Preliminary Thoughts on Timothy 2008 March 10^th for April 1^st

We know from Paul’s accounts of his travels and his other letters that Timothy was one of his closest colleagues in ministry. Two letters from Paul to Timothy have survived to be included in our Bible.

Paul considered Timothy to be a son in the faith and sent letters of encouragement and instruction. Both letters were apparently intended to advise Timothy in dealing with various heresies and other problems at Ephesus. The first letter is the one usually cited for a list of qualifications for people serving in ministry. In the second letter, Paul writes from prison in Rome knowing that he is near the end of his life on this earth.

The problems encountered in getting a new religion founded, even one based on faith in the Son of God, appear to have been immense. Many of Paul’s letters deal with incorrect beliefs emerging in the churches that he founded after he left them to go elsewhere. It occurs to me that Paul may not have realized or emphasized that he was founding an institution, the collective that would ultimately be known as “the church” that would last for many centuries. He was mainly concerned with introducing as many people as possible to the truth of faith in Christ. After doing this for six weeks to six months somewhere, the group of consistent listeners had become bonded and an organization had formed. Paul’s departure then left a vacuum in terms of leadership and doctrinal authority. Dealing with the variances that resulted left a paper trail of letters, some of which we still have today. The nature of this paper trail is such that one could get the idea that faith is all about correcting errors in doctrine.

“Someone at Ephesus is wrong!” is a recurring theme.

(Something is rotten in Denmark….)

I Timothy 1 2008 March 10^th for April 2^nd

Paul begins:

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

“To Timothy my true son in the faith:

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In his first section, Paul urges Timothy to stay on in Ephesus because someone needs to be there to refute all the people espousing false doctrine. In fact, Paul tells Timothy to “command certain men not to teach” such things. Such teaching results only in controversy and that is not what the faith is all about. Some have wandered off, talking more than doing. Others want to be teachers of the law though they don’t know what they are talking about.

The law is a good thing, but it is not for the righteous, it is for the lawless as a corrective or a signpost. The law is for people who kill their mothers or fathers or commit adultery or perversions or trade slaves or lie or perjure or are otherwise unholy, sinful, or irreligious.

Paul counts himself as a man who had once been like that. He had been “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” He had acted in “ignorance and unbelief” when he did so, however, and so was offered mercy and appointed to be one of God’s most trusted servants.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” Christ’s act on Paul’s behalf demonstrates the ultimate mercy.

Paul instructs Timothy to keep with the prophesies “once made about [him],” to keep the faith and continue fighting for it in good conscience.

Paul then names names: “Some have rejected these [faith and good conscience] and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.”

Holding to the faith does not appear to be a slam dunk.

Apparently “handed over to Satan” means excommunication and means that they were put out of the fellowship of the church to get along on their own in the rest of the world, which is run by Satan, until (and unless…) they learn correctness.

I Timothy 2 – 3 2008 March 11^th for April 3^rd

Paul urges prayers for everyone, starting with the civil authorities so that everyone may live in peaceful times. This facilitates people being saved through coming to knowledge of Jesus. Such prayers should be without anger or dispute.

Women should dress modestly and do good deeds. Women are told not to teach because of some theology about Adam and Eve and their story of deception. “But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.”

(Hang on, I’ll comment on this in a minute.)

The qualifications for “overseer” are given:

“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

It doesn’t say what the “devil’s trap” is.

Similar but more abbreviated qualifications are given for the office of “deacon.” Both types of leaders must be tested and qualified.

Paul gives these instructions so they will know how to manage until he can return to them.

Paul was doubtless respected in setting up (more like, perpetuating from his own tradition) these structures and orders. Before we get too upset about the oppression of women, let us note that even in even the most conservative churches today, women “teach” in Sunday School, (or as professors in conservative Christian universities for that matter) so this directive is not taken seriously even now, except sometimes in a locally agreed and therefore incomplete context. Also, though Paul was an apostle, highly intelligent and highly trained, he was not married. My observation is that it is easy for people who do not have a spouse and family to imagine how easy and straightforward it would be to manage one. Some of the rest of us know better.

As for the deception of Eve versus Adam, who was created first, my view is that all people in the four-dimensional time-space creation are bound to failure, imperfection, and sin because the continuum itself is prone to strife and imperfection. Adam and Even merely had the privilege of being first. The theology that sin came into the world through them and into us through them, even if correct, is irrelevant to our current situation, in which we sin and are imperfect. It does not change anything about the reality of sin or individual responsibility for it.

Paul, in his stream-of-consciousness way, ends this section with an uncited quote:

“Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:

“He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels, was preached among the nations,

was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”

I Timothy 4 – 5 2008 March 12^th for April 4^th

In the “latter times” many will abandon faith and follow “deceiving spirits.” They then teach things that aren’t right like forbidding marriage or abstaining from certain foods. But, “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected it if is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”

Timothy has permission to silence those teachings that aren’t right.

We keep in mind that Paul thought he was living in the latter times, as do we, and as has everyone in between then and now.

Timothy was comparatively young but Paul counseled him not to be looked down on due to this. Rather, he was to “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” “Save both yourself and your hearers.”

Treat older men like fathers and older women like mothers, younger men and women like brothers and sisters, always in purity.

Next is a long section on the rules of caring for widows within the church. The church should certainly do this, but only as a last resort. Widows who have families of any kind should be taken care of by those families. It is their Christian duty and discipline. In any case, “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”

As for younger widows, they tend to wander around and gossip and start trouble. Rather, they should marry and have children.

Those who teach in the church are to receive their share according to scripture, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker deserves his wages.” (This is the scripture that justifies paying preachers a salary rather than running the church entirely on volunteers.) Be careful about elevating elders but do hold them to higher, exemplary standards.

“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”

Interesting. Is this personal advice just for Timothy?

Whatever the case, the final admonition: Sins and good deeds, both are hard to hide.

I Timothy 6 2008 March 14^th for April 7^th

This final chapter of the first letter to Timothy begins with a statement about slaves and masters that I think is best left verbatim:

“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.”

In other words, being Christian does not address your social station or obligations within society. If anything, it obligates you to greater fervor and sincerity in your place and work, wherever and whatever it is.

Just as we were attempting to re-interpret Paul with respect to the role of women in the church and culture a few days ago, rewind 150-200 years in our own country and imagine how this text would be read (in fact, was read), in it’s simplest and most basic meaning, to support slavery, not abolition.

The next section deals with the love of money and preaches godliness through contentment with enough as opposed to godliness through financial gain as preached by others. The latter has led to all sorts of strife and division, grief and people leaving the faith.

Paul then concludes by charging Timothy to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.”

“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.” They are, rather, to have wealth in good deeds and treasurers in heaven.

And Timothy is to stay away from “godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge.” Such things have led people away from faith.

II Timothy 1 2008 March 14^th for April 8^th

Paul writes again to Timothy, his “dear son.”

First, he is thankful, and with a clear conscious, for Timothy and thanks God for him in his prayers every day. Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice had also been believers. Timothy had received a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline through them. Note the influence that these women had had in the church

Timothy is not to be ashamed either of the gospel or of the fact that Paul is a prisoner. It is through being faithful to God’s calling that Paul has come to be a prisoner and it is God’s grace that sustains him there. “Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”

(That was one of dad’s favorite verses.)

Timothy should also keep the word, as a deposit that has been entrusted to him.

Timothy was to have received this letter in Ephesus, capital of that part of Asia.

In Asia, some of the Christians have been deserting Paul, namely Phygelus and Hermogenes. From context it appears that they had abandoned him in court and abandoned at least parts of the faith that Paul had taught them. Since Paul is the apostle here, such denial amounts to apostasy.

The house of Onesiphorus, on the other hand, has been caring for Paul in prison. He had also been helpful to Paul in Ephesus.

II Timothy 2 2008 March 14^th for April 9^th

Paul instructs Timothy to teach as he has heard Paul himself teach. He directs him to be like a good soldier who does not get involved in civilian affairs but keeps to his duties to please his commander. Or like a good competitive athlete who can only win if he follows the rules. Endure! Work hard! “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”

The gospel for which Paul suffers in chains is this: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.”

He then quotes an ancient hymn as a trustworthy saying:

“If we died with him, we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us;

if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

Avoid pointless arguments, especially with those who have fallen away, like Hymanaeus and Philetus. “They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.”

God knows who belongs to him. All who do belong to God have turned away from wickedness.

In a house there are some things for noble use and some for ignoble. To be suitable for God’s work, a man must be cleansed from the ignoble.

“The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” For those opposed, instruct gently in the hopes that God will grant repentance and truth, and that they escape from the “trap of the devil.”

II Timothy 3 2008 March 15^th for April 10^th

Suddenly, Paul turns to a description of the “last days:”

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

It is no wonder, then, that people of all ages, including the time of Paul itself, have believed themselves to be in the “last days,” inasmuch as what Paul describes here is nothing other than the universal unregulated human condition in any and every age to the extent that circumstances permit. (His charge, “Have nothing to do with them,” indicates that he expects Timothy to encounter this in his own lifetime, a prospect that I would call a “sure thing.”)

He goes on to describe the sorts of things that such depraved people will do such as, “worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women…” He names as examples Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Pharaoh’s court who opposed Moses (clearly not a reference to the “last days”). “But they will not get very far because as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.”

Timothy, on the other hand knows all about Paul’s teaching, the way he lives, his purpose, his “faith, patience, love endurance, persecutions, sufferings –“ that had happened in his various missionary locales. Timothy knew that God had rescued Paul in all of these cases. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” But Timothy has known the scriptures from infancy, and…

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

This last verse is often used at the end of a string of “proof texts” (that is, taking short phrases from several places in the Bible wherever they suit the point being made and arranging them in a pseudo-reasonable way) to prove that the point being proof-texted is the very word of God, because all those words used came out of the Bible.

Of course, in this instance, Paul was referring to the “Law and the Prophets,” the canon that we now think of as the Old Testament. It is hard for me to imagine that Paul, at the moment of this writing, thought his own letters to his understudy Timothy and other places would one day be in that category themselves.

Not, however, to discount the inspiration and value of the Bible, which is inestimable, my only point is that the art of proof-texting is usually used to bowl weak or slow thinkers into a “trust me” position that, in my experience, is usually spiritually abusive. As such, I am strongly suspicious of any strung out argument that ends with the last verse of II Timothy 3, unless it is a discussion of the entire chapter of II Timothy 3 itself, or more. J

II Timothy 4 2008 March 15^th for April 11^th

Paul concludes by charging Timothy to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.”

Some will not put up with “sound doctrine” and will go around teaching whatever people want to hear. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

Paul knows that he is nearing the end of his life, nearing the “crown of righteousness” that is his heavenly reward. He implores Timothy to come to him quickly, bringing Mark, before winter if possible and bring several things along, a cloak that he left with somebody in Troas and some parchment scrolls, among other things.

In part this is because Paul had been deserted by his helper Demus, “because he loved this world.” Only Luke remained with him at the time of this writing. Others had done him harm, such as Alexander the metalworker. “The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.” Perhaps as a metalworker he was in the idols business, a business that Christianity would seek to end.

In these two letters from Paul to Timothy, a surprising number of believers had fallen away or otherwise abandoned the faith. The descriptions of these fallings away are not the portions of these letters that are read in the churches where I have attended.

In Paul’s first trial no one had come to his defense but as a Roman citizen he could not be thrown to the lions, so that hadn’t happened, at least yet. The Lord stood with him at these times and enabled him to preach to the Gentiles so that as many as possible could hear the Word.

Paul closes with greetings to fellow tentmakers Priscilla and Acquilla and to Onesiphorous, Erastus, and others. He also passes along greetings from many in Rome: Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, “and all the brothers.”

Concluding Thoughts on Timothy 2008 March 18^th for April 14^th

As Christians we can sometimes think of the material in the Old Testament as superceded or unsuited to our culture, though this is not strictly the case. In the New Testament, when Jesus or Paul speaks, their doing so illuminates and commands our own faith directly. Much of the doctrine that the modern church is built on, and that its denominations argue about, is from Paul.

In this letter to Timothy we have found references to the roles of women and slaves that challenge our culture. Such challenges can also cast at least some shadow on some of the other teachings, such as qualifications for church leadership or the “list of widows.”

Many of our religious fellows, retreating into the safety of absolutes, condemn our culture or anything else that is not directly and exactly supported from the Bible, problems in reconciliation within the Bible itself notwithstanding. By doing this they would support institutions that we no longer think of as just: slavery and the subjugation of women being only two. There is no room for societal evolution or progress, as we understand it. Others take the opposite tack. Their ideas of propriety are formed in the current culture and they use the Bible for moral support and broad context, but not exactitude.

How are we to respond to these dilemmas, these factions? Was Paul just proscribing roles for slaves and women that would keep the peace during an expected brief time before Christ’s return marking the end of history? In such a case, there would be no need for social reform, just put up with whatever was already there until the end. Can we say then that, cultural expectations and norms being different now, and imperfect in all ages, these pronouncements do not apply? The pronouncements that Paul referred to as “commands?”

One way out is to just discount the Bible itself. Without a pledge to believe and follow the Bible as delivered, none of this is a problem, after all.

Nonetheless, I am not an extremist on either side.

Something else I picked up on this trip through the letters to Timothy was the degree of strife and tension in connection with the early church. These are not the readings we usually hear in church today but Paul mentioned several people who had left the faith for various reasons, love of the world or belief in a heresy or something else. Some of these even abandoned Paul himself personally, even after having become close enough to him to be in his personal service. To me, all of this turmoil in “eternal membership,” at all levels, sounds a lot more like the real world that I experience than the one that is usually attributed to the “early church” in modern exposition.

In the church today we have people who go from one to the other, some from even from one religion to another then another. In any one such place most people wax and wane in their fervor and level of participation. While I tend to accept this as just the way the world works, Paul saw it as much more black and white. Those people who loved the world and abandoned him and the faith were forever condemned. There are numerous phrases like: “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”

One wonders what was going on there. It doesn’t say what Alexander did to Paul. It doesn’t say what Paul expects the Lord to do to Alexander. It doesn’t say what form the opposition to Paul’s message took. The contemporary, intended readers of these letters would have known the details. We are left with interpretation. One could read this to portray a serious heretic burning in hell. At another extreme, it’s just a disagreement, or even less, just a misunderstanding about the truth and who gets to say what God’s truth is, Paul taking it very seriously since he saw himself as being squarely on God’s side, acting as God’s mouthpiece in the epic battle.

There are a few more letters, some from Paul, to wrestle with before we’re done.

© 2008 Courtney B. Duncan.