DAILY REMINDER – Today, December 15’s Bible reading is 1 Timothy 1-6.
NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, December 16’s Bible reading is 2 Timothy1-4.
May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.
1 TIMOTHY Introduction
The Apostle Paul is one of the few Christians known in history to have single-handedly
had a major impact on the whole world. He is credited to have written the
majority of the New Testament and has his unique personality intertwined in his
writings.[1] The Apostle Luke introduces
this once feared man, whom many considered to be a religious tyrant, in his
writings inside the book of Acts. He was known by his Jewish name as Saul of
Tarsus and his Roman name of Paul because he was of dual citizenship being that
he was of both Jewish and Roman descent.[2]
Paul later had an encounter with Jesus on his way to persecute more Christians
as he was en route to Damascus. That encounter changed his life forever, and those
who followed, for they were influential in an amazing Christian conquest of the
Roman Empire just a generation after his death.[3]
Many scholars and Christian historians accredit much of Christianity’s
worldwide growth to the works of Paul. The once notorious persecutor of those
who followed The Way became the persecuted by those who feared and did not
understand The Way.[4] It is during this
time that Paul addressed several issues within the church after having departed
from Ephesus where he left Timothy in charge.[5]
One of which being heretical doctrines being taught by false teachers, who set
out to cause division in the early Church. Paul, in his letters to Timothy and
Titus, gave them instructions in how to deal with such matters in what is
termed today as the Pastoral Epistles.[6]
1 Timothy is believed to have been written about 64 A.D. or eight years after his stay in Ephesus. He
instructed Timothy to do pastoral care in Ephesus because he was heading to
Macedonia, but he desired to visit Timothy when possible. This epistle was a
model for pastors and leaders as to how they were to govern the body of Christ and
themselves.
1 TIMOTHY – (15DEC19)
Definition
of a False Teacher
Many scholars believe
that the teachings of Paul were fundamentally different from the faith of the
Jewish community. The Christians who lived in Jerusalem believed that their
sect was still a part of Judaism and that the new Gentile converts were to follow
the Mosaic laws as described in the Torah. This, however, led to many
controversial debates and false teachers arose to teach a doctrine contrary to
that of Paul.[7]
Nevertheless, when Paul taught about Jesus, he spoke of a Savior who accepted
all humanity including those Gentiles who were uncircumcised and had not
embraced Jewish laws or customs.[8] This was not well
received by all Jews who wanted the wall of division to remain.[9] Scholars over the
centuries have debated the ability of Paul being able to preach a message that
dismissed the ancient laws of Judaism although having described himself as once
being a devout Jew. They, however, cannot discount that he successfully crossed
cultural lines to spread the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles which undoubtedly
took the world by storm.[10]
Paul taught that it was
through Christ alone who was able to give the believer justification. Jesus
Christ had successfully overcome sin for He knew no sin, which made it possible
for believers to be saved by faith and not through the works of the law.[11] Therefore, Jesus’
glorification at the cross enabled both Jews and Gentiles to be saved through
justification–not by birth heritage, religious rituals, and/or observance to
the Mosaic laws.[12]
Paul viewed the law as being good when used in its proper context, but it was
not to circumvent the work that Jesus did at the cross.[13] Unfortunately,
this teaching led to much opposition by various false teachers who wanted to
teach another gospel contrary to what Paul taught. Paul outlined in his first
letter to Timothy what characteristics and traits that false teachers would
possess. To give an overview about false teachers, Paul wrote that anyone who
teaches what is contrary to Jesus’ teachings, create controversies, prohibit
marriage, forbid certain foods, and instructs in the ways of ungodliness is a
false teacher.[14]
These distinguished traits that Paul outlined gave little room for there to be
any question as to how to recognize the false teachers and what ideologies of
demons they taught to be cautious of.
False
Teachings and Beliefs of the False Apostles and Their Identities
The Apostle Paul was concerned for
the spiritual health of the early church. He urged Timothy in his letters to build
a resistance against those who wanted to utter false doctrines in an effort to
prevent its demoralizing influence on the church.[15] Paul not only gave
Timothy instructions as to how to handle such issues, he gave him the exact
identity of the false teachers, the apostates and what teachings they were
affirming to others. This was Paul’s way of helping Timothy to be on the
offensive against those leaders who had fallen prey to erroneous doctrines and
prevent the further spread of heresy.[16] Unfortunately, it
continued to spread as Hymenaeus, one of the false leaders called out by Paul
and was eventually excommunicated, continued to wreak havoc on the church by
spreading his false doctrines along with other apostates who supported him.[17]
Paul called out Phygelus and Hermogenus for
having deserted him as they were shamed of him being in prison and did not want
to be affiliated with him any longer.[18] Paul also spoke of
Hymenaeus and Philetus for teaching that the resurrection had already taken
place which was contrary to what Jesus taught in response to the Sadducees’
belief of such matters.[19] The Apostle Paul was
disappointed with yet another one of his fellow workers, Demas, who not only abandoned
him but left the faith to return to his former love for the world after having
been a dedicated worker.[20]
Finally,
Paul mentioned Alexander, the coppersmith who did some type of great harm to
Paul to such a large magnitude that Paul asked God for retribution and warned
Timothy concerning his apostasy.[21] The Bible does not
mention what type of harm that was done, but due to Paul’s particular attention
to Alexander and his request for the Lord’s vengeance, one can imagine that it
may have caused harm to the church at large for which Paul felt personally
responsible rather than just him individually. Nothing is written about a
similar request being made by Paul regarding those who had abandoned him.
Regardless of the reason, false teachings can cause major division within the
body of Christ, so Paul addressed such issues in his writings to both Timothy
and Titus.
Gnosticism
Certain false teachers within the
church wanted to be viewed as having a superior knowledge which was actually
entangled in mysticism.[22] Paul warned
Timothy against their delusions of grandeur, for this false knowledge that these
teachers of the law professed to have was wrapped in various misleading myths
and genealogies.[23]
They thought that they had special access to knowledge that none of the other
Christians had which was based on Greek philosophy rather than Jesus’ teachings.
These Gnostics taught such things as the spirit being inherently good and that
matter was totally evil, the continuance of certain Jewish ceremonial
practices, and asceticism which is a severe punishment of the body – something
God never required and was practiced by many heathen religions.[24] Paul warned
against such teachings in some of his other writings as he considered them as
being deceptive beliefs and practices based on human traditions meant only to
lead the body of Christ astray from sound doctrine.[25]
The Forbidding of Marriage
There were those false teachers who
were forbidding believers to marry. This was unsettling with the Apostle Paul,
to say the least, for he did not want believers to feel that they were
committing an immoral act because they married or was more holy if they
refrained.[26]
Paul’s words could have been misconstrued when he said that it was good if believers
were to be single like him, but Paul was not giving a command that marriage was
wrong, nor did he speak against it. Paul was concerned with the Lord being
properly represented in both a person’s singleness and marriage for it was a
representation of Christ relationship with the church.[27]
God
ordained marriage from the very beginning with Adam and Eve and told them to
reproduce. He blessed marriages all throughout the Bible and even opened the
wombs of women who were barren.[28] There were times,
however, that God required a person, such as Jeremiah, to refrain from taking a
wife due to the call and ministry demands that He had placed upon His life.[29] This, however, was
not a command for everyone and Paul wanted to ensure that believers knew this
so that if they decided to marry, they would not feel condemned, for it was
better for them to marry than to war in the spirit trying desperately to
control their sexual desires.[30] Therefore, Paul
did not want false teachers placing burdens on those who were believers in
Christ based on their own personal philosophies. Whatever doctrine was not
encompassed in Christ was demonic in nature to serve self and not God.
Abstain from Certain Foods
The false teachers were insistent
that there be certain dietary restrictions upheld in accordance to the Mosaic
laws.[31] The Jews had been
given certain dietary laws that they were to uphold during Moses’ day, but Paul
wanted the believers to know and understand that they were not saved by
following such traditions and that God sanctified everything He made through
their thanksgiving and praise.[32] This teaching is
supported by what Jesus told His disciples that it was not what entered a man
that made him unclean, but what came out.[33] Many believers
still argue this point and teach that Christians are to abstain from certain foods,
but Paul stood on the foundation of what Jesus taught as he addressed this
matter to Timothy who had this controversy in his midst.
Godliness a Means to Financial Gain
Many of the false teachers during
Paul’s day was in ministry for financial gain. They pretended to be lovers of
the good but was only concerned with earthly wealth.[34] These teachers
were robbing the believers of both finances and truth. Paul, however, wanted
believers to know that to live for Christ was gain so that they would not be
exploited by the greed of such teachers.[35] Paul’s teaching
concerning this can be supported in the Old Testament where God rebuked
Israel’s watchmen and called them greedy dogs because they were only concerned
with financial gain instead of teaching God’s truth to the people and in so
doing, led the nation to sin.[36]
Paul wanted the leaders to be
chasers after Christ and have a genuine love and concern for His people – not
compromised by the wealth that they could accumulate in this life. He desired
for them to be content in all things for their longing for excessive material
possessions would not only lead them into temptation, but those who followed
their teachings could easily fall into the enemy’s traps as well.[37] Jesus warned
against placing wealth over the kingdom of Heaven when the Rich Young Ruler
went away sorrowful when told to give his wealth away. Jesus’ teaching was not
to condemn anyone to hell for having wealth, but God was to be above all else because
wealth for some people caused them to displace their spiritual priorities.[38]
The Resurrection
Much hope is given to the believer
in knowing that they will see their saved loved ones again who have departed
this life and be raised themselves after this life. Yet, in Paul’s time, there
were false teachers who were taking away the hope of some believers with their
teaching of the having already taken place.[39] Some scholars
attribute this teaching to the Gnostics who claimed to have supernatural
knowledge. They were erroneous in their teaching for Paul taught of a future
resurrection and not one that had already taken place.[40] Paul’s teaching
was based on the teaching of Jesus when He said as one of His Seven “I AM”
Statements that He is the resurrection and the life. Jesus promised eternal
life to those who died in Him which meant that there would be a future
resurrection, not one that had already taken place.[41] Therefore, Paul
told Timothy to watch out for those false teachers who were in the practice of
spreading such falsehoods that would discourage believers in their faith.
[1]
F. F. Bruce, Paul Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 15.
[2]
Ibid., 17.
[3]
Ibid.
[4]
Ibid., 69.
[5]
Thomas D. Lea and David A. Black, The New Testament Its
Background And Message (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2003), 473.
[6]
Ibid., 472-473.
[7]
J. J. Scott, Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament (Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995), 346-352.
[8]
Andreas J. Kestenberger and Terry L. Wilder, Entrusted With The
Gospel: Paul's Theology In The Pastoral Epistles (Nashville: B&H
Publishing Group, 2010), 162-166.
[9]
Scott, Jewish Backgrounds, 352.
[10] William W. Klein,
Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical
Interpretation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2017), 555-556.
[11] Andreas J.
Köstenberger and Terry L. Wilder, Entrusted with the Gospel: Paul's
Theology in the Pastoral Epistles (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group,
2010), 107-114.
[12] Walter A Elwell, Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001), 895.
[13] Martin Luther, Luther's
Works (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960), vol. 35, 388.
[14] 1 Tim. 6:3-5 (New
International Version).
[15] Lea and Black, The
New Testament, 473.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Ibid., 475.
[18] 2 Tim. 1:15 (New
International Version).
[19] 2 Tim. 2:17-18
(New International Version).
[20] 2 Tim. 4:10 (New
International Version).
[21] 2 Tim. 4:14-15
(New International Version).
[22] Lea and Black, The
New Testament, 473.
[23] D. A. Carson and
Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (Princeton, N.J.:
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2005), 563.
[24] Luther, Luther
Works, 388.
[25] Col. 2:8 (New
International Version).
[26] 1 Tim. 4:3 (New
International Version).
[27] 1 Cor. 7:8-9 (New
International Version).
[28] Gen. 1:28 (New
International Version).
[29] Jer. 16:2 (New
International Version).
[30] 1 Cor. 7:9 (New
International Version).
[31] Lea and Black, The
New Testament, 473.
[32] Ibid., 479-480.
[33] Mark 7:15 (New
International Version).
[34] 1 Timothy 6:5 (New
International Version).
[35] Philip H Towner, The
Letters to Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2009), 397-399.
[36] Isa. 56:11 (New
International Version).
[37] 1 Tim. 6:6-10 (New
International Version).
[38] Matt. 19:16-26
(New International Version).
[39] 2 Tim. 2:18 (New
International Version).
[40] Towner, Letters to Timothy and Titus, 526-527.
[41] John 11:25 (New
International Version).
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