Paul is instructing Timothy to stay in Ephesus (is he wanting to bailout?) And command certain men not to teach false doctrines, nor devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. It seems that these false teachers were focusing on the law,which Paul implies is good for those who are lawbreakers, not the righteous.
For whom are we to pray? For what reason(s)?
We are to pray for everyone.(2:1) Which reminds me, several years ago I started putting the Interfaith councils prayer list in the Bulletin and Newsletter. The list included faith communities which were clearly not Christian. More than one person took me to task for including these groups as a focus of our prayers. Here Paul’s admonishing the Ephesians to remember everyone in prayer, not just fellow Christians. Read I Timothy 2:1 again
What guidelines are given for leaders in the church?
- For overseers, bishops, pastors (Greek word is "Episkopos") the guidelines are:
Above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent, gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, manages his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect, not a recent convert, have a good reputation with outsiders. - For Deacons
The guidelines are are similar. They are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain, keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. They must be the husband of but one wife and must manage their children and household well. - Similarly, their wives are to be worthy of respect, not
malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
Would anyone like to comment on the meaning of "but one wife"?
Is Paul’s instruction saying that a man must be married? Must never remarry after his wife dies? Cannot remarry after getting a divorce? Cannot be divorced? In that day when polygamy was common, only one wife at a time? If you have a response I would like to hear it as well as what you base your response on. Do you base your resposnse on what someone else has said? Your understanding of the scripture? What was going on in the culture of the day? How do we quantify the other guidelines such as worthy of respect? what tests are to be given? How much is too much wine? How does one conclude whether a household is managed well? Is Paul presenting a broad instruction such as, that leaders in the church should be of good character as understood by the norms of the day? Or does Paul intend that his instruction be specific to every congregation for all time?
1 comment:
I love to debate this passage on several levels, the first of which would be "husband" meaning "man". It's a shame that so many [churches, individuals] eliminate half of their candidates based on gender. Second, I personally feel that based on common practice at the time, husband of one wife opposes polygamy. I very much doubt that widows that remarried would have been disapproved of because they would have needed to have someone oversee household duties and raise their children. I don't think this is a literal instruction, but rather a general guideline meaning of good character. Otherwise, precise measurements would have accompanied each instruction.
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