PAUL'S INSTRUCTION TO TIMOTHY

Frank Buonomo
2005

First Timothy is one of the most relevant New Testament letters for understanding the mission, organization, and life of the local church. It demands reform, correction, and discipline for many of the problems that trouble the church today. 1 Timothy addresses such highly contemporary issues as:
I Timothy is the most important letter of the New Testament for the study of biblical eldership. It contains more direct, detailed, systematic teaching on eldership than any other New Testament letter…If we are to fully comprehend the teachings of this letter, however, we must first appreciate the disruptive situation in the church at Ephesus that prompted Paul`s writing to Timothy.

HISTORICAL SETTING
For three years, Paul labored labored in the city of Ephesus and established a strong and sound church (A.D. 53-56).When he was about to leave Asia Minor, Paul summoned the Ephesian elders for an emotional farewell meeting (A.D. 57). Gathered with the elders on the shore of Miletus, Paul solemnly warned the elders to be on guard because savage wolves would soon come (see sermon on Acts 20:17-31).

Five or six years after this prophetic warning to the Ephesian elders, the church in Ephesus found itself caught in the grip of false teachers. The letter of 1 Timothy seems to indicate what the heresy had erupted from within the church. Paul`s ominous words had come true: " and from among yourselves men will arise, speaking perverse things…" (Acts 20:30).

Somewhere along the line, Paul had visited Timothy in Ephesus. Their visit was not pleasant. False teachers were poisoning the church with destructive doctrines. In order to stop these false teachers, Paul took radical action. He excommunicated the two leading perpetrators, Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim. 1:19-20). Paul then moved onto Macedonia, leaving Timothy in Ephesus to help the embattled church and particularly to stop the advancement of the false teachings: " As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines " (1Tim. 1:3).

Paul knew that Timothy faced a difficult assignment. He was keenly aware of the tough problems he would encounter. Like tough, deeply rooted weeds, false teaching is hard to pull out once it has taken root. The opposition at Ephesus was fiercely argumentative (1 Tim. 6:3-5, 20), so Paul wrote to Timothy to firmly reinforce his previous verbal instructions to Timothy and the rest of the church in Ephesus.

In 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul refers to the church as the "household of God"…As in any successful household, but especially God`s household, proper structure, responsible behavior, discipline, and love are required. Any unruly, dysfunctional household ruins the lives of its members and is an offense to the community. God`s household should enrich and protect its members and be an attractive testimony of the Gospel`s truth to an unbelieving world. High on Paul`s list for the proper governing of God`s household are qualified, godly elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-25). Why?…Because if the elders of God`s household depart from sound doctrine and are of reproachable character, the entire household will suffer.

VERSE-BY-VERSE ANALYSIS 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7

VERSE ONE : Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart (if someone aspires to oversight) on being an overseer (bishop), he desires a noble task.
The "saying" itself, in the form of a conditional sentence, commends the office as a good work and, therefore, seeks to encourage men to seek the office.

kalos- good, noble, excellent, worthwhile (task/job)

Why?…The church was purchased with the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).

(3:1) episkope- "office of overseer"…literally, "overseership"

(3:2) episkopos- "overseer"

VERSE TWO : Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, able to teach…
The verb "must be" is an imperative. So the overseer "must be" of a certain moral and spiritual character or he doesn`t qualify to be an overseer. God wants us to know that a properly qualified elder is a nonnegotiable requirement for governing God`s household. God has provided us with objective (we hope), observable, qualifications to test the subjective desire of all who seek the office of overseer. Desire alone is not enough. It must be matched by good character and spiritual capability.

FIRST SEVEN OF FIFTEEN SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS:

I. above reproach ( anepilemptos ) - To be above reproach means to be free from any offensive or disgraceful blight of character or conduct, particularly as described in verses 2-7. When an elder is irreproachable, critics cannot discredit his profession of faith or prove him unfit to lead others (Neh. 6:13)…Therefore, heading the list of qualifications is the general, overarching, all-embracing qualification: "above reproach" or “blameless.”

II. The husband of but one wife ( mias gynaikos andra ) - The phrase is made up of three words:
mias- one
gynaikos- wife or woman
andra- husband or man

The Phrase "of one wife" is in the emphatic position to stress the idea of "one wife". It modifies the noun "husband" . Thus we can translate the phrase in the following ways:
"one- wife husband"
"one- woman man"
"husband of one wife"

There is broad disagreement, however, on the proper interpretation of this little phrase. Here are four of the most common interpretations:
III. temperate (nephalios) - sober-minded
In Greek, the word nephalios can mean sobriety in the use of wine. Here, however, it is used to mean mental sobriety. "Temperate" denotes self-control, balanced judgment, and freedom from debilitating excesses or rash behavior. It describes a person who is stable, self-restrained, and clear- headed.

IV. self-controlled ( sophron ) - Similar to the word "temperate" (sophron) also stresses self-control, particularly as it relates to exercising good judgment, discretion, and common sense. To be prudent is to be sound-minded, sensible, and able to keep an objective perspective in the face of problems and disagreements. Prudence tempers pride, authoritarianism, and self-justification.

V. respectable (kosmios) - A well-behaved person. "kosmios" conveys the idea of self-control, proper behavior, and orderliness.

VI. hospitable ( philazenon ) - It is necessary for an elder to be hospitable. Hospitality is a concrete expression of Christian love and family life.
VII. able to teach ( didaktikos ) - " skillful in teaching "…
Responsibility for this task is spelled out in." Titus 1:9 - "That he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict."

VERSE THREE:…not given to much wine, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
VIII. not a drunkard (paroinos) - First of four consecutive negatives…An elder must be above reproach in his use of alcohol. Paul uses strong language here that means not preoccupied or overindulgent with wine. ..The Bible contains many warnings against the potential dangers of strong wine and strong drink ( Isa.5:11,22; Prov. 20:1;23:30-35)

Scripture specifically warns leaders about the dangers of alcohol:
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Or for rulers to desire strong drink,
Lest they drink and forget what is decreed,
And pervert the rights of the afflicted (Prov. 31:4-5)

Elders work with people, often those who are greatly troubled. If an elder has a drinking problem, he may lead his people astray and bring reproach upon the household of God. His overindulgence will interfere with his spiritual growth and service, and it may well lead to more degrading sins.

IX. not violent, but gentle ( plakatas ) - …not pugnacious, not a bully…but instead, a gentle, forbearing spirit.
A violent man is a fighter , bad-tempered, irritable, out of control, fault-finding individual. Elders must handle highly emotional interpersonal conflicts and deeply felt doctrinal disagreements between believers. Elders are often at the center of very tense situations, so a hot-tempered, pugnacious person is not going to solve issues and problems peacefully and constructively.

X. A gentle man stands in vivid contrast to the pugnacious man. A gentle, forbearing spirited man exhibits a willingness to yield and patiently makes allowances for the weakness and ignorances of fallen people.
Someone once said that forbearance comes from God and is a chief source of peace and healing among His people. So in his letter to the Philippian Christians, who were experiencing internal as well as external conflict, Paul says, " Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men" (Phil.4:5).
Gentleness also characterized the life of Jesus: " Now I Paul urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ" ( 2 Cor. 10:1 ).

XI. not quarrelsome or not contentious…
Positively stated, an elder must be a peaceable man. As Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:24-25, " The Lord`s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition. "

XII. not a lover of money or free from the love of money…
An elder must not love money or be greedy. Both Paul and Peter condemn what we would call, "being in it for the money" (1 Peter 5:2; Titus 1:7 ). False teachers, Paul points out, are overly interested in money and in personal gain (1Tim. 6:5; Titus 1:11). The Pharisees were lovers of money who devoured widow`s houses ( Luke 16: 14; Mark 12:40 ). The chief religious leaders of Jesus` day turned the temple into a merchandise mart for their own profit ( Mark 11:15-17 )…
Like a powerful drug, the love of money can delude the judgment of even the best men. Scripture sternly warns against the love of money: " For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang " (1 Tim. 6:10 ).

VERSES FOUR AND FIVE: 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 family? )

XIII. A man who manages his household well:
A prospective elder must be able to manage ( rule, direct, lead, manage ) his household well.

The key measurement when evaluating a man`s management of his household is his children`s behavior. So Paul requires that he keep "his children under control with all dignity." This means he must be a responsible Christian father, husband, and household manager. He must have a reputation for providing for his family, financially, emotionally, and spiritually.
A well-managed family means that the children obey and submit to the father`s leadership. The way in which that relationship is manifested is especially important: it is to be "with all dignity."
The father is not to be a spirit-crushing tyrant who gains submission by harsh punishment. Elsewhere Paul writes, " Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" ( Eph. 6:4). Thus, a Christian father must control his children in an honorable, respectful, and dignified way.

Critical importance of this requirement found in verse 5:
Paul`s rhetorical question in verse 5 says, "But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for ( epimelesetai) the church of God?…The answer to that question is a resounding negative-he can`t care for the church of God if he doesn`t know how to manage his own household. The Greek word rendered "care for" stresses the loving, personal attention of meeting the church`s various needs. It doesn`t, however, eliminate the idea of leading or directing, which is an essential part of caring for the church.

XIV. not a new convert (neophyte) - Maturity requires time and experience for which there is no substitute, so a new convert is simply not ready for the arduous task of shepherding God`s flock.

XV. a man with a good reputation among nonbelievers (echothen-the one`s outside):
Finally, an elder must have a good reputation with those outside the church. Both Paul and Peter express deep concern that Christians have a good reputation before a watching, nonbelieving world (1 Cor.10:32; Phil.2:15; Col.4:5-6; 1 Thess.4:11-12; 1 Tim.2:1-2; 5:14; Titus 2:5,8,10;3:12; 1 Peter 2:12,15; 3:1,16)…
If all believers are required to have a good testimony before non-Christians, then it is imperative that the leaders have a good reputation with unbelievers. The church`s evangelistic credibility and witness is tied to the moral reputation of its leaders.

SUMMARY AND PURPOSE OF THESE QUALIFICATIONS:
It appears to me that this list is provided to the church for the same purpose as the much briefer list of Acts 6:3, namely, to provide a basis for the people of the church to select the ones God would have lead them, since such qualifications are the outworking of God`s grace in a man`s life.

They call the church to evaluate a potential overseer by means of characteristics that the church is aware of in a man. They speak of time for a potential bishop to grow so that he can see himself and the office without pride (v.6), of a man`s control of sin that competes against the Lordship of Christ, of his ability to share himself financially as well as through the teaching of the Scriptures (v.2), of his ability to live peaceably and not materialistically or contentiously (v.3), of his family life as an indicator of his leadership ability (vv.4-5), and of his testimony by outsiders regarding him that indicates the genuineness and stability of his new life in Christ (v.7)…These virtues coupled with those marks that should characterize all Christians are those things concerning which he should be "above reproach."