Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
1 Timothy 6:1

Clarke's Commentary

CHAPTER VI.

Of the duty of servants, 1, 2.

Of false teachers, who suppose gain to be godliness, 3-5.

Of true godliness, and contentment, 6-8.

Of those, and their dangerous state, who determine to be rich;

and of the love of money, 9,10.

Timothy is exhorted to fight the good fight of faith, and to

keep the charge delivered to him, 11-14.

A sublime description of the majesty of God, 15, 16.

How the rich should behave themselves; and the use they should

make of their property, 17-19.

Timothy is once more exhorted to keep what was committed to his

trust; and to avoid profane babblings, through which some have

erred from the faith, 20, 21.

NOTES ON CHAP. VI.

Verse 1 Timothy 6:1. Let as many servants as are under the yoke — The word δουλοι here means slaves converted to the Christian faith; and the ζυγον, or yoke, is the state of slavery; and by δεσποται, masters, despots, we are to understand the heathen masters of those Christianized slaves. Even these, in such circumstances, and under such domination, are commanded to treat their masters with all honour and respect, that the name of God, by which they were called, and the doctrine of God, Christianity, which they had professed, might not be blasphemed-might not be evilly spoken of in consequence of their improper conduct. Civil rights are never abolished by any communications from God's Spirit. The civil state in which a man was before his conversion is not altered by that conversion; nor does the grace of God absolve him from any claims, which either the state or his neighbour may have on him. All these outward things continue unaltered. Ephesians 6:5, c. and "1 Corinthians 7:21", &c., and especially the observations at the end of that chapter.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The slaves (6:1-2)

Slaves had equal status with others in the church (Galatians 3:28), but not in the households where they worked. Paul helped to raise the status of slaves, and eventually to bring an end to slavery, by encouraging Christian slaves to work with responsibility and dignity. They were not to think of themselves as mere tools of their masters. Paul assures them that if they act in a way that is fitting for those who are God’s children, they will also bring honour to the name of God (6:1). Any who work for Christian masters should work all the better. In so doing they will bring added benefit to those who are their fellow believers in Christ (2).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

Let as many as are servants under the yoke count their own masters as worthy of all honor, that the name of God and the doctrine be not blasphemed.

Let as many as are under the yoke … How many were these?

It is estimated that there were sixty million slaves in the Roman Empire at the time of the writing of this letter; and it is hardly necessary to detail the facts concerning their miserable lot. Paul F. Barakman, The Epistles to Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1962), p. 68.

The ancient empire was built upon slavery, at that time a world-wide institution, recognized and practiced in every nation under heaven. That slaves formed a considerable portion of all the congregations of Paul's day may be inferred from the extensive teachings on the subject in 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Eph. 6:5:8; Colossians 3:11; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:18 and also in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

The holy gospel must have been especially welcomed and appreciated by slaves who, despite being at the bottom of the social and economic ladder, were nevertheless qualified to receive the glorious promises of Christian truth. "It must have been an unspeakable comfort to the poor slave." A. C. Hervey, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 21, 1 Timothy (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 118. In addition to large numbers of slaves being Christians, there is also the likelihood that some of them were even elders. "C. K. Barrett suggested that Paul may have had in mind elders who were slaves." J. Glenn Gould, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. IX (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1965), p. 613.

Under the yoke … There are two words in this little paragraph that carry inherent criticism of the institution of slavery. "Yoke" is one of them, and the other is "master," coming from a particular Greek word "[@despotes] (from which our "despot" is derived), meaning one who has dominion." R. C. H. Lenski, St. Paul's Epistles … 1 Timothy (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1937), p. 694. Nevertheless, there is no militant condemnation of slavery in the New Testament; and, of course, modern critics have been very unfair and unperceptive in commenting on this. See below:

CHRISTIANITY AND SLAVERY

For the apostles to have attempted to eradicate slavery "by preaching it as hateful to God and degrading to men would have produced rebellion and revolution in its darkest and most violent form; and Christ did not propose to break up such relations by violence." David Lipscomb, Commentary on 1 Timothy (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company, 1942), p. 176. There was also another side to the problem. If becoming a Christian had been equated with emancipation, the churches would have been overwhelmed with a flood tide of unregenerated men, seeking not Christ or holiness, but freedom from their chains, creating circumstances which would immediately have destroyed Christianity from the earth. "It would have been impossible for the Christian church to strike overtly in any effective way at the institution of slavery; but indirectly the church sounded the death knell of the institution." J. Glenn Gould, op. cit., p. 613. This was done by teaching the dignity of man, the supreme value of the individual, and those very Christian graces admonished in this chapter.

In any kind of a revolution attempted by Christians, the entire movement would not only have been crushed; but horrible and extensive bloodshed, famine, death and pestilence would have prevailed. The great principle of Christianity looking to the reform of existing social evils is that of working "as leaven," and not as "dynamite."

Count their own masters as worthy of all honor … This was the basic requirement for all slaves, upon penalty of death for violation; so the sanity of such instruction is apparent; but the new-found liberty in Christ would have tempted some, due to human nature, to despise their masters. Thus, the thought here is to the effect that Christianity makes anyone a better person, therefore a better employee, a better master, or even a better slave. And those slaves fortunate enough to have Christian masters were to be willing to extend even more and higher honor to them. Of course, the master, if a real Christian, would respond in kind, which would benefit his slaves, some of whom, no doubt, received their freedom as a result. The principle behind this was thus stated by White:

The Christian slave is to remember that the fact of his master being a Christian, believing and beloved, entitles him to better service, if possible, than that due to a heathen master … If the spiritual status of the master be raised, the quality of the service rendered is not to be lowered, but rather idealized. Newport J. D. White, Expositor's Greek Testament, Vol. IV (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 140.

Men may despise this ethic if they choose to do so, but it was this very thing that broke the back of the institution and lifted the yoke of slavery from the back of humanity.

The name of God … is here placed upon a coordinate basis with "the doctrine," showing the highest esteem in which the apostles held the sacred doctrine of the faith. The current downgrading of doctrine is hurtful, sinful and contrary to divine law.

Be not blasphemed … The word "blaspheme" here has its general meaning of "spoken against." As Spence pointed out:

Any action on the part of professed servants of God which gives the enemies of the Lord an excuse to blaspheme, is ever reckoned in the Scripture as a sin of the deepest dye. Compare Nathan's words to King David (2 Samuel 12:14) and Paul's reproach to the Jews (Romans 2:24). H. D. M. Spence, Ellicott's Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII, 1 Timothy (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 209.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Let as many servants - On the word here rendered “servants” - δοῦλοι douloi - see the notes on Ephesians 6:5. The word is that which was commonly applied to a slave, but it is so extensive in its signification as to be applicable to any species of servitude, whether voluntary or involuntary. If slavery existed in Ephesus at the time when this Epistle was written, it would be applicable to slaves; if any other kind of servitude existed, the word would be equally applicable to that. There is nothing in the word itself which essentially limits it to slavery; examine Matthew 13:27; Matthew 20:27; Mark 10:44; Luke 2:29; John 15:15; Acts 2:18; Acts 4:29; Acts 16:17; Romans 1:1; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 2:20; Revelation 7:3. The addition of the phrase “under the yoke,” however, shows undoubtedly that it is to be understood here of slavery.

As are under the yoke - On the word yoke, see the notes on Matthew 11:29. The phrase here properly denotes slavery, as it would not be applied to any other species of servitude; see Leviticus 26:13; Dem. 322, 12. ζεῦγος δουλοσύνης zeugos doulosunēs. Robinson’s Lexicon. It sometimes denotes the bondage of the Mosaic law as being a severe and oppressive burden; Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1. It may be remarked here that the apostle did not regard slavery as a light or desirable thing. He would not have applied this term to the condition of a wife or of a child.

Count their own masters worthy of all honour - Treat them with all proper respect. They were to manifest the right spirit themselves, whatever their masters did; they were not to do anything that would dishonor religion. The injunction here would seem to have particular reference to those whose masters were not Christians. In the following verse, the apostle gives particular instructions to those who had pious masters. The meaning here is, that the slave ought to show the Christian spirit toward his master who was not a Christian; he ought to conduct himself so that religion would not be dishonored; he ought not to give his master occasion to say that the only effect of the Christian religion on the mind of a servant was to make him restless, discontented, dissatisfied, and disobedient. In the humble and trying situation in which he confessedly was - under the yoke of bondage - he ought to evince patience, kindness, and respect for his master, and as long as the relation continued he was to be obedient. This command, however, was by no means inconsistent with his desiring his freedom, and securing it, if the opportunity presented itself; see the notes on 1 Corinthians 7:21; compare, on the passage before us, the Ephesians 6:5-8 notes, and 1 Peter 2:18 note.

That the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed - That religion be not dishonored and reproached, and that there may be no occasion to say that Christianity tends to produce discontent and to lead to insurrection. If the effect of religion had been to teach all who were servants that they should no longer obey their masters, or that they should rise upon them and assert their freedom by violence, or that their masters were to be treated with indignity on account of their usurped rights over others, the effect would have been obvious. There would have been a loud and united outcry against the new religion, and it could have made no progress in the world. Instead of this, Christianity taught the necessity of patience, and meekness, and forbearance in the endurance of all wrong - whether from private individuals Matthew 5:39-41; 1 Corinthians 6:7, or under the oppressions and exactions of Nero Romans 13:1-7, or amidst the hardships and cruelties of slavery. These peaceful injunctions, however, did not demonstrate that Christ approved the act of him “that smote on the one cheek,” or that Paul regarded the government of Nero as a good government, - and as little do they prove that Paul or the Saviour approved of slavery.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

It appears that, at the beginning of the gospel, slaves cheered their hearts, as if the signal had been given for their emancipation; for Paul labors hard, in all his writings, to repress that desire; and indeed the condition of slavery was so hard that we need not wonder that it was exceedingly hateful. Now, it is customary to seize, for the advantage of the flesh, everything that has the slightest appearance of being in our favor. Thus when they were told that we are all brethren, they instantly concluded that it was unreasonable that they should be the slaves of brethren. But although nothing of all this had come into their mind, still wretched men are always in need of consolation, that may allay the bitterness of their afflictions. Besides, they could not without difficulty be persuaded to bend their necks, willingly and cheerfully, to so harsh a yoke. Such, then, is the object of the present doctrine.

1They who are slaves under the yoke Owing to the false opinion of his own excellence which every person entertains, there is no one who patiently endures that others should rule over him. They who cannot avoid the necessity do, indeed, reluctantly obey those who are above them; but inwardly they fret and rage, because they think that they suffer wrong. The Apostle cuts off, by a single word, all disputes of this kind, by demanding that all who live “under the yoke” shall submit to it willingly. He means that they must not inquire whether they deserve that lot or a better one; for it is enough that they are bound to this condition.

When he enjoins them to esteem worthy of all honor the masters whom they serve, he requires them not only to be faithful and diligent in performing their duties, but to regard and sincerely respect them as persons placed in a higher rank than themselves. No man renders either to a prince or to a master what he owes to them, unless, looking at the eminence to which God has raised them, he honor them, because he is subject to them; for, however unworthy of it they may often be, still that very authority which God bestows on them always entitles them to honor. Besides, no one willingly renders service or obedience to his master, unless he is convinced that he is bound to do so. Hence it follows, that subjection begins with that honor of which Paul wishes that they who rule should be accounted worthy.

That the name and doctrine of God may not be blasphemed We are always too ingenious in our behalf. Thus slaves, who have unbelieving masters, are ready enough with the objection, that it is unreasonable that they who serve the devil should have dominion over the children of God. But Paul throws back the argument to the opposite side, that they ought to obey unbelieving masters, in order that the name of God and the gospel may not be evil spoken of; as if God, whom we worship, incited us to rebellion, and as if the gospel rendered obstinate and disobedient those who ought to be subject to others.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 6

Now Paul turns to the subject of servants in chapter six.

Let as many servants as are under the yoke ( 1 Timothy 6:1 )

That is, to a master.

count their own masters worthy of all honour ( 1 Timothy 6:1 ),

Now this is actually the word "slave." And in that day, slavery was a very common practice. And Paul said, If you are a slave, then count your master worthy of all honor or respect.

that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed ( 1 Timothy 6:1 ).

In our day and age, it is so important for us as Christians to be above reproach in our work and in our work habits, because people are expecting more from you as a Christian than they expect from a normal person. It may be that everyone is fudging on his breaktime and is, you know, taking a half-hour for break when fifteen minutes is allowed. If you're a Christian, you should take fifteen minutes, though the others are taking a half-hour. Now if the other is so, you're taking a half-hour and the others are taking fifteen minutes, you say, well, you know, I'm a Christian; they'll say, Hey, supposed to be a Christian, look at that. And many times by our actions and by our attitudes, we cause the name of Jesus to be blasphemed. And that's tragic.

That was the thing that Nathan nailed David with, after David's experience with Bathsheba. He had said to David, "David, you've caused the enemies of God to blaspheme" ( 2 Samuel 12:14 ). You've given occasion to the enemies of God to lay blame against Christianity or against Jesus Christ because of your slovenliness. More is expected of you because you are a Christian. Produce more, Paul is saying.

If you have a master who is a believer, then don't despise them, because that they are your brothers; but rather service to them, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the same benefit. These things [Paul said] teach and exhort ( 1 Timothy 6:2 ).

So basically the servant was as a Christian, to be exemplary in his service, whether he had an unbelieving or a believing master. Now if you had a believing master, he may sort of resent the fact that he still is requiring this of me. After all, we're brothers in Christ and we are believers, you know. But Paul is just exhorting them to have the respect and honor of their masters.

If any man teach otherwise, and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness ( 1 Timothy 6:3 );

Paul uses this word "godliness" some six times; I believe it is in this epistle. He talks a lot about godliness. "Great is the mystery of godliness:" you remember last Sunday's message. "God was manifest in the flesh" ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ), and all. Now again, "If someone teaches otherwise, and does not consent to the wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness." And that's the purpose that we might be like God, that we might be godly in our actions.

That person who is teaching otherwise,

Is proud, he knows nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, and evil surmisings, the perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth ( 1 Timothy 6:4-5 ),

And what is their main thesis?

supposing that godliness is a way to gain ( 1 Timothy 6:5 ):

Paul said this is one of the worst heresies.

withdraw yourself from such a person ( 1 Timothy 6:5 ).

You see, here is a slave who is saying, Hey, I've a godly master so you know he ought to make it easier on me. It's a way for me to gain. Here is a master who's saying, Oh, I have a godly servant, you know, I can trust him and I can put him in a position of trust because he is godly. I can use that for my gain, for my benefit.

So many people are following this heresy. There are many people who are advocating this heresy. You know, if you want to be rich, if you want to drive a Cadillac, just receive the Lord and have enough faith. Go out in faith, put the down payment on the thing, put a deposit on it, you know. Believe and trust the Lord to make the payments. Godliness is a way for prosperity. God wants you to have the best. You're the King's kids and God wants you to live like the King's kid. Go out and go for it. Indulge your lust. God wants you to have everything. Godliness is a way to gain.

"Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds. They're destitute of the truth, from such withdraw yourself." The truth is,

godliness with contentment that's great gain ( 1 Timothy 6:6 ).

That's really being rich. The person who never has enough, who is always wanting more, is not really rich. I know a man who has over a hundred and fifty million dollars, over a hundred million deposited in certificates of deposit in the bank. He keeps that for the acquisition of new breweries that might come on the market. This man works sixteen hours a day, sixteen to eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, never takes a day off, never takes a vacation; drives himself. He's not rich, he's poor, that's not really being rich. What is really rich? The man who is godly and is content, a man who doesn't have a need. That's the man who is rich; he's got everything he wants. That's real riches, that contentment with what I have.

And so Paul speaks about contentment. He said,

We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we're not going to carry anything out ( 1 Timothy 6:7 ).

When you die, you're going to do just exactly what everyone before you has done; you're going to leave everything here. You're not going to take a cent with you. "Naked I came into the world, naked I'm going out of the world" ( Job 1:21 ). I brought nothing in; I'm going to carry nothing out.

And [therefore] having food and raiment let us be therewith content ( 1 Timothy 6:8 ).

How many people have brought themselves into really great poverty because they're never satisfied with what they have? Always wanting something more. And that discontentment has brought many people to bankruptcy. "Having food or raiment be content." You have food, you have clothes, praise the Lord! Be content.

But they that will be rich ( 1 Timothy 6:9 )

If this is your goal, if this is your drive, if this is your purpose in life, "they that will be rich" will

fall into temptations and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts or desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition ( 1 Timothy 6:9 ).

The wealthy person has far many more temptations than I have. Because of his wealth, the opportunities are there of doing so many more things. I don't have to worry about a lot of things because I don't have the money to do them; I'm not tempted by them, I can't afford them. But a wealthy person runs into all kinds of temptations that you never dreamed about. So "they that will be rich will fall into these snares, the temptations, many foolish, hurtful desires, which just drown men in destruction."

For the love of money is the root of all evil ( 1 Timothy 6:10 ):

That's quite a statement. Notice, he does not say, "Money is the root of all evil." And you've often heard it quoted that way, haven't you? That's not what he says. Money is not evil; it's not good. It all depends on your attitude towards money. And "the love of money is the root of all evil."

James said "from whence comes the fightings and the wars" ( James 4:1 ). Does it come from man's own lust, the desires? Love of money, the greed, behind all of the wars and strivings and jealousies and all within the world, the love of money, the root of all evil. And so you can take the evil and you can trace it all back and it comes back to greed, the love of money. And the world is in the mess that it is today because of greed.

It is not that we are running out of natural resources. It isn't that the world isn't big enough to accommodate the population. It isn't that we could not feed everybody. The problem with the world is how men are spending the money. Last year throughout the world, there was over one trillion dollars spent for the defense budgets in the nations of the world, for buying war equipment to destroy other men; over one trillion dollars. Had we spent one trillion dollars last year in agricultural development, there would not be a single hungry person on the face of the earth; instead of the fact, that two-thirds of the world are living on starvation diets tonight, not enough food.

It isn't that we can't produce enough food, it isn't that there isn't enough arable ground and so forth, it's a misdirection; the greed of man. It's more profitable to make bombs than to plant corn. And so the greed of man, the love of money; that's the root of the evil. If it weren't for the love of money, we would have no drug problems today. What's behind the drug problem? What's behind all of these drug smuggling and so forth? What's behind it all? The love of money. If we did not have the love of money, there would be no prostitution today. Were it not for the love of money, think of how many evils would be eliminated from our earth. The love of money is the root of all evil.

which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows ( 1 Timothy 6:10 ).

An interesting observation because the lie that we believe is just the opposite. The common deception is if I just had enough money, I would be happy. Paul is saying that these who have achieved, turning from the truth, erring from the truth, have brought themselves into great sorrows. And interestingly enough, the most wealthy men I know are also at the same time the most miserable men that I know. Interesting, isn't it?

I have them invite me out to lunch. They pour out their stories of woe, misery, loneliness. One fellow was sharing with me how he didn't know if anybody truly loved him or not. All of these women throwing themselves at him, but he said I don't know if they really love me or not. He's married three of them so far and they've all taken him for a pretty good ride. And now he's in a real dilemma. Since the last one left and made out pretty well in the courts, there's a lot of others who are thinking, My, I'd like to retire, too. Live with a guy for six months and retire, you know. He said, I don't know if they really love me or not. Miserable. Doesn't know true love. How can I know if they really love me? Sad, isn't it? The guy's so wealthy. He doesn't know if anybody really loves him or not or they're just after him for his bucks. Are they friendly just because he has bucks? Are they hoping to cash in on his bankroll? Poor fellow.

I have a cousin who's so rich as far as money goes. The poor fellow is over in the Philippines somewhere with a butterfly net chasing butterflies through the jungles. That's how he spends his life, chasing butterflies through the jungles. Worth millions of dollars, he's never worked a day in his life, but life is a bore, life is a drag. The only excitement he has is chasing butterflies. Poor fellow. Next to him I'm rich.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things ( 1 Timothy 6:11 );

Flee what? The love of money.

follow after righteousness ( 1 Timothy 6:11 ),

Pursue after righteousness. Don't pursue after wealth, after being rich; pursue rather after righteousness.

godliness ( 1 Timothy 6:11 ),

There is that word again.

faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold to eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses ( 1 Timothy 6:11-12 ).

So it all comes down to what is the center of your life. If money, the desire for money, the desire for gain is at the center of your life, then you're going to be a miserable person. If God is at the center of your life, you're going to be rich, your life is going to be blessed, your life is going to be full. So put God at the center of your life, put righteousness at the center of your life, godliness at the center of your life, that you might really be a rich person. Enjoy the true riches, the eternal riches.

Because one of the tragic things about my poor cousin is the only one he has to leave his money to is an idiot cousin, his daughter. It's tragic, isn't it? But she's already got so many millions, you know, but she lives in a care home in Ojai. She's not able to take care of herself. Her grandmother died recently and left her another seven million dollars but it's all under trusteeship while she just sits there in the home and puts peanut butter on Ritz crackers. That's tragic, isn't it?

I went to visit her and she said, Oh, I have this special recipe, I want to, I want to fix for you this special recipe. She brings out all these Ritz crackers with peanut butter. Oh, she made these up herself, you know. Poor child, my heart goes out to her. I really, my heart does go out to her. I wouldn't trade places with her for anything, with all of the bucks that she has, or my other cousin. I wouldn't trade with him for anything with all of the bucks he has. I wouldn't want to be running around some jungle in the Philippines tonight, you know, chasing butterflies.

God at the center of your life; it's a life that is content, a life that is happy, a life that is rich, a life that is full.

I give you charge [he said] in the sight of God, who makes all things alive, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession ( 1 Timothy 6:13 );

"Pilate said, Art thou a king then? And Jesus said, To this end was I born and for this cause I came to the world" ( John 18:33 , John 18:37 ). Good confession before Pontius Pilate. So this is going to be heavy, heavy duty charge. "I charge you before God, who makes all things alive, before Jesus Christ,"

That you keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ ( 1 Timothy 6:14 ):

Now he gave them this commandment; what was it? To make God the center of your life, to seek after righteousness and godliness. I charge you before God, do this until the Lord comes again. Keep Him at the center of your heart and life. What did Jesus say about this? He said, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and everything else will be taken care of" ( Matthew 6:33 ).

You see, man's life exists on two plains, the vertical and the horizontal. The vertical plain is your relationship with God and that is the axis upon which your life revolves. If your relationship with God is out of kilter, then your relationship with your fellowman is going to be out of kilter, out of balance. And this is the problem in our world today. People are trying to live a well-balanced life and they are struggling and striving to have a well-balanced life, to have a well-balanced relationship with others. And they're fighting constantly to find this balance in relationships, spending millions going to the psychologist and psychiatrist trying to find the balance. The reason why the life is out of balance, the reason why your relationships are out of balance, is that your relationship with God is out of balance. The vertical axis of your life is off center.

Now Paul is giving to Timothy fantastic advice. Put God at the center of your life. Godliness, righteousness, put these things at the center of your being. I charge you before God, do this until Jesus comes. Because if the center of your life is right, if your relationship with God is right, then you will be a very rich person, because it will affect every other relationship in your life. They will all be right if your relationship with God is right. You'll have a right relationship with the devil; you'll defeat him everytime you meet him because your relationship with God is right. You'll have a right relationship with your possessions, for you will know that they are really God's, and only entrusted to you and you'll use them wisely. You'll have a right relationship with your fellowmen, sharing, loving, giving.

God at the center, the vertical axis, the horizontal automatically falls into place. You cannot correct the horizontal axis by working on the horizontal. I mean, you can't correct the horizontal plain by working on the horizontal plain. I'm going to work on this relationship. While you're working on this relationship, you're messing up five more. Spending too much time trying to get this relationship right and everything else is going wrong. So you finally get this one right and you turn around and oh man, everybody else, oh help. So you grab a hold of another. I'm going to work on this relationship. While you're getting that one corrected, another goes out of balance.

And so you spend your whole life trying to get balanced here, you know, when in reality you need to come back to the vertical axis, get your relationship with God. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things would be taken care of." They'll all be added to you. So that is why Paul is so forceful in charging Timothy to get your life right with God. Put God at the center. Seek after righteousness and godliness. For when Jesus comes,

In his time he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen ( 1 Timothy 6:15-16 ).

So Jesus when He comes is going to show who the true, the only God is. "The only and blessed Potentate, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, who dwells in a light which no man can approach; whom no man hath seen." In John, the first chapter, we read, "No man hath seen God at any time; but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has manifested him" ( John 1:18 ). But Jesus will show us then who is the only true God.

Now you see, riches are not a true God. They are a false God, but they are the god of many people. Many people are worshipping wealth; it's the center of their life. And you don't have to be wealthy to have it at the center of your life. In fact, it probably is a problem that is almost more endemic to poor people than it is to wealthy people, because poor people so often live under the illusion that wealth would be the solution to all their problems. Wealthy people know that that's not so, but poor people think that it would be so. All my problems would be solved by wealth. So the love of money can actually be a stronger drive in a poor person than in a rich person. It is not a true God. It is a false god. When Jesus appears, He will show us who is the true God. "The only Potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords."

And so he said, Timothy,

Charge those that are rich in this world, that they not be highminded, nor trust in the uncertainty of riches, but teach them to trust in the living God ( 1 Timothy 6:17 ),

This whole area now is on who is your god? Riches your god, the desire for money your god, it's at the heart of your being. Or are you living a godly life, a righteous life, serving the only true and the living God? "Charge those that are rich in the things of this world, in the worldly things, that they not be highminded, and don't trust in your riches, they are uncertain, but trust rather in the living God,"

who gives us richly all things to enjoy ( 1 Timothy 6:17 );

I love that. God gives to us richly all things to enjoy. All the money in the world can't buy the thrill of sitting on the beach and watching the sun set behind Catalina Island. And just enjoying the sky that lights up in brilliant color. And just sitting there and communing with God; what a rich experience that is. What a rich experience it is to walk through the forest and smell the pine needle and hear the waterfalls and the singing brooks and the blue jays and the chatter of the squirrel. God has given to us richly all things to enjoy. God wants you to enjoy life. God wants you to have the fullness of joy in your life. And He has given you the laws by which, the rules by which you can have a life that is filled with joy.

Our problem is that we don't always agree with God. We think that many times God has set rules that are too restrictive, that they are holding me back from joy or from something that would be pleasurable or exciting. And I find myself rebelling against the law of God saying, God, you're not right, you know, it isn't fair to deny me that because if I could only do that, then I would really have joy and happiness. But everytime we defy the law of God, we find it brings misery and sorrow to ourself.

God has given us the rules of happiness and the rules of joy. "Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But whose delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night. Where he will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; whatever he does will prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the day of judgment" ( Psalms 1:1-5 ). Oh the happy man is the man who has put God at the center of his life because when God is at the center of my life, I can then enjoy all that God has given to me. I can enjoy it fully. For God has "given to me all things richly, freely, richly to enjoy."

And so, "Charge those that are rich,"

That they do good, and that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, and willing to give to those that are in need ( 1 Timothy 6:18 );

The word "communicate" is that of communicating of help unto the needy. For in so doing, they will be

Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life ( 1 Timothy 6:19 ).

Jesus gave a parable that has been a problem for many people to understand. The parable was of a servant who found out he was going to get fired. His master said, Okay, make an accounting of everything, you know, you're fired. Servant says, Hey, what am I going to do? I'm ashamed to beg. I don't want to dig ditches. I know what I'll do. And he started calling in the creditors. How much do you owe my boss? I owe him a hundred measures of meal. Here, let me have your bill. Scratch out a hundred. Fifty. Called in another creditor, how much do you owe my boss? Oh, a hundred barrels of oil. Here, fifty. And he cut all of the bills in half figuring as soon as he's fired, he'll go and say, Hey, remember how I wiped out fifty barrels of oil off your bill? I need a little bit. Could you help me? He was taking advantage of his present situation to set himself up for the future. He knew he wasn't going to always be in this position of helping himself for the future; it's going to be short-lived. He was going to be fired in a week, so, you know, take advantage of my present position to hedge for the future.

Now Jesus said, The Lord commended the unjust steward. And that's where the parable runs into difficulty. Commended him? He ought to have condemned him. He should have thrown him in jail. He commended the unjust steward for Jesus said, The children of this generation are wiser than the children of light. Therefore, make use of the unrighteousness of mammon; that when you die, you might be received into the everlasting habitations ( Luke 16:1-9 ).

What was He talking about? Right now, I have the opportunities of laying up for myself treasures in heaven. I will not always have this opportunity. The day is coming when I will die. After I die, I will have no further opportunity of laying up for myself an eternal heavenly store. That opportunity is only now while I am here.

Jesus said, "Make use of the unrighteousness of mammon." You see, your money, your dollar is not worth anything in heaven. It's not worth very much here, but it's worth nothing in heaven. If you could take them there, if you could carry them out, if when you die you could take a suitcase full, when you get to the gates say, Hey, Peter, look what I brought, you know. Show me the nicest room you've got. Peter will say, What's that junk? Your money is not current in heaven. Here I brought all this gold. No, throw it in the street. Let it mix with the rest of the pavement. We use that stuff for asphalt up here.

So, my only opportunity of laying up an eternal heavenly store is now. So "charge those that are rich that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they are ready to distribute to the needy, and to help those that are in need." That they might lay up for themselves a store in heaven, a good foundation against the time to come that they might enter into that eternal kingdom. "Laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt or decay, thieves cannot break through and steal" ( Matthew 6:20 ).

So rich on earth, poor in heaven. How long you going to be on earth? Hundred years? How long you going to be in heaven? Poor on earth, rich in heaven. Who's better off? So I don't have much. So it is tough. I have all I need. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I don't have any real needs or real wants. I'm rich. But more than that, hey, the eternal riches. Rich eternally.

Issues that I debated years ago when I was debating between a career as a medical doctor or as a minister. Where do I want my riches? Now or forever? It makes good sense to me to be rich eternally more than to be rich temporally. It makes better sense for me to lay up my riches in heaven where I might enjoy them world without end, than to try and amass riches now, which can only bring misery and strife and unrest. The true riches.

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings, and the oppositions of science falsely so called ( 1 Timothy 6:20 ):

You want to know what is the greatest science falsely so called in the world today? Evolution. They call it science but it's falsely called science. There's nothing scientific about the evolutionary theory. It's science falsely so called. Vain babblings, profane and vain babblings. Paul said avoid them, Timothy.

Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen ( 1 Timothy 6:21 ).

Paul's first letter to Timothy.

Father, we thank You for the good counsel. May we take heed, and Lord, may we indeed seek to put Christ at the center of our lives, godliness at the center of our being. Keep us, Lord, from the delusion and the lie of the enemy that would say that godliness is a way to riches. But God, may we not have riches as the motive and the center, the master passion of our lives knowing that the love of money is the root of evil, has destroyed so many people. Oh God, give us wisdom to put You first. In Jesus' name, Amen.

May the Lord give you a blessed week and may you go out and begin to enjoy all things richly that He has given to you. Begin to enjoy those eternal riches that you have as a child of God. May God help you to just sort of slow down from this mad drive for more and just begin to enjoy what you have. May He give you some blue skies to observe, clouds. Get on down to the beach. Sit there and just watch it and commune with God. Enjoy what God has given to you. And may your life be enriched and blessed as you walk in fellowship with Him, God at the center. In Jesus' name. "

Contending for the Faith

Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

Paul begins by addressing the relationship of the Christian slave to his master, whether believing or unbelieving. By showing respect for his unbelieving master, the slave can prevent a negative reflection on God. His respect for the believing master is founded upon the principle of love within the community of the saints.

Let as many servants as are under the yoke: Paul was speaking to Christians under servile conditions. The word "yoke" (zugon) is used metaphorically of any burden or bondage, referring here to slavery.

count their own masters worthy of all honour: The unbeliever’s rank as master calls for proper esteem because of his position in society. The liberty one has in Christ does not give him the freedom to be less diligent or less faithful in service to a master. The master-servant relationship was a dominant factor in the social order of that day. The teachings and actions of the converted would have a massive impact on the social structure and the reputation of the Christian faith. Paul, therefore, spoke frequently and specifically about the master-servant relationship. (See 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-24; Titus 2:9-10; 1 Peter 2:18-19.)

that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed: Paul did not want the actions of the converted servant to bring undue discredit to the faith. The scriptures have often revealed concern about actions by God’s own causing evil words against God’s name (2 Samuel 12:14; Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:23; Romans 2:24).

The word "blasphemed" (blaspheemeo) means to speak reproachfully, to be spoken against, or to speak evil of another. (See Romans 3:8; Romans 14:16; 1 Corinthians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 10:30; Titus 2:5; and 2 Peter 2:2.) Paul urges servants to so behave as not to gain the reputation of being disrespectful and insubordinate. Liberty in Christ did not exempt them from all civil responsibilities. Fairbairn paraphrases the thought by saying that Christians should "beware of abusing their liberty in the gospel imagining that their spiritual calling and privileges entitled them to spurn the outward restraints under which they lay, and disregard the duties of their station" (231).

Christianity influences every aspect of our lives, but it does not remove differences of rank. Rather than eliminating these differences, the Christian faith encourages a person to attend to secular necessities more conscientiously. The decision a Christian makes in situations not inherently evil or condemned should be made so that the Christian faith will not be spoken against in an evil manner.

The principles Paul sets forth in his discussion of the servant-master relationship are applicable to the employer-employee relationship today. The Christian dare not exploit the word of God to escape responsibilities in his job because such brings scandal to the faith. The degree to which a co-worker listens to one’s testimony concerning spiritual things may depend upon the Christian’s conduct and his handling of responsibilities in earthly relationships.

And they that have believing masters: Paul senses the prospect of a believing servant dwelling on his spiritual equality with his master to the point of becoming bitter for not having the same equality in other spheres of life. Envy and jealousy have often found fertile soil for growth, even in bonds less demanding than the servant-master relationship.

let them not despise them: The word "despise" (kataphroneo) means to belittle or disdain (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul urges the servant to avoid such an attitude because both servant and master are of the same spiritual womb or birth.

because they are brethren: The converted bond servant should not have disdain or think less in his heart of his master in work and rank because he is a fellow Christian. That spiritual relationship--and the love inherent in it--should provoke the servant to be the more diligent in his labor.

but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit: Building upon the foundation that spiritual ties do not nullify other relationships, even among Christians, Paul urges the servant not to act "as if the spiritual equality had effaced the civil distinction; but the rather serve them, because they who receive the benefit are faithful and beloved" (Fairbairn 232). Paul does not suggest to give less service to the unsaved; rather, he gives more reason for one’s service to the saved. His manner here is not corrective but intensive; that is, he encourages the servant to "do the more."

The use of the word "rather" contrasts "let them not despise them" and "do them service." Instead of using their spiritual relationship as a basis for less devotion, they should use it as a motivation for greater devotion. (See Ephesians 5:4.) As MacKnight paraphrases, "Wherefore, let them serve their masters more diligently, because they who enjoy the benefit of their services are believers and beloved of God" (462).

In this section of the letter, Paul sets forth the influence a spiritual bond has in fleshly ties. Although that bond does not nullify the fleshly arrangement, it does mandate the type of attitude one should possess. It is interesting to note that Paul gives instruction to the master in a servant-master relationship when he writes to Philemon regarding Onesimus. Paul encourages Philemon (verse 16) to be considerate toward Onesimus who had become a brother. Philemon’s relationship changed significantly toward Onesimus subsequent to the servant’s conversion. In both his writings to Philemon and Timothy, Paul shows that one’s decision and actions should be influenced by the consciousness of his spiritual position.

These things teach and exhort: The message Paul delivers to Timothy by the written word was to be given to others by instructive discourse and to be enjoined by exhortation. It is always profitable to teach the contents of the written word soundly and to urge that the teaching and its implications be obeyed.

The word "teach" (didaske) is also used in 1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Timothy 4:11; 2 Timothy 2:2, and the word "exhort" (parakalei) in 2 Thessalonians 3:12 and Titus 2:15.

The two opening verses of this chapter give a specific reason for the proper conduct of the Christian in whatever state he should find himself. The reason was concern for the faith. It is concern for the gospel and its reputation growing out of a love for Christ that is the great mover of right behavior. Paul’s admonition to honor the unbelieving master and his warning not to despise the believing master are prompted by concern for the faith. Any age will suffer great loss in spiritual mooring when men are unwilling to deny themselves for the sake of the gospel.

Contending for the Faith

Introduction

Since the whole of 1 Timothy is rich with practical exhortation, it is only fitting that the concluding section of this epistle contain more punctuated urgings and warnings from the Apostle Paul. Throughout most of his writings, Paul reveals a consistent pattern of presentation; typically, he has a greeting, keynote, thanksgiving, doctrine, and practical application, followed usually with concluding greetings and business.

In this sixth chapter, Paul urges Timothy to exhort others regarding various topics of concern while encouraging him to give personal heed to his own conduct and teaching. With his divine wisdom, Paul highlights areas in Timothy’s life that need attention. His writings became apostolic support for Timothy’s preaching and should be the very content of the church’s teaching today. The intense personal admonition Paul gives to Timothy can be expected since the banner of the Cause is being passed from an apostolic figure to a non-apostolic figure.

As he concludes this letter, Paul touches on a series of prevalent but miscellaneous issues. While there are ties between the verses, the whole of the message does not seem to be tightly interwoven. Part of the message is personal admonition to Timothy regarding his Christian character and his steadfastness as a minister of the gospel. He also gives general admonition to the Christian, emphasizing what should be considered of "great gain" while warning of the danger of following after riches. In that context Paul reminds Timothy of the benefits of "laying up in store ... a good foundation." The lasting merit of the chapter is Paul’s instruction about Christian living that so many in the world of that time--and this--had surrendered.

Paul addresses three groups of people and divides them into two categories each as he gives the admonition in this chapter: (1) slaves, both those with unbelieving masters and those with believing masters; (2) teachers, including false teachers with improper motives and wrong sources of authority for their beliefs and sound teachers with proper motives and divine authority as a basis of truth; (3) wealthy, both those who desire wealth and those who have wealth with all of its attendant responsibilities. These groupings can serve as memory keys that can help in remembering the contents of the chapter.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

A. Slaves 6:1-2

As he had done previously (e.g., 1 Timothy 5:1-2) Paul urged the adoption of proper attitudes toward others that would normally make it easier to produce proper actions. Christian slaves were to "regard" their masters as worthy of all "honor" (cf. 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 5:3; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Timothy 6:16) if for no other reason than that God had placed them in a position of authority over them. Such an attitude would lead to service that would not bring dishonor on the God the slave professed to serve or the faith he professed to follow (cf. Isaiah 52:5).

Christian slaves who had believing masters had a second reason to give their masters honor and faithful service. They were their brethren. As such they deserved even greater consideration than unbelieving masters. Disrespectful behavior was inappropriate in such a case, as was shoddy service, since the person who benefited from the ministry of the slave was a brother in Christ (NIV, NASB, NRSV). Another view sees "those who partake of the benefit" as the Christian slaves who, because of their respectful service, reaped benefits from their unbelieving masters (TNIV). I prefer the first view.

"A first-century slave’s hope for manumission was more than a dream, and the realistic possibility of obtaining freedom served to motivate the slave to excel in service." [Note: Ibid., p. 379.]

Timothy was to communicate this instruction to the church. Perhaps Paul wrote no instructions for Christian masters of slaves because there were none in the Ephesian church or because they were behaving properly. Perhaps Paul wrote Timothy (and Titus [1 Timothy 2:9-10]) about the conduct of slaves but not masters because many slaves had become Christians and most of them undoubtedly had non-Christian masters. [Note: Knight, The Pastoral . . ., p. 243.] Elsewhere in the New Testament other instructions for slaves and masters appear (1 Corinthians 7:20-24; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; Phile.; 1 Peter 2:13-25). Paul probably did not discuss other family relationships (e.g., husband, wife, children, masters) because he was addressing a specific Ephesian situation and not teaching on family relationships in general. [Note: Mounce, p. 325.] What Paul said to slaves here is applicable to employees today.

"How could a Christian leader such as Paul tolerate the existence of oppressive, dehumanizing slavery without denouncing it? To answer this question, we must note that the time was not propitious for a Christian to secure freedom for slaves by denouncing slavery. Paul’s modification of the servant-master relationship in Ephesians 6:5-9 destroyed the very essence of slavery. Also the New Testament consistently calls Christians to a role as servants (Mark 10:43-45)." [Note: Lea, p. 163.]

"While not condoning slavery or calling for its dissolution, Paul makes it clear that the deeper and more significant relationship is that between two believers rather than how society defines their relationship on the surface." [Note: Mounce, p. 330.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

V. INSTRUCTIONS FOR GROUPS WITHIN THE CHURCH 6:1-19

In the last major section of this letter Paul called on Timothy to instruct the members of various groups within the church concerning their Christian duty.

Barclay's Daily Study Bible

Chapter 6

HOW TO BE A SLAVE AND A CHRISTIAN ( 1 Timothy 6:1-2 )

6:1-2 Let all those who are slaves under the yoke hold their own masters to be worthy of all respect, in order that no one may have an opportunity to speak evil of the name of God and the Christian teaching. If they have masters who are believers, let them not try to take advantage of them because they are brothers, but rather let them render even better service, because those who lay claim to that service are believers and beloved.

Beneath the surface of this passage there are certain supremely important Christian principles for everyday life and work.

The Christian slave was in a peculiarly difficult position. If he was the slave of a heathen master, he might very easily make it clear that he regarded his master as bound for perdition and himself as the heir of salvation. His Christianity might well give him a feeling of intolerant superiority which would create an impossible situation. On the other hand, if his master was a Christian, the slave might be tempted to take advantage of the relationship and to trade upon it, using it as an excuse for producing inefficient work in the expectation of escaping all punishment. He might think that the fact that both he and his master were Christians entitled him to all kinds of special consideration. There was an obvious problem here. We must note two general things.

(i) In those early days the Church did not emerge as the would-be destroyer of slavery by violent and sudden means. And it was wise. There were something like 60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire. Simply because of their numbers they were always regarded as potential enemies. If ever there was a slave revolt it was put down with merciless force, because the Roman Empire could not afford to allow the slaves to rise. If a slave ran away and was caught, he was either executed or branded on the forehead with the letter F, which stood for fugitivus, which means runaway. There was indeed a Roman law which stated that if a master was murdered all his slaves could be examined under torture, and could indeed be put to death in a body. E. K. Simpson wisely writes: "Christianity's spiritual campaign would have been fatally compromised by stirring the smouldering embers of class-hatred into a devouring flame, or opening an asylum for runaway slaves in its bosom."

For the Church to have encouraged slaves to revolt against their masters would have been fatal. It would simply have caused civil war, mass murder, and the complete discredit of the Church. What happened was that as the centuries went on Christianity so permeated civilization that in the end the slaves were freed voluntarily and not by force. Here is a tremendous lesson. It is the proof that neither men nor the world nor society can be reformed by force and by legislation. The reform must come through the slow penetration of the Spirit of Christ into the human situation. Things have to happen in God's time, not in ours. In the end the slow way is the sure way, and the way of violence always defeats itself.

(ii) There is here the further truth, that "spiritual equality does not efface civil distinctions." It is a continual danger that a man may unconsciously regard his Christianity as an excuse for slackness and inefficiency. Because he and his master are both Christians, he may expect to be treated with special consideration. But the fact that both master and man are Christian does not release the employee from doing a good day's work and earning his wage. The Christian is under the same obligation to submit to discipline and to earn his pay as any other man.

What then is the duty of the Christian slave as the Pastorals see it? It is to be a good slave. If he is not, if he is slack and careless, if he is disobedient and insolent, he merely supplies the world with ammunition to criticize the Church. The Christian workman must commend his Christianity by being a better workman than other people. In particular, his work will be done in a new spirit. He will not now think of himself as being unwillingly compelled to work; he will think of himself as rendering service to his master, to God and to his fellow-men. His aim will be, not to see how little can be forced out of him, but how much he can willingly do. As George Herbert had it:

"A servant with this clause

Makes drudgery divine:

Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,

Makes that and the action fine."

FALSE TEACHERS AND FALSE TEACHING ( 1 Timothy 6:3-5 )

6:3-5 If any man offers a different kind of teaching, and does not apply himself to sound words (it is the words of our Lord Jesus Christ I mean) and to godly teaching, he has become inflated with pride. He is a man of no understanding; rather he has a diseased addiction to subtle speculations and battles of words, which can be only a source of envy, strife, the exchange of insults, evil suspicions, continual altercations of men whose minds are corrupt and who are destitute of the truth, men whose belief is that religion is a means of making gain.

The circumstances of life in the ancient world presented the false teacher with an opportunity which he was not slow to take. On the Christian side, the Church was full of wandering prophets, whose very way of life gave them a certain prestige. The Christian service was much more informal than it is now. Anyone who felt he had a message was free to give it; and the door was wide open to men who were out to propagate a false and misleading message. On the heathen side, there were men called sophists (compare G4680) , wise men, who made it their business, so to speak, to sell philosophy. They had two lines. They claimed for a fee to be able to teach men to argue cleverly; they were the men who with their smooth tongues and their adroit minds were skilled in "making the worse appear the better reason." They had turned philosophy into a way of becoming rich. Their other line was to give demonstrations of public speaking. The Greek had always been fascinated by the spoken word; he loved an orator; and these wandering sophists went from town to town, giving their oratorical demonstrations. They went in for advertising on an intensive scale and even went the length of delivering by hand personal invitations to their displays. The most famous of them drew people literally by the thousand to their lectures; they were in their day the equivalent of the modern pop star. Philostratus tells us that Adrian, one of the most famous of them, had such a popular power that, when his messenger appeared with the news that he was to speak, even the senate and the circus emptied, and the whole population flocked to the Athenaeum to hear him. They had three great faults.

Their speeches were quite unreal. They would offer to speak on any subject, however remote and recondite and unlikely, that any member of the audience might propose. This is the kind of question they would argue; it is an actual example. A man goes into the citadel of a town to kill a tyrant who has been grinding down the people; not finding the tyrant, he kills the tyrant's son; the tyrant comes in and sees his dead son with the sword in his body, and in his grief kills himself; the man then claims the reward for killing the tyrant and liberating the people; should he receive it?

Their thirst was for applause. Competition between them was a bitter and a cut-throat affair. Plutarch tells of a travelling sophist called Niger who came to a town in Galatia where a prominent orator resided. A competition was immediately arranged. Niger had to compete or lose his reputation. He was suffering from a fishbone in his throat and had difficulty in speaking; but for the sake of prestige he had to go on. Inflammation set in soon after, and in the end he died. Dio Chrysostom paints a picture of a public place in Corinth with all the different kinds of competitors in full blast: "You might hear many poor wretches of sophists shouting and abusing each other, and their disciples, as they call them, squabbling, and many writers of books reading their stupid compositions, and many poets singing their poems, and many jugglers exhibiting their marvels, and many soothsayers giving the meaning of prodigies, and a thousand rhetoricians twisting lawsuits, and no small number of traders driving their several trades." There you have just that interchange of insults, that envy and strife, that constant wordy altercation of men with decadent minds that the writer of the Pastorals deplores. "A sophist," wrote Philostratus, "is put out in an extempore speech by a serious-looking audience and tardy praise and no clapping." "They are all agape," said Dio Chrysostom, "for the murmur of the crowd.... Like men walking in the dark they move always in the direction of the clapping and the shouting." Lucian writes: "If your friends see you breaking down, let them pay the price of the suppers you give them by stretching out their arms and giving you a chance of thinking of something to say in the intervals between the rounds of applause." The ancient world well knew just the kind of false teacher who was invading the Church.

Their thirst was for praise, and their criterion was numbers. Epictetus has some vivid pictures of the sophist talking to his disciples after his performance. "'Well, what did you think of me today?' 'Upon my life, sir, I thought you were admirable.' 'What did you think of my best passage?' 'Which was that?' 'Where I described Pan and the Nymphs.' 'Oh, it was excessively well done.'" "'A much larger audience today, I think,' says the sophist. 'Yes, much larger,' responds the disciple. 'Five hundred, I should guess.' 'O, nonsense! It could not have been less than a thousand.' 'Why, that is more than Dio ever had. I wonder why it was? They appreciated what I said, too.' 'Beauty, sir, can move a stone.'" These performing sophists were "the pets of society." They became senators, governors, ambassadors. When they died monuments were erected to them, with inscriptions such as, "The Queen of Cities to the King of Eloquence."

The Greeks were intoxicated with the spoken word. Among them, if a man could speak, his fortune was made. It was against a background like that that the Church was growing up; and it is little wonder that this type of teacher invaded it. The Church gave him a new area in which to exercise his meretricious gifts and to gain a tinsel prestige and a not unprofitable following.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FALSE TEACHER ( 1 Timothy 6:3-5 continued)

Here in this passage are set out the characteristics of the false teacher.

(i) His first characteristic is conceit. His desire is not to display Christ, but to display himself There are still preachers and teachers who are more concerned to gain a following for themselves than for Jesus Christ, more concerned to press their own views than to bring to men the word of God. In a lecture on his old teacher A. B. Bruce, W. M. Macgregor said: "One of our own Highland ministers tells how he had been puzzled by seeing Bruce again and again during lectures take up a scrap of paper, look at it and then proceed. One day he caught at the chance of seeing what this paper contained, and discovered on it an indication of the words: 'O, send out thy light and thy truth,' and thus he realized with awe that into his classroom the professor brought the majesty and the hopefulness of worship." The great teacher does not offer men his own farthing candle of illumination; he offers them the light and the truth of God.

(ii) His concern is with abstruse and recondite speculations. There is a kind of Christianity which is more concerned with argument than with life. To be a member of a discussion circle or a Bible study group and spend enjoyable hours in talk about doctrines does not necessarily make a Christian. J. S. Whale in his book Christian Doctrine has certain scathing things to say about this pleasant intellectualism: "We have as Valentine said of Thurio, 'an exchequer of words, but no other treasure.' Instead of putting off our shoes from our feet because the place whereon we stand is holy ground, we are taking nice photographs of the Burning Bush from suitable angles: we are chatting about theories of the Atonement with our feet on the mantelpiece, instead of kneeling down before the wounds of Christ." As Luther had it: "He who merely studies the commandments of God (mandata Dei) is not greatly moved. But he who listens to God commanding (Deum mandantem), how can he fail to be terrified by majesty so great?" As Melanchthon had it: "To know Christ is not to speculate about the mode of his Incarnation, but to know his saving benefits." Gregory of Nyssa drew a revealing picture of Constantinople in his day: "Constantinople is full of mechanics and slaves, who are all of them profound theologians, preaching in the shops and the streets. If you want a man to change a piece of silver, he informs you wherein the Son differs from the Father; if you ask the price of a loaf, you are told by way of reply that the Son is inferior to the Father; and if you enquire whether the bath is ready, the answer is that the Son is made out of nothing." Subtle argumentation and glib theological statements do not make a Christian. That kind of thing may well be nothing other than a mode of escape from the challenge of Christian living.

(iii) The false teacher is a disturber of the peace. He is instinctively competitive; he is suspicious of all who differ from him; when he cannot win in an argument he hurls insults at his opponent's theological position, and even at his character; in any argument the accent of his voice is bitterness and not love. He has never learned to speak the truth in love. The source of his bitterness is the exaltation of self; for his tendency is to regard any difference from or any criticism of his views as a personal insult.

(iv) The false teacher commercializes religion. He is out for profit. He looks on his teaching and preaching, not as a vocation, but as a career. One thing is certain--there is no place for careerists in the ministry of any Church. The Pastorals are quite clear that the labourer is worthy of his hire; but the motive of his work must be public service and not private gain. His passion is, not to get, but to spend and be spent in the service of Christ and of his fellow-men.

THE CROWN OF CONTENT ( 1 Timothy 6:6-8 )

6:6-8 And in truth godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into the world, and it is quite clear that we cannot take anything out of it either; but if we have food and shelter, we shall be content with them.

The word here used for contentment is autarkeia (0841). This was one of the great watchwords of the Stoic philosophers. By it they meant a complete self-sufficiency. They meant a frame of mind which was completely independent of all outward things, and which carried the secret of happiness within itself.

Contentment never comes from the possession of external things. As George Herbert wrote:

"For he that needs five thousand pounds to live

Is full as poor as he that needs but five."

Contentment comes from an inward attitude to life. In the Third part of Henry the Sixth, Shakespeare draws a picture of the king wandering in the country places unknown. He meets two gamekeepers and tells them that he is a king. One of them asks him:

"But, if thou be a king, where is thy crown?" And the king gives a great answer:

"My crown is in my heart, not on my head;

Not deck'd with diamonds and Indian stones,

Nor to be seen; my crown is call'd content--

A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy."

Long ago the Greek philosophers had gripped the right end of the matter. Epicurus said of himself: "To whom little is not enough nothing is enough. Give me a barley cake and a glass of water and I am ready to rival Zeus for happiness." And when someone asked him for the secret of happiness, his answer was: "Add not to a man's possessions but take away from his desires."

The great men have always been content with little. One of the sayings of the Jewish Rabbis was: "Who is rich? He that is contented with his lot." Walter Lock quotes the kind of training on which a Jewish Rabbi engaged and the kind of life he lived: "This is the path of the Law. A morsel with salt shalt thou eat, thou shalt drink also water by measure, and shalt sleep upon the ground and live a life of trouble while thou toilest in the Law. If thou doest this, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee --, happy shalt thou be in this world and it shall be well with thee in the world to come." The Rabbi had to learn to be content with enough. E. F. Brown quotes a passage from the great preacher Lacordaire: "The rock of our present day is that no one knows how to live upon little. The great men of antiquity were generally poor.... It always seems to me that the retrenchment of useless expenditure, the laying aside of what one may call the relatively necessary, is the high road to Christian disentanglement of heart, just as it was to that of ancient vigour. The mind that has learned to appreciate the moral beauty of life, both as regards God and men, can scarcely be greatly moved by any outward reverse of fortune; and what our age wants most is the sight of a man, who might possess everything, being yet willingly contented with little. For my own part, humanly speaking, I wish for nothing. A great soul in a small house is the idea which has touched me more than any other."

It is not that Christianity pleads for poverty. There is no special virtue in being poor, or in having a constant struggle to make ends meet. But it does plead for two things.

It pleads for the realization that it is never in the power of things to bring happiness. E. K. Simpson says: "Many a millionaire, after choking his soul with gold-dust, has died from melancholia." Happiness always comes from personal relationships. All the things in the world will not make a man happy if he knows neither friendship nor love. The Christian knows that the secret of happiness lies, not in things, but in people.

It pleads for concentration upon the things which are permanent. We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of it. The wise men of every age and faith have known this. "You cannot," said Seneca, "take anything more out of the world than you brought into it." The poet of the Greek anthology had it: "Naked I set foot on the earth; naked I shall go below the earth." The Spanish proverb grimly puts it: "There are no pockets in a shroud." E. K. Simpson comments: "Whatever a man amasses by the way is in the nature of luggage, no part of his truest personality, but something he leaves behind at the toll-bar of death."

Two things alone a man can take to God. He can, and must, take himself; and therefore his great task is to build up a self he can take without shame to God. He can, and must, take that relationship with God into which he has entered in the days of his life. We have already seen that the secret of happiness lies in personal relationships, and the greatest of all personal relationships is the relationship to God. And the supreme thing that a man can take with him is the utter conviction that he goes to One who is the friend and lover of his soul.

Content comes when we escape the servitude to things, when we find our wealth in the love and the fellowship of men, and when we realize that our most precious possession is our friendship with God, made possible through Jesus Christ.

THE PERIL OF THE LOVE OF MONEY ( 1 Timothy 6:9-10 )

6:9-10 Those who wish to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many senseless and harmful desires for the forbidden things, desires which swamp men in a sea of ruin and total loss in time and in eternity. For the love of money is a root from which all evils spring; and some, in their reaching out after it, have been sadly led astray, and have transfixed themselves with many pains.

Here is one of the most misquoted sayings in the Bible. Scripture does not say that money is the root of all evil; it says that the love of money is the root of all evil. This is a truth of which the great classical thinkers were as conscious as the Christian teachers. "Love of money," said Democritus, "is the metropolis of all evils." Seneca speaks of "the desire for that which does not belong to us, from which every evil of the mind springs." "The love of money," said Phocylides, "is the mother of all evils." Philo spoke of "love of money which is the starting-place of the greatest transgressions of the Law." Athenaeus quotes a saying: "The belly's pleasure is the beginning and root of all evil."

Money in itself is neither good nor bad; but the love of it may lead to evil. With it a man may selfishly serve his own desires; with it he may answer the cry of his neighbours need. With it he may facilitate the path of wrong-doing; with it he may make it easier for someone else to live as God meant him to do. Money is not itself an evil, but it is a great responsibility. It is powerful to good and powerful to evil. What then are the special dangers involved in the love of money?

(i) The desire for money tends to be a thirst which is insatiable. There was a Roman proverbial saying that wealth is like sea-water; so far from quenching a man's thirst, it intensifies it. The more he gets, the more he wants.

(ii) The desire for wealth is founded on an illusion. It is founded on the desire for security; but wealth cannot buy security. It cannot buy health, nor real love; and it cannot preserve from sorrow and from death. The security which is founded on material things is foredoomed to failure.

(iii) The desire for money tends to make a man selfish. If he is driven by the desire for wealth, it is nothing to him that someone has to lose in order that he may gain. The desire for wealth fixes a man's thoughts upon himself, and others become merely means or obstacles in the path to his own enrichment. True, that need not happen; but in fact it often does.

(iv) Although the desire for wealth is based on the desire for security, it ends in nothing but anxiety. The more a man has to keep, the more he has to lose and, the tendency is for him to be haunted by the risk of loss. There is an old fable about a peasant who rendered a great service to a king who rewarded him with a gift of much money. For a time the man was thrilled, but the day came when he begged the king to take back his gift, for into his life had entered the hitherto unknown worry that he might lose what he had. John Bunyan was right:

"He that is down needs fear no fall,

He that is low, no pride;

He that is humble ever shall

Have God to be his guide.

I am content with what I have,

Little be it or much;

And, Lord, contentment still I crave,

Because Thou savest such.

Fullness to such a burden is

That go on pilgrimage;

Here little, and hereafter bliss,

Is best from age to age."

(v) The love of money may easily lead a man into wrong ways of getting it, and therefore, in the end, into pain and remorse. That is true even physically. He may so drive his body in his passion to get, that he ruins his health. He may discover too late what damage his desire has done to others and be saddled with remorse.

To seek to be independent and prudently to provide for the future is a Christian duty; but to make the love of money the driving-force of life cannot ever be anything other than the most perilous of sins.

CHALLENGE TO TIMOTHY ( 1 Timothy 6:11-16 )

6:11-16 But you, O man of God, flee from these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life, to which you are called, now that you have witnessed a noble profession of your faith in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the sight of God, who makes all things alive, and in the sight of Christ Jesus, who, in the days of Pontius Pilate, witnessed his noble confession, that you keep the commandment, that you should be without spot and without blame, until the day when our Lord Jesus Christ appears, that appearance which in his own good times the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords will show, he who alone possesses immortality, he who dwells in the light that no man can approach, he whom no man has seen or ever can see, to whom be honour and everlasting power. Amen.

The letter comes to an end with a tremendous challenge to Timothy, a challenge all the greater because of the deliberate sonorous nobility of the words in which it is clothed.

Right at the outset Timothy is put upon his mettle. He is addressed as man of God. That is one of the great Old Testament titles. It is a title given to Moses. Deuteronomy 33:1 speaks of "Moses, the man of God." The title of Psalms 90:1-17 is, "A Prayer of Moses the man of God." It is a title of the prophets and the messengers of God. God's messenger to Eli is a man of God ( 1 Samuel 2:27). Samuel is described as a man of God ( 1 Samuel 9:6). Shemaiah, God's messenger to Rehoboam, is a man of God ( 1 Kings 12:22). John Bunyan in Pilgrim's Progress calls Great-Grace "God's Champion."

Here is a title of honour. When the charge is given to Timothy, he is not reminded of his own weakness and sin, which might well have reduced him to pessimistic despair; rather he is challenged by the honour which is his, of being God's man. It is the Christian way, not to depress a man by branding him as a lost and helpless sinner, but rather to uplift him by summoning him to be what he has got it in him to be. The Christian way is not to fling a man's humiliating past in his face, but to set before him the splendour of his potential future. The very fact that Timothy was addressed as "Man of God" would make him square his shoulders and throw his head back as one who has received his commission from the King.

The virtues and noble qualities set before Timothy are not just heaped haphazardly together. There is an order in them. First, there comes "righteousness," dikaiosune ( G1343) . This is defined as "giving both to men and to God their due." It is the most comprehensive of the virtues; the righteous man is he who does his duty to God and to his fellow-men.

Second, there comes a group of three virtues which look towards God. Godliness, eusebeia ( G2150) , is the reverence of the man who never ceases to be aware that all life is lived in the presence of God. Faith, pistis ( G4102) , here means fidelity, and is the virtue of the man who, through all the chances and the changes of life, down even to the gates of death, is loyal to God. Love, agape ( G26) , is the virtue of the man who, even if he tried, could not forget what God has done for him nor the love of God to men.

Third, there comes the virtue which looks to the conduct of life. It is hupomone ( G5281) , The King James Version translates this patience; but hupomone ( G5281) never means the spirit which sits with folded hands and simply bears things, letting the experiences of life flow like a tide over it. It is victorious endurance. "It is unswerving constancy to faith and piety in spite of adversity and suffering." It is the virtue which does not so much accept the experiences of life as conquers them.

Fourthly, there comes the virtue which looks to men. The Greek word is paupatheia. It is translated gentleness but is really untranslatable. It describes the spirit which never blazes into anger for its own wrongs but can be devastatingly angry for the wrongs of others. It describes the spirit which knows how to forgive and yet knows how to wage the battle of righteousness. It describes the spirit which walks at once in humility and yet in pride of its high calling from God. It describes the virtue by which at all times a man is enabled rightly to treat his fellow-men and rightly to regard himself.

MEMORIES WHICH INSPIRE ( 1 Timothy 6:11-16 continued)

As Timothy is challenged to the task of the future, he is inspired with the memories of the past.

(i) He is to remember his baptism and the vows he took there. In the circumstances of the early Church, baptism was inevitably adult baptism, for men were coming straight from heathenism to Christ. It was confession of faith and witness to all men that the baptised person had taken Jesus Christ as Saviour, Master and Lord. The earliest of all Christian confessions was the simple creed: "Jesus Christ is Lord" ( Romans 10:9; Php_2:11 ). But it has been suggested that behind these words to Timothy lies a confession of faith which said: "I believe in God the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Christ Jesus who suffered under Pontius Pilate and will return to judge; I believe in the Resurrection from the dead and in the life immortal." It may well have been a creed like that to which Timothy gave his allegiance. So, then, first of all, he is reminded that he is a man who has given his pledge. The Christian is first and foremost a man who has pledged himself to Jesus Christ.

(ii) He is to remember that he has made the same confession of his faith as Jesus did. When Jesus stood before Pilate, Pilate said: "Are you the King of the Jews?" and Jesus answered: "You have said so" ( Luke 23:3). Jesus had witnessed that he was a King; and Timothy always had witnessed to the lordship of Christ. When the Christian confesses his faith, he does what his Master has already done; when he suffers for his faith, he undergoes what his Master has already undergone. When we are engaged on some great enterprise, we can say: "Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod," but when we confess our faith before men, we can say even more; we can say: "I stand with Christ"; and surely this must lift up our hearts and inspire our lives.

(iii) He is to remember that Christ comes again. He is to remember that his life and work must be made fit for him to see. The Christian is not working to satisfy men; he is working to satisfy Christ. The question he must always ask himself is not: "Is this good enough to pass the judgment of men?" but: "Is it good enough to win the approval of Christ?"

(iv) Above all he is to remember God. And what a memory that is! He is to remember the One who is King of every king and Lord of every lord; the One who possesses the gift of life eternal to give to men; the One whose holiness and majesty are such that no man can ever dare look upon them. The Christian must ever remember God and say: "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

ADVICE TO THE RICH ( 1 Timothy 6:17-19 )

6:17-19 Charge those who are rich in this world's goods not to be proud, and not set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who gives them all things richly to enjoy. Charge them to do good; to find their wealth in noble deeds; to be ready to share all that they have; to be men who never forget that they are members of a fellowship; to lay up for themselves the treasure of a fine foundation for the world to come. that they may lay hold on real life.

Sometimes we think of the early Church as composed entirely of poor people and slaves. Here we see that even as early as this it had its wealthy members. They are not condemned for being wealthy nor told to give all their wealth away; but they are told what not to do and what to do with it.

Their riches must not make them proud. They must not think themselves better than other people because they have more money than they. Nothing in this world gives any man the right to look down on another, least of all the possession of wealth. They must not set their hopes on wealth. In the chances and the changes of life a man may be wealthy today and a pauper tomorrow; and it is folly to set one's hopes on what can so easily be lost.

They are told that they must use their wealth to do good; that they must ever be ready to share; and that they must remember that the Christian is a member of a fellowship. And they are told that such wise use of wealth will build for them a good foundation in the world to come. As someone put it: "What I kept, I lost; what I gave I have."

There is a famous Jewish Rabbinic story. A man called Monobaz had inherited great wealth, but he was a good, a kindly and a generous man. In time of famine he gave away all his wealth to help the poor. His brothers came to him and said: "Your fathers laid up treasure, and added to the treasure that they had inherited from their fathers, and are you going to waste it all?" He answered: "My fathers laid up treasure below: I have laid it up above. My fathers laid up treasure of Mammon: I have laid up treasure of souls. My fathers laid up treasure for this world: I have laid up treasure for the world to come."

Every time we could give and do not give lessens the wealth laid up for us in the world to come; every time we give increases the riches laid up for us when this life comes to an end.

The teaching of the Christian ethic is, not that wealth is a sin, but that it is a very great responsibility. If a man's wealth ministers to nothing but his own pride and enriches no one but himself, it becomes his ruination, because it impoverishes his soul. But if he uses it to bring help and comfort to others, in becoming poorer, he really becomes richer. In time and in eternity "it is more blessed to give than to receive."

A FAITH TO HAND ON ( 1 Timothy 6:20-21 )

6:20-21 O Timothy, guard the trust that has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreligious empty talking; and the paradoxes of that knowledge which has no right to be called knowledge, which some have professed, and by so doing have missed the target of the faith.

It may well be that the name Timothy is here used in the fullness of its meaning. It comes from two words, timan ( G5091) , to honour, and theos ( G2316) , God and literally means he who honours God. It may well be that this concluding passage begins by reminding Timothy of his name and urging him to be true to it.

The passage talks of the trust that has been entrusted to him. The Greek word for trust is paratheke ( G3866) , which literally means a deposit. It is the word for money deposited with a banker or with a friend. When such money was in time demanded back, it was a sacred duty to hand it back entire. Sometimes children were called a paratheke ( G3866) , a sacred trust. If the gods gave a man a child, it was his duty to present that child trained and equipped to the gods.

The Christian faith is like that, something which we received from our forefathers, and which we must pass on to our children. E. F. Brown quotes a famous passage from St. Vincent of Lerins: "What is meant by the deposit? (paratheke, G3866) . That which is committed to thee, not that which is invented by thee; that which thou hast received, not that which thou hast devised; a thing not of wit, but of learning; not of private assumption, but of public tradition; a thing brought to thee, not brought forth of thee; wherein thou must not be an author, but a keeper; not a leader, but a follower. Keep the deposit. Preserve the talent of the Catholic faith safe and undiminished; let that which is committed to thee remain with thee, and that deliver. Thou hast received gold, render gold."

A man does well to remember that his duty is not only to himself, but also to his children and his children's children. If in our day the Church were to become enfeebled; if the Christian ethic were to be more and more submerged in the world; if the Christian faith were to be twisted and distorted; it would not only be we who were the losers, those of generations still to come would be robbed of something infinitely precious. We are not only the possessors but also the trustees of the faith. That which we have received, we must also hand on.

Finally the Pastorals condemn those who, as the King James Version has it, have given themselves to "the oppositions of science falsely so-called." First, we must note that here the word science is used in its original sense; it simply means knowledge (gnosis, G1108) . What is being condemned is a false intellectualism and a false stressing of human knowledge.

But what is meant by oppositions? The Greek word is antitheseis ( G477) . Very much later than this there was a heretic called Marcion who produced a book called The Antitheseis in which he quoted Old Testament texts and set beside them New Testament texts which contradicted them. This might very well mean: "Don't waste your time seeking out contradictions in Scripture. Use the Scriptures to live by and not to argue about." But there are two meanings more probable than that.

(i) The word antithesis ( G477) could mean a controversy; and this might mean: "Avoid controversies; don't get yourself mixed up in useless and bitter arguments." This would be a very relevant bit of advice to a Greek congregation in Ephesus. The Greek had a passion for going to law. He would even go to law with his own brother, just for the pleasure of it. This may well mean, "Don't make the Church a battle-ground of theological arguments and debates. Christianity is not something to argue about, but something to live by."

(ii) The word antithesis ( G477) can mean a rival thesis. This is the most likely meaning, because it suits Jew and Gentile alike. The scholastics in the later days used to argue about questions like: "How many angels can stand on the point of a needle?" The Jewish Rabbis would argue about hair-splitting points of the law for hours and days and even years. The Greeks were the same, only in a still more serious way. There was a school of Greek philosophers, and a very influential school it was, called the Academics. The Academics held that in the case of everything in the realm of human thought, you could by logical argument arrive at precisely opposite conclusions. They therefore concluded that there is no such thing as absolute truth; that always there were two hypotheses of equal weight. They went on to argue that, this being so, the wise man will never make up his mind about anything but will hold himself for ever in a state of suspended judgment. The effect was of course to paralyse all action and to reduce men to complete uncertainty. So Timothy is told: "Don't waste your time in subtle arguments; don't waste your time in 'dialectical fencing.' Don't be too clever to be wise. Listen rather to the unequivocal voice of God than to the subtle disputations of over-clever minds."

So the letter draws to a close with a warning which our own generation needs. Clever argument can never be made a substitute for Christian action. The duty of the Christian is not to sit in a study and weigh arguments but to live the Christian life in the dust and heat of the world. In the end it is not intellectual cleverness, but conduct and character which count.

Then comes the closing blessing--"Grace be with you." The letter ends with the beauty of the grace of God.

-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

FURTHER READING

Timothy

D. Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles (TC; E)

W. Lock, The Pastoral Epistles (ICC; G)

E. F. Scott, The Pastoral Epistles (MC; E)

E. K. Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

Gann's Commentary on the Bible

1 Timothy 6:1

6:1-2 Instructions Concerning Servants

Yoke = "As many as are under the yoke of bondage..." cf. Galatians 5:1

Master = 10x in NT, despotes, a ruler with absolute power,

Honor = value, esteem, respect.

Name of God = Christianity would be very odium if it brought social disorder. Not to be dishonored and reproached. Christianity taught patience and meekness, not rebellion or violence.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Let as many servants as are under the yoke,.... Not under the yoke of the law of God, or under the yoke of Christ; though the servants here spoken of were under both; but "under the yoke of government", as the Arabic version renders it; that is, under the yoke of men, in a state of servitude, under the government of masters, and in their service; being either apprentices to them, or bought with their money, or hired by them:

count their own masters worthy of all honour; and give it to them; which includes subjection to them; obedience to all their lawful commands, which are consistent with religion and reason, with the laws of God, and with the light of nature; and all reverence of them, and respect unto them, expressed by words and gestures: and all this is to be given to their own masters to whom they belong; who have a property in them; whose money or goods they are; and that be they what they will, as to their religion and temper; whether they be believers or unbelievers; or whether they be good and gentle, kind and humane; or whether they be froward, peevish, and ill natured:

that the name of God and [his] doctrine be not blasphemed; by unbelieving masters, who, should their believing servants be refractory, disobedient, rebellious, or disrespectful, would be apt to say, what a God do these men serve? is this their religion? is this the Gospel they talk of? does their doctrine teach them such things, to be disobedient to their masters, and carry it disrespectfully to them? does it disengage them from the laws of nature, and dissolve the bonds of civil society, and destroy the relation that subsists between man and man? If this be the case, away with their God and their doctrine too. Wherefore the apostle exhorts, that if believing servants have any regard to that name they are called by, and call upon, and to the doctrine of the Gospel they have embraced and professed; that they would be obedient and respectful to their masters; that they may have no occasion to speak reproachfully of God, and of the Gospel.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.   2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.   3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;   4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,   5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

      I. Here is the duty of servants. The apostle had spoken before of church-relations, here of our family-relations. Servants are here said to be under the yoke, which denotes both subjection and labour; they are yoked to work, not to be idle. If Christianity finds servants under the yoke, it continues them under it; for the gospel does not cancel the obligations any lie under either by the law of nature or by mutual consent. They must respect their masters, count them worthy of all honour (because they are their masters), of all the respect, observance, compliance, and obedience, that are justly expected from servants to their masters. Not that they were to think that of them which they were not; but as their masters they must count them worthy of all that honour which was fit for them to receive, that the name of God be not blasphemed. If servants that embraced the Christian religion should grow insolent and disobedient to their masters, the doctrine of Christ would be reflected on for their sakes, as if it had made men worse livers than they had been before they received the gospel. Observe, If the professors of religion misbehave themselves, the name of God and his doctrine are in danger of being blasphemed by those who seek occasion to speak evil of that worthy name by which we are called. And this is a good reason why we should all conduct ourselves well, that we may prevent the occasion which many seek, and will be very apt to lay hold of, to speak ill of religion for our sakes. Or suppose the master were a Christian, and a believer, and the servant a believer too, would not this excuse him, because in Christ there is neither bond nor free? No, by no means, for Jesus Christ did not come to dissolve the bond of civil relation, but to strengthen it: Those that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren; for this brotherhood relates only to spiritual privileges, not to any outward dignity or advantage (those misunderstood and abuse their religion who make it a pretence for denying the duties that they owe to their relations); nay, rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved. They must think themselves the more obliged to serve them because the faith and love that bespeak men Christians oblige them to do good; and that is all wherein their service consists. Observe, It is a great encouragement to us in doing our duty to our relations if we have reason to think they are faithful and beloved, and partakers of the benefit, that is, of the benefit of Christianity. Again, Believing masters and servants are brethren, and partakers of the benefit; for in Christ Jesus there is neither bond nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, Galatians 3:28. Timothy is appointed to teach and exhort these things. Ministers must preach not only the general duties of all, but the duties of particular relations.

      II. Paul here warns Timothy to withdraw from those who corrupted the doctrine of Christ, and made it the subject off strife, debate, and controversy: If any man teach otherwise (1 Timothy 6:3-5; 1 Timothy 6:3-5), do not preach practically, do not teach and exhort that which is for the promoting of serious godliness--if he will not consent to wholesome words, words that have a direct tendency to heal the soul--if he will not consent to these, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Observe, We are not required to consent to any words as wholesome words except the words of our Lord Jesus Christ; but to those we must give our unfeigned assent and consent, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness. Observe, The doctrine of our Lord Jesus is a doctrine according to godliness; it has a direct tendency to make people godly. But he that does not consent to the words of Christ is proud (1 Timothy 6:4; 1 Timothy 6:4) and contentious, ignorant, and does a great deal of mischief to the church, knowing nothing. Observe, Commonly those are most proud who know least; for with all their knowledge they do not know themselves.--But doting about questions. Those who fall off from the plain practical doctrines of Christianity fall in with controversies, which eat out the life and power of religion; they dote about questions and strifes of words, which do a great deal of mischief in the church, are the occasion of envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings. When men are not content with the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness, but will frame notions of their own and impose them, and that too in their own words, which man's wisdom teaches, and not in the words which the Holy Ghost teaches (1 Corinthians 2:13), they sow the seeds of all mischief in the church. Hence come perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds (1 Timothy 6:5; 1 Timothy 6:5), disputes that are all subtlety, and no solidity. Observe, Men of corrupt minds are destitute of the truth. The reason why men's minds are corrupt is because they do not stick to the truth as it is in Jesus: supposing that gain is godliness, making religion truckle to their secular interest. From such as these Timothy is warned to withdraw himself. We observe, 1. The words of our Lord Jesus Christ are wholesome words, they are the fittest to prevent or heal the church's wounds, as well as to heal a wounded conscience; for Christ has the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in season to him that is weary, Isaiah 50:4. The words of Christ are the best to prevent ruptures in the church; for none who profess faith in him will dispute the aptness or authority of his words who is their Lord and teacher, and it has never gone well with the church since the words of men have claimed a regard equal to his words, and in some cases a much greater. 2. Whoever teaches otherwise, and does not consent to these wholesome words, he is proud, knowing nothing; for pride and ignorance commonly go together. 3. Paul sets a brand only on those who consent not to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness; they are proud, knowing nothing: other words more wholesome he knew not. 4. We learn the sad effects of doting about questions and strifes of words; of such doting about questions comes envy, strife, evil surmisings, and perverse disputings; when men leave the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will never agree in other words, either of their own or other men's invention, but will perpetually wrangle and quarrel about them; and this will produce envy, when they see the words of others preferred to those they have adopted for their own; and this will be attended with jealousies and suspicions of one another, called here evil surmisings; then they will proceed to perverse disputings. 5. Such persons as are given to perverse disputings appear to be men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth; especially such as act in this manner for the sake of gain, which is all their godliness, supposing gain to be godliness, contrary to the apostle's judgment, who reckoned godliness great gain. 6. Good ministers and Christians will withdraw themselves from such. "Come out from among them, my people, and be ye separate," says the Lord: from such withdraw thyself.