Tag Archives: 1 Timothy 4

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2024 Bible Study — The Law Was Not Made for the Righteous

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Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Timothy 1-4.

Paul wrote that Timothy should command “certain people” to stop teaching false doctrines and promoting controversial speculations.  Both of which took people away from advancing God’s work.  Those to whom this command is directed have abandoned focusing on having a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith in favor of meaningless talk.  They seek to be seen as teachers of the law, as spiritual leaders, but fail to understand what they are talking about.  Paul then explains that the law is not for the righteous, it does nothing for them as they do what is right without needing a set of rules to tell them what to do.  Rather the law exists for lawbreakers and rebels.  It exists to show them all of the ways in which they fail to be righteous.  I never noticed today that Paul lists slave traders among the ungodly and sinful for whom the law is intended.  And why is that significant?  Because there are some who claim that Paul defends slavery.  So, while Paul did not seek to do away with slavery, he clearly considered it something which was not a good thing.

Paul also writes a bit about how men and women should behave.  He writes that men should pray without anger or disputing and that women should adorn themselves with good works rather than with elaborate hairstyles, jewelry, and expensive clothes.  I would say that all of us should pray without anger or disputing AND adorn ourselves with good works rather than elaborate hairstyles, jewelry, and expensive clothes.  This is followed by a passage which has caused much controversy in the Church.  Most translations record that Paul wrote that women should learn in quietness and submission and that he would not permit them to teach or assume authority over a man.  The translators’ notes for the NIV say that the word translated as “women” could be translated as “wives”, and the word translated as “man” could be translated as “husband”.  That change takes away most of the controversy.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2023 Bible Study — Strive to Embody the Characteristics of a Good Leader

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Timothy 1-4.

In his letter to Timothy Paul urges us to pray and intercede for all people, especially for kings and those in positions of authority.  In addition, we should thank God for these people, even those we think are doing a bad job and/or persecuting Christians.  Doing so pleases God, who desires that everyone come to know the Truth and be saved.  The Truth which God wants everyone to know is that He is One and that Christ is the only mediator which anyone needs between God and man.  We should all pray without acting or dressing provocatively.  We should not seek to draw attention to ourselves, but rather should act so as to bring glory to God.  We should not allow anger to control our actions, nor should we dress to inspire lust.  When we do either of these things we are trying to make ourselves the center of attention.

Paul transitions from speaking about prayer and keeping the focus on God to writing about the qualifications for leadership in the Church.  He begins that transition by saying that a woman should learn in quietness and submission.  Followed by saying that he does not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man.  However, the translators’ notes suggest that “woman” could be translated as “wife” and that the “man” she should not teach or have authority over is her husband.  Such an interpretation would put this passage into the same context as what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5 where he told wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church.  Christ loved the Church so much that He sacrificed Himself for it.  Similarly, a husband should sacrifice himself for his wife.

Starting from there, where Paul says that a wife should not be put into authority over her husband, he goes on to lay out the qualifications for leadership in the Church.  Paul tells us that a Church leader should be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, and hospitable.  He goes on to write that women leaders in the Church should be temperate and worthy of respect.  Really, all Paul says here is that those chosen for leadership positions in the Church should embody those characteristics which we should all strive to exhibit.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2022 Bible Study — Society Will Not Be Transformed For The Better By Enacting The Correct Laws

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Timothy 1-4.

Early in his letter to Timothy, Paul writes that Timothy should command some people to stop teaching false doctrines.  He tells Timothy that these people want to be teachers of the law, but do not actually know what they are talking about when it comes to the law.  Then Paul says something to which I think we should pay more attention than we do: the law is not for the righteous, but for lawbreakers and the ungodly.  The law is for those who are constantly looking for loopholes.  You know, the people who constantly say, “Well, there wasn’t a rule against it,” as justification for something they have done which caused problems.  On the other hand, those who seek to do good, who seek to advance the interests of others do not need a set of rules which lay out what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior.  So, we do not create a righteous society by having the correct laws.  No, we bring about a righteous society by following Paul’s second piece of advice to Timothy; pray for all people.  If we want to transform society into the kingdom of God, and we should desire to do so, we must lift our hands in prayer, without anger or dispute.  Instead of adorning ourselves with expensive clothes and jewelry we should adorn ourselves with good deeds.  Let us pray for everyone, especially those in authority, not praying that they do what we think best, but that they do God’s will.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2021 Bible Study — We Should All Aspire To Meet The Qualifications Paul Lays Out For Church Leaders

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Timothy 1-4.

One thing that has often taken my attention, and that of many other commentators, is what Paul means when he tells Timothy to command certain people to not devote themselves to “myths and endless genealogies.”  I have seen several different interpretations of what sort of genealogies Paul meant.  However, today it struck me that it does not matter, because in his next sentence Paul tells us what the problem with them was.  They promoted controversial speculations which distracted from advancing God’s work.  So, any debate which does not promote the love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith should be avoided.  If we look for a reading of Scripture, for a loophole, to find how what we want to do does not violate God'[s law, we have missed the point.  If we do not see how what we want to do advances God’s work, we should do something else.

Paul goes on to give instructions for how we should behave and the qualifications for Church leaders.  He gives somewhat different instructions for men and women and we can debate whether what he writes means that Church leadership roles should only be filled by men.  However, I want to note that ALL of the things he describes can apply to all Believers.  Paul starts this section by requesting that we pray for, intercede for, petition God for, and offer thanksgiving to God for all people, but especially for those in positions of government authority.  Then he writes that men should pray and women should dress modestly, but really both men and women should pray and dress modestly.  We should adorn ourselves with good deeds rather than with fancy hairstyles, attention grabbing jewelry, or high fashion clothes.  Paul goes on to describe the attributes we should look for in elders (overseers as translated here) and deacons in the Church.  Even in the context it is clear that all of the qualifications he gives are so that those holding these positions of authority in the Church can be held up as examples for other Believers, especially new Believers, to follow.  We should be faithful to our spouse, self-controlled, respectable, and hospitable. We should be gentle rather than violent or quarrelsome.  We should not be lovers of money nor drink to excess.  We should strive to be worthy of respect and not talk maliciously about others.  Even the one qualification for the position of Church elder which not everyone should have is one at which we should all seek.  That one is the ability to teach.  We may not all be called upon to teach, but we should seek to be able to do so in case the occasion arises where we need to do so.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2020 Bible Study Pray For People Instead of Arguing With Them

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Timothy 1-4

Today’s passage begins and ends with Paul warning Timothy against false teachers who fill their time with meaningless discussions.  He speaks of how they spend time on discussions of myths and genealogies (the context seems to suggest that some people were claiming to have special insights into God’s will because of who their ancestors were, but it may also apply to those who claimed authority because they had been students of particular people).  Paul warns us against getting caught up in such meaningless discussions.  Instead of getting caught up in meaningless discussions we should pray for people, especially those in positions of government authority.  In times like these that last bit will help us avoid getting caught up in meaningless discussions which do nothing to help us, or others, live a life of faith in God.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2019 Bible Study — Don’t Get Caught Up Arguing About Things Which Don’t Matter

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Timothy 1-4

Paul begins his first letter to Timothy by warning against false teachers, comes back to it in the middle, then again at the end (we will get to the end tomorrow).  At the beginning Paul writes that these false teachers spend all of their time talking about myths and spiritual pedigrees.  Then when he circles back he warns Timothy against arguing about godless ideas and old-wives tales.  I believe that the second is just Paul restating what he said at first in a different order.  From these pointless discussions they make up rules they claim we need to follow in order to be righteous.  Paul writes that rules, even the laws God gave to Moses, are for those who rebel against God.  Despite what some people argue, Paul is not saying that good is relative.  He is saying that one does not do good because one follows a set of rules.  One does good by loving one’s neighbor.

I never realized before that in many ways, Paul’s instructions for the type of people to select for leadership positions reflect a practical way to identify people who get the above.  Some of the things Paul requires of a leader just reflect someone being a good person with the skills needed to be a leader, but his instructions on judging them by their children tells us that they understand the above.  Children whose parents insist that they follow rules because the parents set those rules will be rebellious and troublemakers, looking for loopholes in the rules.  Children whose parents make clear that the rules they lay down are what they believe are in the best interest of the children will be well behaved and obedient.  (This does not mean that parents whose children misbehave and become troublemakers did not intend their rules to be in their children’s best interest, just that the children were not convinced the rules were in their best interest).

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2018 Bible Study — rules give us loopholes that allow us to not act in love. love does not look for loopholes.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Timothy 1-4.

At the beginning of today’s passage Paul warns Timothy, and us, against false teachings, then later he warns against false teachers. The false teachings he warns against involve “myths” and “spiritual pedigrees” (other translations say “genealogies”). The false teachers follow deceptive spirits and teachings which come from demons. In both cases, these teachings appeal to people who are hypocrites and liars. Paul writes that if our actions are based on love from a pure heart and genuine faith we do not need a set of rules to follow. The purpose of rules is to show those who do not possess such love that certain things are wrong. In fact, the reason all societies develop such rules is because people instinctively know that such things are wrong. However, once we experience God’s love through faith in Christ the only purpose for following such rules is to find loopholes which allow us to not act in a loving manner. If we truly have faith in Christ and act in love we do not need a rule which tells us not to kill someone, our love for that person will not allow us to kill them.

I was going to write about more of the other things Paul wrote in today’s passage, but I feel that the above is really what I want to focus on today. However, I want to mention what Paul writes about prayer. Paul tells Timothy, and us, to pray for ALL people. We should pray that God helps them, that they do not suffer the consequences of their sins, and give thanks for their existence. In particular, we should pray for those in positions in authority. Praying for others, especially those we are inclined to dislike, will make us better witnesses for Christ help us live peaceful lives marked by godliness.

Daily Bible Study

December 13, 2017 Bible Study — Praying And Living A Godly Life

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Timothy 1-4.

    Paul writes that Timothy is to command certain people (people whom Paul has previously identified to Timothy, but whom he is not identifying here so as to not limit this instruction to just those people) to stop teaching false doctrines and devoting themselves to fables and genealogies. Nothing further in the letter really gives us any idea what the genealogies Paul was talking about, but my guess would be that there were teachers who were claiming authority because of who their ancestors were (or, at least, who they claimed their ancestors were). However, Paul does give us a clear idea about what false doctrines they were teaching, these were false teachings which he wrote against time and again in his letters to the various Churches. These false teachings involved various interpretations of applying the law (primarily, the Law of Moses, but Paul’s writing suggests that there were other rules and laws preached by some of these teachers) to those who followed Christ. It is interesting that Paul both states that following the law has no value for believers and that the law is useful for pointing out their sin to those who broke that law. Such people are sinners and Jesus came into the world to save them, even the very worst of them. Further it is through faith in Jesus that we have been converted from being sinners into being righteous, and this no longer under the authority of the law.

    Paul calls for believers everywhere to pray for all people, but not just pray, pray, petition, intercede, and give thanks for. In particular Paul calls on us to pray for those in positions of authority. This brings us back to Paul’s references in letter after letter to the fact that we should pray constantly. If you do not know what to pray for, go talk to your neighbors. The Spirit will reveal through them something which you should be praying about. As part of this same lesson, Paul tells us that women should dress modestly and adorn themselves with good deeds rather than with jewelry and fancy clothes. I think both that this instruction applies to both men and women and is more directed at focusing our sense of self-worth on doing good than on our looks than at forbidding jewelry. Paul follows this up with the qualifications for leadership positions in the Church. While I think these qualifications are important, because of my lack of time I am going to skip over that and go on to my next paragraph.

    Paul comes back to the false doctrines which he wishes Timothy to preach against. He writes that the teachers of such false doctrines forbid people from marrying and insist that they abstain from certain foods. In response to such teachings Paul emphasizes that all foods are a gift from God to be appreciated by those who will and not avoided for religious or doctrinal reasons. However, Paul grants that there is some value in disciplining our bodies both by physical training and restricting our diets in a limited fashion (not eating too much, fasting occasionally, exercising so as to maintain our health). More importantly, we should focus on disciplining our minds and our spirits so that we develop ever more into the image of God.

Daily Bible Study

October 19, 2015 Bible Study — Train Yourself Physically and Spiritually

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I was away over the weekend, Friday night through Sunday (October 16-18). I prepared today’s study before I departed, but published it at my normal time. I hope this does not cause anyone a problem.

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Proverbs 25:23-24

    This should not need stating, but unfortunately it does. If you spread gossip about someone, you will anger them as surely as a hurricane brings rain.

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Psalm 89:1-13

    I chose the King James Version for this psalm because the first verse from the KJV is a great song.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Yes, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord. And with my mouth, my hands, my writing I will make known His faithfulness to all generations.

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1 Timothy 4

    Paul warns against false teachers, some of whom teach that it is wrong to get married and wrong to eat certain foods. The key to recognizing false teachers is to look at their lives because they are hypocrites and liars. They teach one thing and do another, then either deny that they are doing it, or claim that when they do it it is not wrong. Elsewhere, Paul talks about marriage and makes it clear that many are called to do get married. Here, he repeats his stance that all food is blessed by God.
    We should not argue over secular ideas, about how secular society should be organized. This hits home to me. Instead, we should focus on training ourselves to be godly. This hits home to me because I find myself debating points which I do not believe we, as Christians, should be actively involved in on either side of the issue. In discussing this, Paul makes an aside which I think is often overlooked. He tells us that physical training is good. We should make an effort to train our bodies so that we are in good physical shape. However, we should make an even greater effort to train our minds and spirits so that we are in good spiritual shape.

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Jeremiah 33-34

    Jeremiah prophesied that even though God was about to bring disaster on Jerusalem, the day would come when all of Israel prospered once more. God will do so in a manner which will cause people of every nation to both fear and praise Him.
    Then Jeremiah condemned the leading citizens of Jerusalem for being hypocrites. They freed their slaves of Jewish descent in a very public manner. Then, as soon as no one was paying attention, they enslaved them once more. We see this very often with political leaders. They do something (such as passing a law) which does away with some abuse that angers people in a very public way, making sure that everyone knows that they did it. Then, a short time later, when everyone’s attention has moved on to something else, they quietly reinstate the abusive practice. The general populace may not notice, but God will and He will hold them accountable.