ΤΟ TIMOTHY. I. I. INTRODUCTION. Greeting. To Timothy, my true Child in the Faith, May God, the Father, and Christ Jesus, our Lord, bless ycu, Warning J, 21 I beg you, as I did when I was on my way into 3 against False Macedonia, to remain at Ephesus; that you may Teaching. instruct certain people there not to teach new and strange doctrines, nor to devote their attention to legends and 4 interminable genealogies, which tend to give rise to argument rather than to further that divine plan which is revealed in the Faith. The object of all instruction is to call forth that love 5 which comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. And it is because they have not aimed at these 6 things that the attention of certain people has been diverted to unprofitable subjects. They want to be Teachers of the Law, 7 and yet do not understand either the words they use, or the subjects on which they speak so confidently. We know, 8 of course, that the Law is excellent, when used legitimately, by one who recognizes that laws were not made for good men, but for the lawless and disorderly, for irreligious and wicked people, for those who are irreverent and profane, for those who illtreat their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the im- ΙΟ moral, for people guilty of sodomy, for slave-dealers, for liars, for perjurers, and for whatever else is opposed to sound Christian teaching-as is taught in the glorious Good News of the ever-blessed God, with which I was entrusted. 9 II Thankfulness to the Ministry. I am thankful to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who The Apostle's has been my strength, for showing that he thought for his Call me worthy of trust by appointing me to his ministry, though I once used to blaspheme, and to persecute, and to insult. Yet mercy was shown me, because I acted in ignorance, while still an unbeliever; and the loving-kindness of our Lord was boundless, and filled me with that faith and love which come from union with Christ Jesus. How true the saying is, and worthy of the fullest acceptance, that 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! And there is no greater sinner than I! Yet mercy was shown me for the express purpose that Christ Jesus might exhibit in my case, beyond all others, his exhaustless patience, as an example for those who were afterwards to believe on him and attain Immortal Life. To the Immortal King, everliving, invisible, the one God, be ascribed honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. This, then, is the charge that I lay upon you, His Charge Timothy, my Child, in accordance with what was to Timothy. predicted of you--Fight the good fight in the spirit of those predictions, with faith, and with a clear conscience; and it is because they have thrust this aside, that, as regards the Faith, some have wrecked their lives. Hymenaeus and Alexander are instances--the men whom I delivered over to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme. II. GENERAL DIRECTIONS ON CHURCH-MATTERS. Public I 2 2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be Prayer. offered for every one, especially for kings and all who are in high positions, in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in a deeply religious and reverent spirit. This 3 will be good and acceptable in the eyes of God, our Saviour, whose will is that every one should be saved, and attain to a full knowledge of the Truth. There is but one God, and one mediator between God and men--the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom on behalf of all men. Public Testimony. This must be our testimony, as opportunities present themselves; and it was for this that I was myself appointed a Herald and an Apostle (I am telling the simple truth and no lie)---a Teacher of the Gentiles in the Faith and Truth. Public 7 Worship, troversy. 4 5 6 7 My desire, then, is that it should be the custom 8 everywhere for the men to lead the prayers, with hands reverently uplifted, avoiding heated con I also desire that women should adorn 9 IO II 12 themselves with appropriate dress, worn quietly and modestly, and not with wreaths or gold ornaments for the hair, or pearls, or costly clothing, but-as is proper for women who profess to be religious-with good actions. A woman should listen silently to her teachers, and show them all deference. I do not consent to a woman's becoming a teacher, or exercising authority over a man; she ought to be silent. Adam was formed first, not Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was entirely deceived and fell into sin. But women will find their salvation in mother- 15 hood, if they never abandon faith, love, or holiness, and behave with modesty. How true is that saying! 13, 14 I 3 2 3 When a man aspires to be a Presiding-Officer Presiding in the Church, he is ambitious for a noble task. Officers. The Presiding-Officer should be a man of blameless character; a faithful husband; living a temperate, discreet, and well-ordered life; hospitable, and a skilful teacher, not addicted to drink or brawling, but of a forbearing and peaceable disposition, and not a lover of money; he should be a man who rules his own household well, 4 and whose children are kept under control and are wellbehaved. If a man does not know how to rule his own 5 household, how can he take charge of the Church of God? The Presiding-Officer should not be a recent convert, that he 6 may not be blinded by pride and fall under the same condemnation as the Devil. He should also be well spoken of by 7 outsiders, that he may not incur censure and so fall into the So, too, Assistant- 8 Assistant Officers should be serious and straightforward Officers. men, not given to taking much drink or to questionable money-making, but men who hold the deep 9 truths of the Faith and have a clear conscience. They should be tested first, and only appointed to their Office if no objection is raised against them. It should be the same with the women. They should be serious, not gossips, sober, and trustworthy in all respects. Assistant-Öfficers should be faithful husbands, and men who rule their children and their households well. Those who have filled that post with honour 13 gain for themselves an honourable position, as well as great confidence through the faith that they place in Christ Jesus. snares of the Devil. ΙΟ II 12 III. SPECIAL DIRECTIONS TO TIMOTHY. 14 I am writing this to you, though I hope that I shall come to see you before long; but in case I should be delayed, I want 15 you to know what your conduct ought to be in the Household of God, which is the Church of the Living God—the pillar and stay of the Truth. Yes, and confessedly wonderful are the 16 deep truths of our religion; for 'He was revealed in our nature, Proclaimed among the Gentiles, I' 2 But the Spirit distinctly says that in later times On Dealing there will be some who will fall away from the with False Faith, and devote their attention to misleading Teachers. spirits, and to the teaching of demons, who will make use of the hypocrisy of lying teachers. These men's consciences are seared, and they discourage marriage 3 and enjoin abstinence from certain kinds of food; though God created these foods to be enjoyed thankfully by those who hold the Faith and have attained a full knowledge of the Truth. Everything created by God is good, and there is nothing 4 that need be rejected - provided only that it is received thankfully; for it is consecrated by God's blessing and by 5 prayer. Put all this before the Brethren, and you will be a good 6 servant of Christ Jesus, sustained by the precepts of the Faith and of that Good Teaching by which you have guided your life. As for profane legends and old wives' tales, leave them 7 alone. Train yourself to lead a religious life; for while the 8 training of the body is of service in some respects, religion is of service in all, carrying with it, as it does, a promise of Life both here and hereafter. How true that saying is and worthy of 9 the fullest acceptance! With that aim we toil and struggle, for we have set our hopes on the Living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who hold the Faith. Dwell upon these things in your teaching. Do 10 II, On the not let any one look down on you because you Development are young, but, by your conversation, your conof his Powers. duct, your love, your faith, and your purity, be an example to those who hold the Faith. Till I come, apply 13 yourself to public reading, preaching, and teaching. Do not 14 neglect the divine gift within you, which was given you, amid many a prediction, when the hands of the Officers of the Church were laid on your head. Practise these things, devote 15 yourself to them, so that your progress may be plain to every one. Look to yourself as well as to your teaching. Persevere 16 in this, for your doing so will mean Salvation for yourself as well as for your hearers. On his his care. as I 5 2 6 Do not reprimand an older man, but plead with him as if he were your father. Treat the Relations with young men as brothers, the older women those under mothers, and the younger women as sisterswith all purity. Show consideration for 3 On the widows-I mean those who are really widowed. Provision for But, if a widow has children or grand-children, 4 Widows. let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight. As for the 5 woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God, and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day. But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death. Those are the points on which 7 you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure. Any one who fails to provide for his own relations, and 8 especially for those under his own roof, has disowned the Faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow, 9 when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old; she should have been a faithful wife, and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have ΙΟ brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action. But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry, and so they 12 bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise. And not only that, but they learn to be idle 13 as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busy-bodies, and talk of what they ought not. Therefore I advise young widows 14 to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal. There 15 are some who have already left us, to follow Satan. Any 16 Christian woman, who has relations who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the Church, so that the Church may relieve those widows who are really widowed. As to Those Officers of the Church who fill their 17 the Officers office well should be held deserving of especial of the Church. consideration, particularly those whose work lies in preaching and teaching. ́ The words of Scripture are— 'Thou shalt not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,' and again- 'The worker is worth his wages.' 18 Deut. 25. 4. 18 |