2 Timothy 2:19 Double inscription

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.’

Despite the attempts of false teachers to undermine and destroy God's Temple, Timothy is to remember that God’s solid foundation stands firm. The foundation, Paul says, is inscribed with a two part inscription. The two phrases he then gives remind us of Philippians 2:12b, 13 and other such verses that wonderfully balance the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Here it is God's sovereignty that comes first - The Lord knows those who are his. God knows and loves those who are his, his elect. This is true. At the same time, it is equally so that Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. Here the stress is on human responsibility, the responsibility to run from evil if you profess to be a Christian. There is no conflict here. Those who the Lord knows and acknowledges as his own are those who confess is name and flee from wickedness of any sort. Anyone who professes to know the Lord and yet does not flee from wickedness has reason to question whether he is known to the Lord in the way he thinks he is. He is in danger of hearing the Lord say one day those terrible words, Away from me, I never knew you.

1 Timothy 5:22 Caution, purity

1 Timothy 5:22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

This verse contains two or three exhortations for Timothy. First, he is not to be hasty in the laying on of hands. Paul has spoken about the qualifications for elders and the churches clearly need elders but there is to be no undue haste in this. In 5:20 he mentions reproving elders and so he may now be talking about restoration. Although in 4:14 Paul refers to laying on of hands in connection with ordination it may be that laying on of hands was used to receive members and so the point applies to new members not new church officers. Whichever is the case, caution is recommended. Do not be too quick to act. Do not share in the sins of others may be a reason for this caution or it may be a more general point. The last exhortation is of similar character Keep yourself pure or keep on keeping yourself pure as it is. The moment we begin to talk about weighing up others we need also to see the need to weigh ourselves up and avoid all impurity.

1 Timothy 5:7 Avoiding blameworthiness

1 Timothy 5:7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame.

In the midst of what he to say about widows in the church and how this is all to be arranged Paul says to Timothy that he must Give the people these instructions. This is so that no one may be open to blame. The closer context is that of younger widows who start off wanting to be on the list of widows as an act of devotion to God but soon start living for pleasure and so do themselves no good and the church no good. Paul is not simply telling Timothy this but he wants all the congregation to be wise to the dangers in this and similar situations. What pastors find in the Bible they should share with the people. This will save the people from being open to blame.

1 Timothy 4:3 Yes religion

1 Timothy 4:3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

In this verse we have examples of the rules of the hypocritical liars that Paul is warning will arise. One example is that They forbid people to marry. The most obvious example of that is the rule in Romanism that forbids priests to marry. It is sometimes found in other contexts too and is typical of false religion. The other example is the way such people order others to abstain from certain foods. Obvious examples might be Hindu vegetarianism, Jewish and Muslim avoidance of pork, Romanist rules about meat and fish, the Mormon veto on tea and coffee. This is again typical of false religion. The true believer knows the truth and does not forbid marriage to anyone suitably qualified and places no ban on any food or drink in and of itself believing that all such things were created by God to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. False religion may have a patina of sense with its rules about marriage and food but they fail to see that God the Creator gave us all sorts of good things to enjoy. Such religions are 'no' religions whereas the gospel proclaims a 'yes' message in every way. It is good for Christians to give thanks before they eat, as Jesus did, in acknowledgement of these facts.

1 Timothy 3:11 The Women

1 Timothy 3:11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

Who are these women? Are they the deacons wives? Given that not all deacons would necessarily be married it may be that what Paul is thinking about a group of women in the church who carried out various diaconal roles. Every church has them. Because the Bible uses the word women to describe them they have never gained the more distinctive recognition that deacons and elders have in most churches. Paul requires four things of these women - that they be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. In brief compass he covers the bases, referring to their standing, their use of the tongue, their self control and their trustworthiness. Such characteristics are vital in women who serve the churches. These women will often be wives of the deacons but will often include single women. Whether a church wants to formalise this and call them deaconesses or lady workers is a matter for debate. The important thing is that women who play an important role in the life of the church are of the calibre prescribed here.

1 Timothy 3:7 With outsiders

1 Timothy 3:7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

One further qualification for elders here is that such people must have a good reputation with outsiders. It is not enough that the man has a good reputation within the church, some thought must be given to his reputation with outsiders. Generally speaking outsiders can be a little harsher in their judgements and whereas certain eccentricities and faults may be overlooked in the faith community, others will be less understanding and sympathetic. Given that a minister needs to seek to reach outsiders as well as insiders this is an important consideration. If we fail to give it full weight then we are increasingly the likelihood of such a person falling into disgrace and the devil's trap. When the world sees who has been made a minister, if they know him to be a big head, a philanderer, a greedy man or an incompetent then they will soon scoff, not only at him but at the gospel itself. This is the very thing that the devil aims at. He wants to discredit all Christians but ministers especially as it undermines the whole faith.

1 Timothy 2:15 Through childbearing

1 Timothy 2:15 But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

This verse is clearly positive about women and about childbearing but it is difficult to be entirely sure about what Paul is saying and there are different understandings. Perhaps the best way to understand it is that the way for women to live the Christian life (when he says women will be saved through childbearing he must mean as they engage in childbearing not by means of childbearing) is not in pastoral ministry but in childbearing, that is by being, more specifically, mothers and, more generally, women who work at home or engage in other less public tasks. There will be no great preachers except those that are born of women and (in most cases) they will be brought up in the things of the Lord by their mothers. Monica the mother of Augustine, Susanna Wesley and John Newton's mother Mary are obvious examples, as is Timothy's own mother. Of course, this is no simple key to success. Women, like all of us, must continue or remain in faith, love and holiness with propriety (or self control) if they are truly to be saved.