1 Timothy 5:1-25

How to be a Leader in the Church

1 Timothy

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 5

About personal attitudes and relations (5:1-2)

v1 Do not correct an older man with hard words. But appeal to him as if he were your father. Correct the younger men as if they were your own brothers. v2 Behave toward the women in a way. Speak to the older women as you would speak to your own mother. Talk to the younger women as if they were your own sisters.

Verses 1-2 Timothy has a duty to teach the local church members what is true and right. He has to show them how they should live as Christians. He has to order the false teachers and those who gossip to stop doing it. He has to correct those who do not obey. And he has to correct those who do not live in a good way. In all of this, it is important that he has the right attitude. He must be gentle and kind but firm with them all.

Where he needs to correct an older man, he should respect him like a father. He must not be strict and severe with him. Rather, he should appeal to him. And he should urge him to change and to do what is right.

Timothy must think of the younger men as his own brothers. He must not think of himself as better than them. But he should see them as brothers in the family of God. He should talk to them and encourage them to trust in the *Lord. And he should encourage them to live as they should.

He should be as gentle to the older women as he would be to his own mother. The younger women should be as his sisters. He must be most careful when he deals with these. He must be sure that his thoughts and actions are morally good.

Care of widows (5:3-16)

v3 Show respect to the widows who have no one to support them and look after them. v4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to serve God and take care of her. They owe it to her because she once took care of them. As they do this, it pleases God. v5 A widow who is alone, with no one to take care of her, has placed her hope in God. She continues to pray and ask him for his help night and day. v6 But some widows might live only to please themselves. A widow like that has died in her heart even while she lives. v7 Give them these instructions, so that no one will find fault with them. v8 But if any people do not take care of their relatives, they are against the *faith. This is more true of those who do not look after their own families. They are worse than someone who does not have *faith in the *Lord. v9 Do not add a widow to the list of widows if she is less than 60 years old. She must also have been the wife of one husband. v10 You should accept only those whom you know do all sorts of good things. This could be that she brought up children well. She receives strangers as guests and washes the feet of Christians. She also helps those in trouble, and does all kinds of good acts. v11 But do not include younger widows in the list. When their desires make them want to marry again, they may turn away from Christ. v12 If they do, they will be guilty of breaking their earlier promise to God. v13 They also learn to waste their time by going from house to house. They will gossip and find fault with people. And they will talk about things that they should not talk about. v14 I would prefer that these widows get married. Then they can have children, and take care of their homes. This would give our enemies no chance to speak evil about us. v15 But some of these widows have already turned and gone after *Satan. v16 But if a Christian woman has widows in her family, she must take care of them. She must not leave it to the church to do. Then the church will be able to help widows who are really in need.

Verse 3 Widows need help and care. Someone has to decide what care should be given. And they must decide who should give it. The church members must respect those who are widows. Paul makes a distinction between those who have no one to help them and those who have. The church should provide for those who have no support.

Verse 4 Children should learn that they have a duty to look after their parents. This is part of their Christian *faith. The same applies to grandchildren and to all in the family. These should supply all that the widow needs. They are responsible for this care and they should not expect the church to do it.

They have a debt that they owe to their parents. The support that they give is only what is due to the widow. Parents give a lot when they bring up children. The support of the widow is some payment for what she has given in the past.

God wants them to support their widows. It pleases God when they do it.

Verse 5 A widow who is alone has no family to look after her. Her only hope for this life and the next is in God. She trusts God to take care of her and to provide all that she needs. As a Christian, she has always prayed to the *Lord. She has trusted him in the past and she still does. Now she continues to pray to him. Every night and morning, she asks God to help her.

Verse 6 In contrast with the widow who trusts in God, Paul speaks about another one. This one does not trust in God or help other people in their need. She lives only to please herself in the present. She has no thought for the future. She thinks that this is real life. But she is dead to the life that God gives. The church has no duty to support her.

Verses 7 Paul now returns to the subject of those who should look after their widows. Timothy should tell the relatives to look after their widows. If they do this, no one can blame them. They are doing what is good and right.

Verse 8 If they do not provide what their widows need, they fail in their duty. This is more so if the widow is their mother or their grandmother. The Christian *faith teaches that they have a duty to care. But they have not obeyed. They are guilty of the *sin of neglect. It is like turning away from the *Lord. Christians who fail in this are worse than those who do not trust in God. Even those who do not believe in the *Lord look after their widows.

Verse 9 Paul has shown what the families should do for their widows. Now he turns to what the church members should do. They may provide for those who have no family to support them.

The church at that time used to give a promise of support to those who passed some tests. These they put on an official list. Once they were on the list, the church members would provide for them for the rest of their lives.

To qualify for the list the widow must be at least 60 years old. In those days people thought that at that age, she was an old woman. She would not get married again. She must have no family. Or, if she had, they did not support her. That could only be if the family were not Christians. She must have been living with and loyal to her husband while he was alive.

Verse 10 She must have a good character and have done good works. Paul lists some of the good works that she might have done.

It could be that she looked after children. These may have been her own or other people’s. Maybe they were children whose parents had died.

When travellers came to the church or to her house she made them welcome. She took them into her home and provided for them.

The roads were dusty. And as the Christians walked, their feet got dirty. When they came into a home, they needed to wash them. A good hostess would wash the feet of her guests. She was willing to do this humble task for them.

When anybody was in trouble, she was there to give what help she could. She would try to meet their needs and look after them.

She must have done all kinds of good works. This was how she lived, always doing good things to help other people. This was the kind of life that she should have lived. Then the church members could support her.

Verse 11 Paul does not say that the church should not look after the younger widows. He says that the church should not add them to the list for which there is the promise of continued support. These widows do not qualify for the list because of their age. They are not yet 60 years old.

To be on the list carries with it a promise to serve Christ in the church in some way. This means that those on the list are not free to marry. It is quite likely that at some time a young widow will want to marry again. If she were on the list, her marriage would break the promise that she had made to Christ. She would not then be loyal to him because she had promised to give herself to serve him.

Verse 12 If a widow is not on the list she can get married. Paul says that it would be a good thing if they did get married (verse 14). But being on the list involves a promise to God. That means that they would not get married. If they do get married, they break that promise. They are guilty of turning away from the *Lord.

Verse 13 In the time when Paul wrote, most of the women had no education. They did not have jobs by which they could keep themselves. Women should marry. They should have children and keep the home. When the husband died and the children had left home, they did not have much to do. There was the danger that these women would be lazy. Worse still, they might waste their time and that of other women. They would go from house to house. They would spend their time talking to each other. They would gossip about other people. And they would talk about things that they should not talk about. They would get involved in affairs that had nothing to do with them.

Verse 14 A widow is free to marry again if she wants to. It would be better for them and the church if they did marry. They would then be busy again with the tasks of family life. They might have children and they would look after a husband and a home. They would not have the time to gossip from house to house.

Those who are against the church look for reasons to attack it. What the young widows did could give them an excuse to say bad things about the church. But when they marry there is no longer a problem.

Paul’s chief aim is to protect the good name of the church.

Verse 15 Paul shows the reason for the worry that he has. Some widows had turned aside from the *Lord. He does not say how many of them were involved. But some of them had left the church to follow *Satan. They may not have been aware that it was *Satan that they followed. But that was the truth of the matter.

Verse 16 If there are widows in their family, the Christians should take care of them. Paul here says that this is the duty of the women. They may themselves be widows but have the means to give support. They may be daughters or daughters in law of the widows. They could be sisters or mothers to the widows. It does not matter what the relationship is. They should look after them.

It would be wrong to leave the support of these widows to the church members. No doubt, the church members would do it if it were necessary. But the church should not have this duty. It would take time and money. That time and money could be used for those who have no one to help them.

Honour and responsibility of *elders (5:17-25)

v17 You should respect the *elders who lead well. They deserve twice as much honour. This is especially true about those who work hard as they *preach and teach. v18 This is because the *scripture says, ‘Do not stop the *ox from eating when you use it to separate the grain’ (Deuteronomy 25:4). It also says, ‘The person who works deserves to be paid’ (Luke 10:7). v19 Do not believe a bad report about an *elder unless at least two or three people say that it is true. v20 As for those who are *sinning, put them to shame in front of all of the church members. Then the rest will be afraid. v21 In front of God and Jesus Christ and the holy *angels, I warn you. And I urge you to obey these rules. You must be fair. And you must show no prejudice in anything that you do. v22 Do not be in a hurry to lay hands on anyone for the service of the *Lord. Take no part in the *sins of other people but keep yourself free from *sin. v23 Do not drink water only, but drink a little wine. This will be good for you and help with your frequent stomach problems. v24 The *sins of some people are plain to see. It is clear to all that they are guilty. But the *sins of other people are not as clear and we will not know about them until later. v25 It is the same with good works. Some of these are plain to see now and the rest we cannot hide for long.

Verse 17 The local churches each had a group of men who were the leaders. The job of these officials was to direct the affairs of the church. They were responsible for the work and growth of the church. These were the *elders.

The members should respect those who do this job well. They should give to them the honour that they deserve.

All of the *elders must be able to teach. But some of them would be more able to do it. The highest honour should go to those who *preach and teach. To do this well requires a lot of hard work and study. Those whom they teach should appreciate this.

The church members should reward the *elders for the work that they do. They should reward them for how well they do it. This may be in money if the church pays its *elders. Or it may be in the honour that they give to them.

Verse 18 Then, as they still do in some countries, the farmer used an *ox to separate the grain from the crop. They spread the crop over the ground and made the *ox walk on it. As the *ox walked on the crop the farmer should not stop it from eating some of the grain. He should not tie up its mouth. It should be free to eat while it worked.

This was a rule that God gave to the *Jews in the *Old Testament (Deuteronomy 25:4). This teaches that the *ox should be able to benefit from its work. So the *elder who does his task well should benefit from his work.

The *Lord Jesus said that the person who works deserves to be paid (Luke 10:7; Matthew 10:10). He sent his *disciples to tell the people the *gospel and to heal the sick. He told them not to take money or food with them. They should expect those whom they taught to provide for them. As the *elders work in the church, so the church members should provide for them. The *elder who works well deserves to live from his work.

Verse 19 When one person accuses an *elder, Paul warns Timothy not to act on it. He should not accept it as true. But if two or three persons say that it is true, he must think about it. Timothy must decide whether they are right or not.

Verse 20 If the bad report is true, Timothy must act on it. He must bring the *sin of the *elders to the whole church. Paul is eager that the *sins of *elders are not hidden. They should be dealt with in public. The purpose of this is to act as a warning to the other *elders. The result should be that they and the members would be more careful not to *sin. They would be afraid of such shame in public.

Verse 21 Paul urges Timothy to obey what he has said in the last two verses. These things are very important. And Timothy must do what is right. Paul warns him in a most serious manner. He says that God, the *Lord Jesus and the *angels are there to see that Timothy does obey. There might be two or three people who accuse an *elder. Then Timothy must look at the facts. He must not act on his own opinions. He must search for what is true. He must not act from prejudice.

Verse 22 To appoint a new *elder, Timothy and the *elders would put their hands on him. They would lay hands as they appoint people to any office or task in the church. To lay hands on them shows that they have the authority to do the task. The leaders put their hands on a person. This shows that they approve of him or her.

Paul tells Timothy not to be too quick in laying hands on anyone. He ought first to be sure that the person is fit for the office. He needs to see that the person has the right qualities. The person has to prove that he or she is the right person. He has to prove that he is ready for the task.

Those who lay their hands on a person are to some extent responsible for them. They are responsible for what he or she does. If they have made a bad choice, they share in the faults of that person. They share the blame for the *sins of that person. They take part in the *sins of other people.

Paul tells Timothy to take care when he lays hands on other people. If he does it without due care he may be sharing in their *sin. Timothy must keep himself from *sins, both his own and other people’s.

Verse 23 Timothy did not have good health. He was often sick and had a weak stomach. He only drank water but Paul now tells him to also drink some wine. It may be that poor water was partly the cause of the stomach problems. Wine would act against the bad effects of the water. So a little wine would be like a good medicine for the stomach.

Verse 24 It can be quite difficult to know whom to appoint to a task in the church. With some people, it is clear that they are not the right choice. The decision to refuse them is easy as one can see their *sins. With other people, it is not that simple. They hide their *sins and they appear to be good persons. It is only later that they show their true nature. This is why Timothy must not be quick to lay hands on any person. He must wait until he is sure that they are right.

With some people, we can see that they are guilty. God will be their judge. With other people, we will not know that they are guilty. We cannot know what they have done. We cannot know it until the day when they stand before God.

Verse 25 We can see the *sins of some people. In the same way, we can see the good that some people do. So, the choice of some persons for a task in the church can be easy. With other persons, we may not be able to see how good they are. But in time, we will see the good that they have done. To delay in the laying on of hands will allow time to prove who is the right person for the task.

Timothy should not act on first impressions because these can be false. He should take care. And he should take the time to be sure about the persons that he appoints.

Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son. The faith is the Christian religion. It is what Christians believe.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
elders ~ older men, respected men, or leaders in the church.
preach ~ to speak out the message from God and to teach his word.
scriptures ~ the books of the Bible.
angel ~ a spirit person that God made; he made them to serve him and take his messages. There are angels who sinned. They now serve the devil.
spirit ~ spirits are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits usually called angels. Bad spirits (also called evil spirits, or demons) live in the air round us. Satan is their leader.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for the Jewish people.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
disciples ~ the 12 helpers that Jesus chose to be with him and to learn from him.
gospel ~ the good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.