Reflections on 1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 06 (Contemporary English Version)


1. If you are a slave, you should respect and honor your owner. This will keep people from saying bad things about God and about our teaching.
2. If any of you slaves have owners who are followers, you should show them respect. After all, they are also followers of Christ, and he loves them. So you should serve and help them the best you can. These are the things you must teach and tell the people to do.
3. Anyone who teaches something different disagrees with the correct and godly teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. Those people who disagree are proud of themselves, but they don't really know a thing. Their minds are sick, and they like to argue over words. They cause jealousy, disagreements, unkind words, evil suspicions,
5. and nasty quarrels. They have wicked minds and have missed out on the truth. These people think religion is supposed to make you rich.
6. And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have.
7. We didn't bring anything into this world, and we won't take anything with us when we leave.
8. So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes.
9. People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them.
10. The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.
11. Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle.
12. Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened.
13. Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith.
14. Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
15. The glorious God is the only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. At the time that God has already decided, he will send Jesus Christ back again.
16. Only God lives forever! And he lives in light that no one can come near. No human has ever seen God or ever can see him. God will be honored, and his power will last forever. Amen.
17. Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life.
18. Instruct them to do as many good deeds as they can and to help everyone. Remind the rich to be generous and share what they have.
19. This will lay a solid foundation for the future, so that they will know what true life is like.
20. Timothy, guard what God has placed in your care! Don't pay any attention to that godless and stupid talk that sounds smart but really isn't.
21. Some people have even lost their faith by believing this talk. I pray that the Lord will be kind to all of you!
    
    

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    In this final chapter of Paul's letter to Timothy he addresses the attitude of Christian slaves toward their masters, the pursuit of the rich for godliness over wealth, and then he concludes with direct instructions to Timothy.
    
    This is not the only time that Paul addressed the topic of slaves and masters in his letters. But usually he addresses both parties. For some reason, however, he addresses only the slaves on this occasion. Slavery was a common practice in the culture of Paul's day, but not an issue that he attempted to correct. He was more concerned with Christian conduct within this practice that Christ's name would not be blasphemed. Christianity introduced a new order which placed slaves and masters in the church as equals which had the potential of causing the slave to view his master with less than respect in the work environment. It is this issue that Paul addresses when he says that slaves who have, "believing masters should not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers." (6:2) Paul realizes that this teaching will likely sound very strange to a non-believing world and so he emphasizes that this is a part of a body of doctrine that is "sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ," and any who do not agree with it are "conceited, understanding nothing." (6:3, 4) Paul has more to say about those who disagree with this teaching for slaves and other teaching which is a part of the "sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ." He says such men have minds that "are depraved and deprived of the truth," and they "imagine that godliness is a way to material gain." (6:5)
    
    From this last statement concerning those who teach unsound doctrine for material gain, Paul segues into teaching concerning those who are rich or want to be rich. The desire to be rich, he says, opens the door to temptation. It is a trap with "many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction." (6:9) Furthermore, he says the love of money "is a root of all kinds of evil." (6:10) Though this statement from Paul is much quoted, it is often misquoted to say that money is the root of evil. It is not money, but the love of it that is the root of all kinds of evil. Therefore, Paul says the gain to strive for is "godliness with contentment." (6:6)
    
    Paul tells Timothy to "run from these things." Instead of material gain, he should pursue "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness." (6:11) Besides avoiding the pursuit of riches himself, Timothy should teach those who are rich not to "set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy." He should also teach them to be generous with their wealth and willing to share. This will store up for them "a good foundation for the age to come."