1 Timothy 6

How big is the God you worship? If we believe in a small God, our faith will also be small. If we believe in a weak God, our lives will also be weak. But our God is not small and weak. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the God who gives life to everything (verse 13). Let His name be praised! Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17).

17 In verses 9-10, Paul wrote of those who wanted to get rich. Here Paul speaks to Christians who are already rich. Let them not be arrogant. Everything they have has been given to them by God. They must not put their hope in their wealth (see Matthew 6:19-21 and comment).

Money and wealth are not in themselves evil. God has provided us with everything for our enjoyment. Therefore, we can receive His material gifts with thanksgiving. But if we begin to love our material possessions, it would be best to sell them; otherwise, we risk losing the spiritual possessions stored up for us in heaven (see Mark 10:21-23 and comment).

18-19 Let a man be rich in good deeds rather than in money. The riches of this world will perish, but every good deed done for God will remain forever. By doing good deeds in this life, the believer stores up for himself treasures in heaven.¹⁷

Therefore, let the rich believer be generous and willing to share (verse 18). If he heeds this, he will receive life that is truly life—that is, eternal life in heaven.

When Paul talks about the rich of this world, who does he mean? He means all those who have more than they need. By New Testament standards, anyone who has more than he needs is rich.

20-21 Timothy must guard what has been entrusted to him; that is, he must guard the true doctrines and teachings of Christ that have been handed down to him by the apostles. He must not let them be changed or twisted. He must not let any false teaching enter the church. Rather, he should immediately refute any false teaching and turn away from it (see 1 Timothy 1:3; 4:7; 2 Timothy 2:16-18).

¹ Paul is not saying here that all men who act in ignorance and unbelief will automatically receive mercy. No man is completely ignorant of right and wrong; no man is completely ignorant of God (see Romans 1:18-21 and comment). Paul still needed to repent of his sins and believe in Christ. But God will show more leniency, more mercy, toward those who have less knowledge; and He will judge more severely those who have more knowledge (see Luke 12:47-48 and comment).

² For further discussion, see General Articles: Way of Salvation, Salvation—God’s Choice or Man’s Choice?

³ In place of the word overseer, some translations of the Bible say “bishop.” The meaning is the same. In the Greek language, “bishop” means overseer.

⁴ In Isaiah 14:12-15, the prophet Isaiah describes how the devil, or Satan (also called by Isaiah the morning star and son of the dawn) tried to make himself equal with God. Because of this, God’s judgment fell upon Satan, and he was thrown out of heaven.

⁵ Being able to teach (verse 2) is not listed here among the qualifications of deacons. Nevertheless, there are many deacons who are also excellent teachers, and they should use their teaching gifts. Many of these deacons later become overseers and pastors.

⁶ In place of deep truths, some translations of the Bible say “mystery.” The meaning is the same. The deep spiritual truths of the Christian faith seem like a “mystery” to unspiritual, worldly men.

⁷ Even though all this is true, it must be said that some Christians do receive a special calling from God not to marry. Such people will be better able to glorify God by remaining single (see Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 and comments).

⁸ The second reason Christians pray before eating is to offer thanksgiving (verse 4).

⁹ In place of the words who are really in need, some versions of the Bible say “who are real widows,” which is a literal translation of the Greek text. In the context of this verse, the meaning is the same. This same phrase is also found in verses 5 and 16.

¹⁰ See footnote to comment on verse 3.

¹¹ In some churches, there is a special group of women who have been given responsibility and authority to carry out various works of service (see General Article: Women in the Church).

¹² If we make any kind of vow or promise to God, we must be careful not to break it; otherwise, we will come under God’s judgment (Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-22; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5; Acts 5:1-5).

¹³ See footnote to comment on verse 3.

¹⁴Some Bible scholars think that in this verse Paul is talking about two different kinds of elders: the elders who direct the affairs of the church, and the elders whose work is preaching and teaching. It is reasonable that there be different kinds of elders who are given different responsibilities according to their gifts. For further discussion, see General Article: Church Government.

¹⁵ In place of the word publicly, some translations of the Bible say “in the presence of all.” It is not certain whether Paul means that the guilty elder should be rebuked in the presence of “all” the members of the church, or only in the presence of “all” the other elders. Both meanings are possible.

¹⁶ Nowadays, there are many kinds of medicine for one’s stomach; therefore, it is not necessary to drink wine. Notice that Paul tells Timothy to drink only a little wine—not a lot!

¹⁷ But man is not saved by doing good deeds; he only is rewarded for his good deeds (Matthew 16:27). Salvation is by grace through faith alone (see Ephesians 2:8-10 and comment).