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.