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1 Timothy
Chapter Six
I.
Content of the Chapter
God’s Workers should Fight the Good Fight of
Faith
II. Being alert to those who preach heresies (v.3-5).
III. Being alert to being strayed from the faith by
money (v.6-10).
IV. Being a man of God and lay hold on eternal life
(v.11-16).
V. Commanding
those who are rich in this present age not to trust in riches (v.17-19).
VI. Guarding
what was committed to your trust, avoiding the contradictions of knowledge (v.20-21a).
VII. Trusting in God’s grace (v.21b).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
1Tim. 6:1 “Let as many bondservants
as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the
name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.”
YLT: “As many as are
servants under a yoke, their own masters worthy of all honour let them reckon,
that the name of God and the teaching may not be evil spoken of;”
Meaning of Words: “bondservants”:
slaves, servants; “own”: pertaining to self, private; “worthy”: due reward,
deserving; “doctrine”: teaching, doctrine; “blaspheme”: speak evil, revile,
defame.
The
Background: “as many bondservants as are under the yoke” the slavery prevailed in the society of
that time and there were many bondservants who believed in the Lord in the
church. Probably some bondservants who believed in the Lord thought that the
Lord’s salvation included the release from their positions in the society and
therefore they would be no longer constrained by their position of
bondservants.
Literal Meaning: “Let as many bondservants as
are under the yoke” “under the yoke”
describes that they were controlled and not free.
“Count
their own masters worthy of all honor”
“own masters” specially refers to the masters who did not believe in the Lord.
“All” means full and absolute. “Honor” refers to the attitude that they hold to
the masters and they should behavior the same before both masters and others.
“So
that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed” “doctrine” refers to the teachings of the
apostles (See Acts. 2:42).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If believers do not honor others correctly, as a
result the
name of God and His doctrine will be despised
and laughing stock will be caused.
2) Today there are the differences between
superiors and subordinates and masters and employees in the society and we
believers should honor to whom honor (
3)
Let each one remain in the same calling in
which he was called (1Cor. 7:20).
1Tim. 6:2 “And those who have
believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but
rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved.
Teach and exhort these things.”
YLT: “and those having
believing masters, let them not slight, because they are brethren, but rather
let them serve, because they are stedfast and beloved, who of the benefit are
partaking. These things be teaching and exhorting;”
Meaning of Words: “rather”: far, more;
“serve”: serve as slaves, be in bondage willingly.
Literal Meaning: “And those who have
believing masters” “believing” refers
to believing in the Lord.
“Let
them not despise them because they are brethren” probably there are three reasons why men despise
believing masters: 1) the years that masters have believed in the Lord are
shorter than that of servants; 2) the spiritual degree of masters are lower
than that of servants; 3) servants misunderstand that they are free in the Lord
and there is not the difference between masters and servants any more.
“But
rather serve them” “rather” indicates
that one serves believing masters more willingly and respectfully than
unbelieving masters.
“Because
those who are benefited are believers and beloved” this sentence has two interpretations: 1) it
indicates that the masters benefit because of the service of believing
servants; 2) it indicates that the masters pay close attention to interests of
bondservants because the masters are believers and beloved.
“Teach
and exhort these things” “these things”
refers to the teachings concerning bondservants’ principle of walking in v.1-2.
“Teaching” stresses on making men know; “exhorting” stresses on making men act.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Here Paul the apostle only mentioned that believing
bondservants should honor masters, showing that most probably the problems in
the church at that time were caused by bondservants who were dissatisfied with
their social positions and wanted to strive for equality and liberty.
2) The liberty of Christians is the liberty in the
spirit that we are no longer in the bondage of Satan and sins (Gal. 5:1, 14).
Concerning the liberty of the flesh, we should humble ourselves under the
mighty hand of God, that He may release us in due time (See 1Pet. 5:6).
3) Today we Christians should bear good witness
before unbelieving superiors (See v.1) and rather serve believing superiors.
4) Believing bondservants should rather serve
masters in the Lord, however, we should not demand the masters to rather treat
us kindly because it is the matter between others and God that how they treat
us.
5) Christians should regard service as a privilege
because it has a good effect that we who are believers and beloved shall be
benefited.
1Tim. 6:3 “If anyone teaches
otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,”
YLT: “if any one be
teaching otherwise, and do not consent to sound words -- those of our Lord
Jesus Christ -- and to the teaching according to piety,”
Meaning of Words: “not consent”: not
assent; “wholesome”: sound, be in health, in good condition, be will in body
and mind; “doctrine”: teaching, instruction.
Literal Meaning: “If anyone teaches otherwise” “otherwise” refers to the teachings that
are different from the orthodox truth.
“And
does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ” “wholesome words” refers to sound words;
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ are words of life (John. 6:63) and therefore
His words are sound words.
“And
to the doctrine which accords with godliness” “the doctrine” refers to the teaching (See v.1);
“the doctrine
which accords with godliness” refers to the
teaching that makes men live a godly life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If believers lack the clear knowledge of
Christ’s wholesome words, they would make those who teach otherwise have a
loophole to exploit.
2) The wholesome words of the Lord Jesus Christ are
the source of the doctrine which accords with godliness.
3) The wholesome words would bring in the godly
life. Our touchstone for men’s faith is whether their life and behavior accord
with the pattern of godly life.
1Tim. 6:4 “he is proud, knowing
nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which
come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,”
YLT: “he is proud,
knowing nothing, but doting about questions and word-striving, out of which
doth come envy, strife, evil-speakings, evil-surmisings,”
Meaning of Words: “proud”: envelope
with smoke, envelope with pride; “is obsessed with”: be sick, sore, dote about,
hanker after; “disputes and arguments over words”: disputing about words,
finding fault in words; “evil suspicions”: bad thoughts.
Literal Meaning: “he is proud, knowing
nothing” in the original it
means that he is blinded by smoke and cannot see his real condition. Here it
means that such men cannot sense the will of God because of flatulence and are
ignorant of things of God.
“But
is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words” in the original this sentences could be
translated into: he is sick with disputes and arguments over words; “disputes
and arguments” is the sickness of the mind and it is a contrast to “wholesome
words” in v.3.
“From
which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions” the various kinds of evil consequences recounted
in this sentence are made by the sickness of the mind mentioned in the previous
sentence. “Envy” describes that one cannot suffer that others are better than
him and the opinion of others are better than his; “strife” refers to
opposition and hostility caused by the differences of opinions; “reviling”
indicates that one speaks ill of others and even attacks them with evil words;
“evil suspicions” refers to the evil thoughts to others.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All teachings different from the sound words of
Christ are of men’s pride that blind themselves.
2) The proud one thinks that he is full of
learning. But actually he knows nothing yet as he ought to know (1Cor. 8:2).
3) One’s being fond of disputes shows that his mind
is abnormal and it is a morbid state.
4) If one is unable to bear details, stress on the
more important point when dealing with problems and grasp the center of
problems, his spirituality and discernment are proved to be limited.
1Tim. 6:5 “useless wranglings of men
of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a
means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
YLT: “wranglings of men
wholly corrupted in mind, and destitute of the truth, supposing the piety to be
gain; depart from such;”
Meaning of Words: “corrupt minds”:
corrupted in mind, ruined in mind; “useless wranglings”: endless wrangling,
continuous disputes, frivolous quibbling.
Literal Meaning: “useless wranglings of men
of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth” “destitute of the truth” implies that they had
known the truth, however, they were mislead by men so that they abandoned the
truth; the whole sentence means that rattling on disputes only corrupts men’s mind
and makes the truth that was in them become lighter and nothing finally. In a
word, such men who like wranglings will lose their mind finally so that they
cannot know the truth.
“Who
suppose that godliness is a means of gain” It indicates that they regard godliness as a
means of making money.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This sentence shows the orbit of the depravation
of the faith: first one corrupts in the morality and then abandons the truth
that he knew, finally he brings in commercial acts into the church with the
purpose of gain, using the faith as a cover.
2) There is no other thing in the world to be
condemned by God more than “supposing that godliness is a means of gain”. Such means of making money is the lowest.
And there is no other thing to be more contemptible than it. Only when those
who do the work of the Lord be cleansed completely from gain will they be able
to work.
3) If you desire to do the work of the Lord, you
must be independent of money that you would rather be starved to death than
long for gain. We could sell our clothes and things, however, we never sell our
truth and godliness.
4) If preachers are not careful, they will fall
into a trap unconsciously: in the beginning it is “the Lord uses me” and later
it becomes “I utilize the Lord”; in the beginning it is “I dedicate myself
fully” and later it becomes “I fully gain”.
1Tim. 6:6 “Now godliness with
contentment is great gain.”
YLT: “but it is great
gain -- the piety with contentment;”
Literal Meaning: “godliness” refers to
the spiritual states manifested outwardly because of the inner good
relationship with God (See the notes in 4:7); “contentment” refers to the inner
self-sufficiency and it is in opposition to the lack of and yearning for the
external things.
“Great gain” refers to great result that
is far better, including the blessing in this life and eternal life. It
includes the blessing in this life because godliness and contentment are able
to release men from the worry and greediness to things in the world so as to
help men avoid the unnecessary sorrows (See v.10). It includes the blessing in
eternal life because one does not waste his life in the pursuit of things in
this life and turns to pursue all in the coming life and therefore he shall
gain the good reward.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The true gain is here: the one who is godly
needs nothing and does not hope for anything else and is satisfied with what he
has. It is gain and great gain.
2) Godliness with contentment is the spiritual
affluence and it makes men fix their eyes on eternal things instead of the
temporary things in the present life.
3) The contentment of Christians is that they are
satisfied with all the arrangements of God and are not influenced by
surroundings.
4) If men rely on Christ and regard Him as the
dominator of life, we should regard the reward of money as less important and
be satisfied with the present situation.
1Tim. 6:7 “For we brought nothing
into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
YLT: “for nothing did we
bring into the world -- manifest that we are able to carry nothing out;”
Literal Meaning: “For we brought nothing into
this world” It indicates that
we came empty-handed when we were born and we had not carried the external
things.
“And
it is certain we can carry nothing out”
It indicates that we will go empty-handed when we die and we cannot carry the
external things out (See Job. 1:21).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men came naked and will go naked. Men keep
hurrying all their life and cannot lay up treasure for themselves (See Luke.
12:16-21) and therefore we should turn to pursue a treasure that does not fail
(Luke. 12:33).
2) Men only need the external things in this
temporary course when we are alive; once men are dead, we cannot carry the external
things out and contrarily they become the basis for our rewards and punishment
after death. And therefore we should deal with them carefully when alive.
1Tim. 6:8 “And having food and
clothing, with these we shall be content.”
YLT: “but having food and
raiment -- with these we shall suffice ourselves;”
Meaning of Words: “content”:
satisfied, sufficient (in the original it is different form “contentment” in
v.6).
Literal Meaning: “clothing” refers to
things that cover men, including clothing and dwelling places; “food” refers to
things preserving health, including food and all kinds of provisions. “Food and
clothing” represents the basic needs of life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Concerning life on earth, all is vanity (Eccl.
1:2). What we have done and labored are the pursuit of the wind (Eccl. 2:11)
and cannot be carried to eternal life (See v.7). And therefore having food and
clothing, with these things we shall be content.
2) The seventh and eighth verses show the reason
why men shall be content: a) understanding that all external things are
temporary; b) other things are unnecessary except the basic needs (food and
clothing) that keeping men’s living.
3) Men’s desire is endless and if we haven’t
learned to be “content”, we will never be satisfied. We shall still be short of
something no matter how much we have gained.
1Tim. 6:9 “But those who desire to
be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
YLT: “and those wishing
to be rich, do fall into temptation and a snare, and many desires, foolish and
hurtful, that sink men into ruin and destruction,”
Meaning of Words: “temptation”: try,
enticement; “lusts”: desires, concupiscence; “drown”: inundate, sink, immerse;
“destruction”: devastation; “perdition”: ruin, loss.
The
Background: “fall into…a snare”
The habitual means that hunters catch wild animals is setting up a trap and
putting the baits above the trap so as to attract wild animals to rush to the baits
above the trap and then the trap would collapse and they fall into the trap.
Literal Meaning: “But those who desire to be
rich” refers to those who have the strong desire
of being rich.
“Fall
into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts” “foolish and harmful lusts” refers to the foolish lusts that are harmful to
themselves. The whole sentence means that greediness brings in the ending of
tragedy.
“Which
drown men in destruction and perdition”
the word “drown” implies that one cannot extricate himself from something;
“destruction” stresses on the physical aspect; “perdition” stresses on the
spiritual aspect. In other words, “destruction” refers to the physical loss and
“perdition” refers to the spiritual loss.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The one who desires to be rich shall fall into
the snare of temptation and have many foolish and lethal lusts which would
drown him into the abyss of perdition.
2) If a man regards gaining the physical wealth as
the purpose of his life, he will seek and grab money unscrupulously and
consequently he will fall into sins.
3) We should have money, however, we should not be
greedy for money (See v.10). Money is for our use, however, we should not be
crazy about money.
4) Lust is a bottomless pit and if men fall into
it, the pit cannot be filled up no matter how much effort men have made. No
matter how much money men have made, the desire of being rich cannot be
satisfied.
5) This verse expresses the three steps of men’s
fall: a) one is tempted; b) one is controlled by lusts; c) one’s morality is
corrupted.
1Tim. 6:10 “For the love of money is
a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in
their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
YLT: “for a root of all
the evils is the love of money, which certain longing for did go astray from
the faith, and themselves did pierce through with many sorrows;”
Meaning of Words: “greediness”: long
for, crave, desire, covet, stretch out both hands to hug; “have strayed from”:
be seduced, be lead astray.
Literal Meaning: “For the love of money is a
root of all kinds of evil” “root” refers to
the source; the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, however, it is
not the only root (See
“For
which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness” “greediness” indicates one has inordinate
thoughts of money and therefore he longs for it. “Having strayed from” refers
to drifting through the wind, i.e. wandering. “From the faith” refers to
abandoning the faith.
“And
pierced themselves through with many sorrows” “sorrows” refers to the wounds of hearts;
“pierced themselves through” describes suffering all kinds of troubles.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A root of all kinds of evil is not “money”
itself but “greed”. If money is used well, it will influence our future greatly
(See v.19).
2) The reason why Christians have not walked well
in the spiritual way is their greediness. Men could commit fewer sins if they
are not greedy.
3) Those who are greedy for money cannot discern
right and wrong and the relative importance in the faith and it is easy for
them to stray from the faith.
4) No matter what excuses you make, the desire of
being rich will cause the miserable ending of soul finally.
5) We who believe in the Lord should believe that
God shall feed us so that we shall not lack (See Matt. 6:25-33; Ps. 23:1) on
one hand; on the other, we should not vainly hope to be rich by God (for
example, asking God to let us win a lottery and etc.) “for which some have strayed from the
faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”.
1Tim. 6:11 “But you, O man of God,
flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
gentleness.”
YLT: “and
thou, O man of God, these things flee, and pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love,
endurance, meekness;”
Meaning of Words: “man of God”: God’s
man; “flee”: run away; “pursue”: seek earnestly.
Literal Meaning: “But you, O man of God, flee
these things” “man of God” in
the narrow sense refers to prophets and apostles who speak for God (See 1Kings.
17:24) and in the broad sense it refers to all believers (See 2Tim. 3:17).
“Flee” in the original means running desperately without turning back. It is
not only the negative “not thinking, not seeing, not listening” but also the
positive turning away. “These things” refers to disputes and arguments over
words and making money by utilizing the faith which are previously mentioned
(v.4-10).
“Pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” It means that we should pursue the
spiritual virtues and these are the true treasure of Christians. “Pursue” in
the original means pursuing constantly all one’s life; “righteousness” refers
to being right before God and men; “godliness” refers to manifesting God in the
daily life (See 3:16); “faith” refers to trusting and relying on God and His
word; “love” refers to loving men in the love of God (1John. 4:7-8, 19-21);
“patience” refers to suffering persecution and tribulations; “gentleness”
refers to the meek attitude to those who are against us.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We are not of the world but of God. What a man
of God pursues is absolutely different from what a man of the world pursues.
2) A man of the world desires to be rich, however,
we, men of God, flee from the things of loving money.
3) A man of the world seeks pursues physical
things, however, we, men of God, pursue spiritual things. Gaining the spiritual
things is much more important than gaining the worldly things. We should not
only know it but also put it into practice earnestly.
4) “Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
gentleness” is not gained
easily and we should try our best and pay the price to pursue them with price.
1Tim. 6:12 “Fight the good fight of
faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have
confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
YLT: “be striving the
good strife of the faith, be laying hold on the life age-during, to which also
thou wast called, and didst profess the right profession before many
witnesses.”
Meaning of Words: “fight”: contest,
compete; “lay hold on”: seize, hold; “eternal life”: everlasting life;
“confession”: acknowledgement, the expression of the faith.
Literal Meaning: “Fight the good fight of
faith” “fight” in the
original means doing one’s best to compete in the sports ground (See 1Cor.
9:25) and in this epistle it is used to describe one’s effort for the faith
(See 1:18). “The good fight of faith” refers to the responsibility that
preachers should take, including preaching the gospel and speaking for God.
“Lay
hold on eternal life” It does not mean
that if we have not laid hold on eternal life that we have received, there will
be the possibility of losing it. It indicates that: 1) we should fully
appropriate the good points of eternal life and on which we serve and fight; 2)
from the angle of eternal life, we see the eternal value of service and fight
today.
“To
which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the
presence of many witnesses” this sentence
means that: 1) Timothy had bore good witness when he was a new believer (Acts.
16:2); 2) Timothy bore good witness when he followed Paul to preach the word
and serve the Lord (Pill. 2:22; 1Cor. 4:17).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The life of Christians is fighting with the
world and the devil constantly in order to keep the faith and make ourselves
live in the faith.
2) The true faith is able to change eternal life------grace
in future into the present blessing.
3) Eternal life (i.e. the holy and everlasting
life) that God has given believers is the source on which we rely to resist
heresies and confess good confession in life and works.
4) Here Paul, with a tone of order, commanded
Timothy to put the purpose that God had called him and the confession that he
had confessed before all into practice because if he wanted to be faithful unto
the end, he must pay the great price.
1Tim. 6:13 “I urge you in the sight
of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the
good confession before Pontius Pilate,”
YLT: “I charge thee,
before God, who is making all things alive, and of Christ Jesus, who did
testify before Pontius Pilate the right profession,”
Literal Meaning: “in the sight of God who
gives life to all things” this sentence
emphasizes that in God we live and move and have our being (Acts. 17:24-28) and
therefore we need not be afraid of men (Matt. 10:28).
“Who
witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate” “Pontius
Pilate” is the full name
of the governor who was accredited by the Roman Emperor to
“I urge you…and
before Christ Jesus” “Christ Jesus”
refers to the Son of God who came into the world to be a man. “Urging before…”
has the double meaning: 1) urging before God makes Timothy advance bravely and
without any fear when fighting for the faith; 2) urging before the Lord makes
Timothy follow the example of the Lord and know the meaning of fighting for the
faith.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Since God is the one who gives life to all things, no one could harm us without the
permission of God.
2) Though the Lord Jesus clearly knew that His end
was crucifixion, he was still unwilling to depart from the faith before the
power of the world. As our Lord is, so are we who serve Him.
3) All things live and exist for God and if we are
able to seek and obey the will of God in life, we shall witness the good
confession for God.
1Tim. 6:14 “that you keep this
commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,”
YLT: “that thou keep the
command unspotted, unblameable, till the manifestation of our Lord Jesus
Christ,”
Literal Meaning: “that you keep this
commandment” in the narrow
sense “this
commandment” refers to the
commandment in v.11-12 and in the broad sense it could refer to the wholesome
words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine which accords with godliness
(See v.3, 20).
“Without
spot, blameless” “without spot”
refers to having not been adulterated by others and it implies purity and
concentration. “Blameless” indicates that others cannot find fault in him. They
together refer to holding fast to the commandment and not suffering any
compromise.
“Until
our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing”
is until the coming of the Lord and it means constancy.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians should hold on the faith “without spot and blameless” and should never make a compromise with the
enemy.
2) When working for the Lord, we should take the
Lord’s second coming as motive and power. Our hope for the appearing of the
Lord Jesus Christ is the reason and power that we hold on the faith.
3) Believers should take three attitudes to obeying
the word of the Lord: a) without spot; b) blameless; c) until the appearing of
the Lord.
1Tim. 6:15 “which He will manifest in
His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and
Lord of lords,”
YLT: “which in His own
times He shall shew -- the blessed and only potentate, the King of the kings
and Lord of the lords,”
Literal Meaning: “in His own time” “time” in the original is a specified time
which is fixed and constant and it refers to the time of the second coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The time is ordained (1Thess. 1:10; 4:16). Though there
will be omens before the time (2Thess. 2:1-8), no one clearly know the certain
day (Matt. 24:36).
“He
who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords” here “He who is the blessed” should refer
to God the Father (See Acts. 1:7); “only Potentate”
indicates that He absolutely controls time and all things; “the King of kings and Lord
of lords” indicates that His
honor and power surpass all.
“Which
He will manifest” indicates that
Christ comes for the second time and manifests glory to the world.
1Tim. 6:16 “who alone has
immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see,
to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
YLT: “who only is having
immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no one of men did see, nor
is able to see, to whom honour and might age-during! Amen.”
Literal Meaning: “who alone has immortality” indicates that He is the only one who
lasts forever, basing on His nature and power.
“Dwelling
in unapproachable light” indicates that the
place where He dwells is so light that men cannot gaze at it steadily with
their eyes.
“Whom
no man has seen or can see” Pleas see Exod.
33:17-23; John 1:18.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This incomparable and alone-honored Master
Himself cannot be seen and approached by men and therefore He keeps working
until He makes His Son our Lord Jesus Christ completely manifest all the
fullness of the Godhead so that the King of kings and Lord of lords could be manifested before the eyes of all,
be seen by all and reign in all (See v.15; Rev. 19:1-16).
2) We shall see the ultimate glorious hope, i.e.
“He will manifest…the glorious Christ, in His own time” (See v.15). Such
glorious hope is the excitation today and reward in the coming for all who have
been entrusted and warriors of the faith.
1Tim. 6:17 “Command those who are
rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches
but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
YLT: “Those rich in the
present age charge thou not to be high-minded, nor to hope in the uncertainty
of riches, but in the living God, who is giving to us all things richly for
enjoyment; --”
Meaning of Words: “uncertain”:
changeable, unreliable.
Literal Meaning: “Command those who are rich
in this present age not to be haughty”
“haughtiness” is always a common failing of the rich.
“Nor
to trust in uncertain riches” “uncertain riches”
refers to the feature of money: it is unworthy of trust because it could
deteriorate, be lost, be devalued, be stolen (See Matt. 6:19), become useless
(Luke. 16:9) and make themselves wings and fly away (Prov. 23:5).
“But
in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” “all things” refers to all the physical
enjoyments that God gives men.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is not a sin that Christians are rich if the
source of their treasure is right. However, the rich believers have two risks:
haughtiness and trusting in riches instead of God.
2) The best way to test whether a believer is
haughty is to see whether he respects the teachings of God’s servants (See
1Thess. 5:20) because God’s servants are those who preach the word of God and
they are worthy of double honor (See 5:17).
3) Since God is not sparing in giving us all things
and He is willing to give us them to enjoy, He shall not disregard our needs.
1Tim. 6:18 “Let them do good, that
they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,”
YLT: “to do good, to be
rich in good works, to be ready to impart, willing to communicate,”
Literal Meaning: “Let them do good, that they
be rich in good works” v.17 shows the
negative aspect of money: it is unworthy of trust and v.18 shows the positive
use of money: it can be used as the tool to do good.
“Ready
to give, willing to share” “ready to give”
emphasizes that the motive of doing good should be the willingness from heart.
“Willing to share” stresses on the outward behavior: one is abundant, shares
with others and is not sparing in giving.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God gives us richly all things (See v.17) not
only to enjoy but also to share with the poor. And therefore we should never
make money our own and use money well to seek the benefit of all.
2) The majority of us have enough money to share
with men and the problem is not that we lack money but that we lack the
willingness to share with others.
3) Those who are enriched in money should be
enriched in good works according the will acceptable to God (See Eph. 2:10).
4) Christians’ attitude to money: the more we are
rich, the more responsibilities we take for doing good.
5) Christians should take care of each other and
help each other and it is the “social system” in the church.
6) It is the practical performance of being rich in
good works to share money with those who are in need so that they shall be
saved from difficult positions.
1Tim. 6:19 “storing up for themselves
a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
YLT: “treasuring up to
themselves a right foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on
the life age-during.”
Literal Meaning: “storing up for themselves a
good foundation for the time to come”
“the time to come” refers to the coming age (it is in contrast with “this
present age” in v.17). The whole sentence shows that we believers should use
money well in this age, storing up for ourselves a good foundation so that we
could enjoy in the coming age.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If Christians use money well, we shall store up
for ourselves a good foundation for the time to come (See Matt. 6:20; Luke.
16:9).
2) If the physical riches are only for the
enjoyment in this age, they could only benefit the short physical life.
However, if they are used to do good, they will benefit the everlasting and true
life forever.
3) The everlasting and true life that God gives us
is the very important and indispensible element to the life of Christians.
4) Rich ones in this life should know that the best
way to use money is to “be ready to give and willing to share” (See v.17-18). In this way, we could
“store up the good foundation” “for ourselves” in the time to come and make the
“uncertain riches” have the everlasting value. If we only covet the enjoyment
at present or be stingy moneygrubbers, we will descent into the Hades and
suffer the pain of being burnt. How foolish (See Luke. 16:19-31)!
1Tim. 6:20 “O Timothy! Guard what was
committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and
contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge--”
YLT: “O Timotheus, the
thing entrusted guard thou, avoiding the profane vain-words and opposition of
the falsely-named knowledge,”
Meaning of Words: “what was committed
to your trust”: a deposit, something put down alongside, what is left in
somebody’s care.
Literal Meaning: “O Timothy! Guard what was
committed to your trust” “Guard” means that
one not only is faithful to what was committed to his trust but also defends
what was committed to his trust and would never lose it. “What was committed to
your trust” refers to the sound faith (See 2Tim. 1:13-14).
“Avoiding
the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called
knowledge--” “the profane and idle
babblings” refers to the
empty talks without the spiritual meaning; “contradictions” refers to the contrary views; “what is falsely called
knowledge” refers to the
false knowledge.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians must discern what we should guard and
what we should flee from and when we know the sense of propriety, we won’t
waste the efforts.
2) Preachers should avoid the profane and idle babblings and groundless philosophy. It is the
example and also the witness.
1Tim. 6:21 “by professing it some
have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.”
YLT: “which certain professing
-- concerning the faith did swerve; the grace with you. Amen.”
Literal Meaning: “Grace be with you” Here “you” not only refers to Timothy but
also refers to all the brothers and sisters in
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Attitude that
the Believing Bondservants should Take
A. the responsibility: count their own masters worthy of all honor
(v.1a).
B. the reason: so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be
blasphemed (v.1b).
II. To believing masters:
A. the negative responsibility: not despise them because they are
brethren (v.2a).
B. the positive responsibility: but rather serve them (v.2b).
C. the reason: because those who are benefited are believers and beloved
(v.2c).
Several Comparisons
in the Sixth Chapter of the First Epistle of Timothy
I. Bondservants< > masters (v.1-2).
II. The name of God and His doctrine are
blasphemed < > having confessed the good confession (v.1, 12-13).
III. Otherwise < > the faith (v.3, 10,
20-21).
IV. The wholesome words of our Lord Jesus
Christ < >
disputes and arguments over words (v.3-4).
V. The doctrine which accords with godliness
< > contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge (v.3, 20).
VI. A means of gain < > ready to give,
willing to share (v.5, 18).
VII. Destitute of the truth < > guard
what was committed to your trust (v.5, 14, 20).
VIII. Contentment < > desire to be
rich, in their greediness (v.6-10).
IX. Being drowned in destruction and
perdition < > laying hold on eternal life (v.9, 12).
X. Having strayed from the faith < >
fighting the good fight of faith (v.10, 12).
XI. Fleeing < > pursuing (v.11).
XII. Trust in uncertain riches < >
trusting in the living God (v.17).
XIII. Being rich in this present age <
> storing up for the time to come (v.17, 19).
XIV. Laying hold on eternal life < >
straying concerning the faith (v.19, 21).
The Seven Features
of Those who Teach Otherwise
I. They do not obey the wholesome words of
our Lord Jesus Christ (v.3a).
II. They do not obey the doctrine which
accords with godliness (v.3b).
III. They are proud, knowing nothing (v.4a).
IV. They are obsessed with disputes and
arguments over words (v.4b).
V. They bring in four bad fruits: envy,
strife, reviling, evil suspicions (v.4c).
VI. They are men of corrupt minds and
destitute of the truth (v.5a).
VII. They suppose that godliness is a means
of gain (v.5b).
The Key of
Contentment
I. The key of contentment is godliness
(v6-8).
II. The key of contentment is not money
(v.9-10).
The Reasons Why
Preachers should not Love Money
I. The negative reason:
A. it makes men fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish
and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition (v.9).
B. it makes men stray from the faith in their greediness and pierce
themselves through with many sorrows (v.10).
II. The positive reason------our Lord Jesus
Christ is coming (v.15-16).
Four Things that A
Man of God should Do
I. Flee “these things”------ungodliness and
the love of money (v.11a).
II. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith,
love, patience and gentleness (v.11b).
III. Fight the good fight of faith (v.12a).
IV. Lay hold on eternal life (v.12b).
What Are Needed to
Work for the Lord
I. Pursue the growth in life (v.11).
II. Confess the good confession (v.12).
III. Try one’s best to seek perfection
(v.13).
IV. Take the Lord’s coming as power (v.14).
V. Guard what was committed to your trust
(v.20a).
VI. Avoid the profane and idle babblings
(v.20b).
VII. Avoid contradictions of what is falsely
called knowledge (v.20c).
The Being of God
(v.15-16)
II. Only Potentate
III. The King of kings
IV. Lord of lords
V. Alone has immortality
VI. Dwelling in unapproachable light
VII. Whom no man has seen
VIII. Whom no man can see
IX. To whom be honor and everlasting power.
Amen.
What Those Who Are
Rich in This Present Age Should Know
II. Not to trust in uncertain riches
(v.17b).
III. Trusting in the living God, who gives
us richly all things to enjoy (v.17c).
IV. Doing good, ready to give and willing to
share (v.18).
V. Storing up for themselves a good
foundation for the time to come (v.19a).
VI. Laying hold on eternal life (v.19b).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren