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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:17-18

In chapter 5 of 1 Timothy, Paul returns again to a discussion of elders, having finished a lengthy discourse on widows and their care.

Take a look at this week’s passage in 1 Timothy 5:17-18:

1 Timothy 5:17-18

The obvious question is why does Paul return to this topic, after having dealt with elders and their responsibilities in chapter three? The answer may be that Paul is now correcting church problems, and not giving job descriptions. After all, he just finished correcting the church’s perception of widows. Now it seems as if there may be a need to adjust the perspective on elders as well. Plus, his use of the word “honor” seems to link this passage with the section on widows, where he uses a similar term, “give proper recognition.”

Paul instructs Timothy on those elders who lead well. He tells Timothy that they are worthy of double honor. There are at least five different interpretations of what this may mean:

  • These elders are to be properly honored and properly paid.
  • These elders receive honor first because they serve as elders, and second, because they serve well.
  • These elders should receive twice as much as the widows receive.
  • These elders should receive more pay, not necessarily double, than the widows receive.
  • These elders should receive more honor, but not pay, than the widows, or the masters in the following chapter.

The most logical explanation is one that includes payment for their services, in light of the discussion on widows care, and especially in light of the passages of Scripture that Paul quotes in verse 18.

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The Life That Honors God: Trust In God Alone

This is part of the series The Life That Honors God, from 1 Timothy. Check out more from the series!

Right now, we are in the middle of a series, where I am sharing five different aspects of The Life That Honors God. This series, based out of 1 Timothy chapter 4 and chapter 5, is all about how to live a life that makes a difference to others, but most importantly, to God. Click on the link in the box above to see the introductory post, with links to all five aspects.

The Life That Honors God: Trust In God Alone

1 Timothy 4:9-10 says:

This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

Your security, your confidence should be in God alone. Keep him as Lord of your life always and only.

Avoid the temptation to place confidence in the philosophies of man or worse yet, in yourself.

Many people desire to achieve public recognition. They desire the attention to be on themselves. They are willing to sacrifice credibility to achieve recognition.

But serving Christ is not a place to seek a name for yourself. Your ministry, your service, is a place to become lesser so that God might be glorified. And so that others might see that their confidence and security should be in God, who is the savior of man, and not some personality.

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The Life That Honors God: Train For Godliness

This is part of the series The Life That Honors God, from 1 Timothy. Check out more from the series!

Over the next few days, I want to share five different aspects of The Life That Honors God. This series, based out of 1 Timothy chapter 4 and chapter 5, is all about how to live a life that makes a difference to others, but most importantly, to God. Click on the link in the box above to see the introductory post, with links to all five aspects.

The Life That Honors God: Train For Godliness

1 Timothy 4:7-8 says this:

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Christianity is not about trying to be Godly; it is about training to be godly.

John Ortberg, in his book The Life You’ve Always Wanted, talks about the difference between trying and training.

John says that if you go out and try to run a marathon you’ll never be able to do it. But if you train to run a marathon, then in time, with the right disciplines in your life, you could accomplish it.

I have seen this very example in the life of a family member. Marissa is the wife of my wife’s brother. A few years ago she ran in a marathon. Twenty-six miles. It was interesting to watch, from a distance, as she prepared. You don’t just get up and decide one day to run a marathon.

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The Life That Honors God: Teach The Truth

This is part of the series The Life That Honors God, from 1 Timothy. Check out more from the series!

Over the next few days, I want to share five different aspects of The Life That Honors God. This series, based out of 1 Timothy chapter 4 and chapter 5, is all about how to live a life that makes a difference to others, but most importantly, to God. Click on the link in the box above to see the introductory post, with links to all five aspects as they are posted.

The Life That Honors God: Teach The Truth

1 Timothy 4:6 says:

If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

Many of us have been brought up in the truths of the faith. God may have been talked about in your homes. The truths of the faith may have been taught to you by godly men & women, who gave of their lives to you as Sunday school teachers, preachers, youth leaders.

And those of you who didn’t grow up in homes built upon a Christian foundation, if you attend church, you still have the truths of the faith being taught to you weekly, right there.

Next time you’re there, look around you. See the people who are involved in teaching you the truth, right there with you. Some of those people you may have known all your life. And there are all kinds of people involved in teaching other people. Some teach younger children. Others teach adult Bible classes. These teachers bring Scripture to life for their listeners. And there are others, like VBS workers, small group leaders, elders and deacons, and the list goes on and on. And there is always a need for more people to become involved in teaching the truth.

I remember when I first became aware of this truth. I was going to be a freshman in high school. We had just started going back to the church that I had grown up in, Northside Christian Church. When the preacher left, and the church hired another, my parents took the family and went across town to another church for two or three years.

But now we were back at Northside. And I didn’t know anyone anymore, but I signed up to go to church camp anyway. There were at least twenty-five kids going, I should make some friends, right?

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Coffee Break – 10.07.2013

Coffee Break

1 Million Coffee Beans – The world record for murals created with coffee beans is pretty amazing. I’d love to see something of this sort. I’d love to create something of this sort. But I would need a lot of coffee to see me through…

Detailed Closeups Of Van Gogh’s Paintings – I’ve always enjoyed art, generally speaking. But I’ve never really looked some of the great masterpieces up close. These images from some of Van Gogh’s artwork show how stunning the detail really is.

Astronomy Photographer Of The Year – Here is a short list of the competitors in the 2013 contest. The artist here has painted on a much grander scale than Van Gogh, and these photographers has captured a piece of his work.

On Fear – This is a thought provoking post on the fears we had as a child, the fears we have as adults, and the solution to them both.

The Benefit Of Stopping To Smell The Roses – I recently read The In-Between, by Jeff Goins. This post has spawned from that book, and is the beginning of a multi-day challenge to slow down the frenetic pace of life.

Why You Can Trust Your Bible – Have you ever wondered whether the Bible we have today is the same as it was a thousand years ago? Or two thousand? The infallibility of God’s Word is a major theological doctrine that many don’t understand. This article helps you understand it better.

Never traffic in unpracticed truth. – Howard Hendricks

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:16

Paul has covered a lot of ground in chapter five, concerning older widows and the proper care for them from the church. He also discusses younger widows, and instructs Timothy on how to approach both groups.

He wraps up his instructions on widows in this week’s passage, which is found in 1 Timothy 5:16:

1 Timothy 5:16

Having finished his discussion on younger widows, which were presenting a problem for Timothy as he led the Ephesian church, Paul returns to the main thrust of this passage on widows, that of caring for those who had a genuine need.

The point of this passage is to reinforce the idea that those who have widows in their families should take it upon themselves to care for them, so that the church will not be burdened with that care, and can focus limited resources on those who have no other hope for assistance.

The surprising element here is Paul’s use of the phrase “any believing woman.” Early copyists altered the text, thinking they were correcting it, to read “any believing man or believing woman.” However, that may not have been the intent of Paul’s statement. One commentary suggests that Paul may have been referring to some of the younger widows, who had resources to draw upon, and were refusing to help a widowed mother or grandmother.

We cannot be certain of this, since the text doesn’t specifically state this, but it seems to make the most sense within the context of the passage. There may well have been a problem with women with financial resources failing to provide for widows in their households.