1 Timothy 5:1

1 Timothy 5:1 says, Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; Paul told Timothy to not rebuke an elder but to treat him as a father and that he was also to treat the younger men as brothers.  Though Timothy was to be their pastor, he was not to view himself as superior to anyone, and neither should pastors today.  Timothy was not morally superior to anyone else, and nor is any Christian, even pastors, superior to any other Christian today. 

Verse two adds, The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.  Paul told Timothy to treat all older women as a man should treat his mother and for him to look on all younger women as sisters.  This is still good advice for not only preachers but for all Christian men today.  We should never look on any woman without respect for them and should treat them with purity of thought, no matter what their status in the world may be.  

Verse three continues, Honour widows that are widows indeed.  There is more than one way to interpret what it means to be a widow indeed.  Some would say this means all widows, and it may.  Others would say this means widows with no family to help them, and understanding the norms of society in Paul’s day, I would say this might be more accurate.  Those widows who had family should have been honored by their family, though this doesn’t mean that Timothy should not honor them.  We should be more concerned with widows with no one to help them than we are with those who have family to help them, I believe.  Still, we as followers of Christ should treat all widows with respect because of who we are as Christians and not because of their situation as widows.   

Verse four states, But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.  Paul continued to explain what he meant by there being different types of widows, and I have just given my interpretation of this in the last verse, and Paul says much the same thing here.   If a widow has a family, they should be the ones to honor her by meeting her needs.  Often today, children do not even treat their mothers this way but instead leave them to provide for themselves both financially and emotionally because it would cost them time or money to do so.  

Verse five adds, Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.  Paul does then differentiate between widows who believe in God and those who don’t.   Still, I believe that we should look at all widows with love and compassion whether we are able help them financially or not. 

Verse six continues, But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.  If a widow has the resources and desire to live only for pleasure, we are not to help them financially or emotionally.  They are to be treated as someone who is spiritually dead, but we are still to pray that they will accept God’s gift of salvation.   We are also not called on to judge them as unworthy of God’s forgiveness.   

Verse seven concludes, And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.   I believe that this means that Timothy was to call them to repentance so that they might be made blameless in God’s sight by accepting his gift of salvation, since there is no other way to be made blameless.

1 Timoty 4:12

1 Timothy 4:12 says, Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Paul told Timothy that he was not to let people despise, or look down on him, because he was young.  Timothy was called by God to preach, so his age shouldn't have mattered, and it shouldn’t matter today if a preacher is young.  Paul also said that Timothy was to be an example to others of what a Christian should be in everything he did. We likewise need to be an example of what it means to be a follower of Christ in everything we do, and this applies to all Christians, and not just preachers, deacons, and teachers.   

Verse thirteen adds, Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Paul told Timothy that until he came there that he was to read the word of God with attendance and understanding, and that he was to proclaim, or exhort, God’s word and that he was to follow His doctrines.  Timothy didn’t have the whole Bible, but he did have the Old Testament, and Paul told him to proclaim the truth of it to the people he was preaching to.  We do have the whole Bible, which includes this letter to Timothy, and we should recognize it as God’s word to us and study it diligently and proclaim it to the world, as individual believers, but especially as preachers and teachers in the church. 

Verse fourteen continues, Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.  Paul told Timothy to not neglect his gift, which came from God but was attested to by the laying on of hands by other preachers.  We still ordain preachers today by other preachers laying hands on them, but this is just an outward sign that we that we believe that they are called by God to preach, and if they aren’t, it is just a useless ritual.  On the other hand, even if they do not have fellow preachers ordain them, as long as they are called by God that is all that really matters.

Verse fifteen states, Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.  Paul told Timoty to meditate on these things, or to make them the main thing to guide his life by. He was to give himself completely to following God’s word so that he might be an example to all people around him.  This should be the goal of every Christian today.  If we at times fall short, then we should repent and ask God’s forgiveness.  

 Verse sixteen adds, Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.  Paul said Timoty was to do this so that he could save himself and others.  I don’t believe that Paul meant that by simply obeying God’s law that that Timothy could save himself or anyone else, but that since he had put his faith in Jesus Christ to be saved that he was to do these things to be a positive example to those around him, and if they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord because of this, that they would be saved.  This should be our goal today, and we must understand that we cannot save anyone, even ourselves. but people can only be saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 4:6

1 Timothy 4:6 says, If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.  Paul told Timothy that if he called on people to remember these things, or to believe in God’s word in other words, that he would be a good minister to Jesus Christ and would be nourished by the Holy Spirit.  If a preacher today is going to be a faithful preacher, he must proclaim God’s word by the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse seven adds, But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  Paul warned Timothy not to believe in old wives’ fables, but to exercise his faith in God.  A preacher, deacon, or any Christian cannot put their faith in anything but the word of God if they are to live successful spiritual lives.

Verse eight continues, For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Paul said that physical exercise to build up the body was spiritually of little importance, but people spend more time exercising physically than they do spiritually.  They may go to the gym and spend several hours exercising many days a week but not have time to gather with God’s people in the church to grow spiritually.  

Verse nine states, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. Paul said this was a faithful saying, or I believe one that came from God, and it was therefore worthy of all acceptance.  We need to understand that the Bible is God’s Holy Word and therefore is worthy of all acceptance.  

Verse ten adds, For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. Paul said that they both labored and suffered because of their faith in God and his word.  We as Christians should be willing to do the same today and not think that being a follower of Christ is going to bring us material blessings.

Verse eleven continues, These things command and teach.  Paul told Timothy that he was to command and teach these things to others.  It is the responsibility of all Christians to teach the word of God and to follow Him faithfully, but it is especially true for preachers and those who teach others in the church to do so.  We cannot just preach and teach what we believe by our own knowledge but must preach and teach what God’s word says.