1 Timothy 6
the final chapter... it's a lot of text, but it's good. Try reading aloud.
1 Timothy 6 (NIV)
1 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2 Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.
These are the things you are to teach and insist on. 3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.
‘Money, sex and power’ is the title of book written by ministry legend Richard Foster. In it he listed - you've guessed it - money, sex and power as the biggest temptations to Christians in our time. You might have no idea what I'm talking about. Or you might be a little more familiar with that list than you think you should be…
In this the final chapter of 1 Timothy, Paul gets to grips with the deceptive issue of money - or should I say, our attitude towards it. But, if you think about it, he's touched on all three of these issues in his letter to Timothy…
Remember?
There are the false teachers, who have appeared throughout, and seem to be a big motivator for Paul's words of challenge and comfort to Timothy. I'd say there were a few power issues there.
Then there's the instruction for Timothy regarding purity in 4:12 and 5:2. It might miss it in the translation, but the connotations in Greek (the language of the New Testament) are to do with sexual activity.
But now for the money issues. Think it doesn't apply because you've not got a stack? Think again. In verse 10, it’s those ‘eager for money’ who have gotten into trouble.
As attractive as wealth - and the other stuff - seems to be, the truth of verse 6 that cuts through it all. ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain.’ It's in God we find the best thing, not in all that other stuff which promises much but ultimately delivers little.
Paul's words aren't condemning of money itself, but our attitude to it. Even his words to the 'rich' at the end of the chapter (v. 17-19) isn't a condemnation, just an instruction on the right attitude.
And the right attitude goes a long way…
In his ‘final charge’ to Timothy, Paul says ‘but you’ - two of the most powerful words in book, I think. It's the signal to be something else; to be more than the others, to not be hindered by all that hinder them. Never mind what everyone else is doing, you do something different, you be an example.
There’s a proactive element to it as well. Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to move away from something without giving him a direction to walk in. Verses 11-12 exhort (that’s a big-style encouragement) Timothy to pursue something – to run after a bunch of five top qualities (check them out). Timothy can run with a finish line in sight.
Paul never pretends that everything's okay. Rather he deals with reality, and offers a way to live in it, a different way, that reflects God and His values. And that's godly leadership.
Have we chatted about ‘doxology’ yet? It means ‘liturgical praise and worship to God.’ You’ll notice a lot of these dotted around in Scripture, especially if you read the New Testament letters. Here in verse 15-16, Paul bursts into praise again (see 1:17 for another appearance). It's just brilliant.
As much as I hope you’ve been struck by the insights social and cultural info can give us, and how learning about Timothy has inspired you to lead, I really hope, that if there’s one thing you remember from all this (and carry through your life) – it's that Paul burst into praise a few times. He’d been a Christian almost forever, by this point (though read about his dramatic story in Acts 9), and he still praised. He still knew who deserved all the glory.
AND SO…
- Where’s your attitude on money? How much do you depend on it? How much do you depend on God?
- Do you still praise God, wherever you’re at in your Christian life? God never changes – He is always worthy of our praise, however we feel, or however successful we think we’ve become. Keep praising.
Oneword will be back to next year in a bigger-and-better format to support next year’s conferences. Until then, keep digging into the Bible, and try some of the techniques you’ve learned with 1 Timothy on other New Testament letters. Go on, I dare you.
Alright, close your browser. Go out, and live it…