The Word Made Fresh
1Servants should treat their masters with respect so that our teaching in the name of God might not be cursed. 2If their masters are believers they certainly shouldn’t be shown less respect if they are members of the church. If they are, then serve them even better. Teach these duties, and urge servants to follow them. 3Anyone who tells them otherwise doesn’t agree with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ which are filled with godliness. 4They are self-centered and ignorant and have a godforsaken craving for bickering over words. They are filled with jealousy, infighting, slander, dark suspicions 5and arguments with others who are depraved and steeped in lies. They think being godly is a way to get rich. 6Yes, there is great gain to be had in being content with godliness. 7After all, we brought nothing into the world, and we won’t take anything out of it. 8We should be content with food and clothing, 9but those who want to be rich will be tempted and entrapped by stupid and harmful desires that cause people to sink into ruin and destruction. 10The love of money is the root of every kind of evil. In their eagerness to get rich some have wandered away completely from the faith, and have brought much suffering upon themselves.
11But you are a man of God. Stay away from these things. Strive to be righteous and godly with faith and love, endurance, and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight. Have faith. Hold on to the eternal life to which you were called. You professed this in the presence of many witnesses 13and in the presence of God who is the giver of life. Christ Jesus made the good confession in his testimony before Pontius Pilate, and I urge you 14to be obedient and completely blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15At the right time he who is the blessed and only Sovereign will come, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16He is the only one who is immortal. He lives in light that cannot be approached, which no one has ever seen or can see. To him who rules in eternity be all honor. Amen.
17As for those who are rich in the present time, order them not to be self-important. Tell them not to hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but to hope instead in God who gives us abundantly everything we need for our enjoyment. 18Teach them to be wealthy in good-deed-doing, to be generous and ready to share what they have. 19That is how they will secure for themselves the treasure of a good future, and embrace the life that is really life.
20Timothy, take care of what has been placed in your trust. Stay away from the silly chatter and contradictions that some think is knowledge, and thereby have missed the mark of faith.
Grace be with you all.
Commentary
1-5: Servanthood was a simple reality in those days, and it is really an extraordinary thing that Paul, in seeking some human situation to use as a metaphor for his relationship to Christ, would declare that he was a slave of Jesus Christ (see, for example, Romans 1:1), and would often refer to other Christians in the same way. It is also typical of the mindset prevalent in the first century that, rather than view servanthood as an evil social institution, Paul would be more concerned with the state of the soul of the individual servant. It is not that he approved of slavery or disapproved of it; it is simply that it wouldn’t have occurred to him that he could approve or disapprove of it. That is what is being expressed here. Paul’s advice is that, if a servant treats his or her master with respect, the master will not have cause to put down Christ or the teachings of the church. He is also concerned that Christian servants of Christian masters might expect special treatment. He tells them instead that their master’s faith is all the more reason for them to serve diligently. Furthermore, he believes that to teach otherwise is ignorant and conceited, and will lead to a host of other maladies culminating in the servant thinking that “godliness is a means of gain.”
6-10: A couple of statements in this passage are often cited in popular literature. “We brought nothing into the world, and we won’t take anything out of it,” follows a reminder that we should strive to be content with what we have as long as what we have is enough. Godliness is not a means of gain, but godliness with contentment is itself great gain. The other recognizable quote is in verse 10: “The love of money is the root of every kind of evil.” Paul obviously believes that seeking wealth is the road to perdition that carries many an unsuspecting soul away from the faith.
But at what point has Paul stopped talking about servants? Verse 2, Verse 5, or verse 10?
11-16: Always, though, Paul wants to point his friends to Christ. “Fight the good fight,” another oft-quoted bit of advice, sums up Paul’s idea of what living the faith means. It is a pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness, all of which are gathered up in the person of Jesus who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
17-19: On the other hand, if you happen to be rich, don’t despair! Guard against haughtiness and hope only in God because riches are fickle and fleeting, as too many have discovered to their despair. The point Paul is making to Timothy is that those who have great riches should also be great in good deeds and in sharing. That is the only way they can “embrace the life that is really life.”
20-21: Final words of encouragement and advice. The “silly chatter and contradictions” is probably a reference to sophistry, a popular debating technique in that day which relied on clever dialogue that twisted the facts.
Takeaway
Riches may bring the comforts of this life, but cannot bring the blessings of life eternal. The gift of eternal life is not based on what we own, but rather is based on Whom we acknowledge owns us.