Keep these things before them. 1 Timothy 4:6-16

The NASB, and a few other translations entitle this next section,

A Good Servant of Jesus Christ.

Understand that this letter is addressed to the young Timothy for the purpose of giving him instructions to be an outstanding pastor. Since a pastor is a servant of Jesus Christ, it stands to reason that anyone who longs to be a pastor should get it into their heads that you are giving yourself over to a lifetime of service to the body of believers, God puts in your charge, Lord willing. This is one train of thought that I could take; however, there is another.

I do not think this second perception is what Paul is trying to convey, but I could understand a title like this, “A Good Servant of Jesus Christ,” to be oppressive, and religious legalism. If you can’t understand that statement, think about your childhood and how your parent(s) manipulated you into being good and not evil as they espoused the list of reasons why, including, don’t you want Jesus to see you as good. Alright, this was my life as a child, but maybe some of you had parents that laid the same garbage on you.

I choose to accept the first interpretation as correct, primarily based upon the context. I always have to assume that new readers have just joined us and have no idea what “things” Paul is referring to.

I now find Paul saying to Timothy.

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” 1 Timothy 4:6 NASB

The things initiate with 1 Timothy 3:16b and ends with 1 Timothy 4:5.

“He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars, seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 3:16, 4:1-5 NASB)

Paul, as you noticed, stated, “in pointing out these things to the brethren, “ is giving Timothy the framework, upon which the church – which includes us, nourishing words of faith and sound doctrine to follow. I did this previously as I separated these points with bullets, but let's do it again because it is beneficial to see.

• He was revealed in the flesh.

• Vindicated in the Spirit.

• Seen by angels.

• Proclaimed among the nations.

• Believed on in the world.

• Taken up in glory.

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In the last days (we have been in the last days since Peter preached on the day of Pentecost,)

• Some will turn away from the true faith (NLT).
• They will also be fooled by the false claims of liars whose consciences have lost all feeling. (CEV)
• These liars will forbid people… (Now the verse goes on to speak of foods they cannot eat, or who they can marry. Paul explains that everything God created was good and acceptable if you give thanks.

The first six points establish God in us. Having done that, we establish God in others. The last three points are like a mission briefing, in which you learn that there will be people who will turn from the true faith. These will not only turn, but they will come back and try to teach the demonic filth they have learned.

How bad will it get?

These people are polished and hard to spot. They will try to tell you ridiculous things, such as what you can eat and who you can marry. That seems rather ludicrous, as no one has the right to control us to that degree. But what you don't seem to perceive is that some form of global governance, which operates above our known government, has us all wearing masks which do nothing to stop a bacterial strain called COVID 19, and these people have excluded us from our churches.

Do you really think that 'they' cannot tell you what you can eat and who you can marry?

Paul continues.

“People tell silly stories that don't agree with God's truth. Don't follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to God.” 1 Timothy 4:7 (ERV)

Myself, and a few others, used to sit under the teachings of a brother, who was approved by his religious council, to be a bible teacher. I cannot attest to whether he always taught things contradictory to the Bible, but he certainly was during the time I attended. Before you excoriate me for submitting to a false teacher, you need to know that I did withstand him. On several occasions, I did so; on one occasion, he responded with, that’s my opinion, and that is all that matters. I left the group for a while until a friend of mine asked me to come back to challenge the teacher. The Holy Spirit had already pointed out to me the futility of withstanding him, especially since I had no power to terminate his services. I did implore church leadership who could make that decision to at least come, sit, and listen to what this man says, but they did nothing, as he was close friends with many of them. On the plus side, this false teacher gave me much to talk about.

Another aspect of 1 Timothy 4:7, which we seem to shoot right past, is this, “But teach yourself to be devoted to God.” This is the Easy to Read version. The NASB reads like this: “On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” So instead of getting involved in the “silly stories that don't agree with God's truth,” Paul tells us to “discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.”

Discipline is such a simple word, but many will read what Paul says in verse seven and honestly not know what that word discipline is supposed to mean. To many, it means Paul is asking them to do something they have no interest in doing.

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Webster's has multiple definitions for the word discipline.

1. To instruct or educate; to inform the mind; to prepare by instructing correct principles and habits; as, to discipline youth for a profession, or for future usefulness.
2. To instruct and govern, to teach rules and practice, and accustom to order and subordination, as, to discipline troops or an army.

How many of you instruct, educate, or inform your mind in the things of God?

“for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 NASB

The KJ Version puts it this way, “ For bodily exercise profits a little,” so there is some gain, “but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

“But godliness is profitable for all things.”

If Paul can make a statement like this, you should be asking, why?

From Adam Clarke's commentary: “Those gymnastic exercises, so highly esteemed among the Greeks, are but little worth; they are but of short duration; they refer only to this life, and to the applause of men: but godliness has the promise of this life, and the life to come; it is profitable for all things; and for both time and eternity.”

Godliness, according to Thayer's dictionary, is reverence and respect. So by inference, reverence and respect are profitable for all things. We are not pushing the faith movement here, so profitability should not be thought of in monetary gain. I will let you in on a little secret here. God is not that concerned with how much money you can horde.

Note this phrase: “since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Also, for the life to come?

Never forget, this godliness is a discipline in the Word, and Jesus is the Word. Everything will function based upon the Word and the guidelines outlined in the Word.

1 Timothy 4:9 AMP, This saying is reliable and worthy of complete acceptance by everybody.

This verse points both backward to verses seven and eight and forwards to verse ten.

1 Timothy 4:10 GW Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

In the "God's Word" translation, we see the phrase work hard; this is the Greek word kopiaō and means to grow weary, tired, to the point of exhaustion.

To be honest, this life can wear you out but add to it home quarantine and mandatory face masks, and you have an exhausting situation.

The other word that catches my attention is what the GW translation calls struggle. The NASB calls it striving. The Greek tells us that it is the word agōnizomai. Again I turn to Thayer, who says,

• To contend with adversaries, fight.
• Metaphorically to contend, struggle, with difficulties and dangers.
• To endeavor with strenuous zeal.

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This life we live in Christ can be all those things, especially if the religious zealots are turning against you as well.

1 Timothy 4:11 NASB Prescribe and teach these things.

The NLT says it in a more determined manner.

Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. (1 Timothy 4:11 NLT)

Like I said earlier, what are the things Paul is referring to?

All of this:

• He was revealed in the flesh.
• Vindicated in the Spirit.
• Seen by angels.
• Proclaimed among the nations.
• Believed on in the world.
• Taken up in glory.

In the last days! (we have been in the last days since Peter preached on the day of Pentecost,)

• Some will turn away from the true faith (NLT).
• They will also be fooled by the false claims of liars whose consciences have lost all feeling. (CEV.) These liars will forbid people… (The verse goes on to say that, these fools will tell you what you can and cannot eat; and, they will tell you who you can marry. Many cults have practiced this for years now. Sounds a bit cult-like, doesn't it?) Paul goes on to explain that everything God created was good and acceptable if you give thanks.

1 Timothy 4:12 NASB Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.

I might add, let no one look down on your old age either.

How do we make an impression?

Eugene Peterson's Message is quite clear.

Teach believers with your life: (As the NASB puts it, be an example of what a believer looks like.)

by word, (This is talking about your speech. What are you allowing, uncontrolled, out of your mouth?)

by demeanor, (This is referring to your behavior, or how you carry yourself.)

by love, (Ask yourself, how does love demonstrate itself? Much of the time, love looks like the Samaritan who dressed the wounds of the Jew, put the wounded man on his donkey, and took the wounded Jew to the Inn and paid for the man's room and board until he recovered. In other words, he showed kindness.)

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by faith, (Keep in mind that you are demonstrating what this life in Christ looks like, and sometimes we use words. What do we do for the rest of the time? Live out this faith life; this concept should be especially important in light of this Man-made COVID pandemic. In case you hadn't noticed, the fear tactic has worked on most. What is our commission? Lay hands on the sick, in Jesus' Name, and they shall recover.

by integrity. (Most of us have worked with non-religious people, but even if they claimed to be religious, you couldn't tell. It seems integrity is a lost art. Let's change that!)

1 Timothy 4:13 NASB Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

Hold up here for a minute. These words, “Until I come, give attention to...” seems to have gone by the wayside.

As I begin to break this sentence down, I am slapped in the face by the words, “until I come.” As many combative Christians have pointed out, we have been looking for Him to come for over two-thousand-years. Therefore we are merely wasting our time as we watch for His coming.

Do I really think that not just Paul, but God Himself, is directing us to, as the Message puts it,

“Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching.” (1Timothy 4:13 MSG)

Yes, I am quite convinced that He expects us to do just that.

But what if I don't?

Then you will lose your motivation, perception, and attachment to the Word. At that point, the longing for the things of the world will overwhelm you, and those things will become your idols.

On a personal level, I was rebuked and told not to study eschatology. In other words, I was told by one of my pastors to do just the opposite of Paul’s directive to Timothy and not give attention to the scriptures about eschatology. The reasons for this unreasonable demand were associated with his deeply entrenched belief that no one can understand the Revelation or Daniel's prophecies. This pastor also told me, you eschatology teachers are argumentative and overpowering. (I began to realize that the pastor, who had never heard me speaking on eschatology, had just put me into a distorted subset that he held in his mind.)

If you knew me and the damage I sustained as a child, you would never say that I was contentious. Considering that speakers like Charlie Kirk and Candice Owens have to deal with illogical, screaming responses, they often come across as argumentative and overpowering as they try to undo some of these twisted mindsets. If given a platform to teach, I have learned that I don't have to take a dominating vocal stance but solely deliver information. I happen to think that changing vocal tones and being animated tends to hold the audience's attention as it engages.

Having covered what we do until He comes, there is this.

“Give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”

Reading is the Greek word anágnōsis and covers the act of reading. Neither Strong's nor Thayer's say anything about the public reading of scriptures, and the NASB has italicized the word public to denote that it was added for clarity.

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The mere act of writing this note brings something to my mind. The Torah scrolls were rare, few, and expensive; therefore, only the rich would have them, or you would find them in the synagogues; and, even then, only designated persons could touch them. To this day, they use a pointer and NEVER put their greasy fingers on the scrolls.

So how then do I define "the public reading of scriptures"?

The Word Study Dictionary states, "to know certainly and hence to read, particularly the Scriptures."

For me, to use the terminology, hence to read, associates this statement with a considerable presumption, and that would be that every believer had a Bible. Keep in mind that what we are reading were the origins of this Bible we read.

This is just a presumption, but I cannot imagine special requests in the synagogue. You accepted what you received. A logical assumption would be that there were at least a couple of prescribed readings and a verse by verse teaching on a book at a time.

This added phrase public reading puts Paul’s readers back in the synagogues, where they could pay attention to what is being read. Because we turned this Bible of ours into a Gentile book, we also turned the early believers into Gentiles, when they were undoubtedly Jewish, in most cases. I point this out because there are so many challenges to our Gentile understanding as we read Paul's letters, and they only make sense if you look at them from a Jewish perspective. An example can be found in 1 Corinthians 10:16, where Paul says,

“is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” (NASB)

1 Corinthians 10:16, is speaking of the communion and how we partake of the body of Christ. The keyword here is "partake," as seen in the idea of sharing. But Paul does not end the conversation here, as he turns to a relational topic when he speaks of others' altars.

“Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:18-20 NASB)

By addressing Israel, he immediately creates a visual, in the Jew's mind, about the Holy altars within the temple. Now, not everyone gets to partake of the leftover roast, as that is for the priests and, in a sense, a part of their payment. But the Jew can see the relationship, as the priests then are partakers in the Holy Sacrifice.

One could, incorrectly say, but aren't the priests then partaking of something offered to an idol?

Paul responds to this assertion by saying, “No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” My goodness, I could apply this to many facets of my life. We have churches aligning themselves with BLM Inc. because they think that will keep the revelers from burning their church down. When in reality, the churches have made themselves partakers in demonic worship by partaking in their altar. As a reminder, by their admission, BLM Inc. leadership starts their day by calling on the spirits of dead people to guide them.

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1 Timothy 4:14 NET. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.

If you are not familiar with church speak, I will try to explain.

But in accordance with the measure of Christ's gift, His favor has been bestowed upon each one of us. Concerning this, the Scripture says: "He led a host of captives, when He went up on high, and granted gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:7-8 Williams)

So, Christ's gift is life; however, included in that life are His gifts. As this verse correctly states, one or several of those gifts have been bestowed upon you if you are a follower of Christ. We pick up that some of those giftings have to do with church leadership through Paul's writing. Take a look at Ephesians 4.

Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers so that his people would learn to serve, and his body would grow strong. (Ephesians 4:11-12 CEV)

As you might have noticed, some giftings are imparted, or at least acknowledged.

1 Timothy 4:14 CEV Use the gift you were given when the prophets spoke, and the group of church leaders blessed you by placing their hands on you.

Never get the idea that this is an exclusive club, as much of what happens to people like Timothy happen in the background, just as they will with you.

As Paul finishes out this fourth chapter, he is still delivering sound wisdom.

1 Timothy 4:15 Moffatt NT (15) Attend to these duties, let them absorb you, so that all men may note your progress.

If you are new in the Lord, you may not as yet see your mission as one of the duties. This is not an oppressive statement. My grand-kids see dishwashing as a horrid chore to be avoided at all costs. The problem with attitude is that a day will come when you no longer have a usable clean plate or a clean cup from which to drink. That dilemma alone demonstrates a necessity for duties. We had to move chairs multiple times within the church each week, as we accommodated a large Recovery group, weddings, and then back to the church arrangement. I knew a man, who had been a school principal, a school teacher, and a forestry firefighter, but in his retirement, he saw a need to move chairs at church and gladly performed that task. Because I knew this man, I can tell you that it was a joy to be around him. If you act like my friend Alan, people will see Jesus in you, and they will note how much you have advanced.

And finally, perhaps one of the most important motivations.

1 Timothy 4:16 NLT

Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching.

Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation

and the salvation of those who hear you.

We live in grace, and yes, I am very much aware of that, but grace does not give you the freedom to act foolishly intentionally. I can tell you from experience that acting the fool has consequences, and consequences often have legal repercussions. Locally, one of our worship leaders came to know this Jesus while he was in prison. So there is always hope.

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This word foolish covers a wide variety of actions. Read the book of James, particularly chapter one, and here is why.

James 1:25 NLT But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Note these words, the perfect law that sets you free. You see, the law guides you, and Christ, we are told, came to fulfill the law, NOT do away with it. As a believer, it is NOW written upon your heart, and, if you allow it, it will guide you.

Page 8.

The Hypocrisy of Liars, 1Timothy 4:1- 5.

 We closed out 1 Timothy chapter three with words meant to establish us and fill our hearts with faith. These words also define who Jesus is and give us words of strength and trust to share with others.

Why then, is there a need to open this fourth chapter of 1  Timothy by telling the young church leader - a young man that Paul treats as a son, that there will not only be those who turn away from what we believe, but they will work their way back into the church and start teaching in resistance to what Paul has taught?

A question such as this would only be valid if Timothy had not experienced demonic resistance such as this. Paul had already experienced this very thing, and, as we will see, the Spirit of God had spoken to him about the depravity and how those in the early church were not going to have to wait for two thousand years to experience this apostasy.

[As a side note, the mere usage of the term apostasy has many saying, Ah yes, that is the sign we were looking for. You need to know two things: 1. It is not your sign, and 2. We, those who thought we were sensible,  reading our bibles, could see that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 calls for a falling away of the church. The problem is that lying hypocrites got into the church and intentionally changed the meaning of the word apostasia to suit their momentary need. The Geneva Bible is one of the earliest translations, and they translated apostasia correctly and used the word a departing. That departing is the catching away of the church.] 

To make this report of Paul's even worse, the NLT, Paul calls them hypocrites that follow after deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

I told you one of the prime examples that we, as citizens, who enjoy a civil society, have to deal with is BLM inc. Founded by a Lesbian Marxist, BLM’s leadership consult with the dead for their daily direction. In doing this, they are following the teachings of demons.

But what if many of these people who have turned away from sound teachings are not so dramatic?

1 Timothy 4:1-5 ERV  The Spirit clearly says that in the last times, some will turn away from what we believe. They will obey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. (2) Those teachings come through people who tell lies and trick others. These evil people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is like their conscience has been destroyed with a hot iron. (3) They say that it is wrong to marry. And they say that there are some foods that people must not eat. But God made these foods, and those who believe and who understand the truth can eat them with thanks. (4) Everything that God made is good. Nothing he made should be refused if it is accepted with thanks to him. (5) Everything he created is made holy by what he has said and by prayer.

What was Paul trying to say when he said, "the Spirit expressly says."?

Many would say (if they were willing to be vulnerable) that they have no idea what it is like having the Spirit speak to them.

Since the Spirit is closely associated with wisdom, and we see wisdom spoken of in the Proverbs, then perhaps the voice of the Spirit sounds much like what we perceive as wisdom, which was way before the advent of fortune cookies. So we are talking about the voices that you comprehend to be in your head. Look at the words of Solomon, one of the wisest men on earth at the time.

“Wisdom calls aloud in the open air and raises her voice in the public places;” Proverbs 1:20 CJB

I happen to believe that the Holy Spirit frequently speaks to us, but because we are so attuned to the voices in our head, we think that thought or idea was our own and therefore dismiss the possibility that God could or would be talking to us.

We cannot get away from Paul - who, by his own admission, was an expert in the Old Testament. Therefore he must be referring to scriptures that will establish a viable witness for us. It’s either that or Paul, refers to the faith fathers, such as Abram, Moses, and Samuel, to name a few, to validate how God speaks to us.

2 Chronicles 15:2 does convey the idea that God is with you, along with His voice, but it does not explain how Paul could say that “the Spirit expressly says.”

“...the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul's first necessity], He will be found by you;...” (2 Chronicles 15:2b AMP)

And, this verse opens the door of explanation as to why He may not be talking to you, as you make NO effort to be with Him.

Unfortunately, 1 Timothy 4:1 is the only place we find the Greek word rhētōs used in scripture, so I cannot fall back on another scripture for my reference.

The word expressly, or explicitly is the Greek word rhētōs and means to express in words.

Webster’s dictionary defines the word explicitly as an adverb, which means to speak plainly, expressly, without duplicity, or disguise or reservation of meaning, not by inference or implication.

AVOW', is to declare openly, or simply to own.

Where else do we see this level of openness and honesty?

In God's conversations with Abram, where God would say, “as for Me,” God showed His character, as he declared openly, and He owned what He said by saying, He swore by Himself.

“Such teachings come from the hypocrisy of liars whose own consciences have been burned, as if with a red-hot branding iron.” 1 Timothy 4:2 CJB

A fitting quote from Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

“'Speaking lies in hypocrisy.' The apostate will pretend to be very pious and very religious. I have come to be suspicious of this pious position taken by super-duper saints who claim to have something special. My friend, if you do have the truth, it will make you humble because the first thing you will find out is how little you know.”

Hypocrisy is the Greek word hupokrisis and means acting under a feigned part.

You might say, as some do, are you kidding me! You're telling me that these people were faking it the entire time. On a personal note, several of my grandchildren have a daddy who did all the appropriate, religious actions, tears and baptism included; however, every time I encounter a study like this, I think of him. It sure seems like what he did was just an act.

Paul, in verse two, speaks of “their conscience being seared.” If this were literal, nerve endings would be burned off, and scarring would have taken place. In the surgical arena, they use a device that simultaneously cuts and seals, but nerves inevitably become damaged in the process.

1 Timothy 4:3-5 NASB “men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. (4) For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; (5) for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”

The opportunity for people who come to the Lord, to become legalistic is an opportunity looking for a victim; this happens within the “faith movement.” Having been in the faith camp for several years, I would have fought with you, saying, NO, they are not because we only teach the Bible. To be honest, my first response is to say; Paul is talking about Jews. This assertion is probably valid as Paul, for many years, made his first stop in the synagogues, where he preached this gospel of Jesus Christ. The Jews, still to this day, abstain from certain foods; for example, they have no room for a pulled pork sandwich. Paul wrote about this very thing in his letter to the church in Rome.

As you read the passage, consider how your liberty could cause someone else to stumble. This life in Christ is not about living a legalistic life; it’s about consideration.

“I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food, your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats because his eating is not from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:14-23 NASB)

The word destroy is the Greek word apollumi and has a wide range of meanings: to destroy fully, or lose. But also figuratively mar.

According to Webster’s dictionary, MAR is to injure by cutting off a part or to wound and make defective.

Do you see not only what the hypocrites can do, but what we, with our religious freedoms, can do to others?

 

Qualifications for a deacon. 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

 Paul started this third section of his letter to Timothy discussing the qualifications for a Pastor; depending on the translation, you might see terminologies such as an overseer or a shepherd.

I am surprised anyone qualifies, as we are all so broken, and many people I know should quickly shy away from being a pastor. I struggled with being a group leader in the recovery group, but there was a leader who was brave enough to tell the crowd what got him into recovery, and this brother in Christ took me under his wing and calmed me down on several occasions.

Fortunately, God sees us in a better light than we do and believes better things for us; (I am speaking bluntly because, by Paul’s admonition, he forbids women from being overseer’s of the flock,) so if a man had problems in the past, they might not have those problems now, because that man has put his faith and trust in Christ Jesus, and allowed for God to change him.

Now when it comes to skeletons in the closet, I am not sure how you prevent those skeletons, some of which should never again see the light of day, from being made public. Perhaps making sure you only talk with safe people is one way, but my trust-er is seriously damaged, and believing that people can be safe is difficult. Another idea you can try is to keep your mouth shut; it works for me.

One of the methods of background checking, according to Paul, is to ask those that know the person what they are like. Many could see that as a problem especially if they saw you get hauled away in cuffs during the night. And even if you did not get arrested, what makes you think we neighbors can’t hear you screaming at your wife and kids. Look, WE ARE ALL BROKEN and have a propensity to blab/sin to make ourselves look better, and we will rat you out. Phenomenon such as this is highly prevalent in religious circles as we seem to be competing for promotions, I guess.

When we covered Pastors in the previous post on Timothy, I told you that I do not fully understand alcoholism. Oh, sure, I can comprehend the effects, and I have seen the damage it causes the person and their family. Now, I am not an alcoholic, but I had a terrible struggle with rage. The point of this is, having a cold beer, for me is NOT a problem.

Yeah, I can hear some of you whining now about how I am making you stumble in your walk Jesus. We will get into that shortly. First, look at this, just in case you did not see Paul’s advice on selecting potential pastors.

So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money.
(1 Timothy 3:2-3 NLT)

I am faithful to my wife, but I don’t always practice self-control, and my belly demonstrates that fact, however, I have seen what alcohol can do to me, and I must say, I don’t enjoy being out of control. I also know how much it takes for me to get out of control, and I make a conscious choice NOT to go there. So yes, when it comes to alcohol, I do practice self-control. By the way, I am not looking for a job, so I don’t care what you think about this startling revelation, but if you are a religious zealot and love to judge people, you need to know something.

God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. (Matthew 7:1-2b CEV)

For the past twenty + years, I have gone out of my way to develop a sound and godly reputation.

Thanks to some terrible decisions many years ago, I ended up working for Home Depot; there, I quickly found out that cussing, among the employees, is a skill set, and I learned that skill. However, I had been straining to be the kind of Christian that my mother wanted me to be, and the internal emotional pressures were pushing me to my limits. To maintain my sanity while I worked there, I would exit the building at lunchtime. In a short time, I began taking my bible to the places I would stop for lunch. I spent at least thirty minutes at lunch, studying my bible, and I read every day, taking notes and writing down the questions and challenges I had for God about what I read. This reading program became a part of my morning breakfast stop before work. I would leave the house an hour earlier to spend the extra time in God’s word. And I would take my bible to dinner with me. I worked at Home Depot for seven years, and I operated on this pattern almost every day. The result of this behavior was that I became skillful with God’s Word and would respond to people’s questions about the Word of God, Jesus, and God’s nature and character.

Now I am up against another set of standards, but this time, for deacons.

1 Timothy 3:8-9 NASB Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, (9) but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

Let's start with this word deacon. First, there are a variety of translations, such as:

• Church officers (this makes sense to me as deacons, as far as I know, play a considerable role in church financial decisions.);
• Eugene Peterson's Message gives us this, “those who want to be servants in the church.” Well, that’s a rather broad definition as some servants, like a friend of mine who before he retired, was a school principal and teacher, but now, among other things, rearranges the chairs in church several times a week.
• And lastly, the Tree of Life Translation calls them Servant-leaders. They, like Stephen, should be servants and leaders.

These deacons have similar demands to the pastors.

• One that catches my attention is the statement that they are not to be addicted to wine.
• From the TLV, not greedy for dishonest gain.
• Men of dignity. The word in Greek is honorable.
• Not double-tongued. Don't change the rules to fit the status of the person. Be a person that people can confide in and trust.

1 Timothy 3:10 NASB These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.

Tested is to approve or examine. No, we are not merely talking about taking tests, it is watching how the person trying to be a leader performs under pressure. How do they respond to people in the church clamoring for their spiritual help and guidance. 

Note that Paul says these men must also first be tested, but gives no extensive definition like he did the pastors; however, he does give us tests we can use.

Reproach is the Greek word anegklētos and, according to Thayer, means that they cannot be called into account. In defining reproach, the dictionary tells us that this has to do with someone being able to censure you. To censure is the act of blaming or finding fault and condemning as wrong.

So, how or why would someone want to blame or find fault with your choice of a deacon?

Our first example has Paul speaking of women, but we can apply it to men as well.

1 Timothy 3:11 NASB Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

We already covered dignity when we addressed the men. It is the Greek word semnos and means to be venerated for character, honorable. So nothing, in importance, has changed.

If we think that being a malicious gossip is reserved for women, then we are either naive or deceived as we men are quite skilled in this regard.

Temperate is another term that we covered, as it applies to abstaining from wine (in excess,) just like men.

Faithful applies to persons who show themselves faithful in business transactions, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties. This should be expected of anyone, especially since you are dealing with the church finances.

1 Timothy 3:12 NASB Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.

I included the emphasis (italics) provided by the NASB.

Note how it says only one wife. Many of the men I have known, and at least one pastor, have been married several times. There is no need to get all judgmental; simply remember that we are ALL broken. The hope is that somewhere over time, we get that brokenness fixed.

I will let you in on a little private information; I am on my third marriage.

How did my brokenness affect my marriages?

Well, with the first, I was a novice raised under highly religious legalism, and seriously co-dependent. If you don’t know what it is to be co-dependent, it means that you become dependent upon how others think and feel about you and, therefore, create a relational atmosphere in your mind based upon their perceived like or dislike of you. If a co-dependent marries a broken individual, this can be an explosive mix. Add to the marriage the fact that she cheated on me twice. I can only handle it once. Still not free of the co-dependency that affected me, I married a second time to a woman with two children. The short of it, I destroyed this one. I know now, that my psychological problems and inadequacies caused that marriage to fail. The third marriage only happened in the last few years, but my desire and attempts to be married were initiated over twenty years ago. With only two weeks before we were to get married, my brother-in-law, the associate pastor, told me that he was disallowed from marrying us and that we would have to obtain counseling from the lead pastor. Now mind you, that lead pastor and I had been involved in a strained relationship which initiated about ten years prior. The other part of this disaster came into play as he had also played a role in my wife’s ill-fated marriage to her first husband. Combined, he saw no hope for us and made hateful accusations concerning the fact that we had both been married previously and had failed marriages. That day he seemed to forget how he also had a failed marriage. Since a rather large religious organization ordained this broken man to be the pastor, I guess the fact that he had been married before was no hindrance to his being a pastor now.

So, this term only implies that you should NOT be married to more than one woman at a time.

“and good managers of their children and their own households.”

Again, I am looking at the italicized words, and the word “and” does not change the understanding of the sentence, however, the usage of the italicized word“their” creates the idea that these deacons should be able to handle children, period. What that means, I am not sure.

The word manager is proistēmi and means to be set over or rule. There is nothing here that means rule with an iron fist, but considering that parental attitudes, the influence of education; and, governmental themes and laws have created a generation of children that will refuse to comply with reasonable demands, like sit down. (And we get to watch children like this at the daily riot.)

We will finish this section with this.

1 Timothy 3:13 NASB For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Well is defined as honestly.

And to obtain is to get possession of.

While there is the possibility that you may obtain some reward now, here on earth, but the greatest probability will be at the Bema seat.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB

On several occasions, I have talked about this idea of being recompensed. When you look at the Greek, it conveys the idea of rewards and wearing a victor's crown as you might in the Olympics.

So if you serve, do it with honesty, and then allow Him to pat you on the back and say, well done, my good and faithful servant.

• Holding to the mystery of the faith.
• He who was revealed in the flesh,
• Was vindicated in the Spirit,
• Seen by angels,
• Proclaimed among the nations,
• Believed on in the world,
• And taken up in glory.
•  

This is the Messiah Jesus that I serve.

 

An example for those who would believe. 1 Ti 1:12-20.

 1 Timothy 1:12 NASB I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,

Strengthen.

This is the Greek word endunamoō and means to empower, enable, to be (made) strong.

Paul felt the need to tell Timothy that God had empowered, enabled, and made him strong. Whatever, Timothy, or anyone else might have thought of Paul and his knowledge of the Mosaic law, he felt the need to point to God as the source of any truth Paul espoused. He took this conversation to the next level when, according to the NLT he said, “He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him.”

1 Timothy 1:13 NASB even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;

Paul is effectively giving his testimony, as he says, I was formerly a blasphemer. To give you a feel for who Saul the pharisee was, I give you the definitions of some of these words he uses to describe himself. Keep in mind that we previously talked about how Paul, in 1 Corinthians said that he was meek in person. Meek and humble are two different things, as humble comes as someone else puts you into a subservient position.

BLASPHE'MER, n. One who blasphemes; one who speaks of God in impious and irreverent terms. Webster's Dictionary

Many of us have heard people say, I cannot be a Christian as I have blasphemed against God. Many of us have. Fortunately, Christ paid the price for all of our sins, and we are, therefore, forgiven. Jesus, in speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, told them that they had, at that time, crossed the line, as they had blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, saying that Jesus had released a young man from his demonic oppression through the power of Satan. This then seems to be the critical departure from truth.

The Greek word for blasphemer is blasphēmos and means scurrilous, calumnious, impious, railing.

Scurrilous - Using the low and indecent language of the meaner sort of people, or such as only the license of buffoons can warrant.

Calumnious - Slanderous; injurious to reputation.

Impious - Irreverent towards the Supreme Being; wanting in veneration for God and his authority; irreligious; profane.

Railing - Clamoring with insulting language; uttering reproachful words.

This describes most of the rioters taking over our streets. The next also describes Saul, quite well.

PER'SECUTOR, n. One that persecutes; one that pursues another unjustly and vexatiously, particularly on account of religious principles.

Persecutor is the Greek word diōktēs and means a persecutor.

A violent aggressor – is the Greek word hubristēs and it is used twice to convey being a violent aggressor. The word means an insulter, a maltreater: despiteful, injurious.

Note this part of the paragraph. 1 Timothy 1:13b.

“Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;”

Did Paul say anything about a lack of knowledge?

He better not have, as he spoke highly of his skill and knowledge of the Mosaic law.

But, did he believe what those words said?

Apparently not. Were you aware of these passages?

'Also if one person sins unintentionally, then he shall offer a one-year-old female goat for a sin offering. (Numbers 15:27 NASB)

Unintentionally?

Look at the Hebrew word sh^egâgâh a mistake or inadvertent transgression: - error, ignorance, at unawares, unwittingly.

To be honest, Saul's actions seemed very deliberate, but then I am aware that I am acting in error by unwittingly judging the man when I make a statement like that.

“then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the man-slayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. 'The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.” (Numbers 35:11-12 NASB)

Now, wait a minute. Doesn't this passage apply to the person who inadvertently had the head of the ax fly off, strike another person, and kill them? In other words, an unintentional act – manslaughter. If we apply this protocol to Saul, it is difficult to see his actions, in the death of Stephen, as unintentional. The only thing that I can apply to Saul's situation, is that by his actions, though not a direct participant in the action, he approved of Stephen's death.

Jesus, by his death, approved of Saul's forgiveness. And the worst part of it is that those Jews, under the constraints of the “Mosaic law,” were fully justified, in their minds, in stoning Stephen.

Because of God's grace and mercy!

1 Timothy 1:14 NASB and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

Picking himself up off the dusty trail, and there is no doubt that there were others there to assist this learned scholar of the Mosaic law to get up, Saul was now aware that it was only the grace of God that allowed him to be standing there, with another chance at life. Let's recap Acts 9.

“As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do." The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.” (Acts 9:3-8 NASB)

What do you suppose they said, considering that they heard the voice also?

Perhaps something along the line of, whatever you say, sir.

Pay attention to the statement, that Saul, as a new follower of Christ Jesus, made.

“and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”

There is no doubt that Saul immediately perceived the grace, faith, and love that is found in Christ Jesus. Being of a religious mindset, my mind goes back to things that I heard over the years; things that imply that you can never realize the grace, faith, and love of Christ, without accepting Christ Jesus as your Lord and Abba.

Funny, Saul seemed to understand the Lordship of God, but it was not a personal relationship; that is until he got knocked on his butt on the road to Damascus. Surely, with an instantaneous acceptance of the faith and love, Saul could then understand that he had been given grace. The moment does not follow my religious standard; and yet, it does. Isn't God amazing how He does that! Saul found the grace, faith, and love of Christ Jesus, and it happened in the most unusual way.

Even for Paul, the moment evokes this statement.

1 Timothy 1:15 NASB It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.

“It is a trustworthy statement,

deserving (of) full acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,

And a line that fits us all.

among whom I am foremost of all”

Look at the word save for a moment.

Saved is the Greek word sōzō and means to save, that is, deliver or protect, heal, preserve, and make whole.

I find those words to be overwhelming at the moment. There is not an aspect of this sōzō that does not cover all that I was and am.

Sinners? We have covered this word many times. In its simplest form, it is merely missing the mark. That mark can be large or small, deadly important or so non-significant in our minds; and yet, to miss the mark, whether intentionally, habitually, or forgetfully is still SIN.

Be honest, is there a day that goes by in which you don't miss one of your marks?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Finally having come to the understanding that he, Saul, was the chiefest of sinners, he is able to say:

1 Timothy 1:16 NASB Yet, for this reason, I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

• Yet for this reason, I found mercy,
• so that in me as the foremost,
• Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience
• as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

So the Apostle, now named Paul, tells us, that he is an example for all who would believe in Christ.

What an amazing conveyance and Paul ends it with a prayer and an admonition.

1 Timothy 1:17 NASB Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

He ends with this admonition to Timothy, and us.

1 Timothy 1:18 NASB This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,

This is one of those passages where inserting your own name would be appropriate.

“This command I entrust to you ____________ (insert name here), my son or daughter, in accordance with prophecies previously made concerning you,

Stop here for a moment. Many of you would say, but no one has ever prophesied over me, and therefore I have no motivation, direction, or drive over my life. Ah, but you do, you have the prophecy of God's word to speak over your life. Let me explain.

Revelation 19:10 tells us that the testimony of Jesus – this is the Word of God, which conveys God's hopes, dreams, and wishes for your life. All these things might seem like a variable that might not be available to you. You are right to say they are variables, but not on God's part. He has dealt this way with humanity since the garden of Eden. We see it when He says, to people like Abram, as for Me. God is saying, is that He will carry out His plan regardless of whether you participate or not. The religious side of me would tell you that you have to be a believer to receive the prophecy of God, but the fact that Jesus shows up in the dreams of the Iranian people, and He leads them into a knowledge of Himself.

Revelation 19:10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

that by them (the words of God) you ______________ (insert your name here) fight the good fight,

You fight the good fight by doing what you see in 1 Timothy 1:19

1 Timothy 1:19 NASB keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

The word keeping is the Greek word echō and means to hold.

The Greek word for Faith is pistis and means persuasion.

So 1 Timothy 1:19 he is asking/telling you, to hold to that which you have been persuaded, in a good conscience,

Rejected is the word apōtheomai and means to shove away, push off, reject or cast away.

To suffer shipwreck is the Greek word nauageō and it is used twice in order to obtain the phrase we see. The words involved are shipwrecked, stranded, made to suffer shipwreck.

Paul ends this passage with this,

“which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”

Substituting the alternate words we get this: some have cast away, and been made to suffer shipwreck.

To make his point, a bit more personal, he names off some names they would know.

1 Timothy 1:20 NASB Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

In the litigious world, we live in, people will sue you if you publicly out them.

To be handed over, according to the Greek concordance, is the word paradidōmi and means to surrender.

So Paul surrendered these two over to Satan so that they will be taught.

Taught is the Greek word paideuō and means to train up – as you would a rebellious child (this presumes that you still know what capital punishment is,) educate, discipline (by punishment).

So that they would be taught NOT to blaspheme. We covered this word blaspheme, earlier in the study. In short, the word blaspheme means to vilify; specifically to speak impiously.

For those who think that they have crossed God's unforgivable boundaries, I suppose that another way to understand this is that God has the option of turning you over to Satan so that you will be taught NOT to blaspheme. If you have been fortunate enough to not be turned over to Satan, then perhaps you have not, as you thought, crossed God's line of demarcation.

By the way, I do not see this as being turned over to a judgment of hell's flames, but merely a painful education meant to motivate you toward Christ.

My advice to you, run to Him quickly as time is growing short.

The Law is Good. 1 Timothy 1:1 - 11.

Paul, as we have come to recognize, opens with a greeting, however, according to J.Vernon McGee, this greeting is different.

Here is an example of one of Paul's typical greetings.

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, (Galatians 1:1-3 KJV)

In Galatians, the manner in which Paul was made an apostle, is not defined outside of saying that this apostleship was not of man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father.

To be honest, until I read McGee's commentary I had no idea that this was an issue.

What I did see was this line, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” For me, this is the pattern that I pay attention to. Having learned that 1 Timothy 1:1-2 intentionally conveys a much deeper meaning intrigues me.

While I still see the line, “Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord,” Paul opened his letter to Timothy with an explicit statement about why he is an apostle, and he does this by telling us that this apostleship was according to the commandment of God.

1 Timothy 1:1-2 NASB Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, (2) To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee tells us: “The introduction to 1 Timothy is unlike any other in Paul's epistles. Perhaps you had come to the conclusion that they were all the same, but the introductions to the Pastoral Epistles are a little different. Dr. Marvin R. Vincent has said that the salutation in 1 Timothy as a whole has no parallel in Paul.” To Timothy, he writes, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God." But in Ephesians 1:1 he says "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,".

Not being a theologian I operate rather simply and clearly, I see a difference between the personal letter to Timothy and the general address to the church that resides in Galatia. My presumption is that Timothy, more than others, like Barnabas, would have known of Paul's qualifications to be an apostle, because Paul, being so close to Timothy, would have told him. (He calls him a son.)

In writing this, I am reminded of the pompous religious attitudes we developed in the church that may not have been present at the time of Paul's writing. In other words, it meant something when Paul said, I am an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Considering that the word apostle merely means one sent, or a sent one; then yes, it is quite possible that much was said to Paul, by Jesus, that day on the road to Damascus, including I will send you. Since we, and I include Timothy, are all broken humans, then even this young man could have been prone to doubts and challenges.

As usual, my examination of simple words may seem unnecessary but look at the variation in uses of the word will.

The word “will” is the Greek word thelēma. It also means a determination, a choice, purpose, decree, inclination, and desire.

The general idea is that these choices would come from God, however, the word thelēma is not specific and leaves the door open to what we think is human desire; that is unless something is added to the sentence that directs us to consider a God-oriented inclination.

McGee continues: “Now what is the difference between the commandment and the will of God? The will of God and the commandment of God are the same, yet they are not exactly synonymous. All the commandments which you will find in the Bible reveal the will of God.
This would include much more than the Ten Commandments.”

By way of example, in 1 Thessalonians we are told that:

"Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1Th 5:17-18).

The word will, as seen in 1 Th 5:17-18, is the Greek word thelēma and means a determination, a specific purpose, a decree.

“There are many things which are the will of God, and they are expressed in His commandments.” J. Vernon McGee.

Isn't this precisely what we see in 1Th 5:17-18?

The word commandment as we found in 1 Timothy 1:1, is the Greek word epitagē and means an injunction or decree; by implication authoritativeness.

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; (Romans 16:25-26 NASB)

Paul according to the CJB translation, articulates Romans 16:25-26, in this manner, “but manifested now through prophetic writings, in keeping with the command of God the Eternal.” So, we are merely keeping the existing commands.

One of the points that Paul makes is this:

• According to the commandment of the eternal God.

So, we too have received the commandment, just as Paul did. As we will see, Paul urged Timothy to stay on at Ephesus, for the purpose of withstanding some teachers that were going off track, preaching something other than what Paul had taught.

Here it is Tuesday evening, July 28, 2020, and I just had a conversation with my wife how I am not Pastor JD Farag or Pastor Jack Hibbs, I am me, and I do things just a shade differently. A short time later we came home from having ice cream and I started watching Pastor JD Farag and he is teaching on this very scripture. The title of his message is, Sharing the truth in love.

To be honest, I didn't think about this aspect of what Paul was asking Timothy to do.

My current Pastor introduced himself to the church as a recovering pharisee.
Aren't we all?

As such, I know that I have to choose, at times, to set aside the rage that wants to flare inside me. I also know that I could easily dish out religious legalism. I know this because there is a piece of me that wants to unleash on Christians who choose to believe the lies going on around them, instead of trusting Jesus Christ to bring them through this COVID 19 garbage. This unleashing has rage attached to it, and I, as I write this, am not sure I could restrain myself if I had to do what Paul was asking Timothy to do.

Now, try pushing yourself into Timothy's situation.

I can see Paul raking some brother over the coals, and not having much in the way of regret over the repercussions. That may not be true, but it is often the impression you get, especially when some rambunctious preacher gets done with you.

I said all that to say, I would not be comfortable withstanding some jerk. I say this because I have had incidents at church, where I was told NOT to teach, read, or talk about eschatology. Clearly, this so-called pastoral person was flying in the face of Paul's teachings. If you are a Pastor and have done this to someone, you should be on your knees before God repenting; and then, go to the person you have harmed and ask them to forgive you, for being a __________, (you fill in the blank.)

And that brings me to verses 3,4.

1 Timothy 1:3-4 CJB  As I counseled you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus, so that you may order certain people who are teaching a different doctrine to stop.  (4)  Have them stop devoting their attention to myths and never-ending genealogies; these divert people to speculating instead of doing God's work, which requires trust.

This statement then, about how this apostleship comes as a commandment from God, might have been a necessary boost for Timothy, as he may have had to convince these people of Paul's qualifications to teach, and therefore his own authority to address some flagrant teacher – not everyone is willing to accept the mere fact that you are saying, Paul, told me to do this.

The CJB calls it “teaching a different doctrine,” while the KJV tells us - that they teach no other doctrine.

The phrase different doctrine is seen in the NASB as (teach strange doctrines) is the Greek word heterodidaskaleō. This Greek word is repeated three times to create the phrase different or strange doctrines when it means to teach other or different doctrine or to deviate from the truth.

Look at what Paul is telling Timothy to do (I am not sure here whether this is a request or an order,).

“order certain people who are teaching a different doctrine to stop.”

For a very short time, I attended a Saturday night Bible study. The man who led this study is a member of the church I attend, but since everyone comes from somewhere else, and often under duress, this man's story was not so dissimilar. In other words, he brought his own baggage with him. After several weeks of questionable teachings, he started talking about the multiple layers of hell. He opened the floor to questions and so I took him to the scriptures that refute what he just taught. He seemed flustered and undone, but he had asked. The following meeting (we met every other week,) this man denounced me before the entire group and, he included a lady who had also challenged something he said. Not having the ability to receive correction, he told us that what we brought up were little more than minor doctrinal issues and not be discussed in an open group setting. I never went back.

Paul defines these strange doctrines by saying:

• Do not deviate from the truth.
• To not pay attention to myths.
• And to pay no attention to endless genealogies.

Knowing full well that what he has asked Timothy to do could turn into a disaster, Paul gives this guidance.

1 Timothy 1:5 NASB But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

“But the goal of our instruction ...” When Paul says this, it includes the original word that was given as well.

As time has progressed we have developed a broader picture of who Paul was and therefore, we get to see an assumed manner in which he preached, and it is not what we would have expected.

By his own words, we see this.

“Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.”
(2 Corinthians 10:1-2 NASB)

Paul uses the word meek. Many associate this word with humility.

Webster's dictionary tells us that to be humbled is to “be made low; abased; rendered meek and submissive; penitent.” One might be able to see this person as a slave.

Meek, on the other hand, is a position that we submit to.
The dictionary says: to be meek is to be mild of temper; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries. Meekness is an act of the will.

One of the reasons a scenario like this has the potential for going wrong comes from the receiving end, as you have to be teachable.

The reality is that those who are in opposition to your teaching, probably already believe that you are wrong, or that you are a false teacher. Some, especially those with Theology degrees (I speak from experience,) feel they are superior because of their education and are unwilling to hear what you are going to say and can often be combative. In light of the potential for a combative moment, then it is absolutely necessary to approach the issue with love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1:6 NASB For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,

The CEV puts it this way.

There are some who have given up these for nothing but empty talk. (1 Timothy 1:6 CEV)

So when Paul says, “For some men, straying from these things,” What things is he talking about?

This forces us to look, once again, at the context; however, you will not find the context in verses one and two. In verse three Paul is telling Timothy to straighten someone, possibly more, out, as they are twisting and refuting the things Paul had taught. The end result, these false teachers are leading people astray. So I am not sure how that defines “these things.” Except that it says, don't teach strange doctrines.

Now verse four may answer the question, but it works from the negative because it tells us what Paul did not teach.

You need to warn them:

• Verse three ends with this instruction, and a comma. “instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,”
• nor pay attention to myths
• and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don't help anyone to do God's work that can only be done by faith. (CEV)

I covered all of these points already, and yet I still feel as if something is missing. The ERV translation seems to work, and I will show you why.

My purpose in telling you to do this is to promote love—the kind of love shown by those whose thoughts are pure, who do what they know is right, and whose faith in God is real.
(1 Timothy 1:5 ERV)

All corrections should be done out of love.

That means you are making this correction because you love this person or child. Your children may not understand that at the moment, but love desires to save them from corruption and possibly death. Punishment, may instill the fear of God in them and prevent them from committing some serious crime.

Paul, through Timothy, is addressing the false teachers, but perhaps the NLT gets to the core of what is going on here, as it addresses the Jewish aspect of this congregation. You see, even here, we FORGET, that Paul's audiences, were primarily Jewish converts – a term that in many cases should be used loosely.

1 Timothy 1:7 NLT They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.

Paul had his time at being a Pharisee and no doubt a few of them remember what that was like. Why would any of these people think it appropriate to go that route? Oh sure, there is the draw of that big paycheck for being the pastor of a mega-church; and the added joy of having the state overstep their constitutional boundaries and shut your church down while keeping casinos and marijuana dispensaries open; it kind of makes you want to ask, then why are you here?

“to be teachers” It seems like a simple phrase, but it has hidden darkness to it. The Greek word for a Hebrew action, is, nomodidaskalos. Thayer's Definition: 1) a teacher and interpreter of the law: among the Jews; 1a) of those who among Christians went about as champions and interpreters of the Mosaic law.

Why refer to the interpretation of the law as hidden darkness?

Because, almost everyone who teaches from the law has an underlying theme, control. Think about the entrance of the law into the lives of God's people; they had, only recently, come out of Egypt, along with the tent of Moloch; sex gods, and Beelzebul – the lord of the flies/dung. They were, in the majority, Egyptians without a clue and God needed to reign them in. As I have stated before, initially, He only gave them ten rules, and the bulk of those rules spoke of love and treating others right.

“ they don’t know what they are talking about” Such a large phrase from such a little word. It is the Greek word νοέω meaning to perceive, think: or understand.

Well, that was direct and to the point. You may be able to put words together eloquently, but you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about.

But Paul had lived the life of a teacher; and not just a teacher of the Mosaic law, he taught a God of mercy and grace, a God who now seemed to some to be in opposition to the law, and there was very little fame or money. Keep in mind that Paul was well versed in the Mosaic law – to the point of destruction, but then something changed him, and that something was to meet Jesus personally – on the road to Damascus. For us, the reader, it seemed like seconds.

How come no one seems to remember that he had others with him? Do you think the merely let him lie there? How undignified! This process may have only taken seconds, however, God doesn't always work within our time constraints, and may have downloaded everything Paul needed in those mere seconds.

But the law is not dark, it is only made dark by those who talk in endless circles. Paul tells us, the law is good.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 NASB But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, (9) realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers (10) and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, (11) according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

If you walked away with that ONE THING, let it be this, the LAW IS GOOD.

Is it good to everyone?

Hardly, but you have to realize that the law was not made for those that follow the law (righteous persons). Paul told us in his letter to the church in Rome, that the law, which many thought grace freed them from, There is no escaping this law that guides us, and attempts to guide ALL the others.

“But for those who are”:

• lawless
• rebellious
• ungodly
• sinners – perpetually and even in some cases purposefully, because waah, they want to.
• The unholy and the profane
• for those who kill their fathers or mothers. Murderers
• Here is where it gets nasty. For immoral men and homosexuals
• kidnappers – ask yourself, who are the victims, and why?
• liars and perjurers – one just lies, the other lies to escape judgment.
• and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.

Sound teaching, which Paul reiterates, is according to my word, which I have been entrusted with.

God has entrusted this WORD to us in the form of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.