1 Timothy Chapter 6

1 Timothy 6:1-5 “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. 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.” 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, ⁴ he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 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.”  

Slavery existed then, and even though the New Testament does not condone it, Paul told those who are slaves to treat their masters with respect, so that the name of God and the doctrine of grace would not be evil spoken of.  If we claim to be under grace but our behavior is wild or rebellious, people will not speak well of us or the doctrine of grace.  Paul said here that the doctrine of grace is in accord with godliness.  

The phrase “who suppose that godliness as a means of gain” is better understood in the KJV, which states it like this, “who suppose that gain is godliness”.  The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, teach that God wants His people to prosper. Poverty is not a good thing to somehow keep people humble. That was one extreme view in the body of Christ.  But some have taken it to the other extreme and taught that material gain is equivalent to godliness.  We have seen this extreme view in the body of Christ in the last thirty years.  We should withdraw ourselves from people teaching that material gain is godliness.   

  

1 Timothy 6:6-11 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. ⁸ And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 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. 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. ¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”

This passage is similar again to what Jesus said in the parable of the sower and the seed.  Jesus said that the deceitfulness of riches would choke out the word of righteousness and that we would be unfruitful.  Those who are craving to be rich fall into temptation and many foolish and harmful lusts which drown believers in destruction and pain.  Money is not the root of all evil.  The love of money is.  The love of money has caused people to stray from the faith in their greediness.  That is what Jesus said about the seed sown among thorns.  The love of money has caused people much sorrow and they have not experienced the fruit of love, joy and peace that they were meant to inherit.  Paul told Timothy specifically to flee the love of money and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness.  

1 Timothy 6:12-16 ”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. 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, ¹⁴ that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 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, 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.”

What is this good fight of faith?  Our faith is in the free gift of righteousness in our Lord Jesus Christ.  John 17:3 states that eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent to us.  His free gift of righteousness to us in Jesus allows us to draw near to Him without fear and to enjoy His love and grace.  We must hold on or fight for this righteousness in our thinking and not fall back to an Old Testament law and performance mindset.  We also will not experience this eternal life on the inside of us if we reject holiness.  We will experience pain and misery.  The good confession is that we are made righteous by His grace as a free gift apart from our works.

 

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “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. ¹⁸ Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Those who are rich are commanded to be generous and not to trust in their riches but in God.  Notice that it says that God gives us richly all things to enjoy.  God wants us to prosper; He just wants our hearts to trust in Him and not be obsessed with material things.

 

1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— ²¹ by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.”

Remember that Paul said that the gospel was committed to his trust in 1 Timothy 1:11.  This is really the theme of this book.  Timothy was to guard the gospel which was committed to him.  How we respond to the gospel determines how much God will be able to work in our hearts and lives.  Then, the core of our ministry to others is sharing the gospel with them.  Romans 1:17 states that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all those who believe it.  I believe it really helps our understanding of scripture when we see that Paul's epistles and the other epistles contain the elements of what Jesus was saying in the gospels.  We get to choose what type of soil we are and how we receive the seed of the gospel in our hearts.

 

Keith Oliver