If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these
things,
&c.] Either of all the main and principal things already
mentioned in the preceding chapters; as that the end of the
commandment is love; that Christ's coming into the world to save
the chief of sinners is a faithful saying, and worthy of
acceptation; that prayers should be made for all sorts of men,
for the reasons given; and that there is salvation for men and
women through the incarnate Son of God; that such and such are
the qualifications of elders and deacons; and that the
incarnation of Christ is, without controversy, the great mystery
of godliness: or of the things which are particularly hinted at
in the prophecy delivered in the beginning of this chapter; as
that there should be a falling off from the doctrine of faith in
the latter days; that this should come to pass through attending
to erroneous spirits, and doctrines of "demons", and through the
lies of hypocritical, hardened, and infamous men; whose
particular dogmas, by which they might be known, would be, to
forbid marriage to certain persons, which is of divine
institution and honourable, and to order an abstinence from meats
at certain times, contrary to the will and providence of God.
These the apostle would have Timothy propose, and subject to
consideration, and from time to time refresh the memories of the
saints with, who are apt, through negligence and inattention, and
the weakness of the natural faculty, to be forgetful hearers of
the word; that whenever such persons should arise, they might be
on their guard against them. It is one part of the business of
Gospel ministers to put the churches in mind of what they have
received and known, and are established in. By "the brethren" are
meant the members of the church at Ephesus; whom the apostle
accounted as brethren, being of the same family and household,
and would have Timothy reckon and use as such, and not as
subjects and servants, to be lorded over.
Thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ;
a minister of Jesus Christ is one of his making, qualifying,
calling, and sending; and who makes Christ, the doctrines
respecting his person and offices, his grace, righteousness, and
salvation, the subject of his ministry; and he is a good one,
who, besides having a good work of grace wrought in him, has good
gifts and abilities from Christ, and who makes a good use of
them, and freely and fully imparts them for the good of others;
and being employed in a good work, he abides in it, and nothing
can deter or remove him from it; and such an one was Timothy, and
so would it be manifest by doing what the apostle hints unto him;
as well as he would appear to be
nourished up in the words of faith, and of good
doctrine:
by which are meant the truths of the Gospel, called the words of
faith, because they are things to be believed, hold forth the
object of faith, Christ, and are the means by which faith comes,
and is increased: and good doctrine, being the doctrine of the
Scriptures, and of Christ, and of his apostles, and according to
godliness; and contain good things, which make for the glory of
the grace of God, and the comfort and welfare of immortal souls.
These are of a nourishing nature; they are the wholesome and
salutary words of Christ; they have in them milk for babes, and
meat for strong men; by which both grow and thrive, when error
eats as does a canker. So Philo the Jew F11 speaks
of the soul, being "nourished with sciences", and not with food
and drink, which the body needs; and a little after he says, you
see the food of the soul what it is, it is the continual word of
God. Now Timothy, by discharging his work aright, would show to
the brethren, that as he had been nourished and trained up, first
under his religious parents, and then under the Apostle Paul; so
he still continued in the same truths, and to live and feed upon
them, and to be nourished by them: or the words may be rendered
actively,
nourishing;
that is, either himself, as the Syriac version renders it, or
others; for though all nourishment comes from Christ the head,
yet it is ministered by joints and bands to the members; it is
conveyed by the means of the word and ordinances, ministered by
the preachers of the Gospel, who feed the church with knowledge,
and with understanding; and none but those who are nourished
themselves are fit to be the nourishers of others; and such an
one was this evangelist: for it follows,
whereunto thou hast attained;
he had arrived to a considerable degree of knowledge of Gospel
truths, and was still pursuing and following on to know more of
them, and was exhorted to continue in them, knowing of whom he
had learned them. All this is said by way of encouragement to him
to do as the apostle directs.