1 TIMOTHY 6

Paul in this. his Frist Letter to Timothy, has in the previous Chapters been giving advice on the appointment and care for Elders, the procedures for all those serving in the Church at Ephesus, the care for widows and social relationships. In this last Chapter he gives advice regarding various kinds of people.

First, how to be a slave and a Christian.

Slavery has been described as a monster abomination. This did not refer to the individual case, Jesus called Himself a slave when He washed the Apostles feet.  The principal reason for calling it an abomination, is when a person is ruled and robbed of all freedom, in being owned by another human being, and being subject to the owners authority. In some cases, the master may treat his slave badly and make him work long hours.

   It is dehumanizing, to view a man as being nothing more than a piece of property, who can be bought and sold. Slavery was a form of tyranny, and whilst some were treated kindly, most were treated as a denial of human nature

It may be wondered what did the Church do about it? Slavery was deeply a part of living, which others of wealth took it their right to have slaves, laborers, domestic servants.  If a slave had ability, he could be used as a tradesman.

 In Rome, a third of the population were slaves, and across the Roman Empire there fifty million slaves. Paul acted with a different approach, and eventually it was abolished.  There were slaves who were Christians. In such cases, they were urged to be good and expected to be examples.

 False teachers and False teaching, with their characteristics..

The False teachers were big nuisance, as they are now. The way of living, presented an opportunity, which was rapidly received.  In addition, there were wandering preachers seeking prestige. Who made it their right to speak and were skilled in getting a fee.

Their speeches were unreal.  They would offer to  speak on a subject which was supported by a member of the congregation.  They eagerly sought applause, and asked questions about their performance. They were full of conceit and would engage with discussion.

False teaching was also a disturbance of the peace.  Utterly competitive and suspicious of all who differed, they tended to commercialize religion by profit with the phrase, a man’s worthy of the hire

 The peril of the love of money.

Scripture does not say that money is evil; it says the love of money is the root of all evil.  There is a saying that wealth is like  water, so far from quenching thirst, the more is wanted. Wealth can be sought, after that there never comes a time when enough is said.   The desire for wealth is founded on an illusion, sometimes for security, or when a man has enough of for security, yet still wants more. But ,money cannot buy health.

The desire for money can make a man selfish.  It forces competition, and is something that makes him look down on someone poor. It makes him fix his thoughts only on himself, and turns against anyone who puts an obstacle in his way.

 A challenge for Timothy.

This Letter comes to an end with a challenge for Timothy, one greater and the more solemn, because of the words used. He is addressed as a Man of God, one of the great Old Testament terms. It was the title given to Moses, and is a title of the prophets of God named in the Bible. This is a title of honor. When it is given to Timothy, he is not reminded of his own weakness, and his own helplessness and inadequacy and his own sin; that might have reduced him to pessimistic despair; he is rather challenged by the honor which is his, the honor of being God’s man. It is the Christian way to lift him up by summoning him to be what he has got in him to be. The Christian way is not to fling a man’s humiliating past, and branding him as a lost and helpless sinner. But to be set before him the majestic splendor of his potential future.

 The virtues and noble qualities which are set before Timothy are not just heaped haphazardly together. There is an order  with them. First, there is righteousness, giving both to men and God. This is the most comprehensive and inclusive virtues

The righteous man does his duty to God and men.  Ther comes three virtues, Godliness is he reverence of one who lives his life and never ceases to be aware that all life is lived in the presence of God.  Faith is fidelity, a virtue of a man who

 through all the challenges and changes of life, down to the gates of death is loyal to God.  Agape, is the virtue of a man who is tried, and  cannot forget what God has done for him, and the love of the heart of God to men.

Timothy is challenged to the work and task for the future, as inspired by past memories. He is to remember his baptism and the vows he made there. In those days it was true baptism, when men came from heathenism to Christianity, and a confession of faith to witness to all, he had taken Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To all Christians there was added the cry, Jesus is Lord.  He is to remember he made the same confession that Jesus made.

Timothy was always witnessed to the Lordship of Christ, When the Christian confesses his faith, he does what his Lord did; when the Christian suffers for his faith, he undergoes  what his Lord has already done.  We can stay here I stand

The last advice of Paul is regarding the rich.

Sometimes it is thought the early Chistian was being compared with the poorest of people and slaves. We see in this passage that the Church had wealthy members; they were not condemned for being wealthy, nor did they have to give  away.  What they were told, is what not to do, but what to do with their riches. They should not be proud or consider themselves better people who could look down on other people. The whole Christian ethic is not that wealth is sin, but carries a responsibility .

 The letter closes with a faith to hand on

It may  well be that the name Timothy is used in the fulness of its meaning. The name comes from two Greek words which mean honor God. The three Pastoral Letters, ( 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) condemn those who have given themselves to the opposite  of science. The word science in its original sense, was the opposite of what we understand science to be. The word was taken to be knowledge. And has nothing to do with scientific knowledge.

The Church at Ephesus had s congregation with Greeks ,who had a passion for going to law, and saw it as an amusement. The Greek would go to law even with one of the brothers just for the pleasure of going to Courts.  To do that there could be a meaning to make the Church a battleground.

 The last words of this Letter come to a close with a warning which our own generation needs to hear. Clever argument can never be made to be a substitute for action.  The duty of the Christiam is to study in isolation, and to weigh arguments; it is to live the Christian like in the dust and heat of the world.  In the end it is not intellectual cleverness, but conduct and character that count.  And comes the closing blessing; Grace be with you.  The letter ends with the beauty of the grace of God.

 May God’s Holy Name be praised and for ever glorified