1 Timothy 5

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray

TREAT OTHERS WITH LOVE AND RESPECT (1 Timothy 5:1-16)

Treat elders with respect (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
Do not SHARPLY rebuke. Rebuke gently and respectfully with love. After all, the purpose of rebuke is not to shame people; it's to bring people back to the path of righteousness. 

Treat peers and younger men/women like brothers and sisters (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
We can be more blunt with this group of people, but we should do so with respect and love. 

The basic idea of the two commands above is really to just love others as Jesus loves us. 

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need (1 Timothy 5:3-16)
Back in the days when this letter was written, women completely depended on their husbands for a living. When her husband passed away, leaving behind no grown children or other relatives, a widowed woman often became destitute, because no one would support her, and she would not be able to support herself.

A Christian woman, however, could seek support from her church, physically (food, shelter, etc.) and financially (expenses, etc.). To receive such support, she would need to take a solemn pledge to never remarry again -- Note that this was not God's command; this was a man-made rule to prevent misuse of this benefit.

As with many human organizations, it worked well at first, but then people started to fall away. Families of widows who should be helping them abandoned them. Women who signed up for these benefits became lazy and did not help the church. They took advantage of the kindness and became idle, gossips, and busybodies (1 Timothy 5:13). Some of them even got remarried. The church became a tool that widows used to get by before they found something better. The women who abused this system created a tremendous amount of problem for the church -- It caused dissonance, and worse, it took resources away from those who really needed them.

To handle this issue, Paul made the following recommendations:

- First and foremost, look to God (1 Timothy 5:4-5). If the widow had children, teach them about the ways of the Lord. If the widow had family, her family should not abandon her and take her in (1 Timothy 5:6). Families of faith who abandoned widowed relatives are "worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8), because they (supposedly) knew the Truth, yet they behave as if they didn't.

- Teach the people that "those who live for pleasure (including widows) are dead even while they live" (1 Timothy 5:6), so that no one makes that mistake unknowingly (1 Timothy 5:7).

- To be on the church's list of widows, she had to be over sixty, shown to be a woman in good standing (not just in man's eyes, but in God's eyes as well) (1 Timothy 5:9-10). Why exclude younger widows -- To address the problems of young widows who abused church hospitality until they could find another husband. Paul understood that while we lived in our sinful bodies, we are prone to sin by being overcome by our sensual desires, especially when we are younger (1 Timothy 4:11-12). For the young widows who took advantage of church hospitality, they had already been turned by Satan! Hence, Paul advised us to avoid putting ourselves in a situation where we would sin greatly against God and our brothers and sisters in Christ -- To the young widows, Paul thus recommended young widows to marry, have children, and manage their homes in a manner that gave Satan no opportunity for slander (1 Timothy 5:14). 

The bottom line here is to make sure that THE CHURCH CAN HELP THOSE WHO ARE REALLY IN NEED. The specific example Paul used here pertained to the widows (1 Timothy 5:16), but the underlying principle can be applied generally, especially for churches in dealing with people who come for help.

Churches have limited resources -- There is never enough for all. And even if the churches had unlimited resources, it is not its primary goal to provide, provide, and provide.

The primary goal of any church is to spread the Gospel, to nurture the spiritual care of the people. The church was not placed on Earth to just provide humanitarian services. Jesus taught us to love all people, but Jesus knew the ONLY real help is to make sure we all receive salvation through him. We hunger, and we may care only about getting some bread, but Jesus is the Bread of Life! And so, when churches reach out to those in need, yes, provide to meet the basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) -- but more importantly, lead them to their spiritual safe haven in Jesus!

With the limited resources that churches have, we are to focus on making disciples of Jesus, because that is eternal provision, a provision that lasts. Resources should this be used to get the Gospel out. Any funding that takes away from this is no longer doing the will of God. Churches must stay true to the primary mission. Do not major on the temporary and the physical -- Major on the eternal!

In sum...

1. Churches are to make disciples of Jesus

2. Churches are to help those in need -- but only those who are truly needy. 

Family is the first in line to take care of their own. They need to be taught in the ways of the Lord (1 Timothy 5:7-8), so that they can continue to live in the Lord. Help is not just giving out bread and handing out blankets. By helping families live in the way of the Lord, church resources can be funneled to those who truly cannot provide for themselves, while keeping families walking with the Lord.

3. Churches are to help out Christians. Local churches are to take care of its own, those who are devoted and loyal to Christ.

4. Churches are to smartly use its resources. This goes back to staying true to its primary mission: To spread the Gospel. If it just handed things out, it is not changing anything. Get to know the people it is serving. Understand the people. And then, serve faithfully.


PASTORS SHOULD BE SUPPORTED (1 Timothy 5:17-22)

- Pastors and Christians workers should be supported financially.

- Pastors are to lead the church well and labor in the Word and doctrine.

- Pastors should be protected (1 Timothy 5:19). 

- Pastors are to be corrected (1 Timothy 5:20).

- Pastors are to be selected deliberately, carefully. Churches must know the leaders they elect! Spend time with the person before putting anyone in a leadership position (1 Timothy 5:22).


GOD HEALS MIRACULOUSLY AND MEDICINALLY (1 Timothy 5:23)

Paul told Timothy to "stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23).

Pastor Gray makes several points:

1. God may heal miraculously, but miracles are not necessary when medicinal means are readily accessible.

2. This verse is not saying it's okay to binge drink. Here, wine was used for medicinal purposes, to sanitize the water.