1Ti 6:1 | KingComments | STEP | . Paul starts this chapter with instructions for believing slaves. They are a part of the church in Ephesus. The fact that a slave is a believer doesn’t change his position as slave. Slavery is not something that is given by God, but is a result of sin. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that a slave gets his freedom back when he converts. Christendom doesn’t change (deplorable) situations, but hearts. The Lord Jesus did not come to deal with this wrong and other wrongs, but to save sinners. A believing slave could have possibly come into such a position through several circumstances, for example by birth or by captivity or by running into debts. Especially a slave can show what it means to be a Christian ( ; ). With that purpose in mind Paul even sent the runaway slave Onesimus back to his master Philemon. Paul indeed hoped that Philemon would release his slave Onesimus, that he may assist the apostle in his ministry for the Lord (see the letter to Philemon). In those days slaves had no privileges. They had no entitlements at all. According to Greek-Roman ideas slaves were no individuals but instruments. They were the unlimited property of their master and had not a single right. A private life didn’t exist for them. As such a comparison with relationships as we know in the Western world is not possible. Of course we can apply these instructions to the relationships between an employer and an employee. The believing employee is not supposed to expect his help from a labor union, from means to exert pressure, like strikes, company occupation or slowdown actions. By not participating with those actions he may be slandered by his colleagues, but it surely delivers him approval from the Lord. Of the believing employee it is expected that he ‘regards his own employer worthy of all honor’. In it is about an unbelieving employer. The believing employee ought to speak about him respectfully and to treat him respectfully. He will not participate (anymore) with rebellion or slacken in doing his work. Rebellion doesn’t fit the Christian slave. If the believing slave would be rebellious, disobedient to his master, then others would have a reason to say: ‘What a God is that Who allows such a disorder and what doctrine is it, that it tolerates rebellion and violence?’ Even today, a believer's testimony for his Lord at his place of work is either positive or negative. If he closely follows the orders of his boss in his work, then “the name of God and [our] doctrine will not be spoken against”. After all, the point is that God is being made known as Savior in accordance with the Christian doctrine. The doctrine and practice go inextricably together. . In this verse it is about “those who have believers as their masters”. Then there is mention of a double relation: that of a brother and of a boss. Then there is the risk of a mixture between spiritual and social relationships. Then you may be tempted to deal too amicably with your boss or you may think you could afford more than is fitting because he is a brother of yours. In that way you are surely not respecting the relations and in fact you despise him as your boss. That is no testimony toward your unbelieving colleagues. It should rather be the case that the fact that your boss is a believer it leads you to “serve” him all the more. You may be aware of doing a “benefit” to your believing boss. The quality of the service is better because this doesn’t happen out of fear but out of love. Incidentally, such a situation requires much wisdom and caution on both sides. The brotherly love could be easily affected, which can cause a tense working atmosphere. On top of that the roles in the church could be the other way around. Not in the sense that the one is superior to the other, but that the slave has a more prominent position in the church than the master. Then it is important that both of them show a spiritual mind. It is necessary for Timothy to also teach these things and insist that this teaching be put into practice. . “A different doctrine” undermines the relationship between the slave and the master. That happens when a person teaches his own human thoughts after his flesh about the social relationships and ignores what the Lord has to say about it. In that way you could call the right to strike ‘another doctrine’. Then such a person “does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ”. All words that the Lord has spoken when He was on earth, are sound words. We find them in the four Gospels. The Lord heard them from the Father and has passed them on to His disciples ( ). The teachings of the apostle Paul which you find in his letters, are completely in line with them. The words of the Lord and the teaching of the apostle induce to live a life in which God is being honored, whatever may be the social position of a believer. . He who ignores that “is conceited”. Pride arises when a person is full of his own knowledge ( ). It is the arrogance of the ignorance that imagines to know everything. Paul speaks out God’s judgment on such a person: he “understands nothing”. However, it doesn’t stop there, but these people are obsessed with “controversial questions and disputes about words”. The proof that their spirit is sick appears from the fact that they are greedy to be right, which make them to debate endlessly and also lead them to unending pointless speculations. The politics, also the so-called Christian politics, are full of them. The sick thinking of false teachers reveals itself in narrow-minded arguing and pseudo-intellectual theories, where everything is about ridiculous distinctions between words. Such people are sick and form a source of contamination. Every person that joins them also gets the same sickness. For what comes out from their thinking? “Envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions.” The contrast between what makes sick and what is healthy and what makes healthy about words and doctrine is made sharp here. In their fractiousness and arguments about words they envy the other who do better in the debate, and has more power of persuasion and gains more followers. They envy the other for what he has and want that for their own. Instead of settling their differences, distance and quarrels arise. In order to justify themselves they slander one another. Mendacious things are passed on and even evil motives are assumed in the opponent.. . This goes on and on. Without ceasing these people are continuing their quarrels. This corruption is in their thinking. They are not able to respond to the truth in a normal way. They have lost all sense of reality. It is said of them that they are “deprived of the truth”. They formerly had the knowledge of everything that God has revealed in Christ, but they lost it because they do not consent any longer to the sound words and the sound doctrine. You see in which downward spiral you can end if you prefer human ideas to the Word of God. In all their foolishness they even “suppose that godliness is a means of gain”. They have every reason for that. They ask payment for their foolish ideas and people are eager to pay. Also today theologians are financially supported by churches to spread their foolish arguments in words and writings. People promptly pay for these monstrous fantasies. They love it. They do not mind whether it is true or not. The book ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is one of these examples. What a privilege to have the unchangeable measure of God’s Word for verification. I like to emphasize that for you at the end of this section. Now read 1 Timothy 6:1-5 again. Reflection: How do you experience your place in society?

‏ 1 Timothy 6:1

Workers and Sound Words

1Tim 6:1. Paul starts this chapter with instructions for believing slaves. They are a part of the church in Ephesus. The fact that a slave is a believer doesn’t change his position as slave. Slavery is not something that is given by God, but is a result of sin. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that a slave gets his freedom back when he converts. Christendom doesn’t change (deplorable) situations, but hearts. The Lord Jesus did not come to deal with this wrong and other wrongs, but to save sinners.

A believing slave could have possibly come into such a position through several circumstances, for example by birth or by captivity or by running into debts. Especially a slave can show what it means to be a Christian (Tit 2:10; 1Pet 2:18). With that purpose in mind Paul even sent the runaway slave Onesimus back to his master Philemon. Paul indeed hoped that Philemon would release his slave Onesimus, that he may assist the apostle in his ministry for the Lord (see the letter to Philemon).

In those days slaves had no privileges. They had no entitlements at all. According to Greek-Roman ideas slaves were no individuals but instruments. They were the unlimited property of their master and had not a single right. A private life didn’t exist for them. As such a comparison with relationships as we know in the Western world is not possible. Of course we can apply these instructions to the relationships between an employer and an employee. The believing employee is not supposed to expect his help from a labor union, from means to exert pressure, like strikes, company occupation or slowdown actions. By not participating with those actions he may be slandered by his colleagues, but it surely delivers him approval from the Lord.

Of the believing employee it is expected that he ‘regards his own employer worthy of all honor’. In 1Tim 6:1 it is about an unbelieving employer. The believing employee ought to speak about him respectfully and to treat him respectfully. He will not participate (anymore) with rebellion or slacken in doing his work. Rebellion doesn’t fit the Christian slave. If the believing slave would be rebellious, disobedient to his master, then others would have a reason to say: ‘What a God is that Who allows such a disorder and what doctrine is it, that it tolerates rebellion and violence?’

Even today, a believer's testimony for his Lord at his place of work is either positive or negative. If he closely follows the orders of his boss in his work, then “the name of God and [our] doctrine will not be spoken against”. After all, the point is that God is being made known as Savior in accordance with the Christian doctrine. The doctrine and practice go inextricably together.

1Tim 6:2. In this verse it is about “those who have believers as their masters”. Then there is mention of a double relation: that of a brother and of a boss. Then there is the risk of a mixture between spiritual and social relationships. Then you may be tempted to deal too amicably with your boss or you may think you could afford more than is fitting because he is a brother of yours. In that way you are surely not respecting the relations and in fact you despise him as your boss. That is no testimony toward your unbelieving colleagues.

It should rather be the case that the fact that your boss is a believer it leads you to “serve” him all the more. You may be aware of doing a “benefit” to your believing boss. The quality of the service is better because this doesn’t happen out of fear but out of love.

Incidentally, such a situation requires much wisdom and caution on both sides. The brotherly love could be easily affected, which can cause a tense working atmosphere. On top of that the roles in the church could be the other way around. Not in the sense that the one is superior to the other, but that the slave has a more prominent position in the church than the master. Then it is important that both of them show a spiritual mind.

It is necessary for Timothy to also teach these things and insist that this teaching be put into practice.

1Tim 6:3. “A different doctrine” undermines the relationship between the slave and the master. That happens when a person teaches his own human thoughts after his flesh about the social relationships and ignores what the Lord has to say about it. In that way you could call the right to strike ‘another doctrine’. Then such a person “does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

All words that the Lord has spoken when He was on earth, are sound words. We find them in the four Gospels. The Lord heard them from the Father and has passed them on to His disciples (Jn 17:8). The teachings of the apostle Paul which you find in his letters, are completely in line with them. The words of the Lord and the teaching of the apostle induce to live a life in which God is being honored, whatever may be the social position of a believer.

1Tim 6:4. He who ignores that “is conceited”. Pride arises when a person is full of his own knowledge (1Cor 8:1). It is the arrogance of the ignorance that imagines to know everything. Paul speaks out God’s judgment on such a person: he “understands nothing”. However, it doesn’t stop there, but these people are obsessed with “controversial questions and disputes about words”. The proof that their spirit is sick appears from the fact that they are greedy to be right, which make them to debate endlessly and also lead them to unending pointless speculations. The politics, also the so-called Christian politics, are full of them.

The sick thinking of false teachers reveals itself in narrow-minded arguing and pseudo-intellectual theories, where everything is about ridiculous distinctions between words. Such people are sick and form a source of contamination. Every person that joins them also gets the same sickness. For what comes out from their thinking? “Envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions.” The contrast between what makes sick and what is healthy and what makes healthy about words and doctrine is made sharp here.

In their fractiousness and arguments about words they envy the other who do better in the debate, and has more power of persuasion and gains more followers. They envy the other for what he has and want that for their own. Instead of settling their differences, distance and quarrels arise. In order to justify themselves they slander one another. Mendacious things are passed on and even evil motives are assumed in the opponent..

1Tim 6:5. This goes on and on. Without ceasing these people are continuing their quarrels. This corruption is in their thinking. They are not able to respond to the truth in a normal way. They have lost all sense of reality. It is said of them that they are “deprived of the truth”. They formerly had the knowledge of everything that God has revealed in Christ, but they lost it because they do not consent any longer to the sound words and the sound doctrine. You see in which downward spiral you can end if you prefer human ideas to the Word of God.

In all their foolishness they even “suppose that godliness is a means of gain”. They have every reason for that. They ask payment for their foolish ideas and people are eager to pay. Also today theologians are financially supported by churches to spread their foolish arguments in words and writings. People promptly pay for these monstrous fantasies. They love it. They do not mind whether it is true or not. The book ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is one of these examples.

What a privilege to have the unchangeable measure of God’s Word for verification. I like to emphasize that for you at the end of this section.

Now read 1 Timothy 6:1-5 again.

Reflection: How do you experience your place in society?