Thursday, July 24 — 1 Timothy 5, 6

1. What counsel was given for dealing with church members instead of rebuking? (1 Timothy 5:1)

2. How was Timothy to treat older men, older women, and younger people? (1 Timothy 5:1, 2)

3. In dealing with widows in the church, what was the apostle’s counsel? (1 Timothy 5:3-16)

4. What was Paul’s advice when appointing new church officers, which required the laying on of hands? (1 Timothy 5:21, 22)

5. What were Paul’s instructions regarding servants or slaves? (1 Timothy 6:1, 2)

With today’s study, we conclude the first letter of Paul to Timothy. This instructive letter was written after Paul’s first imprisonment under house arrest and before his second arrest, which ultimately led to his execution. It is estimated that Paul was released around A.D. 63–65 and visited the churches in Crete, Asia Minor, and Greece. While Timothy was serving as pastor at the church of Ephesus, he received his first letter from his spiritual father and leader, believed to have been sent from Macedonia, providing him with pastoral instructions. Later, Paul would write his second epistle to Timothy after being imprisoned again, from the Mamertine Prison in Rome, which is believed to have been his last letter.

Gnostic philosophies had troubled the churches, which were foreign to the sound gospel the apostle originally preached when he founded them. Since the Greek word ‘gnosis’ means knowledge, it indicates that some, considering themselves “learned” or wise, had attempted to divert believers from the simple apostolic faith. Paul recognized this subtle attack of Satan and promptly advised his young disciple to remain vigilant about this issue.

We will always have among us those who are in need, poor, and struggling. It’s common for the church to encounter situations where we need to help some members financially, and I believe it’s good to do so. However, we must first assess whether these individuals have children or other relatives who could assist them. No matter how devout we are, we cannot assume the role that God has given to the family itself. The primary responsibility of anyone is to help and support their own family first, rather than burdening the church with expenses for resources that could be better used to promote the gospel in other ways.

It is well known that constant worry can lead to nervous indigestion, with symptoms like stomach cramps. Contaminated water is also a cause of stomach illnesses. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary notes:

“In Paul’s day, as now, water was contaminated in many places; it was dangerous to drink…” (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 323, comment on 1 Timothy 5:23).

Several commentators believe Paul advised Timothy to use fermented wine instead of regular water. Others think Paul could not have told his disciple to use alcoholic beverages. I see a third possibility: that the wine recommended was must, the juice of the grape before fermentation began. This grape juice could be stored for some time without fermenting if the container was filled to the brim and then sealed to exclude oxygen, preventing oxidation and subsequent fermentation.

In any case, whatever it was, we can be sure that Paul’s advice would not have gone against the Word of God. His earlier counsel in chapter 3 told Timothy to appoint leaders who were not “given to wine.”

Whatever use we make of any substance, it should never lead us to practices that could create a harmful habit for our physical or spiritual health. Also, without falling into carelessness or fanaticism, let us remember that we can catch a cold and buy a cough syrup with a considerable amount of alcohol at the pharmacy without a prescription, and yet we don’t feel like alcoholics or have our conscience troubled. Let’s stay balanced!

I assure you that the letters to Timothy are filled with so much pastoral advice and counsel that it’s impossible to include everything because of our goal of brevity.

Today, it’s hard to imagine Paul advising slaves and servants to be obedient to their masters. How would you view that today? What about social justice? Why didn’t Paul become a champion of human rights against slavery? You know, I have learned a great lesson from this: the importance of prioritizing.

If Paul, or even Jesus Himself, had dedicated themselves to preaching freedom for slaves, they might have been executed before completing their true mission: freedom from the slavery of sin. Let’s put things in the proper perspective, as they did. First things first.

May you be blessed through your study of the Bible, so you can stand firm on that great final day!