Authority is everywhere that we turn. Whether it’s in the home, in the workplace,
in the government, or even in the church, nearly every sphere in which we live finds
us under the authority of someone. I
believe that one of the reasons that authority is so woven into the fabric of
God’s universe is because God wants us to understand how to relate to His
authority. He is the Lord of Lord and
the King of Kings, so understanding how to live under authority is one of the
most important principles in His world.
I bring up the subject of authority because as we
continue to make our way through 1 Timothy
5:1-6:2 (where Paul instructed Timothy on how the gospel should shape
various relationships we have as believers), we’re going to see in verses
5:17-6:2 how the gospel calls us to honor
those in authority both inside and
outside of the church. My prayer again
today is that God would use this passage to cause us to ask for grace to relate
to one another in ways that are in accordance with the gospel.
[17] Let the elders who rule well be
considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and
teaching. [18] For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it
treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” [19] Do not
admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three
witnesses. [20] As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the
presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. [21] In the presence
of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these
rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. [22] Do not be
hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep
yourself pure. [23] (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for
the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) [24] The sins of
some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of
others appear later. [25] So also good works are conspicuous, and even
those that are not cannot remain hidden.
[6:1] Let
all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of
all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.
[2] Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the
ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since
those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things. (1
Timothy 5:17-6:2 ESV)
I.
Honoring Authority Inside the Church (5:17-25): Elders
“Honor” is
a key word in this section (see 5:3,17;
6:1). As we said last week, it means
respect, care, and also financial support in some cases. In verses 17-25, Paul describes what it means
to honor those who are in authority inside the church. He begins by saying that “elders who rule well” should be counted worthy of “double honor.” “Elder”
is one of three words (elder, pastor,
overseer) that are used interchangeably (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-2) in the New Testament to describe the
primary leadership of the church. They
normally existed in plurality and their leadership involved “ruling” and “preaching and teaching.”
The first way that Paul says these leaders are to
be honored is by supporting them
(17-18). By “double honor,” Paul means that elders should be paid both respect and financial support. He says
that this is especially important for the elders who “labor in preaching and teaching.”
Apparently some elders will be more prominent as teachers in the
group. Paul gives two quotations here in
support of this command, one from the Old Testament (Deut. 25:4) and one from the New Testament (Luke 10:7). The basic
principle is that someone who works at something should be able to benefit from
it, just like a chef should be able to snack while their cooking!
After describing how we are to honor elders in
supporting them (17-18), Paul then describes how we are to honor elders in correcting them (19-21). Timothy is told not to admit a charge against
an elder unless the evidence of “two or
three witnesses” verifies it, but that if there is evidence and the person
persists in sin, they are to be publically
rebuked. This is meant to protect
the person who is pastor and the position of pastor. It first protects the pastor and church
leaders from malicious and unsubstantiated claims. But it also protects the position of pastor
from being occupied by unrepentant men. God does not take accusations against
pastors lightly. And because God
does not take the accusations lightly, elders who persist in sin are to be publically rebuked. This could possibly imply that the more
public a sin is, the more public a response it demands, with the goal being to
instill the fear of the Lord in the
congregation. Timothy is solemnly
charged to do this “without prejudging”
or “showing partiality.” Disqualifying sins on the part of an elder
are not to be covered up, no matter how popular or influential they are.
Next, Paul moves to describe how to honor elders
in selecting them (22-25). A church must not be “hasty” in selecting and ordaining elders. Otherwise they may find out too late that
someone is unqualified. This is why Paul
would say that leaders should be tested first (3:10). As He says in verses
24-25, some people’s sins are obvious, allowing you to make a judgment about
them ahead of time, but the sins of some leaders appear later. The same is true for good works. As one commentator said, “Time and truth go hand in hand.” [1] Time,
testing, and patience in selecting leaders avoids two tragedies: (1) It helps
the church to avoid ordaining an unqualified person and (2) also to not miss
out on a qualified person. There is also
an indication here that being hasty in selecting church leaders actually makes
one a partaker of their sins (22).
Now before moving on, let’s deal with verse
23. Timothy is encouraged to drink a
little wine for his stomach trouble and other frequent ailments. This prescription for drinking wine here is
strictly medicinal, and that makes
this neither a commendation nor a condemnation of drinking in and of
itself. Drinking was apparently a
problem among the false teachers, for which reason Timothy had probably been
abstaining. Because of the health
problems associated with his abstinence, Paul told him to drink some wine.
This passage calls us to honor both the person and
the position of pastor. Those who are
faithful pastors should receive the double honor of respect and financial
assistance. Also, we should respect
those men enough to watch what we say about them and to squash any unwarranted
accusation against them. However,
because we honor the position of elder in the church, we must not ignore
pastors who persist in sin and we must not allow people to occupy these roles
who are not qualified, not matter how gifted or popular they are. This way we give both the person and the
position appropriate honor. I would
encourage you to honor your pastors this week with a letter, an email, or a
phone call, just letting them know that you appreciate them and are praying for
them. Also, you would do me a great
honor by bringing to my attention any sinful behavior that you ever detect. I’ll never be a perfect pastor, but I
constantly ask the Lord for grace to be a humble and a faithful one.
II.
Honoring Authority Outside the Church (6:1-2): Masters
Paul now turns to honoring authority outside the
church by dealing specifically with the relationship between slaves and masters
that was prominent in the first century world.
It is important to understand before diving in that Paul’s instruction
to slaves and masters is not an endorsement or an approval of slavery. He simply had a bigger agenda than a person’s
individual rights. Like it or not,
slavery was a major reality in the first century world. “Some historians
have estimated that half of the population of the Roman Empire was composed of slaves.”[2] Paul’s concern in such a world was
ultimately the glory of God and the credibility of the gospel among
unbelievers. Also, the slave/master
relationship in the first century didn’t carry the racial connotations that it
does now. Many people became slaves
voluntarily in order to secure more economic stability. “Essentially,
first-century slaves resembled the indentured servants of the American colonial
period. In many cases, slaves were better off than day-laborers, since much of
their food, clothing, and shelter was provided. The system of slavery served as
the economic structure in the Roman world, and the master-slave relationship
closely parallels the twentieth-century employer-employee relationship.”[3]
Since Paul’s concern was ultimately God’s glory
and the gospel’s credibility among the unbelievers, Paul instructed believers
who were slaves to regard their masters as worthy of “all honor.” Paul says this
honor should be given, even to unbelieving masters. Again, the reason for this is so that “the name of God and the teaching may not be
reviled.” Those who have believing
masters (6:2) should not take advantage of their relationship with their
brother either. They should rather work
all the harder since it is their brother whom they love that is being benefited
by their service.
The Old Testament story of Joseph is one of my
favorite examples of faithful servant hood.
As both a prisoner and a slave, Joseph honored his masters and worked
hard. As a slave, he chose to honor the
Lord by honoring his master and tried to be the best slave that Egypt had ever
seen. As a prisoner, he chose to honor
the Lord by honoring his master and tried to be the best prisoner that Egypt
had ever seen.
We see this same instruction elsewhere in the New
Testament. Ephesians 6:5-9: [5] Bondservants,
obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you
would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but
as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
[7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
[8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from
the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. [9] Masters, do the same
to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master
and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Colossians
3:22-4:1: [22] Bondservants, obey in everything those
who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers,
but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. [23] Whatever you do, work
heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord
Christ. [25] For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has
done, and there is no partiality. [4:1] Masters, treat your
bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Believers
should be known for being the hardest working people in the workforce. They should be known for honoring their
employers, their teachers, their politicians, etc. How are you doing with honoring those who are
in authority both in and out of the church?
There is a reason we have such a problem with
authority. It is because we are sinners
to the core. We have rebellion written
all over our hearts. It started in the Garden
of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God’s authority and we have
followed in their footsteps step for step.
God will judge rebellion in His world, but He has also made a way for
rebels to be reconciled to Him. He sent
His Son Jesus Christ into the world, and He lived His entire life in submission
to God and the authorities that God had placed in the world. This was to earn substitute righteousness for
us. He then died on the cross, bearing
the punishment for our rebellion. God
showed the universe that He had accepted the payment by raising Jesus from the
dead on the third day. Now people who
have rebellion written on their hearts can get new hearts through faith in
Jesus and can learn to live under God’s authority as they were created to
do. And living under God’s authority is
not drudgery; it is a life of joy, hope, peace, and safety for eternity. That’s why people like the apostle Paul would
gladly call themselves slaves of Christ, because there is no greater joy or
privilege than to belong to Jesus!
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