1 Timothy Ch. 6
Scripture
1 Timothy Ch. 6
Observation
I realized from this passage that we are to live in such a way that would not shame the Gospel.
Vs. 1 says, “Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed.” Vs. 12 says, “Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses,” which implies that people are watching you as a Christian, and vs. 13 says, “And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey his commands with all purity. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”
I think these verses show us very well how much we can have an effect on the “effectiveness” of the Good News. How many times have we heard someone denounce Christianity or worse yet, Jesus Christ, because of how a Christian has acted or because of something stupid that they said? It is so important that we live out, not just act out, what Christ taught. I stress on living it out, and not acting it out, because acting means you’re being fake. We need to fully embrace His teachings so that we begin living as Christians and not pretending to be Christians. But vs. 13 really spoke to me because Jesus Christ was an example of living the right way to the point that even Pontius Pilate saw him as innocent, even though the whole Jewish community was condemning him. It doesn’t mean that everyone will see us in the light of Pontius Pilate (in a good way), but the fact that Jesus Christ was able to convince Pilate of His innocence because of the way he carried himself (in the face of death!) speaks a ton.
The fact that Paul felt like he needed to include this fact in his letter to Timothy shows the sgnificance of it. He could have said, “And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Jesus Christ, that you obey his commands with all purity.” So why did Paul include “..who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate”? I think it’s because Paul was trying to tell us that it matters what kind of life we live, it matters how we act, and it matters how we compose ourselves before the chaos of the world. And Jesus Christ was an example of a pure life! Thinking about it, He stood before the judgement of an earthly ruler, and this earthly ruler found no fault with Him. What more with God? God would look upon Christ and be as the earthly ruler: still finding no fault! And if we are saved because of Christ, and Christ is our intercessor, then what more fault would God find with us, who Jesus’ sacrifice covers, if He didn’t find fault with Christ? Thank you Jesus!
But yes, it definitely matters how we live. I made another part message on living the right way, and I think some of this could be added onto it..
This passage also further stressed this issue of wealth and money—not bad in and of itself, but because people stumble, become proud and “lose their faith” because of it, it can be a temptation in life. Paul also talks about contenment. I realized that the longing for worldly riches and wealth is a result of not being content, and not being thankful for what you have. It’s being greedy—wanting more than what you already have. This is a scary thought to possess, but it really puts your mind into perspective: vs. 7-8, “After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” This all of a sudden brings me back to what Job said in Job 1:21, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” That, by itself, is beautiful because he said it in the midst of the grief of losing his family. Job says it in the context of great faith in his pain, but Paul says almost the same thing in the context of being content with what you have financially in vs. 7-8. If we live our lives trying to gain worldly riches, well guess what? We’re only going to enjoy it as long as we’re on this earth. Not to say that making a living to take care of yourself and your family is a bad thing, because it’s not and would be unwise not to do so, but if you focus your entire life on money and put all of your energies into making money, then something is wrong.
Vs. 10 says, “For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” To me, this means that some people have pursued their jobs and careers above Christ to the point that they have lost touch with the Lord; haven’t been in church for a long time, thus giving themselves much pain in return for a wealth fo money. Work is important, but not more important than Christ. Sure, you’ll gain your riches, but it’s like watering unfertile soil. You can have as much water as you want, but if the soil has no nutrients and other kinds of beneficial stuff in it (fellowship, reading your Bible, prayer, etc.), water just seeps through, and the garden will yeild no flowers and fruit.
Paul says in vs. 17, “Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will be soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” So in the verses before this one, he goes into the negative effects of money for those that do not utilize it correctly and for those who make it their lifelong pursuit. But then he says in vs. 18, “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for their future so that they may take hold of real life.” This shows that money in itself is not bad, but your attitude toward it and what you do with it, is. God blesses those financially, and it’s not a bad thing at all. However, we should not continue to pursue more abundantly our riches; rather, we should use this blessing to give unto others that which they do not have financially. Cultivate a giving heart. I personally think those who are rich have more of an opportunity to cultivate unselfishness and a passion for giving.
I just read commentary on why Paul was emphasizing on riches! It was really interesting! :) Timothy was left in charge as the Pastor of the church of Ephesus, and during the ancient biblical times Ephesus was a very rich city! The picture I saw was of an Ephesian theater that used to sit about 25,000 people. It makes sense now why Paul was stressing so much on the temptation of money! Timothy was pastoring a church that was chock-full of rich people!
And for other “tidbits” apart from the main message: vs. 11-12, “But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.” Something just came to mind, and I wondered why Paul only says four out of nine of the fruits of the Spirit. I think maybe Timothy struggled with these the most? Or maybe Paul is stressing some of the most important qualities to have. I think I also relate to it too, because I’m young and I’m just beginning my ministry to God. I read this in a side commentary: “Fleeing sin is compared with chasing down virtue. The picture is of a vigourous pursuit of virtue. This corresponds to the call to fight for the faith and to take hold of eternal life.” I read that and I was like, that’s true! We run from sin when we pursue righteousness. And we are called to fight. Pursuing righteousness isn’t just some walk in the park—it’s difficult, and it requires motivation, excercise, determination and a winning mindset. So in reality, when I run from sin, I’m actually fighting it and beating it.
Vs. 4-5 says, “Anyone who teaches anything different is both conceited and ignorant. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, fighting, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they don’t tell the truth.” First, this tells me that there are people out there who look like they’re teachers, but they’re not. They teach the Word of God, but their hearts are not in the right place, or they just don’t have the Holy Spirit in them.. because if they did, they wouldn’t be producing a spirit of chaos like the above (I’m talking more about pursuing the Lord and just pursuing yourself—people who pursue the Lord still make mistakes that can cause the above). Second, the part where Paul says “an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of the words” tells me about arguing with a fellow believer maybe about Predestination Vs. Free Will, or other theological doctrines that are not central to the Gospel. It’s interesting to talk about these things, but they do end up in arguments of “jealousy, fighting, slander and evil suspicions.” I think that this can tend to draw away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ rather than being a supplement. This also applies with vs. 20, “Avoid godless, foolish discussion with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.”
Application
I think this definitely tells me about my testimony to unbelievers. As a Christian, I am called to live a life that Jesus Christ has modeled to us with his own, especially with the example of his testimony before Pontius Pilate. It just goes to show that if we were ever to be judged by an earthly ruler (whom God has appointed, but who is not greater than God) we want to pass the “test”. For me, if you can’t pass the test with an earthly ruler, please tell me how we can pass the test with the King of all kings? So I need to make sure that the way I’m living is the right way so that I don’t push anyone away from knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.
And if pursuing virtue is running away from sin, then I need to constantly be in my Word and do my devotionals and pray to God daily! It’s a fight for righteousness and I need to do my part in order to prepare myself for this fight—spiritual excerise, having my eye on the goal of reuniting with Christ one day and fulfilling the Purpose for which He has set for me on this earth, praying to God for strength and motivation, etc.
I need to make sure that when I start working and earning money again, I need to tithe, for sure. It wouldn’t hurt to help out some poor people or the homeless, etc. If I do make some good money, I need to make sure that I thank God for it, but that I also don’t pursue wealth to the point of neglecting my duties to God. Vs. 9 says, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.” I know I don’t have a lot of money for myself, but I know that I do long to have many clothes, more make-up products, etc. and I know I have discontented myself many times by longing for more money. There was a time in my life where it was all about money with my waitressing job; I bought everything I wanted and never considered tithing as an option. Putting my mind on God and not money, I think, is easier for me now that I’m not working, but when I do start working, I need to make sure that I do my best to put God first and money last (family, friends, church, etc. before money!).
The first point in fixing a problem is to be aware of it! So I think for myself this helped me, because now I can make sure I don’t focus on the little things: “Anyone who teaches anything different is both conceited and ignorant. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words.” So when it comes to predestination vs. free will, I can have fun discussing it, but I need to make sure it doesn’t cause disruption between people or make people angry at each other.
Prayer
Dear God,
I’m so imperfect, but I pray that my actions and words don’t draw anyone away from knowing you. I pray that the way I live my life and act and carry myself will be worthy of calling myself a follower of Christ, but I can only do it with your guidance and help. Help me to be an example of Christ, so that people will draw near to you and not away from you. I pray that when you do give me finances through my job, that I don’t become greedy and hungry for more, putting you second to it. Help me to pursue you in all righteousness, to run away from evil and to grow in faith, love, gentleness and perseverance. Help me to pray more, read my Word and live correctly. I pray that in my teaching, I don’t become conceited, fighting over certain issues in the Bible, etc. I pray that you make me wise. Thank you God for everything!
Love, me
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