1 Timothy 6:1. The subject of Church discipline in the strict sense of the word had been finished. But social questions of no small difficulty remained to be dealt with, and these St. Paul, with the wide experience which made him perceive the falsehood of extremes, and which we trace in 1 Corinthian... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:2. BECAUSE THEY ARE BRETHREN. The risk contemplated was, lest the new sense of fraternity should pass into a revolutionary claim to equality. Slaves were not to despise their masters because they (the masters) were brothers in Christ. That was a ground for a new loyalty and a more thorou... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:3. IF ANY MAN TEACH OTHERWISE. The same expressive compound verb as in 1 Timothy 1:3. CONSENT. Literally, _‘come over to, accede to,'_ as a proselyte accedes to a new faith. THE WHOLESOME WORDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. There is no reason why the words should not be taken in their lit... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:4. HE IS PROUD. The same Greek word as in 1 Timothy 3:6, ‘He has been and is under the stupefying influence of a fever.' The word is thus brought into the sharpest possible contrast with the ‘healthy words' of the previous verse. DOTING. Here again the term is strictly medical: ‘ _ravi... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:6. GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT. In contrast with the false view of religion as a source of wealth, St. Paul brings out its true character. In the highest sense, ‘religion' with contentment is the best business, the best investment. The Greek word for ‘contentment' is that by which ethical... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:7. IT IS CERTAIN THAT WE CAN CARRY NOTHING OUT. The word ‘certain' is not in the best MSS., and seems to have been inserted to make the sense of the passage clearer. Without it we must read, ‘ _because neither can we carry anything out.'_ God has made us enter the world with nothing, to... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:8. RAIMENT. The Greek word, which is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, has the general sense of _covering,_ and may therefore include ‘ _shelter'_ as well. LET US BE THEREWITH CONTENT. The better Greek text gives an authoritative future rather than an imperative. ‘ _We shall be... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:9. THEY THAT WILL BE RICH. The Greek ‘will' is more than the simple future: _They that wish to be rich._ It is not the mere possession of riches, but the cupidity before gaining them, and the trust in them (Mark 10:24) when gained, that constitute their danger. FOOLISH. Better ‘ _sense... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:10. THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. Better ‘. root.' The Greek for ‘root' has no article. The thought implied is not that the love of money is the one source of evil, but that out of it, as out of other vices of character, every form of evil would naturally spring. The position of ‘root,' however,... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:11. O MAN OF GOD. The choice of phrase may be referred to two links of associations. (1) There is that of its use in the Old Testament as applied to prophets, 1 Samuel 9:6; 1 Samuel 9:8; 1 Kings 13:1; 1 Kings 13:4; 1 Kings 13:8, and elsewhere, Timothy's work as an evangelist having in St... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:12. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH. The thought is parallel to, but not identical with, the ‘good warfare' of 1 Timothy 1:18. Here the idea is that of the conflict of the athlete rather than the soldier, and this has, as its characteristic, that it is ‘the conflict of _the_ faith' in its... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:13. I GIVE THEE CHARGE. The apostle retains to the opening thought of the Epistle, that of the ‘charge or ‘injunction' which he committed to his disciple, 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:18; but now that he is drawing to a close, the injunction assumes a more solemn character and is given as... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:14. WITHOUT SPOT, UNREBUKEABLE. We keep the rhetorical effect of the Greek better by translating both adjectives after the same pattern, _‘without spot, without rebuke,'_ or ‘ _spotless, reproachless,_ or ‘ _unspotted, unreproached.'_ UNTIL THE APPEARING. The words imply, as St. Paul's... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:15. WHICH IN HIS TIMES. The words qualify the expectation just expressed. He leaves the times and the seasons in the hands of the Great Ruler. THE BLESSED AND ONLY POTENTATE. The word for ‘blessed' is the same as in 1 Timothy 1:11. That for ‘Potentate' is used in Luke 1:52; Acts 8:27, o... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:16. WHO ONLY HATH IMMORTALITY. Other beings, His creatures, are immortal by the appointment of the great Creator. He only has it as the very essence of His being. The words have been much quoted of late years, as supporting the doctrine of the annihilation of the lost. They are, however,... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:17. CHARGE THEM THAT ARE RICH IN THIS WORLD. It is quite after St. Paul's manner to return in this way to the subject from which he had been led away by the train of thought that issued in a doxology. Before, he had spoken of those who set their hearts on becoming rich. Now, he deals wit... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:18. DO GOOD, BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS. The second ‘good' is higher than the first, as _noble_ deeds are above merely beneficent ones. READY TO DISTRIBUTE, WILLING TO COMMUNICATE. The two words are nearly synonymous. If there is any difference, it is that the former implies general benevol... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:19. LAYING UP IN STORE. Better, _‘as a treasure.'_ We need not be startled at the apparent contradiction between this reference to good works as a foundation, and the language in which St. Paul elsewhere asserts that the one foundation is Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). Men do not commonly... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:20. O TIMOTHY. The letter is coming to its close, and the feelings of the writer grow more intense. THAT WHICH IS COMMITTED TO THY TRUST. The Greek has one word with the sense of _‘deposit.'_ Taken by itself, it is general in its meaning, and may refer either (1) to the faith committed... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Timothy 6:21. WHICH SOME PROFESSING. Once again we have the indefinite mention of those who were known though unnamed. There were some who, boasting of their knowledge, had as concerning the faith missed their mark.... [ Continue Reading ]