RELATIONSHIPS & RESPONSIBILITY (1Tim 5:1-3, 7-8, 17-25)
In the recent British TV series, Downton Abbey, based in England in the years 1912-1914, we gained a glimpse of what happened to the Grantham estate when the landlord’s son and heir tragically died. The wife and daughters received nothing from the estate. Instead the whole estate was willed to the eldest surviving nephew whom Earl Grantham had not even met. This set the scene for the TV series.
If a married woman lost her husband during the first century, regardless of the wealth of the estate, the widow would receive nothing. The entire estate would be inherited by the sons. Such was the case in Ephesus when Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy. Also, the plight of widows was drawn to the attention of the apostles in Jerusalem not long after the resurrection. Widows had been neglected, but the apostles ensured that they would be looked after by the Church.
Widows were one such group that needed Timothy’s special attention. But here in the first 3 verses Paul instructs Timothy how to minister to different groups in the Church. We would do well to pick up the implications for us today.
V1-3 Paul instructs Timothy to be considerate of others:
Honour those older than you / those with more experience
Don’t exploit others
Be pure in thought, word & action, especially with opposite sex
Be caring towards the needy (especially the ones society has forgotten; eg. widows).
V7-8 Be blameless & not open to criticism (Phil 1:9-10 Living: I want always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong …)
Make sure that your own family members are cared for, receiving adequate provision. It is unthinkable that the morality of ordinary Christians in their care for their family members would lag behind community standards. Unfortunately it does in a lot of cases.
The last section deals with Christian leaders, but the principles also apply to all those who aspire to be used by God.
V17-18 If a church is not organised there will be a lot of wasted effort, wasted money, and wasted opportunities. Paul is saying that there needs to be both organisation and teaching. If there is just teaching the gospel and no organisation there will be chaos. If there is just organisation and no teaching the gospel, the church just becomes a club.
These verses remind us that those who are set apart as servants of the Church need to be adequately supported & remunerated by the Church. Deut 25:4 is quoted here to imply that ‘if God ordained adequate provision for oxen who were treading out the grain, then it is equally expected of Christian communities to adequately remunerate their pastors.
May I say that our Church Council, under Synod’s direction, has made adequate provision for Jenni and myself, and we are indeed grateful to God and to you for your support.
V19-20 These verses were written to safeguard innocent leaders from false accusation, but equally they provide for the discipline of leaders who fall into sin. I believe that the lives of Christian leaders are in the public eye, and therefore Christian leaders are to be publically accountable for their actions. If a Christian leader sins, it is often the result of a character flaw. In those cases, just a public confession and forgiveness is only the first step on the way back to reinstatement to ministerial duties. Obviously, I believe that there are some sins (demonstrated by a flawed character) that automatically prevent a person from being a Church leader. But that discussion is for another time. But I do want to say that draconian Church discipline leads to a harsh and intolerant spirit or cynicism, but on the other side of the coin, the neglect of Church discipline is just as great a miscarriage of justice for the victims of clergy abuse. A delicate balance is required between the justice of firm discipline of offenders and the mercy of bringing healing to the perpetrator and victim alike.
V21 In the same way, favouritism breeds cynicism. Act without prejudice against or partiality for anyone. There are no rights of seniority in Church, as all members have the same standing before God and his Word.
V22 Don’t be too hasty to lay on hands and restore people back to Church leadership. If trust has been eroded, it needs to be rebuilt. In providing discipline to Church leaders be careful that you are not led astray by the same temptations. Paul says, “Appoint pure leaders and be pure yourself”.
V23 This verse is a side comment and helps us to connect with Timothy. It also helps us to see the relationship between Paul and Timothy is like father to son, adding greater weight to this letter being authored by Paul. We see also that purity (cf. V22) does not necessarily mean abstaining completely from alcohol, as Timothy was encouraged to use a little for medicinal purposes. Perhaps contaminated water had led to Timothy’s illnesses. In the same way, this verse ought not be used to support over indulgence of alcohol. Also, there is a member of a previous church who has signed on the dotted line for total abstinence of alcohol. I must say that opting for the total abstinence of alcohol must not be a matter for Church regulation, but rather for personal conviction and choice.
V24-25 While sometimes it is unclear who the perpetrators are (some are pretty good at hiding their misdeeds), it is obvious who the godly and righteous are because of their good deeds (because they are saved). The Church needs wisdom & guidance in selecting its leaders. We need this now as we advertise for a family pastor for our congregation to start up playgroups and help with our KFC.
Today, I am glad that inheritance expectations and laws have changed to take care of all family members and be far more equitable than they ever used to be. This is in line with the gospel of grace. God does take care of all his children, even if we neglect to do so.
Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to be considerate of others;
to care for those we have responsibility to care for; and
to seek the wisdom of God in all matters of appointment and discipline of church leaders.
