Making Rules for God

Reading:  1 Timothy 3:14-4:5
    
    Paul summarizes that his instructions for Timothy are so that “you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth”(1 Tim 3:15).  Christians are God’s people (“the household of God”) and our work is to support, uphold, and spread “the truth” about Jesus.  This includes what Paul calls “the mystery of godliness,” that “he was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory”(1 Tim 3:16).  This poetic description of the gospel story (from a human perspective) is not merely a set of assertions we endorse, but connects to how we live, speak, and love.

    But some will reject the truth.  “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared”(1 Tim 4:1-2).  The Holy Spirit prophesies departures from the faith (apostasies) which originate with Christians heeding the wrong voices (deceitful spirits, demons, and liars).  But the essence of the departure is unexpected:  “who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth”(1 Tim 4:3).  This apostasy will involve making rules for God.  It marks as spiritually dangerous things God has approved (marriage and food, 1 Tim 4:4-5).  It takes our proper desire for holiness and perverts it, insisting on rules God has not given.

    Apostasy can take many different forms.  Often it involves teaching that God will forgive anything, so we can live however we choose.  But this apostasy takes the opposite form:  making rules for God.  Perhaps we feel closer to God by denying ourselves things.  Perhaps we feel better than others who indulge.  Perhaps we see an opportunity to bind our personal opinions on others.  It is not spirituality to make long lists of things we are forbidden to do, especially when those lists do not originate with God.  While we may have opinions and personal rules, we must carefully distinguish the difference between my rules and God’s—lest we make rules for him. 

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One Thing to Think About: What kind of apostasy is the greater danger for me personally?

One Thing to Pray For:  Strength, awareness, and discernment to never “depart from the faith”
 

The Character of Deacons

Reading:  1 Timothy 3:8-13
    
    Just as he has given guidelines for the character of overseers, so Paul advises Timothy as to what “deacons” should be.  The word translated “deacon” in this text is the generic term for a servant.  Paul has in mind a special class of servants who will be a unique part of how the church accomplishes its work.  “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain”(1 Tim 3:8).  Like elders/overseers, Paul expects deacons to have developed personal discipline in their speech, addictions, and view of money.  “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience,” meaning that they grasp the gospel and make earnest effort to live by it.  

    Paul also warns against prematurely appointing men to the work:  “And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless”(1 Tim 3:10).  He is not advocating “provisional” deacons who must prove themselves over a probationary period; he is highlighting men who have distinguished themselves as trustworthy by prior behavior.  Paul has guidelines for deacons’ wives (1 Tim 3:11) and home lives:  “Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well”(1 Tim 3:12).  Like overseers (1 Tim 3:4), deacons demonstrate their fitness to serve by the way they show fidelity to their wives and manage their children.  He wants Timothy to promote this kind of selfless work as a tone-setter for the church and a way to accomplish important spiritual tasks.  “For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus”(1 Tim 3:13).

    God’s plan for local churches includes men who are devoted to serving in special ways.  They are trustworthy and dependable; the church is counting on them.  They are examples in character, knowledge, and relationships.  Most of all, they are like Jesus because they are willing to serve. 

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One Thing to Think About: Is my conscience clear (1 Tim 3:9)?

One Thing to Pray For:  God to continue to raise up men of character to serve his people 
 

The Character of Overseers

Reading:  1 Timothy 3:1-7
    
    As Timothy works with the church at Ephesus, Paul wants him to seek out, develop, and appoint men to oversee the group.  Here he gives guidelines for the type of man he should look for.  “The saying is trustworthy:  If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task”(1 Tim 3:1).  Though some are improperly ambitious, Paul stresses that it is still good and appropriate for men to seek spiritual leadership.  “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money”(1 Tim 3:2-3).  Each of these characteristics implies a good man who has disciplined himself over a period of years.  These traits—from self-control to hospitality to gentleness—are not something he occasionally does, but have become who he is.

    His character is also shown by his role as a father.  “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”(1 Tim 3:4-5).  God expects an overseer to have children who respect and obey him.  This is a proving ground for his ability to lead.  Paul also adds that “he must not be a recent convert”(1 Tim 3:6) and that “he must be well thought of by outsiders”(1 Tim 3:7), which both imply that he has some time in the faith under his belt.  Timothy should look for men who are not a flash-in-the-pan, but whose faith and character are stable and proven.

    Paul is guiding Timothy to the kind of character he should seek as he builds the leadership at Ephesus.  Character is not revealed in a moment, but over long periods of time in a variety of areas.  A man who can teach well but is a drunkard does not have the character needed for the role.  A man whose family obeys him but who leads by violence and harshness does not have the character needed for the role.  No man is perfect, but we can all seek to develop this type of character in our personal lives and homes.  

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One Thing to Think About: How might these verses create an unrealistic expectation of overseers?

One Thing to Pray For:  God to continue to raise up men of character to lead his people 
 

Men and Women

Reading:  1 Timothy 2:8-15
    
    Paul has just asserted his authority to Timothy (1 Tim 2:7, also 1:1, 12), so his expressions of “I desire”(1 Tim 2:8) and “I do not permit”(1 Tim 2:12) are more than mere opinions.  Even though men and women are equal in Christ (Gal 3:28), God has different visions for their unique gifts and roles.  “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling”(1 Tim 2:8).  “Holy hands” is a phrase that emphasizes the purity of our lives as a basis for our prayers (see Job 16:17, Psalm 141:2, and James 4:8-9).  Men set a tone of holiness, self-discipline, and piety.  “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works”(1 Tim 2:9-10).  Christian women are not to dress in a flashy or ostentatious way, but to emphasize their inner (rather than outward) beauty.  “Likewise” implies that both men and women have an obligation to seek holiness and self-control, though manifestations may look a little different.

    Paul also has instruction about teaching:  “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.  For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor”(1 Tim 2:11-14).  God intends men to be in a position of spiritual authority.  Paul sees this in God creating Adam first and in the biblical emphasis on the woman being deceived.  He is not arguing that all women are gullible or that women are unable to teach, but that God has a plan for men and women that involves men being teachers.

    Such teaching is controversial in our day, yet someone must lead.  These verses are a call to men and women to respect God’s expectations for them.  Yet while women are denied a teaching role over men, this is no excuse for male domination, condescension, or abuse.  None of us is above submitting to others (Eph 5:21); all of us are to be holy, self-controlled, and honorable.

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One Thing to Think About: Does our modern culture affect the way I read this passage?  Should it?

One Thing to Pray For:  A pure and self-controlled life, so that I may “lift holy hands” as I pray
 

God Wants All People to Be Saved

Reading:  1 Timothy 2:1-7
    
    As he works with the church in Ephesus, Timothy needs to stress certain priorities.  “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way”(1 Tim 2:1-2).  Christians are a people of prayer, petitioning God on behalf of those around us.  Paul wants us praying for our rulers at all levels, acknowledging the blessing of their leadership.  This remains true even when we disagree with the policies or character of those leaders (as often happened for Christians under Roman rule).  The specific request of our prayers is “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way”(1 Tim 2:2).  We ask that government leave us alone to obey God unhindered, allowing our transformed lives to change the world from the ground up.

    But Paul also seems to connect the government’s lack of interference to the reception of the gospel.  “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”(1 Tim 2:3-4).  God wants all people to be saved; this is his will for the world.  When government allows us to live a peaceful and quiet life, the gospel can be preached and obeyed unhindered.  Our prayers have a purpose:  not merely that we can have happy lives, but that the gospel can have free course in a freer society.  We pray toward this end.

    Paul informs us that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”   Statements of God’s desires are invaluable.  They give us a clue to God’s heart and will.  They help us to pray confidently, knowing that we are on the same page with God.  They transform our desires so that we are in tune with God.  God wants all people to be saved.  Do I?

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One Thing to Think About: How is God opening doors around me so that others can come to know the truth?

One Thing to Pray For:  Our leaders to allow us to live peaceful and quiet lives