Digging Deeper

Monday, 1 Timothy 3:1 - 16 

As much as women may wonder at the tough commands from Paul in chapter 2, they must admit that Paul is no less demanding when it comes to the male leadership of the church. Why does he lay out such rigorous codes for these men?

If you have had the opportunity to hang around unbelievers and have tried to discuss the faith with them, you have undoubtedly noted a frequently defensive attitude. Probably the most common retort to an appeal to consider Jesus or to visit church concerns what the unbeliever thinks he has observed within the Chris tian community. They may cite Chris tian individuals for various sins, offensive personality traits, unkind words or actions, or even illegal activities. All or any of these are valid reasons, at least in the mind of the unbeliever, to sidestep any association with Jesus or His church.

In addition to the obvious poor witness to those outside of the kingdom, a leader has to be able to inspire faithful living within the church by providing an example in his own life. In his difficult list of standards, Paul did not expect anything of others that he did not expect of himself.

Lest we fall into the trap of demanding an impossible perfection from church leaders that is not expected of anyone else, let's look at Paul's own struggles with sin. In Romans Paul clearly expressed his inner desire to do well in all things, but that this desire was too often overcome by his sin nature. He wrote in relation to the wonderful grace of God and closed his tale of frustration with the joy of knowing that Jesus Chris t had come to save him from his sin by His death on the cross. So, though Paul commands what he knows is best for the church, he must also realize that it would be a rare leader that could fulfill all of the pastoral requirements listed.

Because the requirements are so high, we must seek the place of grace in Paul's commands. Paul met his own qualifications not because he was perfect in all areas of human relations, but because he was aware of his own sin, repentant of that sin, dedicated to following the Holy Spirit's path of sanctification for him, and aware of God's free gift of salvation and grace in his life. The same could be said of the leaders of the faith in the Old Testament. None of them was righteous without God's grace; not Adam; not Abraham; not Moses; not King David; not Isaiah; not any of the pillars of the faith. Peter in the New Testament was also a leader standing on feet of clay, and his counterpart, Paul, began his life persecuting the church. James, head of the Jerusalem church, writer of the epistle of James, and half-brother of Jesus, was unimpressed by the Lord until after His resurrection. In today's church many pastors still struggle with the questions of worthiness presented by Paul in this chapter, but perhaps the only obstacle that cannot be conquered by God's grace in His chosen leaders is a lack of repentance; an arrogance that claims that there are no problems to be repented of; an attitude that there is no need for grace in a church leader's life.

Tuesday, 1 Timothy 4:1 - 16

From Paul's time until now, “some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” ( NASB )  We already live in the “later times” of our world, even though the massive changes that will finally occur haven't yet begun, or haven't yet become noticeable. Now we see even more falling away from and rejection of the gospel than did Paul.

Today it takes the form most often in the false religions having resurgence in our world. Paganism used to denote a general group of false religions. Today, “Paganism” is a resurgent religion, along with Druidism, Pantheism, and the worship of numerous gods that go all the way back to the Old Testament. Their websites are interesting and often totally serious. Wicca, or witchcraft, is growing in popularity along with general cultural concepts that deny God. These include the worship of the earth, nature, our own evolution to supposed godhood, and even Satan worship. Paul pegged it right when he described these things as “deceitful spirits” and “doctrines of demons”.  Satan has convinced our world that he, his demons, and even evil itself don't really exist. Thus our friends and neighbors walk into his den without fear.

Paul goes on to some specific problems in the church of his time. Some were demanding celibacy; others demanded avoidance of certain foods. These may have been part of the early Gnostic heresy that anything material is evil.

The rest of the chapter concerns encouragement and instruction for Timothy. These verses are not only useful to us as guidelines for the support of our church leaders, but they also are fine advice for us as well, as we live each of our days in service to our Lord.

Wednesday, 1 Timothy 5:1 – 25

Chapter 5 begins with sage advice from an older man to one he considers his godson of the faith. Who of us cannot learn from verses 1 and 2? Beginning in verse 3 Paul sends specific instructions to Timothy regarding the widows of the congregation. At first, they seem a little stringent but we see in verse 12 that these women were not just in need of temporary care from the congregation, but were seeking to pledge the rest of their lives to the church and its needs. Knowing that makes Paul's instructions concerning widows easier to understand.

Unlike our own culture in which elderly, widowed mothers sometimes find themselves shuttled aside by their children, and even destitute while their offspring live middleclass lives, children and grandchildren in the early church were expected to take care of elder members of their family. Paul described any who refused to take care of their family members as “worse than an unbeliever.” Paul was not saying that those who left the care of their family to others lost their salvation, but that their lives were no better lived than the hopeless unbelievers of the world. They had denied Jesus' strong teaching servanthood. Paul's reference to the “widow indeed” ( NASB ) referred to the woman who had no children or grandchildren; who was truly alone and had no prospect for marrying again.

Not only did the widow seeking support and ministry within the congregation have to meet the requirement of being really without support, but she had to have established herself as a hard worker dedicated to the gospel. Like anyone who is left alone, both young and old widows needed to be occupied with service, either to a new family or to the church. In this way they would not fall into the trap of becoming bored gossips and avoid the temptations of the “flesh” so rampant in the ancient world ( and in our own ).

After instructing Timothy concerning widows in the church, Paul goes on to advise him concerning the elders. They are to be honored. Paul, however, specifies “the elders who rule well. It was still the congregation's responsibility to display a discerning spirit concerning their leaders. However, verse 19 should serve as a warning to all churches today, as well as to Paul's congregations, not to be hasty in believing rumors about church leaders that are often begun by one disgruntled individual. Verse 21 warns Timothy against preferential treatment, a problem that can destroy trust and respect. Verse 22 refers to the appointment of an elder and advises Timothy to seek out mature Chris tians whom he knows to be of good repute, and to allow new Chris tians time to mature before placing them in difficult positions of responsibility.

The final verses of chapter 5 take us into the private life of Timothy. It was not easy on this young leader to be the primary source of discipline and instruction for the church at Ephesus . It existed in a huge city that was a true melting pot of many diverse cultures and beliefs. The stress had its affect on the young man, and his mentor advises him on how to heal his upset stomach. Paul also instructs him regarding the fact that some of those in his circle would be obvious in their sin and some would be obvious in their goodness, but there would also be those who presented one side to him and another to the rest of the congregation. Timothy needed to be aware of these men, but not be troubled by them because all the deeds of all men would one day be exposed.

Thursday, 1 Timothy 6:1 – 21

Martin Luther was harshly criticized for his words that helped instigate, according to many of his time, an uprising of peasants that ended in bloodshed. Of course, that was not Luther's intent, but he nonetheless took part of the blame for the tragedy. We can look at St. Paul 's early words in chapter 6, then, as a wise explanation of what his ministry is all about. It is not about the social correctness or incorrectness of slavery. In 6:1, he clearly says that one duty of a slave is to never be found participating in an attitude or action that could cause any to have reason to criticize the faith. On the one hand, it was important to never unintentionally set up a boundary that might prevent an unbeliever from knowing Christ; on the other it was important for the young faith to cause no uproar that might turn Rome against the spread of the gospel. We must also remember that many of Paul's teachings in his epistles were in response to particular questions expressed by his congregations. It may be that there were those in the Ephesian congregation who were either promoting rebellion by its slave members as a right due in their freedom in Christ, or it may be that there were slave owners in the congregation who feared their slaves would rebel.

Slavery was absolutely ingrained in Roman society. Some masters were incredibly cruel; others treated their slaves as members of the family. Spartacus, of movie fame, was a real person, born free probably around 90 B.C., but later enslaved. His rebellion no doubt still colored Rome 's attitude toward any hint at rebellion ( read the true history of Spartacus and his armies ). In this and other passages Paul makes it clear that there should be no slave versus master or master versus slave attitude among believers, but that in Christ they should treat one another with love and respect.

Paul then turns to the proper attitude concerning the wealth with which a Christian may be blessed. These are good words for all of us, especially in our own country, which places so much value on the power of the wealthy. Paul says that wealth is fine as long as it does not displace the contentment of knowing Christ.  

In addition to wonderfully expressive words of praise for our Lord, Paul instructs Timothy to take action in his life of faith! “ Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” ( Verse 11, NASB ); “ Fight the good fight of faith”; “ Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” ( Verse 12 ) These actions are proper for us as 21 st century Christians, as well as for Timothy and those in his care.

F iday, 2 Timothy 1:1 -18

2 Timothy is believed to be Paul's last letter. If so, it was written around 67 A.D. only a short time before his death. As a Roman citizen under arrest and condemned in the great capital of the Empire, his execution would not come by crucifixion. By law, Roman citizens were spared this humiliating and prolonged death. Paul was beheaded during the last months of Nero's rule, which ended with his own flight and execution in 68.

Paul is mostly alone in Rome at this time. He knows that he faces execution. His letter is specifically addressed to Timothy with many words that tell us of the closeness between the student and teacher. We see Paul's strength of faith in his words to Timothy. Though some have left the faith, some have deserted him out of fear, and he will soon face beheading, Paul says that he is not “ashamed” nor should Timothy ever be ashamed of the gospel. He says that he and Timothy and all of the saints have not been given “a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

Paul was not ashamed of his life or his gospel even though he was no doubt taunted by Nero's court and despised by many due to the false charge from the emperor that those of the faith had burned Rome in A.D. 64. What he suffered went far beyond the pressure that we suffer as
Christians in America today, yet we often crumble in our witness due to fears that others will think we are “too religious” or part of what they consider the “intolerant right wing Christians”. Sometimes we fail to realize that those who apply those titles are not including only political zealots or anti-abortion bombers. They include in the group of “unacceptable” Christians those of us who believe that Jesus was born of a virgin; that He was resurrected from the dead; that He had to die so that we might live; that He is the only path to the Father. To become what the world will accept as one of its own, a Christian must pay a price far too high; the price paid by Phygelus and Hermogenes who chose to abandon Paul and follow a gospel requiring little perseverance and offering no challenge to the world.

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