Saturday, April 28, 2012

First Timothy 5:17-6:2 Elders, Accusations, Appointments and Slaverys


First Timothy 5:17-24 from the New International Version of the Bible:
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain." Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning.
I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because your of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.
Commentary

So now Paul changes the subject from widows to church elders. He wants to be sure that both Timothy and the church are treating the church elders in the manner they deserve. The work of a church elder, if done well, is worth much. And those elders that teach and preach are invaluable to the spiritual health of the congregation.  Paul says they are worthy of double honor, implying both that a high respect and perhaps even a financial incentive are due. In support of this last item, Paul quotes Moses from Deuteronomy 25:4.

Paul then goes on to say that church elders should not be subject to unjust or false accusations. Only factual assertions brought by at least two or three witnesses should be considered. If the assertions are proven, then the elder must be rebuked publicly before the whole congregation as a warning to others.

Next Paul charges Timothy to keep to these guidelines he has set down, showing no sign of partiality. Just because an elder may be a close friend, he should be treated no differently than others among his peers. These rules were to apply to every elder without exception. To do less would make both Timothy and the church look bad.

Paul also advises Timothy not to be too quick in ordaining elders. It's important to know these men and their character, even when others sin by wanting to appoint unqualified people to the eldership. Timothy was to remain spiritually pure in this regard by appointing only qualified candidates.

Then, almost parenthetically, Paul adds that timothy should take care of his physical health as well as his spiritual purity. Water quality in those days was not always good. And it was obviously causing digestive problems (dysentery or some other intestinal ailment) for Timothy. For this reason, Paul advised that a bit of wine for medicinal purposes couldn't hurt. Though Timothy probably abstained for spiritual reasons, a sick pastor could not perform his duties adequately. A bit of wine might solve that problem.

Then, returning to the ordination issue, Paul suggests that careful observation of candidates for the eldership can yield good results. Sooner or later the character of the candidates for the eldership will reveal themselves. Both the good ones and the bad ones will ultimately reveal their character in their deeds.   

Questions

1. What does Paul mean when he says that the elders that run the church are worthy of double honor?
2. Should church elders be paid?
3. Who does the church pay in our time? Are they elders? Should they be?
4. In light of what Paul says regarding the financial care of the church leadership, do you think we properly reimburse our pastors and elders? Give reasons.
5. Verses 19 and 20 advise about accusations against elders and pastors. Do you think people in church leadership positions are more vulnerable to false accusation? Why do you think this is true or untrue?
6. Do you think elders and pastors that fall into serious sin and are removed from their office should ever be restored to their ministry?
7. Verse 21 and 22 advise Timothy not to show partiality in his treatment and appointment of elders and not to be hasty. What do you think are some bad reasons for choosing church leaders?
8. In verse 23 Paul tells Timothy to care for his physical health in addition to his spiritual purity. He advises a bit of wine for medicinal purposes. What do you think about those that say taking any kind of medicine demonstrates a lack of faith in God's power to heal?
9. In verses 24 and 25, Paul suggests to Timothy that by careful observation he can determine who is fit for the eldership and who is not. Ultimately no one's deeds can be hidden, be they good or bad. What types of subtle sins manifest themselves over time? What types of subtle good works manifest themselves over time?

First Timothy 6:1,2 from the New International Version of the Bible:
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. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
Commentary

It's interesting that the issue of slavery in the Bible is always dealt with as the social norm that it was at the time. Slavery is not condemned, but neither is it encouraged. Rather, it's always about the slaves attitude toward his or her enslavement and the one who owns them.

We think in modern times how abhorrent the notion of slavery is to us and some wonder why Paul and the other apostles did not condemn it and rail against it's evils. But really, who are we to judge them on this issue? We live in a world where all of us are employed in one way or another so we can support ourselves and our loved ones. Those that are not employed, must seek out the kindness of other for sustenance. No matter how you look at it we are all dependent on others for our livelihoods. We are very much like the slaves of Paul's time. Sure, we can quit our jobs, but we would have to work for someone else if we wanted to live in the manner to which we became accustomed.

Paul's whole point is that if you are a slave, be the very best slave you can be and show the world how your Christian faith drives your desire to serve, even when you serve without choice.

We are to have the same attitude today.

Questions

1. Verse one speaks of what the attitude of Christian slaves was to be toward their masters. What kinds of slander might pagans have spoken against the church if they knew that Christian slaves were disrespectful or disobedient to their masters?
2. How does this apply to us? Do we have to deal with the slavery issue today? Does this advice to Christian slaves have application for us?