Lesson for November 21, 2021
The Book of I Timothy
Chapter 5:17-25
Verses 17-20
“The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching, even teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.
The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching, even teaching. The elders are pastors of local churches. A pastor who teaches accurate Bible doctrine is to be given double honor. They are worthy of double honor from their congregation if they are studying and teaching accurately. The two basic functions of the pastor mentioned in this verse are ruling honorably and teaching accurately, which is the proper exercise of the pastor’s spiritual gift. Both the gift and the authority were sovereignly given by the grace of God. Double honor means respect for the pastor as the spiritual leader of the church and that he is to be honored by the local church’s financial support (if necessary).
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages. These are quotes from the Old Testament, which are also quoted in other passages in the New Testament. The first quote is taken from Deuteronomy 25:4 and quoted in I Corinthians 9:9. The second quotation is found in Deuteronomy 24:15 and quoted in Luke 10:7. If the ox is doing the work, then he deserves to eat the grain that falls to the ground. And a person who works for another person deserves to be paid for his work. The principle in these verses is documentation for the pastor being supported financially by the local church, if necessary.
Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. This is addressed to the congregation. Those in the congregation may approach the deacons who are the administrative representatives of the congregation if they have an accusation of wrongdoing by the pastor. The deacons are never to acknowledge an accusation against the pastor from only one person in the congregation. Those who seek to malign or accuse a pastor wrongly receive intensified discipline. Therefore, maligning, gossiping, judging, accusing, or condemning a pastor is prohibited by the Word of God. If, on the other hand, two or three people in the congregation have a legitimate issue with the pastor, they are to approach the deacons privately, not the congregation.
On the basis of two or three witnesses is the biblical concept of the laws of evidence within the Law of Moses. The documentation is found in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 19:15. This is still a valid principle. One person saying something does not qualify as evidence and is not admissible in court. The testimony of one person is never conclusive. The accusation of a pastor is a serious matter and demands a formal procedure in which true evidence is introduced by a group of witnesses.
Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. When someone is disruptive as far as the function of the local church is concerned, then that person is to be reprimanded within the framework of the local church. This is a biblical principle. The purpose for assembling is to study the Word of God. Those in the congregation who continue in sin refers to a sin that disrupts the congregation and hinders them from learning God’s Word.
For example, a person in the congregation continually intrudes upon the privacy of someone else during the teaching of God’s Word. They should be asked to stop in the presence of all. It is the responsibility of the pastor to guard the privacy of the congregation. The one who defies the pastor’s authority to reprimand them publicly not only undermines the pastor’s authority but also undermines the congregation’s right to privacy, as well. The pastor handles it publicly so that the rest of the congregation will have respect for his authority and the violators will stop their sinful behavior out of fear of being reprimanded publicly and disciplined by God.
Verses 21-25
“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God (the Father) and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. No longer drink water exclusively but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise, also deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.”
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God (the Father). God the Father is the author of the divine plan. And He is the ultimate source of all provision to the Royal Family of God. Being omnipresent, we are always in His presence. This was Paul’s way of saying that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the elect angels are observing us. And of Christ Jesus refers to the second Person of the Trinity and the ruler of the Church. He is the head of the Royal Family of God. He is the High Priest. So why isn’t the Holy Spirit included? The answer is that the Holy Spirit remains in the background during the Church Age. His objective is to glorify Jesus Christ, to form the royal family, to train the royal family, and to empower the royal family. Therefore, it is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit to stay in the background and not be mentioned. This is why many times only the two members of the Trinity are mentioned in the epistles. And His chosen angels is a reference to the angelic observation of mankind during human history, and especially during the Church Age, which is the intensified stage of the Angelic Conflict. (I Peter 1:12)
To maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. The Greek word for maintain is “phulasso,” which means to guard, to protect, to preserve, or to be alert like a sentry. Timothy was to be consistent and persistent in keeping the principles of accurate Bible doctrine himself and teaching them to the church at Ephesus. Timothy was to do this without bias, showing no partiality toward anyone. A pastor must never allow his personal feelings, his likes, or his dislikes to influence the function of his ministry. A pastor can never judge disputes, administer discipline, or handle false doctrine when he shows partiality. His sole criteria for everything he does within the local church is to be based on the principles of Bible doctrine.
Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. This is a reference to ordaining pastors and deacons. The first sign of instability in the pastor’s leadership is when, on the basis of partiality, on the basis of emotional appeal, on the basis of personality, or on the basis of a person’s sincerity, the pastor feels compelled to ordain someone. Stability of leadership demands that everything done in the local church be accomplished from good judgment, without prejudice and without partiality. No one in leadership should be influenced by anything but Bible doctrine and the grace policies which are found in the Scripture. If a person is not qualified to be ordained, it is a sin by the pastor, the deacons and the one being ordained to do so. By ordaining a person who is not qualified means that the pastor and deacons have disobeyed a Scriptural command based on partiality and that is a sin.
No longer drink water exclusively but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. For those legalists who say that drinking alcohol is a sin, they should read this verse. Timothy apparently had a problem with being able to relax and deal with some of the believers in the church at Ephesus. Up to this point, Timothy must not have drunk alcohol to sooth his nerves (the sake of your stomach), but Paul knew the benefits so he told Timothy to drink a little wine for that purpose and any other ailment he might have.
The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise, also deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.
Some people have obvious sins (quite evident) that will result in divine discipline (going before them to judgment). Other people have sins that are unknown to others, but they show up later (follow after). On the other hand, divine production is evident in the life of an advancing believer. Any deed that is contrary to divine production cannot be hidden from God and will eventually become evident to other people in the life of a person.