him” (Rom 14:2,3).

All things given by God for our nourishment should be put to their intended use. The good gifts of God are to be put to good use, “for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof (1Co 10:26). In 1Co 8; 9 Paul explains that certain of these good gifts were put to evil use in idolatrous sacrifices. And he leaves us the principle, that some things are to be refused, if only for the reason that their use might cause scrupulous brethren to stumble. (Such verses as in Rom 14 must not be used to justify abusive, impure practices like smoking and drinking. The context of the various passages here indicates that Paul is speaking of food, items to be used for nourishment).

Finally, in this simple truth, that not a creature is to be refused, we see by type the great promise that God is no respecter of persons, that God will refuse no man. Men are creatures of God; all have the chance to become acceptable to Him — if they are cleansed and continually sanctified by the Word of God:

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3; cp Psa 119:9).

5	For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Anything to be used by the saints, whether food or clothing, is something special to the godly, who recognize that all things come from God. He has promised to provide us all things necessary if we only seek first His Kingdom. No doubt He takes precautions to see that these things come our way, so that we may have all sufficiency in food and raiment, which leads to that “godliness with contentment” (see 1Ti 6:6,8).

“I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psa 37:25).

“The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season… The Lord preserveth all them that love him” (Psa 145:15,20).

The custom of rendering thanks to the Father, at mealtimes especially, finds many precedents in Scripture. Among others, we have the following:

• Samuel in the feast — 1Sa 9:13;

• Jesus in feeding the multitudes — Mat 14:19; 15:36;

• In the memorial feast — Luke 22:19, etc.

• After his death and resurrection — Luke 24:30;

• Paul on the ship, in the presence of aliens — Acts 27:35.

Paul also makes the corresponding point that nothing is good, unless we use it with praise and thanksgiving to Him from Whom all blessings flow (Rom 14:6). Whatsoever is not done in faith is sin. The use of any comfort or convenience or privilege which we have is sin, unless we can recognize and acknowledge God’s hand in providing it.

Chapter 4 also deals with the contrast between self-imposed rules of physical self-denial and obsession with physical exercise, and true spiritual exercise and development of the whole man unto godliness through study of and obedience to the Scriptures. It is by these means, Paul implies, that the incipient apostasy in vv 1-5 will be arrested, collectively and individually.

It is easy to get these things out of proportion, to be obsessed with physical well-being to the neglect of the infinitely more vital spiritual growth and development and well-being. Physical health, no matter how well attended to, inevitably passes. Soon the grave claims the best-kept of mortal bodies. But spiritual health, diligently pursued, is doubly profitable. It will teach us wisdom and gain us divine care for the present existence, and can be good for eternity.

Each of the two sections under this heading begins with a reminder to Timothy, that he be diligent to present these exhortations to others in the ecclesia: “Put the brethren in remembrance of these things” (v 6), and “These things command and teach” (v 11). Can we do any less? Can we realize the importance of these commands and then choose not to present them to our brethren?

A. 4:6-10: Godliness, Trust In God

It cannot be stressed too often, what godliness meant to Paul. Possessing a statement of faith, with a list of doctrines to be accepted does not in itself make one godly. Godliness was not the mere ability to quote page after page of Scripture. True, these things are important in their place. But true godliness is something far beyond this. It is found in a humble and careful adherence to the principles of 1Ti 3. True godliness is a matter of conduct or practical “theology” — at least it was for Paul. And it should be for us. The importance of good works is the oft-recurrent theme of this whole letter. Our manner of life should reflect our spiritual development. The word must be in the mind, but it must be used, it must direct every action. The word must live in us and we must live in the word.

6	If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, Whereunto thou has attained.

Put the brethren in remembrance of these things — this was Timothy’s duty as an elder and a watchman: to offer the advice he had received from Paul (and which Paul had received from Christ) publicly and privately to outline the proper duties and proper character of brothers and sisters, and to warn them of the coming apostasy and the threat it posed. Nothing has ever been achieved by turning a blind eye to potential problems in the ecclesia.

Minister really means “deacon”, and it is translated as “servant” in the Diaglott. While the word may indicate an ecclesial office (1Ti 3:8), it is still used in the general sense of a servant.

The verb nourished up (Greek ektrepho) is the present participle: it should be rendered “being nourished up”. Timothy is being exhorted to continually partake of the nourishment of God’s word, both the milk and the meat which become a steady, well-rounded diet of spiritual food. Only if he does this day by day will he continue to be a worthwhile servant:

“Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of; knowing of whom thou has learned them; and that from a child thou has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Ti 3:14-17).

The words of faith and of good doctrine (in short, the Scriptures!) are the essential nutrients for the health and development of the spiritual man. Without it, he will waste away. If the words are distorted or contaminated, at best they will cause spiritual indigestion, and at worst “food poisoning”.

In the words of faith is better translated as “In the words of the faith; the words in which true faith finds expression:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4).

Of good doctrine refers to those Godly teachings as found in vv 13,16. Sound instruction in righteousness.

The phrase whereunto thou [Timothy] has attained has the idea of that which you have “closely followed” (Diaglott) — and are still following. Compare the AV margin in 2Ti 3:10. The KJV is misleading here. We must never think we have attained to all the knowledge that we need. The same word which is used here is found also in Mark 16:17: “And these things shall follow them that believe”. We can never feel we have completely achieved a living knowledge of the Truth, but we must tirelessly strive toward that goal.

7	But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

Profane does not mean vulgar, in the modern sense of profanity. It means instead having nothing whatsoever to do with God, being wholly ungodly and unclean (1Ti 1:19; 6:20), as the “profane” Esau (Heb 12:16). Old wives’ fables refers to those inconsequential prattlings which are all too common to a certain class of elderly and idle women. (It is a further sorrow that such a preoccupation with such things is not even there confined, but seems to be the pleasure and hobby of many of both sexes and all ages.)

Paul is referring in this verse especially to the ungodly and profitless doctrines as in vv 1-3, some of which arose out of Jewish rabbinical speculations. He is also referring to the myths and fabricated “mysteries” of the secret pagan societies which flourished in Egypt and the Middle East (see 1Ti 1:4n).

The word translated as exercise thyself implies strenuous, agonizing exertion, another of Paul’s references to the vigorous athletic life of the Greek. One of Paul’s favorite figures of the believer’s life is that of the athlete straining every muscle to attain a goal and to achieve a prize.

Exercise thyself rather unto godliness means to exert yourself to attain the right state of heart and mind, a consistent aim in life. The Greek ideal was the development of the whole man. Even though their ideal of the perfect man was quite different from Paul’s, still the underlying concept was the same. The believer should subordinate everything else to his one desire, the development of the whole spiritual man through study and obedience.

“Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole man” (Ecc 12:13).

8	For bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Bodily exercise is from the Greek “gymnasia”. By this term Paul means more than physical effort. He means the coordination of body and mind, in consistent and tireless training and effort, to master some skill. The pianist or dancer or athlete practises continually, striving always toward perfection, but never quite achieving it. Another type of such bodily “exercise” is the adherence to strict rules of diet, such as fasting (Luke 18:12: “I fast twice in the week”), which Paul mentions in v 3, or the other ascetic tendencies to self-denial which characterized both Jewish and Greek thinkers in that time: going barefoot, wearing sackcloth, abstaining from marriage and meat.

Bodily exercise profiteth little — or “for a few things” — in contrast to the all things for which godliness is profitable. Or, as the margin indicates, “for a little time only”: Physical health lasts only a few years, and a skill lasts hardly longer. They are but man’s feeble efforts and they are bounded by his own inherent limitations — sickness and death. If man does not appeal to one greater than himself, he cannot rise above what he is by nature. If he places confidence in his own strength, to deny himself this or that, he may have removed temptation, but he is no better for it — if he has not replaced these items with positive, godly thoughts and works. He is like water, running down, seeking its own lowest level. He is like the man who has rid his house of one foul occupant only to see seven unclean spirits fill the void. Without God in his life, nothing can profit him very much.

But godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. What can we add more than this! Godliness in this present life brings to the disciple of Christ a sense of spiritual “peace”; a feeling of oneness, unity, inseparableness with God; well-being and consolation even in the midst of trials.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mat 6:33).

Such a person gains “peace” and contentment now, even as he looks expectantly toward that greater “rest” of the Kingdom.

To have peace with God makes all possible worries harmless and out-of-place. This is godliness with contentment (1Ti 6:6). It can only come with complete, undivided dedication to one goal of life. Peace is not freedom from external strife. It is freedom from internal strife, because our minds are full of love and “Perfect love casteth out fear… he that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1Jo 4:18). Jesus, even in the anguish and anticipation of his terrible sufferings, was still able to say:

“Peace I leave with you… In the world ye shall have tribulation; but in me ye shall have peace… Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:27).

The godly person, just as Christ, has already “overcome the world”.

9	This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

The phrase this is a faithful saying refers back to v.8 (see notes, 1:15).

For commentary on the phrase and worthy of all acceptation — “reception” (Diaglott) see notes, 1:15.

10	For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

The faithful saying, in essence, is that godliness is profitable, a thing to be desired. Therefore (to this end, or with a view to achieving this godliness), we will labor and suffer reproach:

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb 12:11).

Note the progression of thought here. In v.7 Paul tells Timothy “Exercise thyself”. But then he next includes himself with Timothy and all the brethren: “we labor”, as fellows, teammates striving together, helping one another toward the same objective. In the same way Paul speaks of “Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlaborer in the gospel of Christ” (1Th 3:2).

The word labour — Greek kopiao — suggests strenuous toil, and is used by Paul in Phi 2:16 to describe athletic fatigue. Thus he continues the “exercise” metaphor of vv 7,8.

The translation suffer reproach [KJV] is based on the reading oneidizometha, which according to most modern scholars is incorrect. The alternative manuscript reading agonizometha has much more support, and accords better with the context: “Agonize” is from the root agon — an athletic context. Thus, following this alternative, RSV, NIV, and others have “strive”.

We trust is better translated as “We have set our hope upon…”: “Hope” is elpis (1Ti 1:1n).

The phrase the living God is stressed throughout. Our God is a living God; words very appropriate to an ecclesia whose members formerly worshipped lifeless idols, as in Ephesus. Throughout his letter to that ecclesia the apostle Paul emphasizes the unlimited power at our disposal in the living God of Israel, man’s only Saviour.

“The exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (Eph 1:19).

“To him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20).

Our hope is in a God who keeps His promises.

He is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe. God is the Preserver (Diag.) of all men, for a time, by His spirit (Acts 17:25,28). Especially is this preservation true of the saints: “All things work together for good… ” (Rom 8:28,31). “The eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him… to keep them alive in famine” (Psa 33:18,19). God provides us with a “sufficiency” in all things which we truly need (1Ti 6:6; 2Co 9:8).

God is the Saviour (to everlasting life in Christ) of not just one race or one family, but of all men. That is, God offers salvation to the Gentiles along with the Jews, in short, to all men who will listen and come. And He is not willing that any should perish (1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9; Lam 3:33; Eze 18:32; 33:11). God’s great power of which we have been speaking is most evident in the gospel, “Which is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe” (Rom 1:16). Christ is a redeemer for all men prospectively, but really only for those who truly believe in him (1Ti 2:6n).

B. 4:11-5:2: Be An Example

In 1Ti 3 Paul carefully outlined to Timothy the requirements of a serving brother: to be blameless, vigilant, sober, experienced, patient. In 1Ti 4:1-5 he spoke of an apostasy which was even then working, and which would grow in strength as the years passed. Paul is telling Timothy and us that the days ahead will not be easy ones. They will be times to try even the best-prepared of men, with the main troubles coming from within. And there is only one way to combat the errors that arise. We must remain well-informed in the Word, and we must each one take heed to himself, that he is following the apostle’s teachings of godliness so that he will not lead others astray.

11	These things command and teach.

These things take us back to the previous section. They include the refusal of ungodly fables and speculations and the following after sound words of faith and godliness. They include a trusting in God despite adversity. These things Paul both commands and teaches. Paul commands it as the only behavior pleasing to God, for our God is a jealous God, and unwilling that we share our devotion with others. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Paul teaches it as a father to his “own son in the faith” (1Ti 1:2), lovingly imploring him to follow these Divine precepts, for his own good. God’s standards are not harsh and restrictive in their keeping, but instead they bring “great gain” even in this life. We can achieve personal growth in character as a result of following God’s instructions. He does not restrict us from those things which bring us true benefit. He withholds nothing from those He loves. The ‘restrictions’ only upset the man of the flesh, who can expect harshness when he stands before the Supreme Judge if he ignores these ‘restrictions’. Children do not often know what is truly best for them. The spiritual chain of command is put into action. Paul enjoins Timothy to command or charge the “followers” of Christ to follow those principles which he and Paul have been commanded to follow. As an example, Timothy must live his faith and thereby teach others.

12	Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

For more details on the phrase let no man despise thy youth compare the similar passage in 1Co 16:11. It seems, from all accounts, that Timothy was a relatively young man (the Greek “neotes”, however, is said to indicate any age up to forty), although he possessed the qualifications for a leader. But like Robert Roberts many years later, he must have discovered that some older men envied his ability and position, were taken aback by his zeal, and therefore were always ready to condemn him for any little mistake. He had to be doubly careful in whatever he did so that his ‘enemies’ would have no occasion to criticize him. He would also have to develop an insensitivity to their constant badgering and heckling.

Also, as Paul mentioned previously (1Ti 3:6,7), the young are subject to pride in a large degree. Timothy is warned to carefully steer clear of all vain pretensions and ambitions, common to the young in authority.

The phrase be thou an example of the believers is an exhortation to be a type or pattern, for the believers to follow. Paul, who labored so much among the unbelievers, was an “example” for them (1Ti 1:16) — in that he had once walked contrary to God, but had been forgiven of his sins done in ignorance, and had completely reversed his course of life. Timothy, who worked among the believers, should be their example, in the ways of godliness which Paul explains in the next few verses.

James says, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man” (James 3:2). This is one of the most difficult areas in which to be wholly consistent to our calling. Our tongue can slip, it seems, before we have an opportunity to consider the effect of what we say. For this reason we should all be “slow to speak”. The Scriptures give much detailed instruction regarding this essential bridling of the tongue. Let us all search our hearts to see whether by failure to properly use and control this member we are making our religion vain. The Scriptures refer to a dozen or more different uses of the tongue in which we betray our professed faith: lying, evil-speaking, backbiting, talebearing, foolish talking, talking too much, talking proudly, contention, answering in anger, flattery, murmuring, complaining and giving lip-service.

If we look only superficially at this, we may feel that we never offend in words. But if we look more deeply, remembering how the law of God searches down into the dark and sometimes unsuspected roots of our innermost thoughts and motives, we shall realize that all these warnings are matters of real concern for each of us. Let us all carefully consider the words of the Psalmist: “I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress” (Psa 17:3). See also the comments in 1Ti 5:13.

The words in conversation may seem to be synonymous with “in word”, but in reality it complements it. “Conversation” is correctly translated as “manner of life” in the RV The original Greek word refers to behavior. “In word” has to do with our speech, and “in conversation” has to do with all our other activities, that may make impressions upon others.

Charity (Greek agape) is the truest love, a self-sacrificing love toward others (so translated in RV). It is perhaps best explained in 1Pe 1:22:

“Seeing ye have purified your lives in obeying the truth (at baptism) unto unfeigned love (“phileo” — companionship, closeness — the first step) of the brethren, see that ye also love (agape — true, divine, complete love) one another with a pure heart fervently”.

The true love of the brethren is reached through successive stages. It is not something that one immediately feels, but it is a feeling which must continually grow greater and greater in our hearts, until there is no room for hate and envy and strife.

Most versions omit the phrase in spirit. It has very slight support from the manuscripts.

In faith means show that your faith is real. Do not give lip-service to an ideal, while making your personal decisions on another basis. Be consistent, live by your faith — that others may see what it really means to you.

Purification is a process of attainment and it involves certain, specific, successive steps. We never attain perfect purity, but we make a constant effort: “Everyone that hath this hope purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1Jo 3:3). “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded” (James 4:8). The Law and the relation of the priests to the service of the tabernacle stress ceremonial purity and cleanliness. We are the antitype, “the holy priesthood”, the fulfillment of the priestly ideal. It is our duty to purify our hearts and minds (1Pe 1:2; 1Jo 3:3).

13	Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

The introductory words till I come indicated [as stated before, 1Ti 3:14,15], that Paul hoped to return to Ephesus to inspect the progress of Timothy and the ecclesias and to straighten out any problems that might have arisen. But this phrase till I come calls to mind the coming of Christ also, for it is so often used otherwise in that sense. Paul was a bishop or an overseer of the brotherhood. In his travels he might make visits to the various ecclesias. Jesus, in his first advent, was typical of the Levitical priests who came to inspect questionable dwellings. If the building were unclean the priest would decree that it be destroyed (Lev 14:44,45). This is exactly what Jesus did. He came to inspect the Jewish “ecclesia” and nation, and he found the temple and its worship filthy before God. Therefore, he decreed its removal along with the destruction of Jerusalem:

“They shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:44).

(Visitation is from the same word in the Greek as “overseer”).

And in the same way, when Christ comes again to the earth, it will be as a bishop or “overseer” to inspect his people, (In 1Pe 2:25 “bishop” is the same word as “visitation”). He will then judge them, punish the wicked, and reward the faithful. And his judgement will be upon the basis of how well we have followed his directions, as recorded here.

The words give attendance are better translated as “give attention and time” or “devote yourself (NIV). Notice the great stress which this phrase places upon what follows. Not just “Do these things”, but “Give your complete, undivided attention to them. Do them with all your heart, mind, and soul”.

For Timothy the reading would be the Old Testament Scriptures which he had known from a child (2Ti 3:14-17). Doubly so for us, the Old Testament and the New are both necessary, both equally important, both requiring careful and prayerful study both confirming and completing one another.

Paul seems to be referring especially to the public reading of the Scriptures before an assembly. The same word is used in Acts 13:15, where the Scriptures were formally read in the synagogue following a regular pattern. It was in such a situation that Jesus himself “stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). The reading aloud would be either accompanied or followed by explanatory comments after the example of Ezra and the priests:

“So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading” (Neh 8:8).

Public reading, along with exposition and exhortation, still provides the framework of our ecclesial meetings, as well it should. The brother who is called upon to read must remember that his duty is just as important as that of the presiding brother or exhorting brother or praying brother. He is the translator, so to speak, of God’s Word. He should convey its meaning respectfully, carefully and coherently. His responsibility is to do more than just give a half-hearted, unthinking recitation of words. But good reading goes beyond mere technical proficiency. The quality of the voice is not the primary concern; neither are proper pronunciation and correct pauses the only things that count. What matters most is that he read with his heart words that are for him living and vital! How refreshing it was once to hear a brother interrupt his public reading of a chapter to make a helpful comment upon the text! Clearly he understood his purpose. He was not just ‘reading’. He was going beyond the cold formality. He was “giving attention to reading”!

Exhortation is the practical application of Scriptural precepts, including appeal, entreaty, example, and encouragement. We should not use the word or the power of exhortation to adamantly pursue our own theories (1:4-7), but to nourish ourselves and others in the simple teachings of godliness. Timothy was to accept and give exhortation, being a responsible deacon, guiding and provoking his brethren in love to do those necessary things.

The word doctrine is rendered “teaching” by the RV, RSV, and NIV Again the doctrine referred to is the apostles’ doctrine, the teachings of Christ (Acts 2:42). The stress is upon the practising of good works.

14	Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Timothy probably received some special Holy Spirit gift, which was to be used for the upbuilding or edification of the believers. See especially 1Ti 1:2n. Timothy would have received his gift from the apostle Paul (1Ti 1:10; 2Ti 1:6) who transmitted it according to the prophecy or instruction he received from God.

The presbytery simply means “elders”. Paul must have given Timothy his authority and power in some special ceremony of ordination (Acts 14:23; 16:4), though we take pains to keep as far as possible from any comparison with the unenlightened rituals of the apostate churches. Only the apostles had the power to invest others with the Holy Spirit in any of its manifestations. We may then view the apostles as the “elders” of the entire body, who through their representative, Paul, selected and transferred ecclesial authority to Timothy (2Ti 1:6).

The imposition of hands is both traditionally and Scripturally the means of transference or transmission. The Jew laid his hand upon the sacrifice to transfer his guilt to the animal (as in Lev 1:4). The patriarchs thereby transmitted God’s hereditary blessings (as in Gen 48:14), as Moses did God’s authority to Joshua (Num 27:18-23). The laying on of hands by the apostles and others healed the infirmities and even gave life to the dead (2Ki 4:34; Mark 6:5; Luke 4:40).

In a secondary sense, this phrase may refer to the laying on of hands by the Ephesian elders, in voluntary selection (1Ti 5:22) of Timothy as their leader. In this understanding, they would merely be acknowledging Timothy’s authority, already received from Paul and the other apostles. Perhaps this was needed for the benefit of the members of the Ecclesia who might not readily have accepted Timothy’s credentials. This Ephesian “presbytery”, though some may have possessed Spirit gifts themselves, would have not been able to transmit such power to others, not being apostles.

15	Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Meditate is one of those colorless English words which very improperly gives the sense of the original. The RV and NIV rendering is much better: “Be diligent“, indicating an active, inquiring mind — a comprehensive understanding of applied knowledge. The modern word “meditation” conjures up the picture of passive theorizing or of mentally wandering in a cloudy atmosphere of “devotion”. But a quick reference to a reliable concordance soon sets this idea right by revealing that the Bible words translated “meditate” all have to do with speech and talking! So true meditation is a literal talking, either to God or to one another: Exhort one another… (Heb 10:25). “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another” (Mal 3:16).                

Give thyself wholly to them means ‘Love God and serve Him with all your heart and all your energy’ (Mat 22:37). Nothing less than the fullest effort is expected. God is not pleased with a part-time, lukewarm devotion (Rev 3:15). Be absorbed completely in your service to God. We get the same idea in the phrase, “Walk in God”. Live your life wholly encircled, clothed by the Spirit-Word of God’s Truth. Walk in light, as children of the light. “Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long” (Pro 23:17).

We promise to become living sacrifices — daily putting to death the tendencies of the flesh. Regardless of the time that we enter the vineyard, we must labor and never relax — until the end of the day.

Timothy’s profiting [progress (RV, RSV, NIV), the same word as “furtherance” (of the gospel) in Phi 1:12,25] was to appear to all. As others could see Timothy as a living example of the gospel he professed, they might be encouraged to try harder themselves. “Let your light shine before men” (Mat 5:16) means more than just for the conversion of aliens. “Let your light shine” also before the brethren, to strengthen and help them. Both Timothy’s personal benefit from the study of the Truth and his growth in the Truth were examples for others.

16	Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Doctrine should be translated “teachings” again, as in v 13. True doctrine, or true teaching is the basic foundation for everything else. It was not enough for Timothy to tell others to pay attention to this word. He must do it himself as an example first. It is much more effective to lead others by doing rather than just by telling. The ecclesia is a chain, made up of individual links; and a chain must be pulled, not pushed!

For in doing this Timothy would both save himself, and them that hear him. A prophet must warn his fellows or he is held accountable himself (1Ti 3:2; Eze 33:4, 5; James 5:20). He must “declare the whole counsel of God” (1Co 3:10-15), not holding back things for the sake of “peace”. And he must take heed to his own warnings first and foremost or he will have no hope of success.

1	Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren.

The ecclesia is a family (1Jo 2:1,12-14) — a family that has a closer tie, a sounder reason for unity, than has any natural family: “the bonds of the Truth”. A close-knit family is a unit, a body, better able to face trying situations, since they have “the same care one for another” (1Co 12:25).

Just as in 1Ti 3, these next two verses demonstrate the family nature of the ecclesia and consequently the close personal relationships of the Truth. Ecclesial elders should always be aware of this family nature of the ecclesia, showing care and consideration in their dealings with brethren. In this they have Paul’s example: “I am become all things to all men” (1Co 9:22).

Rebuke not an elder means ‘never censure an old man harshly’. The verb is used in the New Testament only this once. It signifies “to lay blows upon” (figuratively), “to castigate”. Here it seems by the context that Paul is speaking of any older brother, for in v 1, Paul is speaking of the different age groups of individuals within the ecclesia. Contrast this with the section beginning with v 17, where the “elders” are those that “bear rule”, that is, the leaders of the ecclesia.

For intreat him as a father other versions have ‘exhort, beseech, plead with, appeal to, implore’. (Intreat — parakaleo — is the same as the word translated “exhort” in 1Ti 2:1.) In these two verses, each believer is to be treated as a family member — father, brother, mother, or sister. The ecclesia is our real family. We are reminded of Jesus’ words:

“Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mat 12:48-50).

The idea is not to build barriers of animosity and resentment, but to admonish with the love you would show to your natural father, only here there is more reason. Timothy was relatively young, and going to an older brother in correction would be enough to alienate that person if not handled properly. This does not remove the duty of correction; yet it is aimed towards temperate action.

Paul exhorts Timothy to treat the younger men as brethren. Of course, they are brethren. But here Paul uses the word in the family sense — as ‘equals’. Though inferior in position, attainments, or knowledge to Timothy, they were still his equals in God’s sight and deserving of respect and honor as such.

2	The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

Elder is the feminine form of “presbyter”, used only in this verse. A similar word is found in Tit 2:3. Indeed, the elder sisters may be as “mothers” to the young Timothy (cp Rom 16:13). In Jdg 5:7, Deborah is said to have arisen “a mother in Israel”. She assumed this position as a prophetess or teacher when no man was ready to assume this role, but she then wisely stepped aside when Barak arose as a righteous leader. However, she still offered him encouragement and solace for the difficult task he had to perform. Barak trusted her so much that he said, “If thou wilt go with me, then I will go” (Jdg 4:8).

The younger were to be treated as sisters, with all purity or ‘with due respect, courtesy, and propriety’. This scarcely needs a further comment. Timothy was to show purity on his own part (1Ti 4:12; 5:22), and all his dealings with the younger women were also to be in the utmost purity of action and intention.

The relationship in the Truth is a close, personal family relationship, that is, it should attain to the mutually affectionate and tender ideal that family relationship should be, though often sadly is not.

Relationship in the Truth is not a cold, impersonal, critical business, nor a mere technical relationship. There must be a deep, personal, living feeling and closeness. If there is the necessary mutual reproof and correction will be gently offered and lovingly accepted. Pointing out where we feel others are wrong is often necessary and often a duty. Done in the right spirit, it is an evidence of love and care. But, it is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, thing to do right in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Fleshly fault-finding comes so easily and naturally to all.

First of all, we should so live all the time and have such a continuous and strong relationship of affection and understanding among us that reproof could be given and received with perfect freedom in the spirit of love. This is an ideal never fully attained but earnestly to be striven for.

In this section (the pivotal point of the entire epistle) Paul expresses his purpose in writing to Timothy and he gives us a concise yet sublime definition of the Ecclesia. The Ecclesia is God’s household, the support and light-stand of the Truth, the guardian of the “mystery of godliness”.

A. 3:14-16: Foundation Of Truth

14	These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15	But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Paul was an old man by this time and doubtless in poor health, due to a life of difficult travels and innumerable stresses and strains. He knew very well that whatever he chose to do would be possible only if it were the Lord’s will (James 4:13-15). He might never be able to come to Timothy. Even a man like Paul was little different from us in this respect (and in this is a basis for serious thought). He could not plan his future with certainty. He must work while it is called today, for the hour would soon come in which the time for labor was past (John 9:4).

That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself has the idea of ‘that you may know how to conduct yourself and what to say to those who depend on you for leadership’.

Remember that Timothy had just been given the qualifications for those who “desire the office of a bishop”… or deacon. Timothy had a difficult work ahead of him. He was a young man with a great responsibility and there would be those who would despise his youth and zeal. These qualifications were for him also, that he might make the most of his ability and opportunity to “edify” the house of God.

The phrase in the house of God does not refer to any real structure, made with men’s hands. When Solomon spoke at the dedication of the temple, he made this quite clear:

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded” (1 Kings 8:27)?

But nevertheless this temple of Solomon’s time, in which God’s glory came to rest, was emblematic of a greater house, a house to which such allusions as Paul’s statement here have their highest realization. The “House of God is in the greatest sense the household of God or the family of God. “House” in the Bible commonly means a family rather than a building. (The family of Israel was once called God’s house: see Num 12:7 and many other references). Paul is still thinking of the same type of “house” when he writes in 5:1, 2 that Timothy should treat the saints as parents and brethren. Compare also Mat 12:50:

“For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”.

The real house of God was first of all Jesus Christ (John 2:13-22), a man which God Himself “built up” in a very unique sense. And each believer is in turn a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1Co3:16; 6:19). [The Corinthians, to whom Paul spoke and other first-century believers were pre-eminently a Holy Spirit temple, in that many members possessed special gifts of the Spirit (1Co12). But in a broader sense they and we also possess the Holy Spirit in the word of God believed among us: (John 6:63; 1Jo 5:6; Eph 6:17)]. Finally, all the believers “fitly framed together” (Eph 2:21) are a “spiritual house” (1Pe 2:5) — a living house built of “living stones”. We are the “house of God” (Consider also 1Pe 4:17; Heb 3:6; 10:21) — His “tabernacle” (Heb 8:2) or dwelling-place (for He dwells among us in our hearts and minds) built up around Jesus the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20; Psa 118:22).

We are to be “bond-servants” in God’s house to serve the brethren. Timothy is exhorted to be a willing servant in God’s household just as Moses was (Heb 3:5).

The church of the living God is the “ecclesia” of God: the assembly of His “called-out” ones (cf. v 5). In our midst is the ever-living God, “Who only hath immortality” (6:16). This household or ecclesia is to be as alive and vibrant and joyful and energetic as the God Who dwells therein.

The pillar is a ‘support to hold up an edifice’. God’s “house” of Truth is supported by men of spiritual stature, strong in the faith, “pillars” such as James and Cephas and John (Gal 2:9). The ecclesia is the pillar of God’s Truth. It is the only light-stand in a corrupt and pleasure-seeking world, a world groping in the darkness of the “god of the earth”. The ecclesia is the “mainstay” or “bulwark” of the Truth having a duty to defend the gospel from attacks arising within and without, keeping in good repair the one foundation laid by Jesus Christ (1Co3:10, 11). As a light-stand the ecclesia has a duty to proclaim the Truth to others and to keep the light atop the pillar always shining before men (Mat 5:14-16).

Such men as James and John, who comprise the true ecclesia, will find eternal dwelling places as part of God’s temple:

“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out” (Rev 3:12).

The complete assembly of called-out ones will be fitted together around Christ (“the chief comer-stone”: Eph2:20) at the “marriage of the Lamb” (Rev 19:7, 9). The whole purpose of the Truth is encompassed in God’s Memorial Name, Yahweh Elohim, which means “He Who Shall Be Mighty Ones”. God’s purpose in Christ is to bring to perfection a special group of people, an “ecclesia” to show forth his transcending glory. From the one “Seed of the woman”, by his strength in word and deed, comes the victory over the seed of the serpent. From the one “seed” comes the fruitful vine of the faithful ones. From the one “lamb without blemish” comes a great flock of spotless ones. From the one “captain of our salvation” comes a great army of mighty Spirit-beings.

In Gen 28:18, after witnessing the Almighty’s power and receiving His promises, “Jacob rose up early in the morning”, set up the pillar upon which he had rested, and anointed it. This upright and anointed pillar represented the resurrected and immortalized Jesus Christ. In this enactment Jacob showed his faith in the Messiah to come (“I have waited for Thy salvation, O Yahweh” — Gen 49:18) and his own hope of partaking in this same reward.

When Moses read the words of the law to the nation of Israel about Yahweh making a blood-covenant with them and revealing His glory in a vision (Exod. 24), Moses erected an altar (symbolizing Christ: Heb 13:10) and surrounded it with twelve pillars, “according to the twelve tribes of Israel”. No doubt this found its expression in Christ’s promise to the twelve “apostle-pillars” that they would sit with him upon thrones, ruling over God’s “house” in the Kingdom (Mat 19:28; Rev 21:14).

This same hope is foreshadowed in Joshua 4. As Joshua leads the tribes of Israel across Jordan to inherit the promised land (compare the eternal “rest of the sabbath” offered by the New Testament “Joshua” in Heb 4) he took twelve men, one from each tribe. These men brought with them twelve stones and erected them in the midst of Jordan as an altar and a pillar for a sign and a memorial. This typifies New Jerusalem, the city of the saints designated by God to rule the world, the “house of God” established upon its twelve foundation-pillars (Rev 21:12-21).

The Greek word hedraioma translated ground appears only once in Scripture and is difficult to translate exactly. It has been variously translated as mainstay, bulwark, foundation and anchor. A similar Greek word is translated “steadfast” in 1Co7:37 and 15:58, and “settled” in Col 1:23. John Thomas translates it as both foundation and support. (The technical meaning may be the arch-support which joins together and anchors pillars in most ancient architecture).

Finally, the word ground has a connection with the holy “place” or sanctuary in which Jacob rested:

“There is a sense in which Jacob’s pillar of stone exists as a house of Elohim even now, and in intimate connection with the house he will see when he awakes from his present know-nothing state. Paul presents to us this sense in the saying, that “a House of Deity is an ecclesia of living Deity, a pillar and ground (material habitation, from “hedraioma”, a habitation of gods) of the truth” — 1Ti 3:15. This pillar and habitation is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Anointed being chief-corner” — Eph2:20. As a monumental pillar, the inscription upon it is ‘the exceeding great and precious promises’ believed by each saint, or ‘living stone’, of which the pillar is composed — ‘promises’ concerning the kingdom and name to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as narrated by Moses. This pillar was anointed on the top of it (Gen 28:18) on the Day of Pentecost, when the spirit was poured upon the apostles (Acts 2:1-4). That anointing was perpetuated in “the testimony for Jesus” which has reached even to us, and with which every true believer is anointed. An ecclesia, however, is not only a pillar inscribed with the truth, but is a ‘ground’ (‘hedraioma’) of the truth. It is a material thing made up of ‘gods’, as David styles them, or of ‘children’ of ‘Deity’, according to 1Jo 3:2; Psa 82:6. These are anointed with the truth, and therefore they are a god-habitation, or hedraioma, of the truth.

“In regard to this word hedraioma, it may be remarked here, that it occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, nor in any classical author. The word is derived from hedra, which signifies ‘a seat, habitation, especially of gods, a temple, altar, and etc.’ Hence, the expressiveness of the word, and its peculiar and exclusive application to a habitation of the truth constituted of gods, or children of Deity, who are, as represented in the Apocalypse, ‘the Altar’, ‘the temple’, ‘the Holy city’, or as Paul expresses it, ‘an habitation of Deity by spirit’ — Eph 2:22.” (Eureka, Vol. 1, pp. 391-392)

One should read carefully all our brother’s comments in this section of his work entitled “A Pillar in the Temple”. In these few pages he expounds a great number of Scriptures dealing with God’s holy pillars.

It might be profitable to note the similarities between this V.15 and the experience of Jacob at Bethel (Gen 28), already briefly mentioned. Jacob was at that time fleeing from his brother Esau, whom he had cunningly betrayed and cheated of his privileges. Jacob, caught in a whirlwind of contradictory emotions, must have begun to wonder if God had not deserted him and forgotten the promises He had made. It was that night that Jacob came, frightened and tired and bewildered, to a certain “place”. (The Hebrew word “place” is often used in the sense of a consecrated or special place, a place of worship, or an altar.)

It was here that Jacob saw his vision of a stairway from heaven, with the angels (God’s ministering spirits — Heb 1:14) ascending and descending upon the stone of Jacob’s bed. By this he was reassured of God’s promises to him personally, and to his seed to come:

“And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which 1 have spoken to thee of” (Gen 28:14, 15).

Jesus takes up the strain of thought here, by declaring in John 1:51 that the angels were to ascend and descend upon the Son of Man. Jesus thus was the stone upon which Jacob rested, and which he placed upright and anointed the following morning. In this pillar we see clearly the purpose of the Father and the mission of Christ in being at first as a stone of no repute (but upon which the faithful rested through the dark ‘night’, with only dreams to sustain them), and then set upright in the morning of resurrection and anointing with the greatest glory — God’s immortal Spirit power. “The stone which the builders [the chief priests and rulers] rejected, the same is become the head of the comer” (Psa 118:22).

In this chapter (Gen 28), almost every word leads us to 1Ti 3:15:

“That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the ecclesia of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Of course, the most obvious features of connection between these two Scriptures are the “house of God” (which is the meaning of Beth El — Gen 28:19) and pillars. (The pillar as we have seen represents Christ and his ecclesia: “And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house” — Gen 28:22).

As Jacob says “How dreadful (wonderful, awe-inspiring) is this place: this is none other but the house of God (Gen 28:17) — so Paul likewise exhorts Timothy to solemn reverence and careful behavior in such a grand place as God’s household.

Also, “the Truth” (in v 15) is often an Old Testament equivalent for the covenants of promise to the fathers. And “the living God” probably has its counterpart at Bethel too, because in the Old Testament this phrase often means “the God of the living creatures” — with obvious references to the cherubim and the angels. It is in God’s house only that His angels minister to even the least of His saints, as they evidently did to Jacob:

“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psa34:7).

“(God) Who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went” (Gen 35:3).

16	And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The word and indicates Paul is following up what he had begun in v 15: “So that you might comprehend the magnitude of that great Truth of which the ecclesia is custodian”.

Without controversy is translated by the NIV as “beyond all question” and means ‘undoubtedly’, ‘confessedly’, or ‘no one can dispute the fact that… ‘

This verse affords us an interesting and instructive example of a misapplication of Scripture. It is reported that a brother once justified contention and debate among Christadelphians by referring to these words and paraphrasing: “Unless we continually have controversy among ourselves we shall never arrive at the true interpretations of God’s Word.”

Timothy was a bishop at Ephesus, where many members of the ecclesia were once pagan worshippers of Diana represented by the stone or meteor that fell from heaven. But they had since “turned from idols to serve the living and true God” (1Th 1:10). And they now believed in Christ, the true Word made flesh, the bread of life that came down from heaven.

Some in Timothy’s ecclesia had at one time been among the hordes of people who fervently cried, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:28). They had perhaps also participated in the “mystery cults” of Greece, with their secret rites and celebrations only for initiates. This shout is opposed by that of, “Great is the mystery of godliness.” And far more wonderful than the colonnaded temple of Diana is the pillared “house of God, the ecclesia of the living God”. Let us say with due reverence, then, “How dreadful (wonderful) is this place!”

Mystery is from the Greek musterion — from which the English word “mystery” is derived. Christ is the revealed mystery of godliness — a visible manifestation of Deity, testified before men, to offer God’s salvation to all:

“The mystery… now made manifest … the glory of this mystery… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:26,27).

“While God lightly esteems the wisdom of the reputed wise, there is a wisdom which He invites all men to embrace. This is styled ‘the wisdom of God in a mystery’; it is also termed ‘the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world, which none of the princes of this world knew’ (1Co 2:7). It is said to be hidden in a mystery, because until the apostolic age, it was not clearly made known. This will appear from the following texts: ‘Now to him that is of power to establish you according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret in the times of the ages, but now (in the time, or age, of the apostles) is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets made known to all nations for the obedience of faith’ (Rom 16:25,26). ‘By revelation God made known unto me, Paul, the mystery, which in other ages (former ages under the law of Moses) was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel’ (Eph 3:3,5,6).

“Here is the ‘knowledge of God,’ in which are contained ‘exceeding great and precious promises’, the understanding of which is able to make a man wise, and ‘a partaker of the divine nature’. Now, although these hidden things have been clearly made known, they still continued to be styled the mystery; not because of their unintelligibility, but because they were once secret. Hence, the things preached unto the Gentiles, and by them believed, are styled by Paul, ‘the mystery of the faith’, and ‘the mystery of godliness’, some of the items of which he enumerates: such as ‘God manifest in the flesh, justified by the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory’. Thus an intelligible mystery characterizes the once hidden wisdom of God, and becomes the subject matter of an enlightened faith.” (Elpis Israel, pp. 3,4)

The remainder of this verse is a point-by-point development of that “mystery of godliness” — the revelation of Christ to all men and man’s step-by-step comprehension of the love of God directed toward his salvation. In the Greek original this section is rhythmic, much like the Hebrew poetry of the OT. Possibly Paul is quoting from some well-known Christian hymn of the first century, or an early “statement of faith”. Notice how these several points form parallels with the very last part of Mark’s Gospel (Mar 6:15,16), and with a section of Peter’s first letter (1Pe 3:18-22) also.

(It almost seems as if these were well-memorized points in the early Christian’s “statement of faith”, so often are they reiterated in the New Testament writings. Possibly here is another of those “faithful sayings” scattered throughout the pastoral letters).

Such a parallel would be of value in demonstrating the true meaning of “the spirits in prison” (1Pe 3:19).

All modern editors reject the reading “God was manifest in the flesh” in favor of “Who was manifest… “, with obvious reference to Christ. Nevertheless, Christ was and is a manifestation of God, properly understood. The Word (Wisdom, Purpose, Message) of God was made flesh, and dwelt among men (John 1:14; 1Jo 4:2). Christ, although the Son of God, was also “born of a woman, made under the law” (Gal4:4) — shaped in flesh (Psa 51:5; Rom 8:3; Eph 2:14) — made in all points like his brethren (Heb 2:9, 14). Christ in his own self bore our sins in his own body (Isa 53:4; 1Pe 2:24). In other words, he suffered from the effects of Adam’s sin in his mortal nature, just as all of Adam’s other descendants. “Every spirit (teacher) that professes that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1Jo 4:2).

But how could a mere man in any way be the “Word of God”? The Jews who heard Jesus speak asked how a mere man could speak as he did. They imagined that his words were only the utterance of a fleshly mind. John Thomas speaks of this:

“But he told them that this was not so; for he said, ‘My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me’, and John also testified that ‘he whom the Deity has sent, spake the words of the Deity’, as Moses predicted in Deut. 18:18, concerning the Christ, saying, ‘I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall be, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.’ And so when the Word became flesh, the Word-Flesh recalled attention to what Moses had written and said, ‘He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words… the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last days. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak’ — John 12:47 — ‘the words of eternal life.’

“The words, then, that came out of the mouth of Jesus, are to be received as the direct teaching of the Eternal Spirit, and to be interpreted of him.” (Eureka, Vol. 1, p. 103).

While Christ was like all other men in his nature and the temptations he had to undergo, he was different in that he never succumbed to the lusts of the flesh. By his whole life he condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:3), becoming “dead to sin”. And when Christ died, death could have no more dominion over him: “He that is dead is freed from sin” (Rom 6:7). The grave had no more dominion over him and God, after declaring His own righteousness in condemning Jesus’ body of sin (Rom 3:26), could demonstrate His mercy as well, in raising Christ from the dead to eternal life. Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead” (Rom 1:4). Jesus was “vindicated” or “endorsed” — as the Greek word signifies (Mat 11:19; Luke 10:29). Jesus was justified (declared just or righteous) in the spirit by being “born of the spirit” through a resurrection to life (Roml:4; 1Pe 3:18):

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36 ).

Christ’s resurrection to life was a proof of his righteousness and an example and guarantee to those “in Christ” that they might similarly be accounted righteous through him (Rom4:25).

He was also seen of angels. This may be a simple reference to the angels who attended upon the events of the resurrection and shortly thereafter (Mark 16:5). When Jesus was elevated to his new immortal state he was able to say, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18). And with the mention of this new power, there seems always to be present the angels of God, as a witness of that newly-gained dominion:

“Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Pet 3:22).

But a more satisfying explanation, in view of the context here in 1 Timothy, as well as the parallel in Mark 16, might be this: The “angels” (messengers) relate to the disciples who saw Jesus shortly after his resurrection to life:

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went, and told it to the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen” (Mark 16:9-14).

These appearances (1Co15:5-8) were of more immediate importance than those to the angelic beings, as it was in this way that Jesus established the first-century ecclesia and instructed the early believers in the more complete principles of the gospel. Since this section of Paul’s letter is concerned with the ecclesia, God’s house and the “mystery of the faith”, it would seem to be more appropriate to understand the term angels as referring to those mortal messengers who were to witness to the world the foundation of the faith — Jesus, a living Messiah. (Compare such passages as Luke 24:34; Acts 9:17; 13:31; 26:16).

Christ was preached unto the Gentiles — All the “mystery of Godliness” points to this, that God in His love wished all men to be saved (2:4) and that He has provided His son to be the Saviour of all men that believe (2:6). For this reason, Christ told His disciples: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15; Mat 28:19; Rom 16:26). Paul especially would be inclined to emphasize this, being the special apostle to the Gentiles. In Eph 2:13, Paul tells these Ephesians, to whom Timothy ministered:

“Now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

Even Peter saw this same thing, for he told the Jews at Pentecost:

“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39).

This was driven home to Peter even more forcibly when he saw the vision of all manner of animals, clean and unclean, after which he remarked:

“God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28).

Of course God’s plan, ultimately to offer salvation to the Gentiles, is foreshadowed a hundred times in the Old Testament and in many of Christ’s parables too. Sometimes it is even stated in simple prophecy (Isa 49:6; 57:19).

Christ was believed on in the world. It is not necessary from this that Christ must be believed throughout the earth. It means only that he will be believed upon by a remnant, a mere handful called out of the various races and nations of mankind. This is the mystery of Godliness, that a few of the poor and humble of this world, who have made themselves nothing for Christ, may yet gain all things in the age to come. True Christianity never will be a popular religion of the masses in this present age; rather, it will always be the “sect everywhere spoken against” (Acts 28:22) or ignored by the majority.

And he was received up into glory, the consummation of God’s mystery of revelation. This same Jesus who once walked and taught among other men was taken into heaven (Psa 110:4), but he will so return in like manner as he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11). Until then he is the life of God, by anticipation, for all the saints. For our life is hid with him or in him now (Col 3:3), but it will soon be revealed to those of us who may be found worthy when hopefully “we shall be like him” (1Jo 3:2; 1Co13:12). Christ the high priest, having offered his own blood for an atonement, will return from the Most Holy to his waiting brethren “the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb 9:28).

Thus the mystery of Godliness has its beginning in God’s manifestation through Jesus alone and its conclusion in God’s manifestation by Spirit in a multitude of sons — “God all in all” (1Co15:28).

The mystery of Godliness is the greatest of all things: the development of the ecclesia, God’s pillar and household, first by the preaching of Christ, in his life, and then the preaching of his disciples and the ecclesia today — with the ultimate expectation of taking out a remnant, of preparing a people for their Lord.

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Co 4:3-6).

Truly we may exclaim, with Paul: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Rom 11:33, 36).

The qualifications outlined in this section are required of all brethren, but the presence of the required qualifications must especially be assured in all chosen to lead and serve the ecclesia. A serving brother must avoid anything that could reflect adversely on the Truth, or discourage his brethren, or cause the weak to stumble. All work in the Truth is to be aspired to in the true spirit of serving God most fully and acceptably, but such work and positions have great added responsibilities.

These are God’s direct commands, and it is vitally important that we weigh them fully when selecting serving brethren, or when selected to be serving brethren.

A. 3:1-7: Bishops

The word “bishop” may to many minds conjure up a false notion. Those whose minds have been influenced by the Catholic and Protestant traditions think of “bishops” as great and powerful men, wearing luxurious robes, and dwelling in immense palaces and cathedrals. However, this type of “bishop” is vastly different from what Paul intended by the New Testament word translated here and elsewhere as “bishop”. (Note in this connection Christ’s words about John the Baptist’s modest clothing and manner — Mat 11:7-11).

The New Testament word is epi-scopes — literally an ‘overseer’ or superintendent. In the common usage of the word, “bishop” and “elder” are different names for the same class of persons. In 1Pe 5:1,2 Peter addresses the elders among the brethren, instructing them to “feed the flock of God… taking the oversight thereof…” The oversight of the ecclesia refers to the duty of the overseer (epi-scopes). This same word appears in Heb 12:15, where it is translated “looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God”. Thus the bishop is to be a watchman — keeping careful watch over the ecclesia and taking action against any tendencies toward error or wrong behavior.

A point might be stressed here, since we have introduced the term “elder”. Age or long experience in the Truth can be good qualifications. However, age or long years in the Truth by themselves are not always a mark of an elder. As Elihu put it in Job 32:6-9:

“Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged (always) understand judgement.”

In “feeding the flock” (1Pe 5:2) the bishop performs the office of a pastor (or shepherd), feeding his charges from the pure word of Truth, and leading them out of danger. There is really only one true “Shepherd and Bishop” — and this is Christ (1Pe 2:25). But others designated as bishops must follow his example, just as Peter obeyed the Lord’s command, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:16,17).

A bishop in the first century was entrusted by God with some measure of responsibility and authority over the ecclesia. In Jerusalem there were some whom Paul called “rulers” (Heb 13:7,17,24) — whom their brethren were to obey. (Since no one today is directly appointed by the Holy Spirit and judging from the ecclesial mistakes of the past we must be very careful to examine what even ‘elders’ say.)

Also, any with the privilege and responsibility of being a ‘ruler’ (in its present restricted sense) should heed carefully Jesus’ words in Luke 22:26,27:

“He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve… I am among you as he that serveth.”

Thus the bishops were leaders of the ecclesia, answering at the present time most closely to the ecclesial arranging brethren. Bishops were overseers and shepherds of the flock. In the following analysis of these verses we shall learn more of both their duties and the characteristics they should show forth. As to the qualifications of bishops we may note that what is insisted upon in this Scripture, and in the corresponding passage in Titus, is character. The apostle Paul does not require an overseeing elder to be well-educated in the wisdom of this world. Nor does he require him to be a successful and shrewd businessman (although his ability and qualifications to manage ecclesial business must be considered). Neither must he be a man who has flourished in his profession or otherwise obtained outside prominence. A bishop need not even be a polished speaker. But what Paul does insist upon is spotless character and a good report.

1	This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

This is the second occurrence of the phrase faithful saying. (Most likely, this occurrence refers back to 2:15.) See the list, 1:15, and the progression outlined there.

In the phrase if a man desire the office of a bishop, desire literally means ‘to stretch forward in order to grasp’. A brother should desire the office as a means of serving and glorifying God. A brother should seek to serve voluntarily, willingly, without constraint, with a ready mind (1Pe 5:2). He should not shrink from rendering a service for which he is qualified. Neither should he fear reprisals from the non-Christian community against ecclesial leaders (a great threat in Paul’s time, but scarcely at all today). If he were to hold back his service due to some false sense of modesty, he would in effect be burying his talent and hiding his light under a bushel. Nevertheless he must also serve with no thought of reward (“not for filthy lucre” — 1Pe 5:2) nor of personal ambition. Let those who have a passion for this work realize the seriousness involved and examine themselves on the basis of the following qualifications. If they qualify, with God’s grace, let them serve with zeal — if not, let them suppress the desire.

The idea of a good work is really ‘a noble, fine or excellent work’. A righteous person would desire the office as a good work, not as a good honour or position:

“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (2Ti 4:5).

The office of an elder or bishop (overseer) in the days of Paul was often a difficult and dangerous position. It involved much labor; it was full of risk; it meant a severe and painful existence; it meant suffering the accusations and reproaches of jealous men. Yet from the standpoint of a true servant of God, it was a great and honorable work.

Of what did the work consist? The bishop was to make frequent decisions in ecclesial business affairs. The bishop was in a position to “save souls”, that is, to turn men from their sins and put them back on the right track (Pro 11:30; Jam 5:19, 20). The bishop might speak publicly and privately to the brethren, for comfort, warning, exhortation, and support (1Th 5:14), “to stir up pure minds by way of remembrance” (2Pe 3:1) and to “provoke (incite) to love and good works” (Heb 10:24). Generally the bishop had as his special responsibility the perfection and edification (building up) of the saints (Eph 4:12). He was commissioned to “tend (feed) the flock of God” (1Pe 5:2), to “lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (Heb 12:12).

Again, there is frequent exhortation in these Pastoral Letters (more than in Paul’s other letters) to maintain good works and for men like Timothy and Titus to be examples of them (1Ti 4:12,16).

2	A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach.

This verse presupposes the existence of bishops in Ephesus where Timothy was. Bishops were also known in Crete where Titus resided. Furthermore, James, one of the elders or bishops at Jerusalem, was a respected leader whose counsel and opinion was often sought (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18). It is safe to say that the bishops were recognized leaders in all the first century ecclesias. (Paul’s first letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus stand together in contrast to 2Ti. 1Ti and Titus are much more concerned with ecclesial organization, procedure, and activity; 2Ti, like Phm and 2Jo and 3Jo, is more of a strictly personal nature than the other two Pastorals. So it is understandable that it contains no reference to bishops).

A bishop must be blameless or literally “one who cannot be laid hold of, not open to censure, above reproach” (cf 1Ti 5:7). Truly Solomon says, “A little folly in him that is in reputation is like the stink of dead flies in good ointment” (Ecc 10:1). Nowhere do minor faults stand out greater than when they appear in prominent men. First of all then, and most importantly, a bishop must be a man to whom no just exception may be taken, by anyone, for any cause.

The phrase the husband of one wife has been the center of some disagreement among commentators. It may indicate that there were some Christians as late as 60 AD who had several wives under the permission of Mosaic of Roman laws, and who were allowed to keep them in this early period of transition. It seems almost certain that such brethren had married more than one wife before they embraced the Truth. The fact, however, that such men were baptized and received into fellowship indicates that they were accepted as the Truth found them and were not required to sever any existing marriage ties as a condition of baptism. No restrictions were placed upon such men except that they could not hold the office of a bishop.

Other commentators feel (wrongly, it seems) that this is a command that elders may have only one wife for all time, that is, that they may not remarry if their first wife should die. (John Thomas writes of Tertullian, a bishop of the early apostasy, who flourished about 100 years after the apostle John. Among heresies either introduced or given formal acceptance by this man was the disapproval of such second marriages: Eureka, vol. 1, p. 437: Mosheim’s “Ecclesiastical History”, pp. 83, 84.) But there is no Scriptural command or precedent for this. There is just as good reason for a widower to marry as for a bachelor to marry (1Co 7:8,9).

The most logical and simplest explanation of this passage is as follows: The Greek phrase is “a man of one woman”, or a faithful husband, not guilty of any indiscretion. In the midst of very lax Greek standards of marriage and adultery, a bishop must be very careful to stand apart and to remain faithful to his wife. He must give no appearance (even if innocent) of following the prevailing trends of immorality. If we view this phrase in this light then this phrase is consistent with 1Ti 5:9, where it is said certain women should have been the “wife of one man”. (At no time were women permitted to have several husbands. And this could not mean that a woman who had been widowed twice was any less worthy of care simply because of her two marriages. It must mean instead that she should have been wholly faithful to each of her husbands in turn.)

It is also a possibility that Paul has divorce in mind. Divorce was as common in Paul’s day as it is today. In this view, a brother who was divorced and remarried, for whatever reason, would be excluded from any ‘official’ position of service in the ecclesia — although being received into fellowship.

Note the contrast between first century Christianity and the apostasy which was to arise. One had the healthy, God-given attitude that marriage was honorable; the other commanded the unnatural (for most) condition of celibacy to its bishops (1Ti 4:3).

The word vigilant means to be ‘wide awake, watchful, discerning and aware, concerned for the needs and the dangers in an ecclesia’. A bishop must be a man capable of seeing danger at a distance and a man able and willing to warn his brethren. A bishop must not be afraid to expose and fight the evil practices and deceptions which may arise in the last days (2Ti 3:1-5). In Eze 33 we read of Ezekiel’s commission as “a watchman unto the house of Israel” (v 7). There God outlined his duties. If he saw danger coming he was to sound the alarm (v 3). But if Ezekiel saw approaching trouble and neglected to warn his brethren, then he was held responsible:

“If the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people not be warned… their blood will I require at the watchman’s hand” (v 6).

There are “bishops” in the Christadelphian body today who are not performing their duties as “watchmen”. All brethren (and especially overseers) must be vigilant. We hear so often that we must watch the ‘signs of the times’. But many look at the signs of today, which tell of the nearness of Christ’s return, without making any real effort to be ready when he does come. It is not enough just to be aware of the political “signs of the times” and their relation to the world around us. We must also be aware of the “signs of the times” inside the brotherhood today:

1. a growing looseness in doctrine and especially practice;
2. a blurring of the lines between the ecclesia and the world: “eating and drinking with the drunken” (Mat 24:49);

3. a respect for the world’s “science” and learning;

4. a desire to prosper materially;
5. a tendency to “smite the fellow-servants” (Mat 24:49);

6. a growing sense of self-righteousness, and self-sufficiency and complacency;

7. a decrease in keen anticipation and prayer for Christ’s return: “My lord delayeth his coming”.

This list could go on and on. And we must warn our brethren of these dangers from within:

“Cry aloud and spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa 58:1).

Those who hold the Truth in its purity should be the “trumpet of God, giving a clear sound to prepare all the brethren for the last days of increased trouble and error. But “if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1Co 14:8).

The word sober means grave, self-restrained and self-controlled, not excitable or impulsive or flippant or silly. The word is variously translated: “sober-minded” (RV) and “discreet” (the same word as translated in Tit 2:5). It is also rendered “of sound mind”. Like a sound and healthy body, nourished and built up in the Truth, the mind is directed and motivated by clear, controlled decisions based on the Truth in the Word.

Again, the bishop must not only be “vigilant” concerning the signs of the times, but he must also interpret their warning to better prepare his brethren for Christ’s return and the judgment:

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others: but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love: and for an helmet, the hope of salvation” (1Th 5:6-8).

Finally, the bishop must watch not only those in his charge, but he must carefully examine himself as well: “Take heed unto thyself (1Ti 4:16).

Sober is related to inward feeling: of good behaviour (“respectable” — NIV) to outward conduct. Together, both of these characteristics give a complete, balanced picture.

Orderly in outward public appearance; decent and correct; well-mannered; open and communicative; courteous and considerate of others. The true brother of Christ must be consistent throughout, having no spot or blemish. Even in small details the bishop must reflect the example of Christ. Often we view service to God as a number of great acts, expansive gestures, intermingled with a great many more acts done only for ourselves. We must get out of this notion. We must understand that everything we do is to be motivated by our love for God and for others; that everything we do be “of a good behaviour”.

Given to hospitality literally means “a lover of strangers”, one who is happy and eager to care for others. Lodging strangers was one of the good works to be done by widows (5:10). And Paul commands that we “distribute to the necessity of the saints, be given to hospitality” (Rom 12:13: See also Rom 16:2; 1Pe 4:9), “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2). Paul writes to Philemon, fully expecting this brother to provide him a lodging when he comes (Phm 22). John writes to “the well-beloved Gaius”, remembering his ministrations in this same regard (3Jo 1:1,5). In the first century travel through the Roman Empire was quite hazardous and a traveller was very glad to find friendly lodging on his journeys. Today we are not called upon very often to aid strangers, but we do have the frequent opportunity to entertain brethren. One of the unique aspects of the Truth is that brethren may travel thousands of miles to visit other Christadelphians, whom they do not know, or scarcely know, and with whom they may have very little in common in external matters and yet their bonds in the Truth, their common love for the things of their Lord draw them together as if they were old friends. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than to experience this kind of love and helpfulness and consideration among brethren, founded wholly on their love for God. It is the fulfillment and reciprocation of God’s love for us:

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Mat 25:40).

The word translated apt to teach is used only here and in 2 Timothy 2:24 in the New Testament. It signifies being able and ready at all times to teach others, enthusiastic in the Word. Must the elder be a prominent and skilled speaker? It is probable that in Paul’s day most speaking and teaching was informal and more in the nature of conversation as opposed to oratory. And in our day it is not necessary for an elder to possess a polished delivery or a professional speaking voice. But it seems that he must certainly have the mental aptitude to give a good, ready answer to a question concerning the Truth — and the foresight and initiative to seek out those who most need instruction.

The bishop must be ready to teach. It seems that the qualifications of this verse follow a sort of sequence: The bishop must first be vigilant, sober, and of a good behavior. The development of these qualities is not the only preparation for teaching. But he must not begin teaching without these qualifications. For a class teacher, better to have a conservative and sober brother (who may not be elegant and refined) than a flashy, wordy leader whose personal life is suspect.

There is so much of beauty in God’s word; every chapter, every verse abounds in lessons for us. In 2Ti 2:23,24 Paul instructs his young student to avoid foolish and unlearned questions that only arouse strife. There are so many useful things to teach that doubtful, fanciful and sensational ideas may wisely be discarded. The servant of God must be “apt to teach”, but he should not dispense doubtful interpretations. He should teach the Word in its simplicity; seeing that those taught receive the pure milk of the Word, before going on. (See the note on “godly edifying” — 1Ti 1:4).

If the bishops are to be ready always to teach, then others should be ready always to learn. We should be engaged in teaching and learning much more often than just at our weekly Bible classes. The rewards of Bible study do not come in five minutes, or even in five days. If there is lack of serious and prolonged effort and application to this book, then expectation of true knowledge and any real profit is in vain.

The implication of these principles is that any Christadelphian who, over a lengthy period of time, gives more leisure time and effort to the mastery of some other subject, or to the acquisition of some other skill stands self-condemned by that very thing. This may sound harsh, but no amount of excuse-making can evade this stark truth.

If the Bible really is the only book in the world to have come to us directly from God, then it demands and deserves more and better attention than any other; than all other books. Is such a view unrealistic? How can it be? Paul wrote that “all Scripture… is profitable” (2Ti 3:16), and in another place he described it as the “Word of God, which effectually worketh in them that believe” (1Th 2:13) for sanctification and cleansing (Eph 5:26). If Paul was correct, then there is a transforming and guiding power in this book which we must harness to our lives. We must attempt to find elders to teach us and our children properly. We cannot afford to neglect the teaching of God’s word.

3	Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.

Of course a bishop should not indulge excessively in strong drink. Liquor relaxes the inhibitions and causes its user to do things which he would not normally do. (The Bible has some terrible stories of what has happened to people through over-indulgence in wine: Noah in Gen 9:18-27; Lot in Gen 19:30-38; Amnon in 2 Sam. 13:28,29). An intoxicated person is governed by the lusts of the flesh rather than by a consideration of God’s laws. (Use of drugs — including marijuana — must also be strictly avoided, for they are intoxicating in effect).

Also a bishop should not be concerned with banquets and social affairs and places of worldly entertainment. He must maintain a firmly conservative attitude toward the behavior of the world, which is growing continually worse around him. He must be a firm pillar to which younger brethren in doubt may seek for an example. An immoral atmosphere and worldly friends can be just as intoxicating as liquor. (Taken in small amounts, worldly involvement may not seem harmful; but a little association leads to greater excesses, until their victims are trapped in a sort of moral ‘drunkenness’.

In the Bible wine is used for anything that dulls the mind and the senses. Any false doctrine or any wrong activity becomes a kind of drug turning one’s mind from a true worship and a godly life. The priests of Isaiah’s day were “drunken, but not with wine” (Isa 29:9). They were drunken in their own ignorance; and they were willingly ignorant, preferring pagan ways above God’s word. In Lev 10 the sons of Aaron offered “strange fire” to God (vv 1,2), being drunken (v 9). The priests and “prophets” of Israel erred through wine and strong drink (Isa 28:7-13). God will not be acceptably approached by a man drunken either with wine or with an ungodly philosophy. The priests, who ministered to God’s business in the Holy Place, were to be alert and clear-minded. The saints, who dwell in the “Holy Place” now and who offer spiritual offerings to God, must be in the same pure condition. We must be the anti-type of the Nazarite (Num 6:3,4) and the Rechabite (Jer 35:5-7) — who refrained from wine, that their service to God might not be hindered. Let bishops and all others remember the proverb:

“It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes, strong drink; lest they drink and forget the law” (Pro 31:4,5).

The word striker is used twice in the New Testament, once here and once in Tit 1:7. A bishop must not be “violent” (RSV, NIV), or wound another, either by physical force or by gossip and slander and insinuation. He must not be quarrelsome or argumentative. Some believers never rid themselves of their combative tendencies, and they try to deceive themselves and others by constantly engaging in debate concerning the Bible (usually upon profitless questions (1Ti 1:4n; Tit 3:9). They want to convince others that they are “earnestly contending for the faith” (Jude 3), but in reality they are earnestly contending only for their own honor, to prove their own intelligence and skill. They are contending with their brethren out of jealousy. This sort of behavior drew forth the most severe censure from James:

“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not… This wisdom… is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work… From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” (Jam 3:14-16; 4:1; cf Mat 24:49).

Such behavior is in direct contrast to Paul’s commands. The believer, even when expressing a difference of opinion or belief, must strive to be conciliatory and understanding, not abusive toward his opponents. The servants of God must be patient, “in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” (2Ti 2:25). This is the “wisdom from above — pure, peaceable, gentle… ” (Jam 3:17).

Not greedy means ‘not a lover of money’ (NIV) or ‘not anxious for base (or questionable) gain’. Compare 1Pe 5:2: “Feed the flock… take the oversight thereof… not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind”. A true bishop must not be concerned with material things. He must be heedless of himself and his own comforts, seeking first the kingdom of God” (Mat 6:33). “He that is greedy of gain troubled! his own house” (Pro 15:27). “They that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation, and a snare — for the love of money is the root of all evil” (1Ti 6:9,10).

Christ himself had no place to lay his head. When he sent his disciples forth, he commanded them to take only the barest necessities. And so it should be with us.

The word patient suggests waiting meekly for God’s salvation… ” It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD” (Lam 3:26). Real patience is the same as faith in God’s ability to supply a man with whatever he needs. We all profess to believe that “what God has promised, He is able also to perform” (Rom 4:21). But unless we demonstrate our faith in our daily lives, by truly waiting for His help and by refraining from evil pursuits just for the sake of gain and apparent security, we have no real patience or faith. To be truly patient means to be calm even in the face of a raging storm, or calm in the midst of a great crisis, or calm in the simple little inconveniences and bothers of natural life — having true inner peace, knowing that ultimate deliverance will come from God.

A bishop must not only be patient toward God’s promises; he must also be patient toward his brethren: “Love suffering long” (1Co13:4). Of this quality we have the example of Christ, who patiently taught his disciples time after time, who helped them when they stumbled and lacked faith. No doubt, at times he felt like abandoning the effort, for they were so slow to learn and so bent on keeping their own natural affections. But he loved them dearly; he loved them despite their short-comings; he prayed for them and he persisted until his efforts began to bear fruit. Can we do any less toward our brethren?

Whatever the precise meaning of brawler, it cannot be very different from the “striker” considered just above. It probably indicates an individual who is prone to quarrelling or feuding. A bishop must be considerate for the feelings of others. He must not be pushy, headstrong, high-handed, disrespectful, or presumptuous. He may often achieve success by tact. This is not to say that he must be a shrewd and crafty manipulator but rather that he must have a sympathy for the beliefs and prejudices of others and he must whenever possible not offend weaker brethren (Rom 15:1). Much harm has been done by brethren who were right in their concepts, but too hasty in their actions — stepping on toes and offending brethren.

Not to be covetous seems quite similar to the injunction just above, against greediness for gain. But a person may covet more than money. He may be envious of another’s power, influence, or prestige. For this reason some men desire to be teachers while lacking the necessary qualities (1:6, 7). A covetous person helps no one, not even himself.

Covetousness is a sickness that eats at a person, until it consumes him, until he can think of nothing but himself and his own pride. It was such a sense of self-importance that prompted the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram against Moses and Aaron (“They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD” — Psa 106:16). And their miraculous destruction is God’s warning to us (Num 16). Such covetousness may arise within an ecclesia, where older brethren vie with one another for leadership and preeminence. Let us pray (and exert ourselves) that it be otherwise:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psa 133:1).

4	One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.

These next two verses, as well as v 2 above, prove that first-century Christian bishops married and reared families. How could such verses as these apply to the ‘priests’ of Roman Catholicism? The Catholic superstition is a fulfillment of the predicted heresy of 1Ti 4:1-3 — those teachings which lead away from the true faith in many particulars, one of which is in denying marriage its rightful honor. Far from unfitting a man for service to God, a normal, godly home life is a good preparation. A man with wife and children to care for tends to be less self-centered and is better able to understand the individual needs of others. Men of God like Moses (Psa 77:20) and David (Psa 78:70-72) learned by experience as shepherds of their flocks to be loving shepherds and to “stand before” God’s ecclesia Israel.

One that ruleth well his own house means literally, “one who stands before his own house”. The same word is used in Rom 12:8 and 1Th 5:12 of ecclesial leaders who “stand before” the house of God. Perhaps the word “rule” is too harsh. A bishop should stand as the head of the house, as one in authority, but not as the autocratic dictator which the word ‘rule’ may imply. The stress should be placed upon love and care and directing of the family, and teaching by example, not upon ruling them.

A person who rules well his house will have his children in subjection with all gravity or as the NIV has it “He must… see that his children obey him with proper respect. It is well known that a child’s earliest years are the most formative. That is, what he learns in those years will remain with him all his life. It is very important that even youngsters be taught the way of God. This is a great duty, and it is one thoughtlessly neglected by many believing parents. God has given us our children, just as he has given us everything else. And with every gift comes a responsibility. It is a command to parents that they instruct their children:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Pro 22:6).

This is the perfect axiom of parent-child relationship in the Truth. This is the guideline, the example. God, the perfect parent and Jesus, the perfect Son. We must train our children to be obedient to their natural parents, so that they might develop the desire to be obedient to their heavenly Parent.

Gravity is translated as ‘dignity’ in the Diaglott and other versions. The same word is given as ‘honesty’ in 2:2. Paul tells Titus that elders should have “faithful children not accused of riot, dishonesty, or unruliness” (Tit 1:6).

5	For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the ecclesia of God?

The household was regarded by Paul as a good training ground. We may learn lessons in our day-to-day contacts within the family to help us in the care of God’s ecclesia. (The AV rendition “church” is of course “ecclesia” in the Greek, meaning the assembly of ones “called-out” — all those who have been separated from the world — Acts 15:14.)

If a family man has shown that he does not have the capacity to govern his little society, with which he is continually present, and over which he possesses a large measure of authority — how can he expect to successfully oversee a larger society, often scattered and not in the same way subject to discipline?

God’s ecclesia is a household, a family. We are all the “children of God” (1Jo 3:1). If bishops would bear this in mind — that we are as one family — they would have good guidelines in confronting many common ecclesial problems. The ecclesia is a family and a household. Should not the bishops — as heads of the family — be concerned when a member of the family is absent? If the ecclesia is a family, should there be any jealousy among its members? Or any reluctance to talk with one another and to resolve personal differences? Would the head of a real family, for example, communicate with his children by cold, official letters when personal conversation is possible?

And finally if we found in our home some terrible threat to the wellbeing of the family members should we not expel it? Would we tolerate the presence, for example, of some dread disease in our household, where the infection might be easily passed from one to another, if we had the power to isolate and finally eradicate it? Of course we would not! And the principle is precisely the same with the ecclesia and the fearful diseases to be found in the world today. A righteous elder cannot ignore such problems, hoping they will go away by themselves.

6	Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

The word novice in Greek is neophuton (compare the English “neophyte”) and means literally, “a young and tender plant” — not strongly rooted and grounded in the Truth (Eph 3:17; Col 2:7). Plants symbolize converts to the Truth (Mat 15:13; 1Co 3:6,7). A bishop should not be a new convert, still trying to sink down his first roots, for then he will have even greater difficulties.

Lifted up means “puffed up” and is from the Greek tuphos, which signifies “smoke”. (Compare Mat 12:20, where the same word is translated “smoking”.) In figurative language, the pride which a novice might experience becomes a smoke-screen to obscure and cloud his vision. Other translations substantiate this figure:

Rotherham uses the word “beclouded” here, and Weymouth uses “blinded”. A man confident of his own importance sees everything differently from those around him. Especially does such a man see himself in a different light. As Robert Burns writes, “Oh, would some power the giftie gie us, to see ourselves as others see us!”

There has been sufficient comment on pride already. Let us simply quote the well-known proverb.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18; see also 18:12; 29:23).

The word devil (Greek diabolos) elsewhere is translated as “slanderer”.

The word krima signifies more precisely judgment or criticism (1Co 6:3,4,7; Mat 7:2), rather than outright and eternal condemnation. The thought seems to be ‘… Lest you fall into being criticized by a slanderer (and thus bring dishonor upon the Truth)’. This was the fate of David — who was lifted up to commit the great sin, thereby causing God’s enemies to blaspheme (2Sa 12:14; compare 1Pe 5:8 and Rev 12:10). This thought is carried forward in the succeeding verse.

We must mention also the ultimate condemnation of the proud and unrepentant men who were led by their covetousness to oppose the authority of Moses (v 3; Num 16). Cp also Jam 3:1, 2:

“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

The responsibilities of a bishop are much greater than those of other men:

“To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48).

7	Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

A bishop must have a good report of them which are without. This was especially important in the first century when believers were closely watched by hostile authorities for any sign of hypocrisy or failure to live by their professed faith. And it is important today as an instrument to convert others to our hope. If aliens can see that our belief has made a drastic change from the ordinary in our lives, then they may be compelled to learn more about it. For this reason we must “let our light shine before men” — that they may examine our actions and our beliefs, and that they may be led by our sincerity to embrace the gospel, thus “glorifying our Father which is in heaven” (Mat 5:16).

See notes on v.2: “Blameless” and “Of good behaviour”.

Lest he fall into reproach refers primarily to the reproach of men. Enemies of the Truth are very quick to spot our inconsistencies and use them against us.

The snare of the devil (diabolos) is the outside world. How can a man be an effective leader of an ecclesia if he is exposed to the eyes of the outside world as a hypocrite?

If we begin to be reproached by the world for failure to live up to the high standards of the Truth then we may be led further to forsake the Truth entirely. The reproach that may continually surround us for former sins might lead us into the snare of becoming as bad as our reputation. Despair of recovering reputation might, in a weak moment, lead us into a complete abandonment of the Truth. (See Jer 18:12: “And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.”) The “devil”, both outside and within, is setting a snare for us. “He” is telling us that it is no use trying to do the impossible, but that it is better to forget the whole thing. And unless we are careful, we succumb to this type of reasoning. God has called us to perfection, but we must not be discouraged when we fail to reach that state. The characteristics of these previous verses are to be sought, and be developed gradually.

Although we may fail to follow them as we should, we must use our failures and learn by them, to grow even more.

Too often in the history of ecclesial life, men have been chosen as leaders for their flamboyant speech and behavior, for their smooth and men-pleasing words, like the people of the world choose their political leaders. Men who are proper for the job of bishops are the perfect opposite of this: they are humble, self-effacing, and honest, with no inclination toward theatrics, deception, misrepresentation or manipulation. They are straightforward men, whose lives are open books, who serve God sincerely and conscientiously in every way, and who say exactly what they mean.

It is our duty to choose our leaders in this present age of turmoil and uncertainty: We do not have men directly appointed by the Holy Spirit but we must choose men to help us maintain Scriptural standards, praying in this for God’s guidance. “Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein… ” (Jer 6:16). “Strait is the gate and narrow is the way… ” (Mat 7:14).

B. 3:8-13: Deacons

There seem to have been in Paul’s day two classes of serving brethren: bishops and deacons. Judging by the literal meaning of the words, we may conclude that the bishops were for all practical purposes the leaders of the ecclesia and that the deacons were their assistants. The Greek diakonous is translated as “assistant” in the Diaglott. Other translations give this word as “servant”. And the word diakonous is sometimes translated in the KJV by “minister”. (Note that the “ministry” in Paul’s day was a humble service, not a privileged, salaried position like today’s “clergy” would presume to make it.)

The word diakonous appears often in the New Testament, referring to the many variations of service and classifying many varied (and probably overlapping) groups as servants. It is used of the following:

1. The angels who ministered to Jesus — Mat 4:11;
2. Jesus himself — Luke 22:27; Rom 15:8;

3. Timothy, even though he would surely have been an “elder-bishop” too — 1Ti 4:6.

4. The other apostles — Acts 1:25; 6:4;
5. A sister — Rom 16:1;

6. All the followers of Jesus — John 12:26; Eph 6:21;
7. A special class of ecclesial servants — as here.

All believers should minister (as “deacons”) to one another in love.

“If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth” (1Pe 4:11).

There are certain capacities of loving service that all might fill. However, while this is true, there was in the first century a special class of servants or deacons which a person might not become until he or she had been ‘proved’ (v 10). The first reference to such a special class is to be found in Acts 6:1-3, when seven brethren of honest report were selected to ‘serve tables’, that is, to minister to the personal needs of the poor.

One point must be stressed again, concerning ecclesial offices. Such an office is not a position of power. It is a position to serve others effectively. Robert Roberts makes this point quite clear:

“One point ought to permeate all appointments in the house of Christ, and that is the one laid down by Christ, when speaking of the exercise of authority of one Gentile over another, he said, ‘It shall not be so among you.’ ‘He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he that is chief as he that doth serve’ (Luke 22:26). The appointment of brethren to certain offices is not the appointment of men to exercise authority, but of men to serve. For this reason, it is wise to speak of them all, in whatever capacity, as ‘serving brethren’… It keeps in view the fact that official brethren are only brethren performing an office for the good of the rest, and to some extent shuts the door against the corruption which generated the apostasy, and developed the clerical usurpation” (Ecclesial Guide, pp. 13, 14).

8	Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre.

Nearly all of the qualifications listed in this verse may be found in verses 2, 3 where they are considered in the notes. The “likewise” at the beginning of this verse points backward to those verses. Some of the qualifications of the elders are left out in this section concerning the deacons, but there is no reason to feel that the left-out ones are less important. Should the serving brethren (or any brethren at all) justify being without any of the virtues of vv 2,3? Certainly Paul intended the qualifications for serving brethren to be no less stringent than those for bishops. We are all commanded to be perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Mat 5:48; 1Pe 1:15,16). Awesome as such a goal seems, we must acknowledge it as a goal.

Not doubletongued seems to be the only characteristic not found also in the earlier section. The words mean ‘not of double speech’, not saying one thing to one person and something else to another. In this category falls the smooth-tongued flattery of those anxious to please their superiors and to advance their positions. “Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips” (Prov 20:19). “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).

9	Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

See the notes on v.16 where this mystery is expounded. Notice also that “faith” is preceded by the definite article. There is only one true faith, “the Faith” as God has revealed it to man.

For an explanation of the phrase in a pure conscience see the notes on 1Ti 1:5, on a pure heart” and a “good conscience“. See also the contrasting defiled, or “seared”, conscience of 1Ti 4:2. The conscience of a deacon must be “pure”, or purified, having removed everything that is base or foreign. He must have been tried or proved (v 10); his faith must have been refined as though it had passed through the fire (1Pe 1:7). A mere scholarly acceptance of the gospel is not enough. If not accompanied by an earnest commitment, such a belief will result in strifes about non-essentials (6:4; 2Ti 2:23; Tit 3:9) or moral laxity (2Ti 3:6) or despair (2Pe 1:9; 2Ti 3:5). The life of Christ must be manifested every day in the true believer: “Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). He must live by faith, trusting in God, with a conscience free of sin, and a confidence to go before the throne of grace (v 13; Heb 4:16).

10	And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

Proved means ‘to be purified, tested, as metal in the fire’. Some areas of service should not be open to everyone, but only to those who have proven their capabilities — who are not novices (v 6) and who have lived by the instructions of vv 2-8. Timothy was to choose carefully the elders (1Ti 5:22) and today the entire ecclesia must exercise the same care in choosing arranging and serving brethren.

The phrase then let them use the office of a deacon sounds very officious and bureaucratic. It is much better to say, “Let them serve”. (Diakoneo — to serve as deacons.)

Being found blameless means ‘having (already) been found blameless (irreproachable or unaccused)’, as best Timothy was able to determine. Of course no one but Christ can judge a man’s intentions, but we must try to discern at least whether the candidates seem to be living according to Paul’s words in these verses.

11	Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

Wives is better translated as ‘the women’ — that is all women in ecclesias. Again, the apostle expands the scope of this chapter. He intends that all sisters, just like all brothers, obey all his commands here in this chapter. How could it be otherwise?

However, the primary point here must surely be this: A brother’s fitness for leadership may be judged in how well he leads his family, including his wife!

Slanderers is the same word (diabolos) as is usually translated “devil” by the KJV. But the “orthodox” belief concerning a supernatural being of evil called the Devil cannot be fitted into such verses as this (or 2Ti 3:3 or Tit 2:3). Here diabolos is certainly applied to mortal women and there is no way at all to escape this fact. So the translators were forced to render diabolos by its proper meaning “slanderer” or “false accuser” (which it should have in every instance). This is a perfect example of organized religion’s preference (whenever the least bit possible) for heathen fables over God’s word.

Faithful in all things is certainly a comprehensive expression — faithful in all things. Careful not to repeat the confidences of others, nor to utter slander and gossip. (A brother with a wife who would spread abroad the delicate personal matters which he might be called upon to handle, has no business being a serving brother.) Lovingly submitting to the husband as the head of the family and the representative of Christ. Seeking always to serve in small ways, behind the scenes. Careful and conservative in the instruction of the children. Supporting the ecclesia’s meetings. In thinking upon these things, we cannot help but think of the example of Ruth:

“For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman” (Ruth 2:11).

12	Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife ruling their children and their own houses well.

For the phrase let the deacons be the husbands of one wife see the note on v 2.

For the phrase ruling their children and their own houses well see notes on v 4.

13	For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

For they that have used the office of a deacon well is better translated as “For they that have served well as deacons” (compare v 10). No good is accomplished merely by possessing an office. Neither is any good accomplished by using an office for oneself. Good is accomplished only by using the office as an effective means of serving others and thereby of serving God. Again and again in this letter Paul stresses the importance of good works. Good works are a necessary consequence of a true belief. If we do not bring forth fruits to God we are to be chopped down and cast into the fire (Mat 3:10). When we stand before Christ at the last day our service will be judged as well-done or undone. Today (while it is called “today”) we must continue serving: there is no “early retirement” from the Truth!

Purchase to themselves has the idea of ‘gain’ (NIV), but not in the sense of a bargain struck. We cannot “buy” with time, money, or works either an honorable position or eternal life.

The phrase a good degree means an honorable position, a good standing. As those of the world see it nothing could be less honorable than to stoop to serve others. The world admires most those wealthy and powerful men who serve only their own whims. But the truly honorable work is the work in which Christ engaged and the work to which he calls us: the service of others, the washing of the disciples’ feet. The only worthwhile honor is found in humility. The only true happiness is found in serving others.

“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example… If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:14,15,17).

Paul is also referring to the excellent standing which our work now will gain for us in the future. Some may serve as deacons in special offices. Others may simply serve as brethren and sisters in a thousand different ways. But all are doing a good work, with this goal in mind: “a good degree”, an honorable position when each stands before the judgment seat of Christ. “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him” (2Ti 2:11). If we humble ourselves and suppress our own desires to do God’s will (as Christ did) then we will have the same reward (as he has).

Through our service we demonstrate the faith in Christ we have acquired and through serving we acquire more confidence [which is a better word than boldness] and assurance in what we believe and hope. Through serving we become more familiar with our faith and with whom our faith rests. Such “boldness” comes not from ourselves, but from our faith. And in the end we shall have our confidence (through God’s grace) rewarded.

If we have served God well (in any capacity), if we are fighting a good fight and if we are truly striving every day to do His will, then we may have the confidence and assurance to come into His presence in prayer through our mediator Jesus Christ. And we will receive the strength we need to go on, the confidence to speak to others the “mystery of the gospel” (compare Eph 6:19).

These verses (comparable to 1Pe 3:1-6) concern the position of sisters. Two points are strongly emphasized. First, modesty and reserve in dress and deportment, with inner rather than surface ornamentation. Secondly, silence in the ecclesial meetings.

Men and women are very different in many ways. The modern world, in its godless ignorance, forgets this divinely attested fact. And the distinctions seem to become more and more obscure each day. Each sex has its own special weakness and its own special strength. Each has its own place and function in the Body of Christ.

To the extent a sister departs from either of these divine requirements, she cheapens herself and lessens her true spiritual usefulness in the Body. It is always wisdom to make sure we are well over on the safe side of any command — conforming to its spiritual purpose and value.

These are not merely arbitrary and restrictive commands. Rather they are to make sisters more fitted and more suited to the fulfillment of their own very real and very necessary part in the welfare and activity of the Body.

As mentioned previously, some of Ephesus were “rich in this world” (1Ti 6:17). Some were certainly quite well educated in this world’s wisdom. For them, the lures of high ‘fashion’ and women’s ‘rights’ were not so completely thrust aside as they might have been. Paul is speaking through the young Timothy to such as these. And he is speaking in the ecclesial world of today, adrift in an age full of the same notions that plagued the ecclesia in Ephesus.

A. 2:9-15: Sisters: Modesty And Silence

9	In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

The phrase in like manner also is a reference back to v 8: Men may pray publicly, but this is an activity closed to women — as are many other activities in the ecclesias. But Paul is quick to show Timothy here, that women are not without their own peculiar sphere of responsibility. “In like manner” they must willingly fulfill their station.

These two verses, then, must refer to the obligations of the sister in the meetings, as the public prayers of the men were offered in the meetings. But who can doubt that Paul intends these characteristics he describes, modesty and self-restraint, to be manifested at all times everywhere?

The words “I will” or “I desire” should be inserted before the phrase that women adorn themselves in modest apparel in accordance with the phrasing of v 8. The word modest is translated as “becoming” in the Diaglott. Other versions render this as seemly, suitable, proper, or orderly. Apparel includes more than dress. It may be translated as ‘deportment’ or ‘bearing’. Actions are very much a part of this “apparel”! This reminds us of so many Biblical passages showing clothing as a symbol of our walk, our life in the Truth: Job 29:14; Psa 132:9; 1Pe 5:5; Isa 11:5; and Rev 19:7,8.

By shamefacedness Paul means that modesty which is firmly rooted in the character, not the modesty of a showy affectation. The word shamefacedness is an awkward translation, however, because it lays stress upon the word “shame”, and it implies an embarrassed and frightened diffidence in no way intended by the original. Rather the Greek (which appears here and Heb 12:28) indicates ‘reverence’.

Sobriety or “propriety” (NIV), denotes soundness of mind and judgement. It is an habitual, inner self-government, which puts a constant rein upon the natural desires and passions. Sobriety puts into action what the “shamefacedness” recognizes to be proper.

With the qualities of modesty and self-restraint the sister must adorn herself so as to be pleasing in God’s sight. “The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man look-eth on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1Sa 16:7). God sees the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Heb 4:12), and our “adornments” must be those characteristics in which He finds delight. These verses are especially for the woman, but the ultimate application is for any with ears to hear:

“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1Pe 3:3,4).

Paul is commending the virtue of self-restraint, or refusal to conform to the foolish fashions of a vain and changing world. Perhaps this point is driven home firmly when we consider the counter-examples of Scripture: The harlot of the Apocalypse, with her wanton ways, her brazen attitude, her rich clothing (Rev 17:4), the scarlet “attire of an harlot” (Prov 7:10) and the garments of violence (Psa 73:6). Isa 3:16-24 presents the same type of grotesque picture: The daughters of Zion, the very members of the ecclesia in Isaiah’s time, were haughty, wanton, and flirtatious with every imaginable type of ‘fashionable’ nonsense and tastelessness. Does not such a perverted, hideous picture indeed emphasize by contrast the virtues of modesty and sobriety?

How closely should a sister conform to the fashions of the world, as to dress, make-up, and so forth? Perhaps a few words would be appropriate here. We have already noted the apostle’s commands to restraint and modesty. And we have referred to several counter-examples which Scripture puts before our eyes (esp Isa 3).

One point we must always remember is this: Men and women are born, make changes while they live, grow old, and die: and others come to take their places. This world’s fashions come and go, and the only thing certain about them is that nothing will remain the same for long. But the Almighty God of heaven never changes. In this is sufficient reason to shun (as much as is reasonable) the passing fancies of a godless world. If we follow the world’s standard we are constantly changing. But if we accept God’s standard we have a steadfast, immovable rock on which to stand.

By scrupulously and slavishly following the fashions of this world, we are showing our misplaced dependence upon it. We are showing that we regard the favor of the world as of greater value than the favor of God. We think more of the world’s fellowship than we do of God’s fellowship.

Furthermore, stylish dress, elaborate hair-styles and make-up, which imitate the changing fashions of today, give the impression to others of a similarity of fashion in thought and behavior to those we imitate. This is something which a believing sister should never imply. As much as is practicable we must endeavor to show our separateness from the world. (The tendency to go too far in the other extreme must of course be avoided in this as in other matters. Else we may become hopelessly Pharisaic, endlessly scrutinizing the outward appearance of others to the detriment of our own inner selves). Extreme ‘modest’ dress may bring undue attention as well as undeserved identification with other groups who by their ‘modesty’ brings as much attention to themselves as immodest dress. The sister of Christ should be modest, neat, tasteful, moral, moderate — not suggestive or skimpy in her clothes, not excessive in her spending, not elaborate and time-consuming in her hairdos. The overall key is for the sister to be modest, not seductive in apparel and deportment.

Our ‘clothing’ should follow the example of the Israelites, to whom God spoke the following:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make the fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them: and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God” (Num 15:38-40).

The ribbands of blue upon the hems of the Jew’s garments were to draw their attention to the heavens, from whence their God had revealed Himself to them. It was to remind them of their peculiar duty to the one true and living God who had called and separated them to His obedience.

How do the fashions of today compare to this God-given instruction? Sad to say, the hems upon the skirts of today’s ‘fashionable’ only draw attention to the lusts of the flesh; never to the commands of God. May our clothing be a reminder of our unchanging obedience to God, not of our slavery to a changing world! If the world’s blind masses follow a fleshly god of tinsel and glamour and worship the naked human body and refuse to be persuaded otherwise let them alone. Let our young sisters remain as far from such unholy enticement as common sense allows. They have an infinitely higher calling. God has called them to peace and holiness. Young sisters, trust to the characteristics of the spirit, to encourage the companionship of like-minded young brothers.

The phrase broided hair only occurs this one time in the New Testament. It is translated as “wreaths” (Diaglott) for the hair — and simply as “elaborate hair arrangements” (Amplified Bible). Can the emphasis of natural appearance to men above spiritual appearance to God ever be right? Common-sense and simplicity should be the guiding principles in our attitude to all non-essentials.

The pearl of great price cannot be bought by us. It adorns the inner and outer man.

10	But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

In the assemblies, the men pray, but in the assemblies and elsewhere, women may show their works rather than words. Good works are always more than a satisfactory substitute for good words.

The statement that righteous women are “adorned” with good works is the literal interpretation of many beautiful passages — passages concerning the preparation of the spotless bride of Christ:

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Rev 19:7,8).

All the saints are the collective bride of Christ. Each of us is a member of the multitudinous woman to be joined with Christ in the marriage which His Father has prepared. At the judgement only those who have truly kept themselves as “chaste virgins” (2Co 11:2) and who have carefully prepared their wedding garments will be allowed to participate in this glorious feast.

“Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?” (Jer 2:32). We must not forget those spiritual garments which will insure the approval of the Bridegroom:

ITEM	SIGNIFICANCE	REFERENCE
Gown of wrought gold	Faith by works (1Pe 1:9)	Psa 45:13, 14
Gown of needlework	Painstaking labor	Psa 45:13, 14
Girdle or sash	Constant readiness and careful walk (Luke 12:35, 36; 1Pe 1:13)	Isa 61:10
Ornaments and jewels	Wisdom (Job 28:18, 19; Prov 3:13, 15) and modesty (1Pe 3:3, 4)	Isa 61:10
Sandals	Preparation (Exo 12:11: Eph 6:15), as for a march or military operation (Isa 5:27)
Headdress and veil	Humility, modesty, and deference — in the woman (1Co 11)

Having all these characteristics, the women (and the men as well) are indeed “clothed with good works” and they are ready to stand before their Master.

11	Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

This is translated “in quietness with all submission” by the Diaglott and most other versions. The learning in subjection does not appear to be limited to learning in the ecclesia. A similar command is found in 1Co14:34, 35:

“Let your women keep silence in the ecclesias: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the ecclesia”.

This is in no way a punishment upon women, nor is it a proof that they are inferior to men, because in Christ there is no real difference between male and female — “For ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

The relative position of men and women is only another of the ways by which God illustrates a lesson for our instruction. Women are to submit cheerfully to their husbands “as unto the Lord”, for the husband stands in the same position to his wife as Christ does to the ecclesia (Eph 5:22-24). (Note also that the husband must be careful not to abuse the privilege of this dominant position — Eph 5:25,28. It is not a privilege he earned or deserves; he was given it by God). In this matter, the natural is but a vague representation of the glorious spiritual ideal — the complete and loving submission of our own will to the will of our Lord:

“Yet not I live, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20).

Another act by which a woman demonstrates her modest subjection to her husband (and to God) is in covering her head when the occasion requires it (1Co11:3-16).

These verses (1Ti 2:11 and 1Co14:34, 35) are fraught with difficulty. The broad picture is obvious and without quibble, but problems have arisen and still persist in applying the principle to everyday ecclesial life. We may safely insist that the sisters refrain from speaking at all in the memorial meetings and those for the public proclamation of the Truth. Furthermore, we may insist that, at all times, the sisters not assume the leadership of a Bible discussion (v 12). To go beyond this and to legislate sisters’ complete silence at every other ecclesial function as well leads us to the question: Just what constitutes the “ecclesia”? For example, might not a single couple — husband and wife — constitute in some cases the whole or proper “ecclesia” — thus requiring by the strictest possible construction the sister’s absolute silence even in the sole presence of her brother-husband? Let it also be realized that the word for “silence” used in 1Ti 2:11 is almost identical to the “peaceable” of v 2 and the “quiet” of 1Pe 3:4 — where in each case a content and obedient and humble manner of life (not absolute muteness) is intended. (In this connection, no one would think of citing Hab 2:20 — “The LORD is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him” — so as to enforce an animal dumbness upon all men). Thus Paul’s commandment to Timothy concerning the sisters may be obeyed, to the benefit of the ecclesia, without going to the extreme of a crotchet in the matter.

The quotation of 1Co14:34, 35 is more explicit: “It is not permitted them to speak”. Yet one is still faced with the problem of defining the “ecclesia”. What are the prerequisites of an ‘official’ ecclesial meeting? We understand that some latitude may be allowed to each ecclesia or family group, based upon such factors as the relative number of brothers and sisters, the degree of isolation, and the consciences of those most directly involved.

12	But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

The words suffer not are better translated as “do not permit” (Diag. and others).

The words to teach are from the common Greek word for ‘teach’. The women are certainly not to teach in the public meetings, but this does not preclude their teaching of children or outsiders in certain circumstances: Both Aquila and his wife Priscilla, took Apollos and “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:26). And the older women are even commanded to instruct the younger women in their proper behavior (Tit 2:4,5). But for a sister to presume to teach brethren in an assembly is an entirely different matter. Not that a woman cannot be as wise in God’s word as a man; this is not the point. These verses serve to confine the woman’s sphere of influence to its rightful place — the home and family — where great good may be accomplished quietly (see also 1Ti 5:10,14).

Paul also instructs that a woman is not to usurp authority over a man. Usurp signifies to grasp, to seize wrongfully. There are many more ways for a woman to be domineering than just by teaching the assembly. And all such usurpations are forbidden. In both ecclesial and family life the woman should concede the authority of final decisions to the man. This is the right way, as God intended it to be. The man is the head of the woman. (Here the Greek for “man” is aner which commonly [but not exclusively] signifies ‘husband’. The reference in the immediate context, to Adam and Eve, would seem to indicate where the primary emphasis of this passage lies. However the passage cannot possible mean that single sisters can teach in the ecclesia because they do not have a husband). But again, men must be careful not to misuse their pre-eminence, because they did not really earn it. It was only given to them by God. To get even more to the point, the woman’s relative position to the man is designed to teach the man submission also (for all are subject to Christ, as his collective Bride).

Husbands should always take into account the feelings of their wives. “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies… ” (Eph 5:28). An enlightened love, which makes one willing to learn and change and cooperate can solve the most difficult marital problems.

The words in silence are from the same word as in v 11 — similarly translated “quiet” in the Diaglott.

We might conclude our consideration of these two verses by quoting from Robert Roberts, from his diary of his voyage to Australia. He tells of a case of ecclesial discord in which he was called upon to mediate:

“There was no question of public speaking. All were agreed that the law of the Lord prohibited woman’s voice from being heard in public assembly. The question was whether in the non-public working or management of things, woman’s voice might be allowed a place.

The question seems an extraordinary one. The Lord’s law is never directed to the prescription of impossibilities. You can no more suppress a wise woman’s influence and wise woman’s voice, than you can suppress the law of gravitation. You may prevent her delivering a public address: but you cannot prevent her giving good counsel, and you ought not. Though woman, by Divine law, is in subjection, she is not to be extinguished.

If the Scriptures appoint man as her head, they do not exclude her from partnership in all that concerns their mutual well being. They show us women:

1.         Laboring with Paul in the Gospel — Phi 4:3;

2.         As official servants of an ecclesia with business in hand, which the ecclesia was called upon to promote — Rom 16:1-3;

3.         Exercising the prophetic gift — Acts 21:9;

4.         Prominently ministering to Christ himself — Luke 8:2, 3; and

5.         Sometimes leaders in Israel, like Deborah — Judges 4:4.

The denial of public speech to women is as far as we are justified in repressing them. I have seen tyrannical and unsympathetic men wrongly using Paul’s authority to put down and quench godly women more qualified than themselves to exercise judgement and give counsel. Let women certainly be modest, but let her not be reduced to a cipher which God never intended. She is intended as a comrade and a help, which she greatly is, when enlightened and treated rightly.

We ought to be thankful when women turn up who are able to help with wise suggestion. To object to such on the score of ‘ruling the ecclesia’ is to evince either a shameful misconception of duty or an itch for headship which disqualifies for the true service of the ecclesia.

No man who wants to be head is fit to be head. The headship that comes from service is the only headship that is either useful or tolerable, or, in the long run, possible. Where the spirit of exalting each other, instead of exalting ourselves, prevails (as Christ commands), there is little danger of difficulties arising, and an easy settlement of them if they do arise.”

13	For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

See Gen 1:27 — “Male and female created He them”. But this general statement is explained in detail in Gen 2, where we are told that God first created Adam (v 7), who remained alone for a time (v 18), and then created Eve out of Adam’s side (vv 21,22). Paul uses a similar argument again, this time in 1Co 11:8,9 to demonstrate the woman’s submission to the man:

“For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.”

In passing we might well note how often Paul appeals to events in the early chapters of Genesis. Certainly he believed that account to be the inspired, genuine history of man — not some abstract allegory. The modern ‘science’ that can question the literality of these accounts is most definitely a ‘science falsely so called’ (1Ti 6:20) and the “wisdom of this world” (1Co 1:20).

Formed is a peculiar word, found only twice in the New Testament: here and in Rom 9:20: “the thing formed”, in reference to God as the master potter and man as His workmanship. From these verses we see the idea of man’s creation as the forming of a vessel from the clay by God’s own hand.

14	And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

The Diaglott margin renders deceived as “thoroughly deceived” — and Weymouth and Rotherham agree. There seems to be some difference among the available New Testament texts at this verse. But compare 2Co 11:3: “The serpent beguiled Eve.” Eve allowed herself to be thoroughly deceived, to be swayed by her emotions. She was led away by “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1Jo 2:16), set in such a pleasing form by the subtle, amoral reasoning of the serpent. (Of course the lusts that led her away were not working in her as they are in us. They are now part of our physical make-up — they are constantly pressuring us. Eve first exhibited these tendencies which caused her to fall to temptation, and they became an inherent factor in all her descendants, which motivates them inexorably to evil rather than good).

The woman acted upon emotional impulse — desire, without proper regard for God’s word. She did not demonstrate a ready faith in God’s promises. She fell to the deception of the serpent — believing it spoke the truth. (This is quite a lesson for us: We are often ready to do something, knowing it is wrong, if we can only justify it by appealing to another’s counsel).

Eve should have spoken with Adam before transgressing and Paul seems to bring this out. He tells the woman to look for spiritual judgment from her head, her husband, rather than doing something on her own. Eve should not have taken the step to “become as the Elohim”. This usurpation resulted in sin and grievous punishment. She was then commanded to serve Adam. Paul shows forth this point. Man is for authority (not as a lord, but with love) and woman is for subjection.

This perhaps explains the problem of 1Co 11:10, “because of the angels”. Because Eve sought to be equal in authority to the angels Paul says that a woman must cover her head, her glory, to demonstrate her subjection of a “lower” position to the angels. She is not yet equal to the Elohim. Not only this, but she also is subject to the authority of her husband.

Eve was first in the transgression, the first to be deceived, the first to fall into transgression. John Thomas speaks of these verses in 1 Timothy as Paul’s appeal to ‘the unhappy consequences of Eve’s talkativeness and leadership in transgression’ (Elpis Israel, p.122).

In Gen 3:13 Eve admits that the serpent deceived her; but in Gen 3:12 Adam states simply that:

“The woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

Adam was enticed by Eve. This did not pardon him, for he was in knowledge, but the woman was first in the transgression. It is probable that Adam was further influenced by the fact that Eve seemed to be none the worse from her experience; she had certainly not died.

On this matter the following words may also apply:

‘A man should never permit the words of a woman to intervene between him and the laws of God. This is a rock upon which myriads have made shipwreck of the faith. Adam sinned in consequence of listening to Eve’s silvery discourse. No temptation has proved more irresistible to the flesh than the enticing words of woman’s lips. “They drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: but her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; and her steps take hold on hell” (Prov 5:3-5). Adam was a striking illustration of this truth… ‘ (Elpis Israel, p. 123).

In this verse (v 14), Paul seems to be saying that men are often guided by clearer, cooler reasoning than women and that women are more prone to spur-of-the-moment, emotional decisions. But man must not feel that he is superior to the woman. Each sex merely has its own capabilities. Even by their natures, men are born to be leaders of the needs of their wives. Women are born to follow and to support their husbands in the Truth.

Perhaps Robert Roberts has expressed the difference best:

‘There is congruity in all the ways of God when the relations established by His law are observed. Man is the head, but only for nurture and protection and honour of the woman. Woman is man’s equal fellow-heir of the salvation that is offered in Christ, but not to usurp the position that belongs to a man both by natural constitution and divine appointment. Man is for strength, judgment, and achievement. Woman is for grace, sympathy and ministration. Between them, they form a beautiful unit — “heirs together of the grace of life”‘ (Law of Moses, p. 220).

To go even further along this line, we should all — brothers and sisters — be subject in love to one another: Looking for Scriptural encouragement and counsel before making important decisions; showing regard for the experiences and preferences of others as far as is practical. In short, behaving as a true family should. We refer in this regard to such passages as James 3:14-18; 5:16; 1Co13:4-6; 12:25-27; Rom 14:1-4, 10, 13; 15:13; Gal6:l-2; and many others.

15	Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

A correct understanding of one little word opens up the depth of the phrase notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing. The word in is the Greek dia — which means more precisely “through”. This phrase is then very similar to that of 1Co3:15, where it is said that we are saved by (dia — “through”) fire (which symbolized trials — 1Pe 1:7). Also, note Acts 14:22: “We must through (dia) much tribulation enter the kingdom of God”. Trials and hardships are the paths over which we must all travel. They are the refining vats through which we must each pass so that our faith may be purified. God does not enjoy seeing us suffer but by His chastening He is helping and teaching us to walk in the right ways and He is molding our characters.

Thus we see child-bearing for what it is — a necessary trial for God’s children. It was first a punishment placed upon the woman for her part in the first sin. The woman was to have sorrow and pain in childbirth, and her husband was to rule over her (Gen 3:16). But it is God’s mercy and foresight that the very childbearing which serves to remind women of the part Eve played in the original transgression may be one of the trials through which they may enter the kingdom.

Let us now view this phrase in a slightly different way. In another sense, God made possible the reward of eternal life through that role of woman which was a punishment. In this verse the word childbearing is preceded by the definite Greek article: Paul seems to be speaking about a single, very special birth: “the childbearing”. At the same time that Eve was receiving the punishment for her sin, she received the promise of a special man to be born, called “the seed of the woman”, through whom the serpent or sin power would be fatally wounded (Gen 3:15).

This same promise is mentioned by Isaiah — that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, who will be called “God with us” (Isa 7:14). And also in Jer 31:22 — that a new thing shall happen: “a woman shall compass the man”. These promises were all fulfilled in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, who was conceived not by the will of man, but by the Spirit of the Most High overshadowing Mary (Mat 1:21-25). This same Jesus, throughout his life, resisted sin in all ways and died a sacrificial death so that the way to life might be opened to all men and women. Thus the sisters can take courage to serve God in quietness and self-restraint now, comforted with the hope offered by the seed of the woman”.

We may view this phrase in yet another aspect — that of the spiritual rather than the natural bearing of fruit to God. Through this we are all saved. In Rom 7:4, Paul likens the ecclesia to a woman, as he so commonly does. Her former husband has died, which is a way of saying that we have become dead to the present world and its lusts and that we are no longer the servants of sin (Rom 6:17). With her first husband now dead, she is at liberty to be married to another, Christ who was raised from the dead. And this new alliance (which we now have with Christ) is for the purpose of bringing forth fruit unto God (Rom 7:4). With Christ’s help, in our new relationship with him, we may produce “the fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal 5:22, 23). We may then be saved through this bringing forth of fruit — this new walk in the Truth, this new life in Christ, with new desires and new goals. The “child” which each saint bears is himself: “a new man in Christ Jesus”. We must be “born again” (John 3:5) — not only by water at baptism, but by the Spirit-word (1Pe 1:23) to “newness of life” (Rom 6:4). By doing this we shall be saved.

This can also be rendered, “through her childbearing”. She can be saved through her childbearing — how? Paul has just stated that the sister is to be modest and in subjection — So what can she do? She can bear children — not just carry them for 280 days and then deliver them; but nurture them, thus fulfilling the quiet, unsung duties of motherhood and the house (5:10, 14). By presenting mature, developed servants of God in the form of the children she has so wisely and scripturally brought up.

Maternal characteristics are those of self-sacrifice, preservation of others, compassion, patience, duty; unyielding and demonstrative and forgiving — loving. This is another aspect in which the sister is saved in her child bearing. Often, these characteristics go undeveloped until she becomes a mother and these characteristics are most desirable in a saint.

They refers to the women from Eve onwards. For faith see 1:5. Charity is the word agape — the self-sacrificing love (1:5) born of the incorruptible word of God (1Pe 1:22, 23). Holiness with sobriety refers to sanctification and purity with self-restraint, a fight with oneself and a victory over one’s lusts (v 9). In another of his Pastoral Letters Paul summarized these virtues very well:

“Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12).

SUMMARY

In this section (2:9-15) Paul has shown us that women have their own special duties, which are consistent with their own special inclinations. Although sisters may not usurp the authority of a man, and although they must also remain silent in the public meetings, there is nothing demeaning in this. They may do these things joyfully, showing through their subjection to their husbands their subjection to God also. And they may rejoice in the same hope as their husbands, the hope offered in God’s Son Jesus, the man born to Mary, “the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38; Psa 116:16). May each of our sisters find her own means of service and expression of love — as she prays to the Father: “Behold Thy handmaid”.

Another note: It is very possible that the “faithful saying” which opens chapter 3 in the AV refers to these closing remarks of chapter 2.

These verses deal with the great efficacy of God’s grace, and its availability to all men. In view of this, Paul stresses the importance of prayer on behalf of all men.

This matter of prayer is something very real and very important. Prayer is perhaps the strangest and most marvelous of all God’s provisions. It is a way whereby a man may extend his influence for good far beyond his natural powers — without limit — into eternal things. A man who cannot appreciate the real power of prayer, in his life and the lives of others, is a man with little of the true faith.

We are constantly told in the Scriptures of the power and importance of prayer. Might we not pray much more than we do, that others may learn the Truth and obey God in baptism? God has given us a tremendous instrument for good — for the good of man. Are we using it to the fullest?

Let us follow Paul’s example, in praying not just for ourselves in the ecclesia, but for others, that they might turn to God. This was Paul’s “heart’s desire and prayer to God” (Rom 10:1; 9:2,3). This is true prayer — filled with the love for others which God desires us to show. “Pray without ceasing”; the heart-felt supplication for the pitiful, purposeless miseries of blind mankind, vainly seeking a self-made peace and an impossible happiness, tragically destroying themselves with their own ‘wisdom’.

A. 2:1-8: Prayers For All Men

1	I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.

Is that our attitude toward the world? — true concern for them, and constant prayer that they may be helped out of the morass. There is a danger that we tend to be too self-centered and narrow in our interests and affections, ignoring other people’s needs and sorrows, wrapped up in our “specially-chosen” selves and writing off the world as hopeless. This was Paul’s first request — therefore of prime importance. (“First of all” does not simply mean first in order of time, but rather foremost in order of importance.) “Exhort” carries the significance of calling attention to something not being done to the fullest.

Supplications is from a root word meaning ‘to bind oneself (to another) — that is, to make earnest, continual, untiring petition and may fittingly be addressed on occasion to men also. In relation to the particular object for which supplication is made — that is, all men — let us compare Paul’s supplication in Rom 10:1, where the same word is used:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved”.

The word translated prayers is the most common and therefore the most general word for prayer in the New Testament. It includes the idea of public prayer. This word gives prominence to personal devotion to God.

Intercessions actually means a conference with someone, an interview, a speaking to and with God. This word gives prominence to a personal confiding with God. We must be the intercessors for the world, as Christ is the intercessor on our behalf (Heb 7:25; Rom 8:27,34). In this sense we are now a kingdom of priests (1Pe 2:9), having been “taken from among men” (Heb 5:1). That is, we are the only contact that aliens have with the true God. We are God’s representatives to them, and quite possibly, the only means (in this age) by which others may learn the Truth. Today, especially, Jesus’ words ring true: “The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Mat 9:37,38). Our overriding concern must be that through us God’s mercy through the gospel may be shown more widely.

It is our responsibility to work toward this goal; and it is also our responsibility to pray that this work may prosper.

Paul exhorts that the giving of thanks be for all men. And why is this? What does this mean? What is there to be thankful about, in relation to “all men”? It means we must, like the prophets of old, and above all, like Jesus himself, identify ourselves with the sorrows and burdens of mankind.

2	For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Our prayers to God in relation to the world should also take this form: We must pray that God will be with the leaders He has set up, so that society may maintain at least a semblance and framework of Christian law. We are told that even the King’s heart is in the hand of God, so that He may turn it wherever He will (Pro 20:1; cp Ezra 6:22). This is with the purpose that the true believers may have the opportunity to lead peaceable lives, with as little interference as possible from the ruling authorities. In this era of the world’s history this has been the case, for which we should be very thankful. Likewise, Jeremiah was inspired to exhort the captive Jews of his day to pray for the peace of the cities in which they sojourned, “for in the peace thereof ye shall have peace” (Jer 29:7). It is well to remember, of course, that such peace as we now enjoy is a great privilege, not to be taken for granted.

Concerning governments, this is the teaching of all the NT. Paul, in Rom 13:1-7, tells us:

“Let every soul be subject to the higher powers… “.

And in Tit 3:1,2:

“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, and to be ready to every good work to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men”.

Also see 1 Peter 2:13-15.

This counsel was certainly appropriate, for there were many Jews in the congregations to which Paul ministered and their nation bitterly hated the Romans. And the same feeling could naturally be present among Jewish Christians. But Paul’s (and Christ’s) command is simple and all-embracing:

“Do good unto all them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mat 5:44).

The Jewish nation was to be overturned in a few years from the time of this writing. The times even then were difficult for all Jews in the Roman Empire and they were not going to get any better. But the Jewish Christians could not allow themselves to become partisans against the government in any way. They could not be implicated with their brethren after the flesh. The course of the true believer has always been meekness and subservience to the powers that exist, seeking at all times to live peaceably with all men.

Another point to consider is that God calls all men to repentance, including the leaders. There were examples of those in authority who were touched by Jesus and the apostles and their doctrine. Might we not pray for the opportunity of conversion of those in authority? Is anything impossible with God?

That we may lead is better translated “that we may have… “.

The two Greek words translated quiet and peaceable denote, first quiet arising from the absence of outward disturbance and, second, an absence of internal strife. A true believer must not seek trouble with outsiders (even to the point of fleeing to avoid persecution — Mat 24:16-20); nor with his brethren, although trouble may come regardless of his efforts to avoid it. His wholesome behavior must be directed toward the keeping of peace. But even if the conditions under which he must live resemble those described by Jeremiah (“Fear on every side” — Jer 20:10) or Paul himself (“Without were fightings, within were fears” — 2Co 7:5), still the disciple of Christ may have peace. He may be blessed with the “peace of God that surpasses understanding (1Ti 1:2n; Phi 4:7). This reflects a mental condition not cluttered with empty anguish and frustration, but a condition of quiet peace which enables the individual to face turmoils otherwise impenetrable. However, the desire is to live a life of physical, political, ecclesial, marital, and mental quiet, that we may work unhindered in God’s vineyard.

Godliness is reverence for God. This is the familiar word eusebia — noted in the Introduction as characteristic of the Pastoral Letters.

Honesty or “gravity” (RV) or “seriousness” (Diag.) is a characteristic which exhibits a dignity arising from moral elevation.

3	For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

Acceptable means more than just acceptable and includes the ideas of welcome and pleasing. It is used only twice in the N.T., the other instance being 1Ti 5:4. For an explanation of God our Saviour see note on 1:1.

4	Who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.

If God is concerned with the sparrows that fall and the young ravens that cry (Mat 10:29; Luke 12:24; Job 38:41; Psa 147:9), certainly He is concerned with people.

This must be our concern too, if we are His children. It is so easy to self-righteously attend our own comfortable meetings and then spend the rest of our time on our own selfish, temporal interests and welfare. We must get out of ourselves and keep before our minds the broad world picture: God is concerned with the world, and is working with the world. We help Him toward this end by going forth to preach the gospel to all men (Mat 29:19; Mark 16:15), following the example of the apostles (Col 1:23).

God desires (Diag.) all men to be saved. God is “not willing that any should perish” (2Pe 3:9). He “has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live… ” (Eze 33:11; 18:23,32).

If God “wills” the salvation of all men, why do so many perish without hope? We must view the “will of God” in two senses: His general plan and purpose, which cannot fail (His ‘active’ will) and, secondly, His offer of the means of salvation to individuals which depends for its success upon their choices (His ‘passive’ will). In this second sense, God’s ‘will’ can be thwarted, and He plaintively sighs: “Why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Eze 33:11; 18:31).

The all men refers to all classes of men, Jews and Gentiles. All are placed on the same basis with respect to God’s grace. The great light that shined forth upon Israel (Isa 9:2; 60:1,2) also shined forth upon the Gentiles (Isa 42:6; 49:6; 60:3)! All classes of men have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory; all classes of men may be justified through God’s grace in Christ (Rom 3:9,23,24,29).

The word knowledge in the phrase the knowledge of the truth is epignosis meaning exact knowledge. This is called an “active knowledge” in the Diaglott. This is more than just a basic theoretical understanding of the first principles, more than that which we require for baptism. It is moreover a practical knowledge, a growing always in grace and knowledge. It signifies ‘increasing to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the (Divine) truth”. There are many who are nominally “in the Truth” — who miss the main point that our initial knowledge must work effectively to change our lives. Some do not appreciate the sanctifying, cleansing influence of the Truth received in its fullness (John 17:3,17; Eph 5:26). Paul describes this class as “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof… ever learning, but never able to come to the (exact) knowledge of the Truth (2Ti 3:5,7).

5	For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

If there is only one God and one Creator of all men, He must certainly have a deep concern for all men. Yahweh is not a tribal deity of the Jews. Paul argues in this way in the presence of the Athenian philosophers (Act 17:26-28):

“(God) hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are His offspring”.

If each nation had its own mediator, then we with the “hope of Israel” would need have no concern for other peoples. But there is only one mediator between God and men — Christ Jesus.

There is only one mediator or intercessor for all men — one mediator in contrast to the many mediatorial ‘saints’ and angels and spirits of the Catholic superstition, which was developing even in Paul’s time, and to which he referred:

“a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (Col 2:18).

Paul foresaw the time when:

“Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed… to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (demons, demigods, departed spirits) (1Ti 4:1n).

Christ is the one mediator (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). Christ confirmed the new covenant by his death as the covenant-victim:

“For where a covenant is, there must also of necessity be the death of the covenant-victim” (Heb 9:16-18).

He told his disciples at the Last Supper:

“This cup is the new testament (covenant) in my blood” (Luke 22:20).

The blood of Christ, in a figurative sense, came to represent the “new and living way” which he had opened, and which is still open to all men (Heb 10:20-22).

Christ Jesus was “himself man” (RV)- See Heb 2:14 and Rom 8:3 — the perfect man, the representative of all men before God. The Jewishness of Jesus is one aspect of truth, but his similarities with all men, including Gentiles, far outweigh his differences.

6	Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Jesus gave himself or laid down his own life, deliberately, willingly (John 10:11, 15, 18; 1Pe 2:23). Sin did not snatch him away without consent.

In the phrase a ransom for all ‘ransom’ is from the Greek anti-lutron where anti means ‘equivalent to… ‘, and lutron is ‘the price paid to set a person free’ (as in Lev 25:48). Christ bought us out of our bondage to “Sin”;

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Rom 6:17,18).

In this place, Paul uses ‘sin’ in a personal sense, as the designation of a great ruler to whom all the world gives allegiance. This is the ruling power from which Christ has ransomed us.

Christ was a “ransom for all” (here), or “for many” (Mark 10:45). This is to say, he was a ransom for “all that believe in him” (Rom 3:21-31). He is the ransom and the mediator only for ‘us’ the ‘saints’ (Rom 8:34, 27), who have “come unto God” (Heb 7:25). But the ‘ransom’ price was paid for “all men”; unfortunately, most men prefer the captivity of sin.

The concept of ransom is only one view of the sacrifice of Christ. If taken alone, it tends towards the idea of substitution whereby Christ would have died in our place. But then we would not have to die ourselves, which we all too evidently do.

However, Paul is referring to a ransom from the bondage of sin which results in eternal death — “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, who is our Lord”. Adam, the man, is the federal head of all natural mankind, including Jesus — “in Adam all die”. Jesus, the Christ, is the federal head, the first born, of mankind after the spirit “in Christ will all be made alive”. If Jesus is our Lord, and not human nature, and if the law of Christ overcomes the law of sin in each of us, we shall be ransomed from the wages of sin which is not simply death, the death due to all of Adam’s heritage — but death in the final sense — and we shall receive eternal life, the gift given to those who are truly, federally in Christ. The ransom paid was ‘death’ to sin — to sin’s flesh — to human nature. This is accomplished in us through the forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice of Christ. Just as by one man’s sin, we all became sinners, by one man’s righteousness can we all be made righteous. Our minds, hearts and lives must revolve around Christ, His Word, and His Father. Originally we have little choice in the inclination of our natures — we inherit the tendencies of sin and human nature’s consequence. Now, as men and women, we have a choice and we have a way of escape from the finality of death, through the ‘ransom’ of Christ. A ransom, something of equally-appraised value, was given — Adam lived, failed and died; Christ died, succeeded and lived — lives. Truly we may say we have been purchased by precious blood. Truly we can appreciate more than any others the sacrifice of Christ since we know him to have been one of us, yet without sin.

We must recognize the necessity on our part of a holy life and of an admittance and disavowal of our sins. And we must understand that God, by the death of His son, has shown His personal displeasure with sin, and the punishment due for it — which should rightly fall without mercy upon each of us. We must see that we are saved, not by a bargain between Jesus and God, but only by God’s mercy and forgiveness. All this, and more, is encompassed in the concept of Christ as a “ransom for all”.

The last part of verse 6 — to be testified in due time — is better translated “which was announced at the proper time”. Compare the phrase of Gal 4:4: “When the fullness of time was come… ” Christ’s sacrificial death occurred at precisely the time which God had appointed long before (see the prophecy of Dan 9:24-27).

7	Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

The word whereunto means “for which” (testimony): Paul was ordained in order to preach to all men, that Christ was a ransom for all of them, if they would only submit:

“God… hath commanded all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).

Ordained is the same word as “putting into” of 1Ti 1:12. There is not implied here any special service of ordination or consecration. Paul was singled out and called and equipped by God, not by men or by any elaborate or secret rites. Baptism (after belief of the truth) is the only special ceremony whereby a person may become a “minister” or servant of God.

A preacher is a ‘herald’ (Diag., NIV) or a ‘proclaimer’, one who makes a public proclamation on another’s behalf. Note how Paul makes the application of two Old Testament quotations (Joel 2:32; Isa 52:7) to himself and his work:

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach (‘proclaim’ — Diag.) except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom 10:13-15).

For an explanation of apostle see 1:1.

Paul was a teacher of the Gentiles. This included the Romans, whom the Jews hated by natural inclination as ‘dogs’, but to whom God offered His abounding grace and love. For this purpose Paul was God’s “chosen vessel” (Acts 9:15; 26:17; Gal 2:7-9).

Verity is translated as “truth” in the RV.

8	I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

God may be lawfully worshipped in any place (John 4:21,23). But this verse refers especially to the assemblies of the saints. And the men (or ‘husbands’) must pray there, in contrast to the women (vv 9,12). (Perhaps Paul means that not only those on the ‘platform’, but also those in any place in the ‘congregation’ may be called upon for prayer.)

The lifting up holy hands was a common practice among the ecclesias. But let us remember that form means nothing, and “let us lift up our hearts with our hands” (Lam 3:41).

The hands mentioned here must be “holy” — set apart for the work, cleansed from sin, hands that have not shed innocent blood; “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psa 24:4). Paul uses this phrase almost as an expression of sacrifice. We offer God the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; but unless this offering is accompanied by that other sacrifice (clean hands and a pure heart — James 4:8), our prayers cannot be pleasing to Him. The priest offered after he had first cleansed himself.

Without wrath means ‘without anger, having no bitter arguments, no hard feelings’ as the following quote demonstrates:

“Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment… Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Mat 5:22-24).

Christ is certainly speaking for our benefit too. The gifts and sacrifices which we offer are our prayers (Psa 141:2; Hos. 14:2) and Christ is the altar to which we approach (Heb 13:10). Before we pray to God, let us see that we have clear consciences, or else our prayers will avail us nothing. Unless we forgive others, we will not be forgiven (Mat 6:15).

Doubting means ‘discussion’ (the Greek word has been carried into English as ‘dialogue’), ‘disputing’, ‘controversy’. The same word is translated ‘imaginations’ in Rom 1:21. This word means much more than just honest doubt or weak faith. It means “vain disputings” (1Ti 6:4), evil thoughts of the heart (Mat 15:19), faith-destructive speculations. Angry disputes are out of place any time among brethren, and they are especially damaging when brethren are trying to draw near to God in prayers and service. To accomplish anything, we must all pray together confidently, “nothing wavering” (James 1:6,7), in unity of mind and love for one another. We must doubt neither God; Christ’s work in us; nor the sincerity of the brethren. Prayer is a time for submersion and submission of self before God. Our mind must be readied to come into His presence.

After an introduction (vv 1,2), Paul in the remainder of 1Ti 1 appeals to Timothy to combat the growing apostasy to the Judaizers. These dangerous theories were developing within the very ecclesia. Error mixed with truth is often the most dangerous. Timothy’s duty was to fight an untiring war against this error, even going so far as to follow Paul’s example of separating from the offenders (v 20).

A. 1:1, 2: Introduction

Paul’s first letter to Timothy deals with the younger’s work in the ecclesia at Ephesus. It is Paul’s ‘Ecclesial Guide’. He opens with a prayer for Timothy’s spiritual well-being: “Grace, mercy and peace” are real things, more real than anything to do with our perishing, day-to-day existence.

These are perhaps the most vital two verses in the whole letter. All the rest is of course important instruction and exhortation. But this is the actual key to life or death. If we have grace, mercy, and peace from God, we have everything: nothing else really matters. If we do not have them, then no other possession in the world, or the world itself, would be of any value to us.

A few among mankind have this supreme blessing; the vast majority do not. Should we not be exceedingly thankful to God for His unspeakable gifts?

1	Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.

An apostle is ‘one sent forth’, with some special message or commission — an ambassador, representing the coming Kingdom. By is the Greek word kata which means ‘according to’ implying a strong link with the one who commanded. Commandment is from epitage which is used in the Greek to denote a royal command! Paul was on the “King’s business”!

He was an apostle by the commandment of God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s conversion and special selection as an apostle were confirmed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17; 13:2, 9), which filled him and which gave him the power to confirm the Truth he preached by the working of miracles.

The expression God our Saviour is not a very common one, but it does state an important truth. God offers salvation to “all men” (1Ti 2:4) through His bountiful love, shown in offering His only-begotten son (John 3:16; Rom 5:5,6; 8:32). Yahweh is called “Saviour”, for example in Jude 1: 25 and in Mary’s song of Luke 1:47. Saviour was one of the titles appropriated by the Emperor Nero at this time. In this introduction, then, Paul is taking the misappropriated Imperial title and giving it to the Only Being to Whom it truly belongs.

The word Saviour is used ten times in the Pastorals — six times for God (1Ti 1:1; 2:3; Tit 1:3; 2:10, 13,; 3:4) and four for Christ (1Ti 4:10; 2Ti 1:10; Tit 1:4; 3:6). In all Paul’s other letters it occurs only two more times, referring in both cases to Christ (Eph 5:23; Phi 3:20).

The equivalent of this Greek word soter appears throughout the Old Testament, as a golden thread by which we may trace the prophetic references to Jesus. In Gen 49:18, Jacob after speaking of the last days says: “I have waited for Thy salvation, O Yahweh”. And in Psa 65:5, “By terrible things in righteousness, wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation”. And Jeremiah, in the midst of bitter sufferings, can say, “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD” (Lam 3:26). Jesus’ name in the Hebrew means “Yah saves” or “the Salvation of Yah”. So we see that Yahweh, “He Who shall save”, may manifest His offer of salvation only through His Son Jesus. “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself (2Co 5:19; Rom 8:3; Gal 4:4).

The original text omits the words which is from the phrase which is our hope. The word hope is elpis, as in Elpis Israel — the “hope of Israel” for which Paul was bound with chains (Acts 28:20).

Christ is “our hope”. We read that the Gentiles, without Christ, have no hope (Eph 2:12). The word of the gospel and the spirit and fulness of God, dwelling in Paul allowed him to speak triumphantly of “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). And this animating hope buoyed up his spirits to withstand his tribulations, in expectation of that revelation or manifestation of “Christ our hope”:

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col 3:4).

Paul speaks of this same hope in another of his pastoral letters:

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of… our Saviour Jesus Christ… ” (Tit 2:13).

2	Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

The name Timothy (Timotheos) signifies “honor to God” — just as in the two sections of this epistle to Timothy. In 1Ti 1:16, “Unto the King eternal… be honor (timee)… “ And in 1Ti 6:16, (God) “To whom be honor (timee)… “Timothy was a servant of God (and an example for us — 1Ti 4:12) who faithfully kept the purity of the Truth and who lived his life with this one aim, to honor and glorify our Father in heaven.

The phrase my own son is translated by the RV and NIV as “my true son”, while the Diaglott has “my genuine son”. Paul addresses Titus by the same phrase in Tit 1:4. He was his close protégé and his dearly beloved friend. Similarly, he speaks of “my son Philemon” (Phm 1:10). It was inevitable that Paul (who had no children of his own) would have a paternal feeling toward these young men and would hope they would carry forward the burden he was soon to lay down. It was Paul who ordained Timothy for his work with the “laying on of his hands” (2Ti 1:6) and it was Paul who often gave Timothy his instructions. Thus, Timothy would be recognized as an accredited, and therefore true representative of his spiritual father.

In Paul’s letters, the three-part salutation grace, mercy, and peace is peculiar to the Pastorals. All other letters have the phrase “grace and peace”. John also uses it once (2Jo 1:3).

The Greek word for grace is charis — a gift or favor — any and all of God’s blessings and gifts to men. “Grace” in some contexts refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but the word means much more than that.

Grace is the favorable attention, care, and comfort from God toward us. To know grace is to come within the scope of His glorious light — to be accepted as part of His chosen family, constantly overshadowed by His angelic protection.

This grace is extended without partiality to all who, in truth, yield themselves entirely to Him — this means placing ourselves in His hands, allowing His word to work in us. We must allow the Truth to overshadow and dominate everything in our lives — endeavoring to give our all to Him, holding nothing back, in hope of the day when we will be “filled with the fullness of God”. Just holding certain beliefs, attending the meetings of believers and being technically ‘in the Truth’ is not enough to guarantee God’s grace. We must be receptive to Him and be moved to activity. Then and only then may we enter into the glory of the grace of God.

The word mercy is not found in Paul’s earlier greetings. They are restricted to “grace and peace”. Mercy is the overlooking, in loving understanding, of all our shortcomings and failures if we, like Paul, agonize to repudiate them and to be free of them.

To obtain the mercy of God we must fully recognize our absolute need for mercy — our utter helplessness without it. God is the essence of all holiness, purity and perfection. We are weak, ignorant, unclean mortal creatures seeking His exalted fellowship.

And related to this, the more we recognize our own need for mercy the more merciful we should be toward the faults and weaknesses of others. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mat 5:7).

Peace is the basic blessing we all need most. It only comes through the grace and mercy of God. Peace is an impervious mental shield against all fear and disquiet. Peace is perfect, relaxed harmony and tranquility of mind. Peace is primarily “peace with God” — “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).

To have peace with God makes all other conflict harmless and unimportant. It can only come with complete, undivided dedication to one supreme object of life, for peace is essentially oneness. It is not freedom from external conflict: that is not important. It is freedom from internal conflict. Jesus said, just before the terrible suffering of his crucifixion:

“Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you… In the world ye shall have tribulation; but in me ye shall have peace… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

And Paul, chained and in prison for the sake of the glorious gospel tells the Philippian brethren to take everything to God in prayer, and he assures them that in so doing —

“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ” (Phi 4:7).

The last part of verse two — from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord — shows the true order from which all blessings flow. All gifts come from God. But the greatest gift of God to man is the hope of eternal life which was first revealed in Christ — “the firstfruits…” (1Co 15:23) — and then offered to us as well, through Christ, our Saviour, mediator, and Lord.

B. 1:3-11: Apostasy To The Judaizers

Timothy’s first and principal duty at Ephesus was the preservation of sound doctrine in the ecclesia. Paul was always deeply and actively concerned with the preservation of the Truth and the suppression of error in the One Body. The error here referred to is Judaizing, the undue reliance upon the old law as the way of life. Its traditions and rituals and technicalities were elevated by certain brethren to positions of ‘life-and-death’ importance, in effect denying the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s mercy.

Paul fully realized that pure doctrine was the foundation upon which all else must be built. Pure actions can arise only from pure teachings; they do not come of themselves.

3	As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.

Timothy had been Paul’s companion in his travels and he was left at Ephesus while Paul journeyed on. (See the introduction). Paul’s language in the first half of this verse, especially the word still, and subsequent events indicate only a temporary mission for Timothy.

Besought is a very mild word — not a harsh command, but a gentle pleading or entreaty. It is from the Greek paraklesa often rendered “exhort”.

The reason Timothy was to abide at Ephesus is now given — that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine. That is the purpose of Timothy’s mission in Ephesus and to this end Paul strengthens and encourages him (cf 1Ti 6:3; 2Co 11:4). Gal l:8 was written in combating the same type of apostasy:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed”.

The word charge is a military term which means literally to pass commands from one to another. Timothy was a man of authority, because he was a man under authority.

Note the indefiniteness of some and compare also v. 6; 4:1; 5:15; and 6:21. The errorists’ names are not often mentioned — perhaps because, if they so continue, their names will be omitted from the book of life (Rev 3:5; Phi 4:3; Luke 10:20), or perhaps because the hope is that they will heed the warning and turn from their ways. This is a good course of action for us — never name ‘names’ to others while admonition is possible.

Timothy was to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). If some continued in error, they should be disfellowshipped and treated as “Gentiles and publicans” (although effort must still be given to bring them back).

4	Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Fables is from the Greek muthos (compare the English word myth), and is used only five times in the whole New Testament. Four of these occurrences are in the Pastorals: here; 4:7; 2Ti 4:4; and Tit 1:14 (where they are called Jewish fables). Generally these fables were Jewish in character, based upon Rabbinical traditions — as the context here indicates. The word is also translated — in other versions — as myth, legend, or story.

Notice that the New Testament writers knew well enough what “myths” were. Yet according to some of the more liberal critics, these very writers were busy creating their own myths!

It was said in the old Jewish schools that an oral Law had been given on Sinai, and that this Law had been handed down by a succession of teachers. This Law was, of course, further illustrated and enlarged by each new generation of rabbis. By the time of Jesus, it constituted a recognized supplementary code to the Law of Moses. It contained many wild and improbable legendary histories, and foolish speculations upon the commandments of Moses. This strange collection was formally written down in the second century A.D. under the name of Mishna. More discussions of these “fables” were compounded into the Gemara, and these works came in much later times to be referred to as the Talmud — which still exercises a great influence upon Jewish thought today.

As the elaborate system evolved, some great rabbinical teachers became mystics of the most hair-splitting variety. They were much given to the study of mysterious magical properties of numbers, complicated systems of forces and counter-forces, and trans-migration of ‘souls’. The seeds that were to produce these fantastic pseudo-sciences and technical mystery cults had already been sown among the Jewish elite of the first century.

Endless genealogies has reference to the endless study and bickering about genealogies. Endless could be ‘without end’ — that is ‘without object, pointless’ or, alternatively ‘tiresome’. This word only appears twice, the other time being in Titus 3:9. The questions of genealogies arose in the Jewish insistence on proper ancestry of priests (Neh 7:63-65; Ezra 2:62). Indeed, care in this regard was commanded, but only to illustrate the point — that Christ as a priest was far superior to the Aaronic priests, who were forced to prove their ancestry before they could even serve. The study of such matters as genealogies should not be carried to an extreme, for very little can be gained. But the study of genealogies came to be a great concern for some men — rather than “godly edifying”. These men put stress upon fleshly relationship, rather than spiritual relationship. To this Christ said:

“Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mat 12:48-50).

This study of genealogies did nothing but minister questions. The NIV has “these promote controversies”. The various Scriptures in which this word question is used may serve to illustrate the types of questions intended. In fact, each occurrence of the word is connected with the Jews: questions of law (Acts 25:20, “of purifying” (John 3:25), of “fables” (here), of “words” (1Ti 6:4), and “foolish and unlearned questions” (2Ti 2:33; Tit 3:9). But foolish questions are not confined to Jews — as we see among us: in endless and laborious debate, controversy, agitations, and friction over non-essentials.

They should have been concerned rather with godly edifying or “upbuilding” as of a house (or edifice). We are the house of God (3:15; Heb 3:6). We must strengthen and build up ourselves and our brethren in godliness. Knowledge by itself puffeth up, but love “edifies” (1Co8:1 — the same word). The contrast is that of a bubble to a rock — similar in size and shape, but one hollow and the other substantial.

Many questions which are very difficult if not impossible to answer, arise among believers. They often lead the simple believers into an inescapable labyrinth! And most of the questions give no practical benefit even if they are answered correctly. In this category we must place the “myths” and “genealogies” of this verse. Robert Roberts lists other such Bible questions as these, which are profitless to discuss at any great length: the fates of Enoch and Elijah, the exact meaning of remote types of the law, the quality of the wine and bread at the Memorial supper, the relation of God’s foreknowledge to man’s free agency, and so forth.

In our day we could add to this list: the exact time that Christ became a high priest, and minor details of procedure at our meetings, for example. Any experienced brother or sister can compile his or her own list.

We come together as a group to study God’s Word and to grow thereby, into the perfect man in Christ Jesus. Doubtful questions do not contribute to this end. Neither does the forcing of our private views upon others under the guise of commandments. Neither does the putting forward of minor points as being of great doctrinal importance. All these things fall under the category of casting stumbling blocks before our brethren.

Therefore, when we meet together in formal classes (or at any time), we must study the Bible in a broad and balanced way, to gain practical lessons, to strengthen ourselves and exhort others in the most holy words of Truth. Paul tells us what is the true benefit of Bible study:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Ti 3:16, 17).

Let us listen for just a moment to Robert Roberts as he speaks of this matter:

“There are ‘questions’ whose agitation is hurtful, because they are doubtful in themselves and unimportant in their bearings when solved, while the agitation of them interferes with the spiritual result called ‘godly edifying’. The attainment and preservation of ‘godly edifying’ is the great object of the Truth, and will be the cue of every true brother’s policy. What is this? It is building up in godliness — a strengthening of the mind in the things pertaining to God. What are these? The hope He has given us, the obedience He requires of us in the many things commanded; the faith He would have us repose in Him; the love He seeks at our hands towards Himself and our ‘neighbors’; and the intercourse He desires us to hold with Him in prayer. These, of course, are founded on knowledge of who He is, what He has promised, and what He has done and is and the commandments He has given by His servants the prophets and the apostles, and of His Son Jesus Christ… The crowning glories of the truth shine with the brilliance of the mid-day sun; and it indicates a strange obfuscation of mind when men neglect its noonday brightness, to burrow in the caverns of doubtful questions with the dark lanterns of speculation. It looks like a case of loving darkness rather than light” (Seasons of Comfort, pp. 93, 94).

5	Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.

The end of the commandment — that is, “The purpose (object, goal, aim) of all commands and revelations of God is… ” The genealogies of v.4 have no purpose nor end; but the “commandment” (same as “charge” in v.3) has both.

Knowledge is the basis of conduct. The purpose of God’s Word is to develop us — personally and individually — in these characteristics of v 5. And the “end” or conclusion is eternal life. To get side-tracked or, as Paul says in v 6, to “swerve” from this is “vain jangling” — noise and effort without purpose.

Charity is from the Greek word agape. It is translated love in the RV and other modern versions. This is a self-sacrificing love, developed only through God’s love for us. “We love him because he first loved us”. This love for God grows into a love for all men — even our enemies. It is gloriously explained in 1Co 13 — “The greatest of all these things is love (agape)”.

The word agape finds its profoundest expression in the New Testament; the pagan Greek writers could have had no conception of true spiritual agape. The Spirit created the word and gave it the deepest and most beautiful meaning of any word — the personal relation between God and man, through Jesus Christ.

Our minds and hearts, like our bodies, are “earthen vessels” in God’s sight, polluted and evil. Only God’s Word can give us a pure heart; only His “treasure” can make our earthen vessels of any value to Him (2Co 4:6, 7). The word katharos (pure, or clean) originally simply meant the opposite of soiled or dirty. Later, however, it came to have some rather more interesting meanings, scripturally speaking: It was used of grain that had been winnowed from the chaff, of an army cleansed of all cowardly and undisciplined soldiers, and of any substance free of corruption or pollution.

A pure heart is guileless, open, sincere, full of light and truth, free from remorse and misgivings. It is serene, confident, innocent, heedless to the scorn of others. All this arises from love, manifested in an earnest and prayerful reading of, and joyful obedience to God’s Word (Mat 5:8).

This “pure heart” gives us “peace” in a world without peace (cf. notes, v 2). And it promises peace in the world to come:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mat 5:8).

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? and who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…” (Psa 24:3,4).

“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable…” (James 3:17).

A good conscience is an assurance of justification; confidence through the Truth believed and obeyed. Paul tells Felix of a conscience void of offence toward God or man (Acts 24:16; cp Phi 1:9, 10). A good conscience must be regulated by knowledge. We must know we are right in the way of life. By a good conscience we do the right things even in very small, insignificant matters — which God alone will ever notice. This serves to build up our true character (1Pe 3:16). By way of contrast Paul speaks of a defiled and unbelieving conscience in Tit 1:15.

Faith unfeigned is faith that is real, sincere, genuine, actual. It comes from a Greek word anupokrito which means without hypocrisy. It is a trust (confidence, conviction) in God for all well-being, and not seeking any treasures in this life of uncertainty. Each day make decisions, not by fleshly criteria, but according to an unshakeable faith in God’s care. “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38).

6	From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling.

In the only other places where the word here translated swerved appears, it is translated “erred” (1Ti 6:21; 2Ti 2:18).

The phrase have turned aside (Gk. ektrepo) means to twist away or aside, and is used in relation to creating difficulties for the lame in Heb 12:13 — a painful wrenching.

In Tit 1:5 Paul tells Titus to “set in order the things that are wanting” The word here is epidiorthroo, which is the opposite of ektrepo and means to reset a limb after a dislocation or fracture.

Vain jangling literally means ’empty talking’. Idle, senseless, profitless. Similarly, Paul uses the words “vain” (Tit 3:9) and “vain talkers” (Tit 1:10). These are “without love” — as the sounding brass and tinkling cymbal (1Co 13:1). Such are some of the “janglings” that may pass for exhortation and discourse amongst us — if we lose sight of the purpose of Bible study.

The main idea is of a so-called ‘religious’ life which produces no good works. These men could talk glibly for hours about the things of God, but their talk was worse than useless in bringing them one step closer to true godliness. All knowledge that is not ultimately profitable for developing character is vain. The teacher who provides his students no more than pleasant intellectual exercises is teaching for naught.

7	Desiring to be teachers of the Law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

They desire to be teachers, that is they are ambitious for — they seek the office and prominence as such. Perhaps at first these misguided men taught the types and lessons of the law. But the learning of these things came to be an end in itself, and a source of pride in achievement, and a self-glorification reminiscent of the rabbis, “the doctors of the law” (Luke 5:17; Acts 5:34), who walked about pompously in their long robes of authority. There is an important lesson here for self-examination. The flesh likes the limelight and is self-deceptive as to motives.

Such attention to detail without any practical value led at last to a reversion to the form and bondage of the Law, and a delight in myths and genealogies. This opened the way for the infiltration of more Judaizers, which in turn laid the basis of the Catholic apostasy (1Ti 4:1-5). The lessons for us are to avoid the spirit of formalism, to guard against mere lip-service, and to incite one another always to active love and holiness.

These teachers understand neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. In other words they do not have an understanding first of all what they speak outright nor the underlying principles of God which their words violate. It is often the case that those who know the least or who support a questionable position speak the loudest and longest, with more arrogance than true spiritual confidence.

8	But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.

This is an echo of Rom 7:12,16: “The law is holy, and just, and good.” That is, the law is good, if a man use it according to the gospel” (see v 11; vv 9,10 are parenthetical). When we study the law we must remember never to give it first place — but always to give precedence to the gospel. We must remember to study the law with a view to practical, personal holiness — not supposition and controversy, not as a cold, dead ‘student’ but as a living and loving disciple. If we study the law, giving heed first to the gospel, we will glean the following things from the law: the lessons of holiness and purity which the rituals teach; the lessons of man’s innate uncleanness; the defiling properties of sin; and aspects of the sacrifice of Christ — portrayed in shadow. Also the love, and beauty, and wisdom of God and His care for man.

At the very foundation of the law was the animating principle of all God’s dealings with man — love. Love was the basis of the law: God’s love in redemption, our love manifested in obedience and the love of one another. Any one who can study the law, and yet remain in the dark concerning this “weighty matter” is indeed in gross darkness.

The principle of love was encapsulated in the law. The flesh was inevitably condemned by the law. Man was basically wicked and prone to sin. And just as man was firmly and inextricably set in his course of sin, so the law was set in its policy of punishment. Man who lived by the law was trying to move a mountain by attacking it head-on. His plight was hopeless. The law was uncompromising legislation which promised death for the least offense. If man only took the law to be judicial enactments, applicable without reference to God’s love, he would of necessity neglect the weightier matters of mercy and truth. This was the course pursued by the scribes (doctors of the law) and Pharisaic priests. In an effort to handle every eventuality they legislated even heavier burdens and more grievous to be borne. Thus Israel as a nation pursued the “law of righteousness”, but it could never attain perfection through the Law of Moses (Rom 9:31; Heb 7:19) — because of its rigidity and their own shortcomings.

Christ discounted a mere strict observance of ritual without love. He astonished the Pharisees by his new and divine interpretation of the law. He resurrected the greatest commandment — the central command, the meaning of it all — long buried under rabbinical speculations, and presented it afresh to the wondering eyes of the people: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mat 22:37-40). “For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes” (Mat 7:29).

To go even further, love was the complete fulfillment of the law. What a marvelous vista Christ’s statement had opened up!

God’s law was seasoned throughout with love. Our love for one another is bound up in our mutual love for God, and our mutual desire to please Him by obedience and faith. Christ, by a perfect life and a sacrificial life, gave us an example to follow: “Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire… I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart” (Psa 40:6-8; Heb 10:5-9).

Christ brought justification by obedience to the law, and by trust that God would raise him up from the dead to sit at His right hand. From there, as a mediator, Christ is the channel by which we obtain love and forgiveness of sins apart from the law; through faith. The great mountain of the law, which man could not move by his own strength, was moved instead by Christ’s faith:

“Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not… ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and it shall be done” (Mat 21:21).

“He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic 7:19).

The law of Moses was also important for moral behavior. These codes of behavior are reproduced today in most civilized systems of government. God’s laws of morality without doubt were in existence from the beginning. Whatever we may read of enlightened judicial systems, even prior to the time of Moses (such as the code of Hammurabi), we know that it was due to the unconscious effect of God’s laws, to a great extent. And when the Mosaic law was handed down and put into use, it became the medium for God’s moral laws to reach most of the world.

Also, the law prescribed other rules of behavior and activity which, while not specifically commanded by the law of Christ, are nevertheless generally good policy. The law was for the organization of the Body of Moses on an orderly national basis, and its consideration may therefore help us today in organizing the Body of Christ on an orderly ecclesial basis.

9	Knowing this, that the law is not made for the righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man-slayers.

“The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did” (Heb 7:19). Christ is the better hope to supersede the law (v 2). The law could only convict a man of his own sinfulness (Rom 7:9,10) and force him to turn to God. Man cannot stand on his own righteousness or works. Man’s weaknesses, his natural tendencies, separate him from the law of God. Through the mediatorial office of Christ, our efforts are accepted. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2Co 5:19). If man after this still clung to the law, he was refusing to leave what Paul called “weak and beggarly elements” and he was remaining in bondage to a system by which no man could be justified (Gal 4:9; 2:16).

The law might be studied with some profit as the writings of various Christadelphians have demonstrated. But when it is studied as an end in itself, the man who does so is only returning to the bondage from which Christ has freed him.

The word lawless means ‘without law, contemptuous of law, not recognizing its authority’. Disobedient on the other hand means ‘undisciplined, unruly, refusing to submit, even when the power of the law is recognized’. Ungodly are the irreverent. It is a word which describes positive and active opposition to religion. Sinners are active sinners, who ‘miss the mark’ (the actual significance of the Greek). The unholy are the impious, irreligious, godless. In the Greek, it is a word which signifies the ultimate indecencies. The word profane refers to the unclean or polluted, with an implication of ceremonial and legal defilement.

The six characteristics above may be considered together. They all describe the same type of person. Six is the number of the flesh. And these six words well describe the mind of the flesh, completely contrary to the mind of the Spirit in the first four of the Ten commandments (Exod. 20), concerning the one God, His worship alone, and the observance of His sabbath.

The next phrase murderers of fathers and murders of mothers refers to those who disobey the fifth commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother”.

Man-slayers are those who disobey the sixth commandment concerning murder.

10	For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.

Whoremongers and those who defile themselves with mankind comprehends the breaking of the seventh commandment, against adultery; and goes beyond that — to even more detestable practices — all the abominations of 1Co6:9. The RSV has “immoral persons, Sodomites”.

Menstealers is used only here in the NT. Literally it means ‘he who brings men to their feet’; a slave-dealer. He commits the worst form of theft possible, contrary to the eighth commandment.

Liars and perjured persons are those who swear to lies; those who break the ninth commandment.

If there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine is a summary phrase which includes all not referred to previously. Sound (that is, wholesome or healthful) doctrine is discussed throughout the letter (1Ti 6:3n). The “unsound” teaching and agitation of crotchets and peculiar interpretations point to people who are seeking undeserved and unearned eminence and authority. This is an illustration of an offense against the tenth commandment, against covetousness and envy.

Thus in these two verses, Paul has included all points of the Ten Commandments. This is the type of man with which the law of Moses was concerned, sinners in every respect. “And such were some of you, but ye are washed… sanctified… justified… ” (1Co 6:11). Christ is concerned with saints, not “wretched sinners”. Christ calls us to holiness and life, not the inevitable sin and death of the Old Covenant.

11	According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

The glorious gospel includes in its first principles a call to repentance from the dead works of the law of Moses (Heb 6:1).

This phrase might be best translated “the gospel of the glory” — in which case it refers to Christ, who is called the glory of God: “We beheld his glory” (John 1:14). This reminds us of Paul in 2Co where he draws a striking contrast between the law of Moses and the gospel of Christ: The law, which he calls “the ministration of death”, was glorious — up to a point. But this glory (which shone on Moses’ face) was to be done away. And Paul recalls the incident in which Moses covers his face, “that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished”. Or in other words, so that they could not see the fading glory of the law (2Co 3). In the next chapter, Paul shows the permanent and transcendent glory of Christ — the everlasting glory to take the place of the temporary glory of the law. This he calls “the glorious gospel of Christ” (2Co 4:4). In comparison with the gospel the law was darkness, but “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Co 4:6).

How Paul must have rejoiced when he was called from his ignorance to the Truth, to a system whose glory fadeth not away!

This gospel he says was committed to my trust. Certainly, a great deal of the responsibility for the preaching of the gospel in the first century fell upon Paul (cp 1Co 9:17; Gal 2:7). But we must think of ourselves in the same manner. That which was entrusted to Paul and the apostles was passed on to the likes of Timothy (1Ti 6:20) and, through the pages of Scripture, to us. God has committed His greatest gift to us: the knowledge of “the gospel of his glory”. This is one of the “talents” of Christ’s parables, which we have received. We must be able to show an increase in that which God has committed to our trust when Christ returns to assemble his servants and to judge them according to their works (Luke 19:15,22,23).

C. 1:12-16: Paul’s Own Calling Away From The Law

The previous verse led Paul to a consideration of his own deliverance from the same erroneous devotion to the Mosaic Law which had caused him to reject and oppose Christ’s followers.

But in God’s mercy, because he was sincere, he was shown the right way, and was given mercy and forgiveness as an example of Christ’s goodness and kindness.

12	And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

Christ Jesus is the regular title of the Lord in this letter and in 2 Timothy takes this form rather than the more common “Jesus Christ”. This would be in keeping with Paul’s stress of God as Saviour (1Ti 1:1). God was the first cause behind man’s salvation; He was the One who anointed (the significance of “Christ”) this man Jesus as our priest and sacrifice and mediator.

The phrase who hath enabled me is better translated “who hath given me strength within” or as the NEB “who hath made me equal to the task”. Paul himself was weak and he recognized this (2Co 3:5,6); but God’s strength could be revealed best through Paul’s weakness (2Co 12:9,10). What an inspiring theme! This is the way that God works, seeking as His chosen vessels the poor and humble of the world, so that no flesh may glory in His presence. Thus, like Paul, we may say: “I can do all things (through myself? No… ) through Christ who strengtheneth me” (Phi 4:13). Can we ever exhaust the wonderful thoughts that arise from this matter?

The next phrase He counted me faithful is very interesting, for according to this, Christ reckoned Paul to be faithful while Paul was yet a blasphemer and a persecutor of the Christians. Certainly this shows that Christ can see the hearts of men and that God has perfect foreknowledge.

Still, however, He gives to each of us a choice. If we choose to align ourselves with God, then His grace will be “exceedingly abundant” toward us.

Paul was put into the ministry by conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:15) and by a special calling (Acts 13:2). Compare notes on v 1, and Paul’s commission in 2Co 5:18,19. Paul was shown to be faithful by his calling to be an apostle.

The word ministry is a much too ‘churchy’ word to suit our tastes. We would do well to remind ourselves that the “ministry” (diaknoia) is a service, not an office. [This word is in the Greek related to “deacon” — see notes on the introduction to 1Ti 3:8-13]. The tendency in our ecclesias may be just the reverse — as we move further from our beginning, privilege and tradition consolidates hierarchies in our midst. The antidote is a careful consideration of the requisites of arranging brethren in 1Ti 3.

13	Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Paul was before a blasphemer because being deluded by his great but wrongly directed zeal, he had fought for a time against God’s clear revelation through Christ. He had been in the class which he describes in Rom 10:2:

“For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge”.

The word persecutor appears only this once in the New Testament. But the thought may be illustrated by the following:

“And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22:4).

“Beyond measure I persecuted the ecclesia of God, and wasted it” (Gal 1:13).

“As for Saul, he made havock of the ecclesia, entering into every house, and haling (carrying, hauling) men and women committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3).

An injurious person is one whose insolence and contempt of others breaks forth into wanton and outrageous acts. This is expressed in Acts 9:1 — “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord”.

But Paul obtained mercy because [he] did it ignorantly in unbelief.

This verse illustrates the Divine principle of responsibility. We become accountable to God’s judgement by enlightenment in the living way. Those ignorant of God’s way will remain in the congregation of the dead (Pro 21:16; Psa 49:20; Isa 26:14; Jer 51:39, 57). But ignorance is the only barrier to responsibility to God. Knowledge brings accountability.

“To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

But if men come to a knowledge of the Truth (as Paul did), they may obtain mercy for their past sins of ignorance — just as Paul did) — by obedience in baptism.

Saul did not recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law. His persecution of the saints was pursued in ignorance. No man felt the weight of his own sin as did Paul in this recollection — but all men can feel the merciful removal of the weight of sin, as did Paul.

“Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

14	And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

For grace see notes on verse 2. Paul can never write long without bringing in the concept of grace. For him it was no mere abstract concept, but an operative force dominating all thoughts and actions. By the grace of Christ, and only by that grace, he was what he was.

The expression exceedingly abundant is a superlative one used only here in the New Testament. Paul had been exceedingly sinful; therefore God’s grace and mercy was exceedingly abundant for him. Paul’s case demonstrates the principle of Rom 5:20: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”.

Let us bear in mind, however, that all men as sinners are not entitled to any mercy whatsoever, apart from identification with Christ’s sacrifice (Rom 3:8; 6:1). For in this perfect gift of Christ we become objects of God’s grace — eternal life.

Paul learned the true faith (belief) and a love for all men — which he lacked while he was zealous only for the law. Those who have experienced mercy can best show it to others. Paul realized what his own condition had been before he had learned the Truth: and he felt keenly his obligation to preach to others (Rom 1:14; 1Co 9:16).

15	This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

In the Pastoral Letters there are five faithful sayings. The expression seems to indicate that they are sayings that had become proverbial among the ecclesias at the time of the Pastorals (between 60 and 65 A.D.); and that they are either statements of doctrine concisely expressed or else exhortations to Christian conduct.

It is likely that faithful saying is an echo of the prayer which traditionally followed the recital of the words, “Hear O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is One” (Deut. 6:4):

“True and firm, established and enduring, right and faithful, beloved and precious, desirable and pleasant, good and beautiful is this Thy word unto us forever.”

Just as God was a God of Truth, so the sayings of the Apostle Paul bore the stamp of God, the stamp of faithfulness and authenticity (2Co 1:18, 20). As we consider each of the “faithful sayings” of the Pastorals separately we shall see their force and beauty. And we shall see the characteristic way in which Paul uses them to express the teaching of him who said to another Apostle,

“Write, for these sayings are true and faithful” (Rev 22:6).

Let us note the progression of the five faithful sayings, of which this is the first:

Five sayings, all in the Pastoral letters, which outline the process of salvation from Paul’s viewpoint:

(1)	the beginning of our probation, with Christ’s sacrifice for us, effective through faith and baptism: “This is a faithful saying… that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
(2)	The continuation of our good beginning, by working in the Truth. “… if they continue in faith and love and holiness” (1Ti 2:15).
(3)	Growing in the grace and mercy and peace of Christ: “Godliness is profitable unto all things” (1Ti 4:8).
(4)	Gradually striving and growing yet further, becoming dead to the world and alive in Christ: “… If we be dead with him, we shall live with him” (2Ti 2:11)
(5)	And the conclusion of God’s work of salvation in us — life eternal: “… We should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit 3:7, 8).

Other possible “faithful sayings” (although the same words do not occur in the text) may be found in 1Ti 2:3, 4; 2:5, 6; 3:16; 6:15, 16; 2Ti 1:9, 10, 13; 2:8; 3:16, 17 and Tit 2:11-14.

The phrase worthy of all acceptation is used only here and in 4:9 and means ‘worthy of complete, uncompromising reception’ — as the reception of those who repented at Peter’s pentecostal sermon (Acts 2:41).

The words Christ Jesus came into the world are used mostly in John’s gospel, but has of course nothing to do with a pre-existent Jesus descending from heaven to assume the charade of an earthly body. It is used rather in a symbolic sense: of Christ as the “light of the world” arising upon, or coming to, the world (kosmos) of Israel. See John 1:9 (in which the phrase “that cometh into the world” modifies “light”); John 3:19; 12:46. We understand by Scripture that this “coming” of Christ was at his manifestation, at the age of 30, to the Jewish “world” (John 1:31). “He came to his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). And afterward, through his apostles, he also came to the Gentiles of the Roman world. (We certainly cannot overlook the fact that Jesus preached much of the time in Galilee of the Gentiles). In no way, therefore, does Paul’s phrase under consideration here support the doctrines of a pre-existent Christ or the Trinity.

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Although it was not readily apparent on the surface Christ came to save both Jew and Gentile. Paul so often shows this in his writings (for example, Rom 15:8-12). Christ came to call sinners to repentance (Mat 9:11-13; John 10:9) and Paul shows that all men (both Jew and Gentile) have sinned and come far short of God’s high calling (Rom 3:9,23).

We are reminded of Christ’s abounding love for all men and his concern that all might come to him and be saved by the incident of the Syrophoenician woman. When Jesus departed from Jerusalem into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon he was met by a Gentile woman who sought his mercy. At first we are somewhat puzzled by Jesus’ seemingly cold attitude to her plea: “He answered her not a word” (Mat 15:23). And again, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (v 24). But he wanted to bring to light what he already had perceived — that this woman truly had faith. And he wished to emphasize and keep clear the essential principle that “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). Despite the apparent rebuff she continued to beseech him and he answered, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to the dogs”.

To this appraisal of the relative position of Jew and Gentile, the Canaanite woman readily and humbly assented. And she only asked to eat the crumbs which the children overlooked. At last Jesus opened his arms to her: “O woman, great is thy faith” (Mat 15:24-28). And he restored a sinner, who needed only to come to him in understanding and humility.

We can learn an important truth from this. There are no limits to the mercy of God, if a sinner is repentant. We would have written Paul off as one beyond redemption but God was able to save him. We would not have thought Matthew the publican a worthy candidate for the Kingdom; nor the woman of Samaria; nor countless others, yet the Lord chose them.

It is an easy human tendency to write people off. Indeed, we can mentally reject whole sections of society — not unlike what the Pharisees did — and avoid them in our preaching. But Paul preached to everybody.

Earlier, Paul had spoken of himself as “the least of the apostles” (1Co 15:9) and “less than the least of all saints” (Eph 3:8). Now at last, he goes even further and says I am [the] chief — or foremost sinner. He says “I am” not “I was”, the “chief of sinners! As the years passed, and he grew nearer and nearer to Christ, so his self-esteem declined. Paul’s remembrance of his persecuting of God’s saints was a constant reminder of his failures and shortcomings, and a lesson in humility and trust in God, and an exhortation as well to go on to better things.

He did not rehearse these things to glory in his past but to glory in the hope of a future that would not be his, except by the grace of God. Paul was not still the chief sinner — but he was the foremost living example of God’s forgiving nature.

16	Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

This form of the word rendered pattern (hupotuposis) occurs only here and in 2Ti 1:13. It signifies an “example to follow”, an outline, sketch, or form to be filled in, “the first draft or sketch to serve as an outline for all future times”. Other Jews who “rested in the law” might note the example of Paul, who was once zealous for the law, but was shown a better way and embraced it joyfully. And they might be compelled also to come “outside the camp” to Christ (Heb 13:13). Paul was only the first of many apparently hopeless cases who would find rehabilitation in Christ. In the great change he underwent, he was a model to demonstrate God’s work with man (Acts 20:35; 1Co 11:1).

D. 1:17: Glory To God

This is one of the two interjections of praise to God in this letter. The other, longer than this one, is in 1Ti 6:15,16. For other examples of these prayerful outbursts, see Gal 1:5; Rom 11:36; 16:27; Phi 4:20; Eph 3:21.

17	Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

God is the ruler over every era of the world’s history, so He is the King eternal or the “King of ages” (RSV), or “the ages”. “The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men” (Dan 4:17,25). This also refers to His timelessness.

The word immortal means ‘incorruptible’, enduring forever, or incapable of corruption. “The uncorruptible God” (Rom 1:23).

The word invisible signifies “unseen” — Compare Col 1:15 and Heb 11:27. John Thomas has this to say: ‘He is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto: whom no man hath seen, nor can see’ (1Ti 6:15)… The Incorruptible Spirit Dwelling in Light is the Scriptural revelation of the indefinable essence of the self-existent Eternal One, who is from everlasting to everlasting, God. What His essence consists in, He has not revealed: He has made known to us His name, or character which is enough for man to know; but to say that, because He is a spirit, He is therefore ‘immaterial’, is to speak errant nonsense: for immateriality is nothingness; a quality, if we may so speak, alien to the universe of God”.

‘”No man,’ says Jesus, ‘hath seen God at any time’; but Adam, Abraham, Jacob and Moses saw the Elohim and their Lord; therefore Elohim does not necessarily mean the Everlasting Father Himself. Elohim is a name bestowed upon angels.” (Elpis Israel, pp 182, 183).

The word “wise” in the phrase only wise God is omitted by most texts. (It was apparently ‘borrowed’ by some copyists from Rom 16:27). God is one — God is alone in His existence as the Uncreated One — “there is none beside Him”.

Amen means ‘so be it’ or ‘faithful’. Paul thoughtfully, reverently, joyously agrees to this obvious fact of God’s supreme glory.

It may be asked, why does Paul pause in this particular place to interject words of praise to the supremely mighty and glorious God? Why not somewhere else?

The answer seems to be found in a comparison of other similar phrases of Paul (as 1 Ti 6:15,16; Rom 8:33-39; 11:33-36). In these places Paul’s consideration of God’s merciful gift of salvation at last sweeps him off his feet. No longer is it sufficient to reason calmly and confidently — in a point-by-point manner. All that men can do at such times is to bow abjectly before the spectacle of such power and love united in a single Being. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God… For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:33,36). If we are not ‘carried away’ by a consideration of these things, we do not truly possess the Truth. “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to Thee…” “Did not our hearts burn within us?”

E. 1:18-20: Separation

Paul concludes chapter one by emphasizing Timothy’s responsibility to fight a good fight and to defend the true Faith, even going so far as to counsel the ecclesia to separate from anyone teaching otherwise.

18	This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare.

The word charge is the same word as “commandment” of v 5 and very similar to “charge” of v 3. The word has a ring of military sternness and severity — an order. Paul has given Timothy the one gospel (v 11), and the command that no other be taught (v 3).

The next phrase according to the prophecies that went before on thee is probably better translated “in keeping with the inspired words which pointed to you”. The word of God’s Spirit, coming to Paul by special revelation (compare 4:14; 2Ti 1:6). In like manner Paul himself had been once designated by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2).

This may also refer to the teachings that Paul had earlier given to Timothy — teachings that would lead Timothy to the Kingdom, if followed.

Paul wanted Timothy to war a good warfare. It was not a single battle, but a ceaseless and lifelong campaign against oneself (1Ti 6:11-14; 2Ti 4:7), “Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1Pe 2:11). Paul says elsewhere that there is a constant battle between the Spirit and the law of sin which dwells in our members (Rom 6:13; 7:18,19). This struggle against our own lusts is the true ‘holy war’.

This warfare is also a constant struggle against the teaching of wrong doctrine, a “contending earnestly for the Faith” (Jude 3). The essential armaments of a soldier of God are found in Eph 6:11-17. Note that nearly all of these are defensive tools — to defend against error and sin and the flesh. It is not just the war against theological error — not just against the words of error. Erroneous teaching generally leads to erroneous practice. We are more vulnerable to a false manner of living than we are susceptible to accepting false principles.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal; but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds); casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” (2Co 10:3-5).

19	Holding faith, and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

The phrase holding faith, and a good conscience has a similar idea to that of “holding fast” in 2Ti 1:13. See v.5, where these attributes of faith and conscience are explained. Paul fought the good fight of faith (6:12).

The phrase having put away in our version is not strong enough. It is better translated “having cast away”. Here are not “honest doubters” of those “weak in the faith”. These men willfully thrust these things from themselves.

Concerning faith is literally “the faith” (as v.2). It is not an abstract principle of belief or trust, but the whole body of doctrine.

Paul himself knew the utter devastation of a literal shipwreck (2Co 11:25; Acts 27:41). In Heb 6:18,19 Paul speaks of the “strong consolation” of our hope, “which… we have as an anchor”. The faith and good conscience of the believer act as an anchor for his ship, the “ship” of his life. If he casts these things away, he has lost the mainstay which holds him fast to the Truth (Heb 2:1). He will then be tossed about by every disruptive “wind” of false doctrine (Eph 4:14; Jude 1:12), and what faith he has left will at last be shattered on the hidden rocks of the “enemy”.

20	Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

The name Hymenaeus is that of a pagan and his actions indicate that he did not leave his origins far enough behind. Although a nominal Christian, this man was a continuing enemy of Paul and the gospel, teaching that the resurrection was past already. Paul refers to him in 2Ti 2:17,18: “His word doth eat as a canker (or gangrene)”. His words enter into the sound and healthy body of the Truth (1Ti 6:3), and grow and expand, corrupting everything they touch.

The name Alexander signifies a ‘defender of men’. Alexander was a defender of men and their ‘rights’ to teach whatsoever error they chose, instead of being a defender of God and the purity of His Truth. Perhaps he defended man’s right to “give in and be men”. ‘After all’, he might have said, ‘there is only one Christ’. We cannot all be like him. God will overlook our nature; after all. HE made us. HE knows what we’re like’. Perhaps, he is “Alexander the coppersmith” — who “did me (Paul) much evil” (2Ti 4:14). Perhaps also, the Alexander mentioned in Acts 19:33. But we cannot be certain.

Whom I have delivered unto Satan means simply that Paul (acting in conjunction with the ecclesia directly involved) has placed the two men out of “fellowship”, confirming their previous action in putting away the true faith (v 19). Cp Mat 18:17: “Let him be unto thee as an heathen man” (or a Gentile).

This delivery to Satan [“Satan” is the “adversary”] is explained by a comparison of vv in 1 Cor.5: “To deliver such an one to Satan” (v 5 there) is explained in v 7, “Purge out the old leaven; and v 11, “I have written unto you not to keep company”; and v 13, “Put away from among yourselves that wicked person”.

Hymenaeus and Alexander became in Paul’s eyes as “heathen”. They were delivered back to the pagans of the Roman Empire, called collectively (because of their beliefs) “Satan”, or the “adversary” of Paul and the true Christians (1Pe 5:8; cp Rev 2:9.13,24).

Something else may be implied here. A person who by wrong-doing (or more precisely, wrong teaching) puts himself out of fellowship with the Father (as did Hymenaeus and Alexander) has removed himself from Divine care. No longer does the overruling hand of Providence bear him up. No longer does his guardian angel protect him from danger. No longer do all things work together for his benefit. Such a person “delivered to Satan” (if he remains in that state) has lost not only eternal life, but also present comfort and well-being. He is travelling the natural unguided course of the flesh with its purposeless sorrows and ills.

That they may learn not to blaspheme means “in order that”, or in the hope they will be moved to realize their loss. The word for “learn” comes from the word “discipline”. Blasphemy here may refer to teaching false doctrines — or “science” or “fables” — subversive of the “godly edifying” (v 4). This reminds us of the “profane and vain babblings” of Hymenaeus and Philetus (2Ti 2:16,17), words which violate principles of the Truth, while pleasing the ear of vanity. To blaspheme is to revile, to speak contemptuously of God and God’s things. Hymenaeus had begun to speak falsely concerning the resurrection — the hope of the true believer. Idolatry and its immoral practices may also have been indicated.

Such people will be punished, if not directly in this time, yet in a time when even sorer judgement comes. This time of judicial punishment will be for the unjust; that is the blasphemers and corrupters of the Truth. Perhaps by withdrawal the individual may be made to realize the seriousness of his position — the desire and need for fellowship with God, Christ, and the brethren. Perhaps he will then seek to return to fellowship with a humble spirit, eager to mend his ways and to do God’s will.

Blasphemy may be hypocrisy — as indicated in Rev 2:9:

“I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan”.

Any teaching or act of a believer which is contrary to a faithful walk in the Truth is ‘hypocrisy’ and, by this definition, blasphemy as well. Blasphemy is the denial of God or the denial of His power. Paul speaks of this blasphemy in a warning of apostasy in the last days, which may apply to the ecclesia.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away… Ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2Ti 3:5,7).

We may seem to acknowledge God’s power by an outward adherence to ‘the Truth’ so-called, but we deny His power whenever we knowingly and continuously walk contrary to His commands. We deny His power to judge and punish wrong-doers. And we deny His living and ever-present power to save, uplift, and guide us into the right ways.

A. The Man Paul

What should be written, in a brief introduction such as this, about a man like Paul? He was, quite simply, the greatest man ever to follow the Lord Jesus Christ — a man whose heart throbbed always with love for God and love for his brethren, despite their failings, despite even their sins against him. He was a man who truly “filled up”, or completed, that which was lacking in the sufferings of Christ (Col 1:24); for he surely took up the cross and followed his Saviour, even unto death. With no pride or arrogance, but in simple truth, he was able to say of himself that he had been:

“In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the ecclesias” (2Co 11:23-28).

Paul was “a chosen vessel”, to bear the gospel of Christ before the Gentiles (Acts 9:17). He was learned in all the Law and the prophets, having been taught by the famous Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), who was a member of the Sanhedrin. But more importantly, he was directly instructed by Christ (Gal 1:12). No man ever carried out a commission better. It goes almost without saying, therefore, that his writings are fully inspired by God (2Ti 3:16, 17).

The Pastoral Letters (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) are the last writings of Paul, of which we have any record. They were written after the first imprisonment at Rome (Acts 28:30). Although some (mostly modern) writers would contend otherwise, the general consensus of expositors and historians (which seems more likely) is that Paul lived and worked some years after the captivity related in the last chapter of Acts. Early Christian testimony informs us that Paul’s appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:11) had a successful conclusion, and that after his first imprisonment he was released in approximately 63 AD. After this he appears to have spent a couple of years of freedom before he was again arrested and condemned. In these last years he wrote, first of all, 1 Timothy and Titus, which have much in common. (That Paul was at liberty when he wrote to Titus is substantiated by Tit 3:12.) At the very last, Paul wrote 2 Timothy from prison, in his second confinement, fully expecting to die soon afterward (2Ti 4:6).

With a very few exceptions, Paul’s letters were written to meet immediate situations. They were not dispassionate treatises written in the peace of a well-stocked study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. Or there were dearly beloved “sons” in the faith, like Timothy and Titus, whose hands needed strengthening in difficult positions and, again, Paul took time out of an unbelievably busy life to meet the need.

But we must not think that a composition is of no consequence to us because it was written to address an immediate situation which has long since ceased. Indeed, it is just because the frail flesh we all bear does not change that God still speaks to us today through the letters of Paul. In these little letters, a great and good and truly humble man still “lives” and pours out his heart and mind in love to us, his beloved children in the Truth.

B. The Pastoral Letters

Paul’s fourteen letters seem to fall into five groups:

1. The earliest, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians (and possibly Galatians), were written on his second missionary journey when he first went to Europe.

2. Romans and 1st and 2nd Corinthians were written during his third journey, when he spent most of his time in Ephesus. (This was at the time of the troubles in Corinth, when Titus was sent there: 2Co 8:16, 23; 12:18).

3. Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon, and Hebrews were written near the end of his first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:30), when he was expecting soon to be released, as he indicated in several of them.

4. Titus and 1st Timothy were written in the period after his release, when he was back working in the same area of Greece, Asia Minor, and Macedonia again.

5. Finally, 2nd Timothy was written, right at the end of his life, from prison again in Rome.

Paul wrote several different types of letters. Nine were written to seven ecclesias (if the Galatian ecclesia may be reckoned as one) — there being two each to Corinth and Thessalonica. Just as Jesus Christ in the Apocalypse sent messages to seven ecclesias, so did Paul. Seven is the Scriptural number of completion and perfection, suggesting that Paul’s ecclesial letters contain the complete gospel and perfect instruction for all ecclesias. Some of the nine ecclesial letters were written to answer special questions (as the two to Corinth); some to oppose special false doctrines (as that to the Galatians); and others to upbuild and strengthen generally.

From a different aspect, these nine ecclesial letters may be divided into three basic groups:

4 doctrinal:	Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Galatians.
3 practical:	Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.
2 concerning Christ’s return:	1 & 2 Thessalonians.

Paul’s five other letters were also written for several purposes. They consist of one thoroughly personal letter (Philemon); one general letter, to Hebrew Christians with dangerous leanings toward Judaism (Hebrews); and three letters to individuals (Timothy and Titus) who were leading brethren.

These last three letters naturally belong together in any overall consideration of Paul’s writings. They have long borne the designation of “Pastoral Letters” — or letters written to pastors. A pastor was a shepherd (as the word itself implies), almost certainly identical in first-century terminology to a bishop or elder. Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, for they were themselves pastors, as he was. And he wrote concerning their duties and qualifications, as well as those of all ecclesial “shepherds” (of that day and this).

While these three Pastoral Letters are addressed to individuals, and many of the admonitions are clearly personal, much of the material is nevertheless intended for the flocks over which Timothy and Titus helped preside. So, in a sense they are to be understood as ecclesial letters also — either read directly to the congregations by the recipients, or handed down second-hand in Timothy’s and Titus’ own words.

The general aim of the three letters is set down by Paul:

“That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the ecclesia of the living God” (1Ti 3:15).

These letters, then, are seen to deal with the care and organization of the flock of God. They tell men how they ought to behave in an assembly which had replaced the Temple in Jerusalem as the true dwelling place of the Almighty upon earth. They give instructions as to what kind of people ecclesial leaders must be, how they must administer ecclesial affairs, and how they should deal with the threats to Christian doctrine and life.

The Pastoral Letters reveal to us intimate glimpses of the struggles of infant ecclesias, veritable islands in a sea of paganism. Many of these believers were only slightly removed from their heathen origins and could easily relapse into the sensual atmosphere of the world around them. In some measure, then, these letters may speak to us in our “missionary” pursuits today — whether in far-off lands, or in the establishment of new light stands and the strengthening of new converts nearer home.

Despite the newness of the Truth revealed to the flocks of Timothy and Titus, they possessed (through Paul’s instruction?) a high degree of ecclesial organization. At Ephesus and in Crete there were “bishops” (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:7-16); at Ephesus at least there were also “deacons” (1Ti 3:8-13) and an order of “widows indeed” (1Ti 5:3-16).

There are even the beginnings of a “creed”, or “statement of faith”, implicit in what appear to be quotations from recognized documents (1Ti 1:17; 2:5, 6; 3:16; 2Ti 2:11-13; Tit 2:11-14; 3:4-7). In the Pastorals, Paul no longer presents new and challenging ideas — as he did in Romans and Hebrews, for example. His great aim is not to introduce new teaching, but instead to persuade his followers to stand by the old, to consolidate and maintain what they had received. This is why he so often refers to “sound teaching” (2Ti 1:13; 4:3); “wholesome teaching” (Tit 1:9); “sound faith” (Tit 1:13), and “sound doctrine” (Tit 2:1).

One more interesting element in the Pastorals is what might be called “domestic codes” — sections outlining advice on the correct behavior of believers in different social classes and relationships:

1Ti 2:9-15	Women
1Ti 5:3-16	Widows
1Ti 6:1,2	Slaves
Tit 2:1-3	Elderly people
Tit 2:4,5	Young women
Tit 2:6,7	Young men
Tit 2:9,10	Slaves

These domestic codes are also found in other letters — especially Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 Peter — and are a reminder of how much the Truth should affect all our activities, especially our family life. In the ancient world, religion was often considered as purely a public affair. (Sadly, that is also very much the case with many churches). But believers in Christ should be members of a close-knit family, the family of God (1Ti 3:15). Paul’s letters constantly emphasize this.

A reading of the Pastorals leaves the impression that the style is not quite like that of the other letters. It is less fiery, less emphatic, but more exhortational and comforting than Paul’s other letters. There are also differences in vocabulary between the Pastorals and the earlier letters (so much so as to lead modernists to postulate some author other than Paul). But it should not be expected that the same author would write in the same manner and use the same words in two letters composed probably fifteen years apart, as were 1 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. (If this is doubted, let the reader compare his latest composition to his high-school or college term papers!) It is entirely reasonable that Paul’s attitudes and characteristic expressions would undergo great changes in the course of a generation. The amazing thing is that God spoke, through both Paul the younger preacher and Paul the older apostle — as He did also through Moses and David and Isaiah and Jesus! And that each revelation, while superficially different, was essentially identical!

C. The Theme Of 1 Timothy – Godliness With Contentment

There are several themes woven into the fabric of this letter — perhaps one of the most dominant being the “charge” to sound doctrine. We do not, however, feel that this is the theme. The strong, emphasized point is that of eusebia — godliness, with contentment. Without this sense of godly satisfaction, a charge to sound doctrine would fall on empty ears and hearts.

The word eusebia (godliness) appears fifteen times in the New Testament. Ten of these are in Paul’s writings, and only in the Pastoral Letters. The word occurs once in 2 Timothy, once in Titus and eight times in 1 Timothy — which might almost be called an exhortation to godliness. The theme of our study, then, is this “Godliness with contentment” which Paul stresses throughout. Note especially 1Ti 6:6-10, and the comments on that section.

The Greek word eusebia is compounded from two words: eu which means ‘well or right’; and the remainder, which signifies worship. True godliness is therefore “right worship”, the practical expression in our daily lives of the worship and honor (1Ti 1:2) due to God. This is the lesson which Paul emphasizes in the often misused passage, 1Ti 3:16, concerning the “mystery of godliness”. Paul is not saying that it is the “nature of the Godhead” which is a mystery. Rather, the “mystery of godliness” is the development of the perfect and unified body of Christ. It is the awe and wonder we must experience as we view the unfathomable depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God manifested in His plan through Christ for our salvation! The “mystery of godliness” is the compelling influence of the Word of God acting upon impure men and women to develop a godly character. This we do by practical application of God’s principles, while we never lose sight of the fact that we are saved by God’s grace alone and not by our own efforts.

All this perhaps seems obvious, but men and women have always been prone to idolatry and mistaking the false for the true. So it has been with godliness. At Ephesus, when Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy, there were those whose lives were taken up in contention and argument, fables and genealogies (1Ti 1:4), wordy strifes, questions, and surmisings (1Ti 6:4) — rather than simple godliness which edifies. There were even those who, while maintaining a profession and appearance of godliness, thought that it could be made a way of material gain (1Ti 6:5). In opposition to such a thought Paul sets the converse, that godliness with contentment is the only true gain. The contentment is not of course self-contentment, but the satisfaction which comes to those whose minds are stayed upon God, bringing the peace which surpasses natural man’s understanding. This contentment of mind and heart can be nothing but an incomprehensible mystery to those restless and dissatisfied brethren who always engage in strife and dispute, or who seek false riches and security (1Ti 6:9). Beware, says Paul of any false idea of eusebia, whether it be in contentiousness masquerading as “earnest contending” or in materialism disguised by a thin veneer of religion.

The warning comes to us today with full force. This is a discontented age when it is fashionable to be ‘frustrated’. Discontent expresses itself in various ways, most often in grumbling, irritability, strife and wrangling. We are never completely free of such weaknesses, but we must fight against the negative with positive feelings and actions. This weapon is the true contentment which goes hand in hand with true godliness and which springs from a recognition of what God has done for us in Christ. So long as such contentment is lacking in our hearts, its absence will show itself by a proneness to strife and criticism and procrastination and self-justification.

This age is also a materialistic one, which has abandoned faith of every sort and gone in search of false and illusory gain. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. We all recognize the truth of these words, but the busy and anxious lives we lead often deny their force. In our modern economy, it is difficult not to be caught up in the search for possessions, comfort, and ‘security’. We need the constant reminder which Paul gives Timothy regarding that which constitutes true gain, Godliness with contentment.

In contrast to material things, true gain is to be found only in worship of God, in eusebia. This can only deliver us from the fretful cares and anxieties of life, bringing true contentment. Here then is the antidote for our modern illnesses of frustration and materialism. But it will only grow if it is fed by constant reflection upon the greatness and goodness of God. Paul tells us to exercise ourselves in eusebia, not in profane and old wives’ fables (1Ti 4:7,8). If we are wise, we shall heed the lesson and let the consciousness of God’s love and mercy so dwell with us continuously that in the godliness of our lives we may truly worship Him.

D. The Man Timothy

Although we know little of Timothy’s personal life, he is nevertheless one of the best known and closest of Paul’s fellowlaborers. He was instructed by Paul and is referred to as Paul’s “own son in the faith”. He joined Paul’s company on Paul’s second journey, and worked with him thereafter till the end of the apostle’s life.

His father was a Gentile (Acts 16:1), and Timothy was not circumcised, although he knew the Holy Scriptures from childhood (2Ti 3:15). His mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were faithful believers (2Ti 1:5) but his father and grandfather were not so mentioned. It would appear from this that faithfulness was on the female side of the family and probably in the face of difficulties.

Paul’s choice of Timothy to accompany him, as well as Timothy’s subsequent field of labor, was apparently indicated by the Holy Spirit, for Paul says:

“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee… ” (1Ti 1:18).

Paul made three major journeys throughout the Roman Empire preaching the Truth and establishing ecclesias. Timothy lived at Lystra (Acts 16:2) in East Asia Minor. When Paul arrived there on his second journey, Timothy joined him and travelled eastward with him through Asia Minor to Troas, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.

When Paul was driven out of Berea, Timothy and Silas stayed to continue the work. Paul called them to him at Athens, then sent them back to Thessalonica where the persecution was severe on the brethren. He later wrote to the ecclesia there:

“To establish you and comfort you concerning your faith that no man should be moved by these afflictions” (1Th 3:2, 3).

Persecution and afflictions were the usual lot of the early believers when they joined the “sect everywhere spoken against”. And the youthful Timothy, soon after his call to the work, is sent back to the scene of danger to be a source of courage and strength to the new believers.

Some have assumed, from Paul’s exhortations to him to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ” and to “let no man despise” his youth, that Timothy was timid and lacking in missionary fervor for the work of the Truth. But surely the picture we get of him in this his earliest appearance in the work, shows him to be exceptionally faithful, courageous, and devoted.

The most we can fairly infer from Paul’s exhortation to him is that he may have been too reluctant to stand as an equal to older brethren, and that he, like all — like even Paul himself — felt the need for encouragement to press forward in a difficult and often lonely path.

A brother — especially a young brother — who is strongly motivated by love of the brethren and who recognizes his own human weakness may be too cautious about taking firm action when it is called for.

From Thessalonica, Timothy rejoined Paul at Corinth and stayed with him for the rest of the second journey. He accompanied Paul on his third journey (which ended with Paul’s arrest and transportation to Rome), three years of which was spent in Ephesus. He was with Paul on the return trip to Jerusalem, at the end of which a riot occurred in Jerusalem and Paul was imprisoned.

We have no record of Timothy while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea, nor on the journey to Rome. He appears again with Paul in Rome — part of the time, at least, a prisoner himself — for Heb 13:23 records that Timothy had been “set at liberty”, as Paul himself was then expecting to be.

In this first letter we read that Paul had left Timothy at Ephesus to set in order ecclesial affairs there. This letter appears to fit best into the period between Paul’s two imprisonments.

The second letter to Timothy was clearly Paul’s last, for he is once again imprisoned in Rome, this time on the verge of execution, and he urgently calls Timothy to him. Whether Timothy reached him in time we do not know, for this second letter is the last we hear of either Paul or Timothy. There the record ends.

Of Timothy’s value to Paul and of the difficult conditions under which Paul worked, we learn in Phi 2:19-21 —

“I trust to send Timothy shortly unto you… I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your state, for all seek their own, not the things which are of Jesus Christ’s.”

Would he have the same to say of us? Do we leave the labor to others, while we pursue our own comfort and material advantage? Let each of us ask honestly and frankly — and demand answers.

Or would he find us walking in true wisdom, realizing the vanity and brevity of present possessions and interests? Would he find us dedicated to His work, laying hold on that eternal treasure that does not fade away?

Throughout this first letter Paul is continually impressing upon Timothy the great responsibility of his calling. And he is indirectly speaking to us in the same way:

“This charge I commit unto thee… that thou… mightest war a good warfare… ” (1:18).

“These things write I unto thee… that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God… ” (3:14, 15).

“Put the brethren in remembrance of these things… Be thou an example to the believers… Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them… ” (4:6, 12, 16).

“I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things… ” (5:21).

“Keep that which is committed unto thy trust… ” (6:20).

The matter of sound doctrine, coupled with a godly life, is the duty and the privilege to which Timothy had been called. These matters receive continual attention, and we should reflect carefully upon them: See 1:3-6; 3:14-16; 4:6-5:2; and all of chapter 6.

True knowledge and a careful obedience to God’s commands are the twin antidotes to the creeping sickness of apostasy — to which Paul makes several references in 1 Timothy.

1. In ch. 1 he warns of falling away into a dead formalism, with the genealogical disputes, and the rabbinical questions of the Mosaic Law in its corrupted form.

2. In ch. 4 he prophesies of a great system of religious deception in the latter days.

3. And in 6:20, 21 he mentions the apostasy to “science falsely so called”, a trust in modern “enlightenment” and “scholarship”, which is really nothing but the “wisdom of this world”.

The letter is sent to Ephesus, where Paul had left Timothy, after the effective labors in that city ten years before. Those labors had so widely affected the community as to stop a trade in silver shrines, which had previously flourished, thus causing a great stir among the trades people. This led to a public uproar in which several of the brethren suffered violence. At about the same time, many believed and confessed bringing their books to be burned.

We find “certain of the chief of Asia”, described as Paul’s friends, during the uproar just referred to (Acts 19:31). The testimony for the Truth had affected the higher circles of society, the educated and devout-minded among Jews and Gentiles. The consequence was the formation of a large ecclesia in Ephesus composed of “the better son”.

This influx of the well-to-do and the better-educated citizens would naturally lead, in time, to the problems we find mentioned in 1 Timothy. These are in some ways the same problems that confront the Christadelphian body today, with the conversion of more wealthy and learned brethren, and with the tendency for the Truth to become ‘respectable’. (We speak, of course, of general tendencies, not of particular individuals. It is certainly a pan of our problem today that we are nearly all too well-to-do for our own good, and more relaxed, leisure-prone, and worldly-wise than our forefathers!)

The problems Paul enumerates are as follows:

1:4	Unprofitable questions
4:1-5	“Giving heed to new doctrines”
5:13	“Idleness”

The last three tendencies that Paul alludes to were above all others in the harm they might cause, and they were very common in Timothy’s day (and prevalent in our times as well):

6:4	“Strifes of words”
6:9	Seeking to be rich
6:20	Reverence for false science and knowledge

This study has two purposes: (1) to present an exposition of Paul’s first letter to Timothy; and (2) to exhort the brethren — by Scriptural command and example — in the proper conduct of God’s ecclesia in these last and dangerous days.

Many points mentioned herein will be useful in note-taking and Bible marking. But we should go much farther than this in our consideration of 1 Timothy and the topics which arise out of it. We should reflect prayerfully and carefully upon the exhortations and admonitions to be found in these writings.

We do not wish to claim originality. In preparing these notes we owe much to the works of John Thomas and Robert Roberts, as well as those of other faithful Christadelphians. Their efforts were and are directed (as ours should be) to the preservation of God’s Truth in its purity (1Ti 1:3; 6:20), and to the encouragement of one another to grow in grace through “godly edifying” (1Ti 1:4).

We should acknowledge especially the help of a lengthy exhortational article by G. V. Growcott, which provided the starting point for this study. In particular verses we have considered the thoughts of many other brethren, as the discerning reader will readily see. This being essentially an exhortational study, no bibliography is attached. Bible quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.

May God Almighty bless us in all our efforts, and may He strengthen our hands and hearts to perform His will!

George Booker

Troy Haltom