PAUL'S FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

The Essence of Christianity

1 Timothy 3:14-4:16

INTRODUCTION

Paul stated that one of his purposes in writing 1 Timothy was that the church might serve as a pillar and support of the truth. In chapter 1 Paul dealt with the issue of legalism. Several men in Ephesus prided themselves on being experts in the Law of Moses. They mistakenly though applied the Mosaic Law to the believer. Paul though stated that the Law was good when people used it the way God intended for them to use it--for the unrighteous.

At this point most Christians become pious and start spouting off platitudes like, "I'm not righteous; this applies to me!" With all due respect you had better be righteous. If not, then you can kiss heaven goodbye. Although my righteousness comes from Christ's death on the cross for me, that righteousness nevertheless is real. Moreover, by Christ living in me, I should be experiencing His righteousness on a daily basis. I know that we shall fail; however, on the balance our lives should be characterized as righteous. Paul then lists several people the Law would apply to: ungodly and sinners, lawless and rebellious, unholy and profane, murderers, gays, murderers of parents, kidnappers, etc.

At this point these same Christians though claim that although the sacrificial and dietary laws no longer apply to us, the truth is that the 10 Commandments still apply to us. No, they don't! The only way to experience the life God has for us is by following the Holy Spirit on a daily consistent basis. Following the Spirit produces a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. "Against such things there is no law" (Gal. 5:22-23). The beauty of following the Spirit is that He never leads us to do anything which violates the Law. The Law is going to be fulfilled in the Spirit-led Christian; it's just that it won't be fulfilled by trying to keep the Law.

THE ESSENTIAL TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY (3:16)

At the beginning of chapter one Paul attacks a legalistic approach to Christianity. In chapter 4 Paul will rail against teachings which stress an asceticism which "produces" spirituality. It is one thing to rail against something and attack something else; it is quite another actually to hold up something as the truth, to substitute something in the place of the thing you are attacking. In 3:16 Paul gives us that substitute--the mystery of godliness. According to Paul the mystery of godliness is great!

First, notice that Paul calls this a mystery. When Paul speaks of the mystery of Christianity, he is using the word "mystery" as a technical term (literally, "moos-TARE-ee-on"). By this he refers to a truth which is found in the OT but is not visible until God made it clear in the NT. Second, Paul calls this the mystery of godliness. He is not speaking about godly behavior. Rather, he is speaking about the essence of godliness. When you strip away all the unnecessary trappings about God, when you get down to the bare bone essentials, you end up with this statement about God.

What is the essence of godliness? In 2 words: Jesus Christ. When you speak about God, you have brought nothing to the table because 95% of the world believes there is a God/god. The significant contribution of Christianity to the study of God is that we believe that Jesus is not only God the Son but that He has perfectly revealed God to us. When you have said "God," you may not have referred to Jesus; however, whenever you say, "Jesus," you've always referred to God.

In a 6-line hymn Paul outlines the major points of godliness, that is, Christianity. The first three lines refer to Jesus' life on earth, while the last 3 refer to the mission of the church.

The Life of Christ

    "He was revealed in the flesh" . . . This first clause points to Jesus' incarnation, that is, His becoming a man. Christianity believes that God the Son became a man in every sense of the word. Whatever it means to become a man, Jesus Christ became that. By doing this, He revealed God to us. We cannot understand God because He is so superior to us. We do understand men though; therefore, God comes down to our level as a man so that we might understand Him. Also, by becoming a man (perfect man), Jesus Christ has saved us. Since man (Adam) got us into this mess, only man can get us out. The problem is that we are sinners and are in the mess ourselves; therefore, Jesus who lives the perfect live as man is able to save us by dying for our sins.

    "Vindicated by the Spirit" . . . While on earth Jesus claimed to be no one less than God the Son (John 5:18; 8:58-59; 10:30-33). Jesus' claims were validated when the Spirit of God raised Him from the dead. How? Only God can raise somebody from the dead. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, then God agreed with Jesus' claim to be His Son; otherwise, He resurrected a liar or a demon--something God would never do.

    "Beheld by angels" . . . Most likely this refers to the angels appearing to Jesus at the tomb after God raised Him from the dead. Since angels serve God, their presence at the tomb indicates that God Himself was behind Jesus' resurrection. Our response to Jesus then is nothing less than our response to God.

The Mission of the Church

    "Proclaimed among the nations" . . . It is the responsibility of the church not only to proclaim the gospel but also to proclaim it among the nations. Why the command to preach the gospel universally? Because God has exalted Jesus to the position of Lord of the universe. A universal Lord requires universal obedience brought about by people responding positively to the gospel. [Notice that Paul does not list a lot of the "necessary" ministries we feel like we should have today in our churches to be relevant. Although these ministries are good and can be effective tools, teaching and preaching remain the primary ways we bring people beneath the lordship of Jesus (see Matt. 28:19-20). ]

    "Believed on in the world" . . . The fact that a universe of mankind has responded positively to the gospel is evidence that Jesus is Lord of the universe. If only one group of people had accepted Him, He might only be lord of that people; the fact that the universe of mankind has accepted Him points to His universal lordship.

    "Taken up in glory" . . . At first this clause seems out of place. Didn't Jesus' ascension occur before the apostles began to proclaim the gospel throughout the world? Yes; however, Jesus gave His Great Commission to preach to the nations right before He was taken up in glory.

   The clause "taken up in glory" reminds us of Luke's description of Jesus' ascension. Jesus is not only accompanied by angels; He is also enveloped in a cloud (Acts 1:9). This cloud most likely alludes to the cloud of God which overshadowed the tabernacle during Moses' ministry. This cloud, the Shekinah Glory, represented the belief that God was with His people. Wherever the cloud, there was God. Paul concludes this hymn then by once more asserting the claim that Jesus was not only endorsed by God, He was none other than God the Son Himself.

RESPONSES TO HERETICAL TEACHINGS (4:1-5)

Paul now returns to addressing the false teachers and teachings which are plaguing the church at Ephesus. Based most likely upon a revelation from the Holy Spirit, he claims that since they live in the last days (the period between the ascension of Christ and His second coming), some "believers" will fall away from the faith expressed in 3:16 and instead pay attention to deceitful spirits and to the doctrines of demons by means of the hypocrisy of liars.

Notice that Paul does not pull any punches in his description of the false teachers and teachings besetting the Ephesian church. As far as he is concerned, these teachers and their teachings have Satan as their ultimate source. He does not psychologize away these people and their aberrations. He goes right to the source of their teachings--Satan himself. Note also that Paul does something we find unacceptable today. He attacks not only the teachings but also the teachers. Paul rightly understands that the message reflects on the teacher himself.

Today we have "improved" our approach in presenting heretical teachings. We rightly claim that each person is responsible to God for his interpretation of the Bible and therefore must have the right to interpret it the way he and God see fit. While that is absolutely right, this does not mean that one interpretation is as good as another. You have the right to interpret the Scripture the way you believe God wants you to interpret it; yet that does not mean your interpretation is right.

Be careful in using this principle to justify aberrant teachings. Although there is room for legitimate dialogue and difference of opinion in interpreting the Scripture, there is not as much room as some make there out to be. Rudolf Bultmann, one of the most radical interpreters of the NT, said that although we know what the Bible means, it is not acceptable to the modern 20th-century man; therefore, we need to reinterpret it to be more acceptable to us today. What is amazing about his statement is that he admits we know what the Bible means. The Bible says Jesus DID walk on water, that He DID rise from the dead, that God DID create the heavens and the earth, that Jesus IS coming back again. You don't have to accept the Bible, but please don't go around saying that the Bible does not teach these things.

Another way some get around the Bible is by claiming that it should be interpreted in light of its cultural setting. Some Episcopalians are using just this same argument in promoting homosexuality. They claim that although the Bible does teach against homosexuality, it should not be interpreted this way because the culture of today differs from the culture of Jesus' day. According to them cultural context is determinative in deciding how to interpret the Scripture. This principle is nothing less than an attack on God Himself. How? It basically attacks God's claim that He is faithful, that He keeps His Word. Once you start messing with God's Word, then you can't trust Him any more. This has serious consequences for our relationship with Him.

The specific teaching of heresy being promoted is asceticism: the forbidding of marriage and the eating of certain foods. Most likely these teachers have been influenced by the legalistic Judaism of chapter 1. They believe that a person is more spiritual if he is celibate and abstains from certain foods, most likely those foods condemned in Moses' dietary laws.

Paul responds that these teachings once more attack God, this time though as Creator of the universe. According to Genesis 1 God make ALL things and then called them "good": shrimp as well as vegetables, pork as well as beef, fat as well as sunflower seeds, etc. Moreover, according to Gen. 1 God has made me a sexual being. Gen. 1:27 doesn't say that God made man and woman; rather it says that He made man--male and female. These last 2 terms are sexual terms. When I say that it is wrong to eat certain foods, then I am saying that God was wrong in making them. When I claim that it is better to be celibate than sexual, then I am saying that God was wrong in designing me to be a sexual being. This doesn't mean that I won't eat certain foods only in order to be healthy or that I abstain from sex at certain times in order to fast and focus on prayer. It's just that abstaining from and focusing on foods, sex, etc. do not make me a more spiritual person. Focusing on Christ and obeying Him are what make me spiritual.

When it is all said and done, this is the crux of the matter. In 3:16 Paul says that the heartbeat of CHRISTianity is Christ and not me. The legalism in chapter 1 is all about me--what I do in order to be right which invariably leads to self-congratulation. The teachings of chapter 4 once more focus on me--what I do with regards to food and sex. Chapters 1 and 4 attack the notion that it is all about me. It's not. It's all about Jesus.

MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUCTIONS TO TIMOTHY (4:6-16)

Paul wraps up this section by encouraging him to be faithful to the teachings and gifts the Spirit has imparted to him. Notice though at the end of this section Paul prioritizes for Timothy the different elements in his ministry: "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and to teaching" (4:13). For Paul the ministry of the Word regarding Jesus is paramount in the ministry of the church. Too often we lose focus on this. We tend to focus on ministry to felt needs, to marriage enrichment, to lock-ins, etc., while our focus should primarily be upon the ministry of the Word. (Note though that ministry to felt needs is good as long as it is based upon Scripture.)

How important is the ministry of the Word to Paul? First, he lists the 3 spiritual gifts which deal with the Word as the top three spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:28). Second, Paul mandates that the elders (ministers) who are engaged in the preaching and teaching ministries should receive double in honorariums (1 Tim. 5:17-18). It's not that they are more important than others; it's that their function is critical for the life and survival of the church.

"But then people won't come to hear the Word if we just focus on preaching and teaching," we say. Two responses to this. First, don't you trust the power of God's Word? Second, I didn't say you don't build buildings or do lock-ins, choirs trips, etc. to bring people into the church. You should do these things. People who "spiritualize" away these things are refusing to use effective tools in reaching people. It's just that lock-ins, buildings, trips, etc. should not be the end-all of the ministry. They are necessary TOOLS used to bring people in so that they may hear God's Word and be transformed. If I have something I can use to bring people to hear God's Word and then don't use it, what am I doing? Jesus told us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Once we've brought them in, we should impart to them the very words of Christ.