1 Timothy Chapter 6
Warnings to a Good Ministry
6:1 Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent the name of God and Christian teaching from being discredited.
Paul now shifted his divine inspiration to the relationship between capital and labor. Half of the Roman Empire consisted of slaves. Paul was writing to Christians who were a member of both groups. God made men. Men made slaves. Paul did not teach against the social injustices of the day. He simply taught each group how to have a godly relationship with each other while they were still living on this earth.
Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, who was a slave owner. Onesmius was a slave who had escaped from his owner, Philemon. During his escape, Onesimus met Paul and became a believer in Christ. Paul asked Onesimus to rerun to his master with a letter. In this letter, Paul asked Philemon to release Onesimus so that he could serve Christ. If every slave owner would have followed Paul's advice, slavery would have ended. Paul's views on slavery rocked the Roman world.
Slaves were commanded to show respect for their owners. The reason was that slaves were to show a witness of Christ to their owners.
6:2 But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect because they are brothers. Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved. Teach them and exhort them about these things.
If the slave had a believing master, then he was to show even more respect. They were to put in a full day's work. Timothy was commanded to teach this information about capital and labor to his congregation.
Summary of Timothy’s Duties
6:3 If someone spreads false teachings and does not agree with sound words (that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that accords with godliness,
Paul is going to teach Timothy how to deal with false teachers. He is also going to show him how to handle those who will not listen to sound Bible doctrine.
6:4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions,
The Greek word for "conceited" is τυφόω (tuphoa), meaning to blow smoke in the air, having a muddled mind set, or having a moral blindness that causes him not to understand Bible doctrine. Those who reject sound Bible doctrine from a gifted pastor teacher are arrogant in their thinking. This negative volition to the Word of God causes controversies and verbal disputes in the body of Christ. These controversies and verbal disputes lead to envy, dissension, slander, and evil suspicions.
6:5 and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit.
Those who practice negative volition to the Word of God will become bickerers. When a person rejects the Word of God, then their minds become corrupted. Their soul is deprived of truth. False teachers will teach for profit instead of spiritual growth of the community.
6:6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.
The heretical teachers desire profit. Gifted pastor-teachers desire that the congregation learns Bible doctrine, which leads to godliness and contentment.
6:7 For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either.
Believers cannot take their material wealth to heaven. When a millionaire leaves this earth, his heirs are waiting outside the door to see how much he left. He leaves everything, because he cannot take anything with him.
6:8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.
The pastor-teacher should be satisfied with food and shelter.
6:9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
The desire for material wealth does not bring happiness, but it does bring destruction. The satanic world teaches the opposite view, the Epicurean view of let's eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Live for the gusto. He who has the most toys wins. All of these statements are human viewpoint and a part of the satanic world philosophy.
6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
Money is amoral, meaning that it is neither evil nor good. It is the desire for money which is the root of all evils. Drugs, murder, theft, prostitution, and all other sins sprout out of the love of money. Some people place their faith in money, causing them to stray from the faith. This human viewpoint desire for money is similar to committing suicide with a knife.
6:11 But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.
As a pastor, Timothy's desire is not to be centered in making money. He is to keep away from this desire. Instead, he should pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, endurance, and gentleness.
6:12 Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses.
Pastor-teachers are fighting in a spiritual battle. They are to compete against powerful spiritual beings that they cannot see. They were called to eternal life, so they have nothing to fear from the demonic enemies. Therefore, when they teach, they need to make a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
6:13 I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession before Pontius Pilate,
God is the Creator who gives life to all things. Jesus was a strong and powerful witness before Pontius Pilate. Paul charged Timothy to imitate Christ's example.
6:14 to obey this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ
Timothy is to stay a strong witness until Christ returns at the Rapture.
6:15 – whose appearing the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time.
Paul was looking for the blessed hope, not for the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. This verse is evidence of the doctrine of immanency.
6:16 He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.
Jesus Christ is the only one who has been resurrected from the dead with a glorified body. He now lives in unapproachable light, which is the Shekinah Glory.
6:17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.
Timothy is to teach the wealthy not to be arrogant of their material standing. Instead, they should focus on Christ.
6:18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.
The wealthy were given more wealth so that they could share and provide for others. It is a sin for the wealthy to horde their money and not assist those in need.
6:19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.
If the wealthy will share their material prosperity, then they will receive great riches in heaven.
Conclusion
6:20 O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and absurdities of so-called “knowledge.”
The Greek word for "profane chatter" is βεβήλους κενοφωνίας (bebailous kenophownias), meaning ungodly babble which is actually nothing. Any human viewpoint philosophy that goes against the Word of God is just talk that means nothing.
The Greek word for "absurdities" is ἀντίθεσις (antithesis), meaning anti-ideas, or opinion that goes against the Word of God. Any human viewpoint philosophy that goes against the Word of God is an anti-idea, meaning that the opinion is against the opinion of Christ.
The Greek word for "so-called knowledge" is ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως (psuedowdonumou), meaning falsely named experiential knowledge. The theory of evolution is a pseudo-science that falsely calls itself true science.
Paul was basically writing about the gnostic heresies that were beginning to infiltrate the church, but it also refers to all other human philosophies as well.
Dr. Henry Morris, the late founder of the Institute of Creation Research, has some interesting insights on this passage:
“Science falsely so-called” is, in the Greek, literally “pseudo-science” or “pseudo knowledge.” This pseudo-science is nothing other than evolutionism, which has been in “opposition” against God as Savior and Creator and the world as His creation since the beginning of time. In Paul’s day, it mainly took the form of Epicureanism (based on atheistic evolutionism) and Stoicism (based on pantheistic evolutionism). It soon would take the form of Gnosticism and later of Neo-Platonism, both also assuming evolution. In other parts of the world, it had the form of Taoism, Hinduism, Confucianism, or Buddhism, all based squarely on some form of pantheistic evolution and an infinitely old cosmos. In recent times it assumed the form of Darwinism, though men are now returning again to various forms of eastern religion and their systems of pantheistic evolution, still rejecting God as Creator and Christ as Savior. Yet all forms of evolutionism are pseudo-science at best, filled with “profane and vain babblings.” Note the following summary of current scientific evidence against evolutionism.
1. There is no present evolution; only horizontal variations and extinctions.
2. There was no past evolution, only ubiquitous gaps between basic kinds in the fossils.
3. There can be no possible evolution, since universal laws of conservation and decay now govern all natural processes.
4. There has been no time period long enough for evolution, because historical records go back only a few thousand years, and the fossil record speaks only of rapid formation.
5. There is no Biblical evolution (see Genesis 1:25; 2:1-3; I Corinthians 15:38-39).
6. There could have been no theistic evolution, for death came into the world only when man sinned (Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21).
7. There could have been no pantheistic evolution, for God condemns all who worship the creation as its own creator (Romans 1:20-25).
6:21 By professing it, some have strayed from the faith. Grace be with you all.
Many people professed these false philosophies and strayed from the truth.
Paul closed the letter in the plural, meaning that this would be a circular letter to all of the churches.