1 Timothy 6: Guard the treasure

Paul wants Timothy to conduct the church in Ephesus, but he advises Timothy:

11-12 But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

What is to "seize the eternal life"? I, as a modern man, think that I am saved / have eternal life; so let us move on to the next chalange. Certainly Paul didn't think that the eternal life was some kind of "solved problem" when he said "take hold of the eternal life". The eternal life is very different from our normal life; it is a life of fight against our "normal" way of thinking. In the eternal life, Jesus is the king not me. 


Paul ends the letter:

20-21 And oh, my dear Timothy, guard the treasure you were given! Guard it with your life. Avoid the talk-show religion and the practiced confusion of the so-called experts. People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith.


What is to guard the treasure? It is to protect the message, the gospel as it was being corrupted by some influencers in the church of Ephesus. Even today, it is very common that a person who doesn't belong to Jesus wants to appear as smart talking about religion. The gospel is not about me , it is about our Lord Jesus.

1 Timothy 5: No magic in the church

As the Spirit moves among believers, one could expect some kind of magic happening in the church, but Paul gives very ground based councils. Timothy was some kind of bishop. He had to manage leaders in the church:

17-18 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”
19 Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.
20 If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can’t get by with it.
21-23 God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don’t worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it’s good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.

There was no magic. It was supposed that the leader received power from the Lord to conduct the church when Timothy's hand was laid upon him (v22); however, it didn´t mean that the leader was free from sinning; however, he could be false accused too by evil people inside the church. Thus, Timothy should carry the judgement without favoritism. Somehow, the Lord gave men the ability to judge, to analyze and to make decisions. Paul instructs Timothy on how make good decisions.

1 Timothy 4: The Lord loves all mankind

The false masters were spreading a different message: not to marriage, not to eat certain foods. Paul shows a loving God:

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

The loving God, loves all mankind:

10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.

Salvation is open to every man and woman. It happens for those who believe in Jesus, our savior and Lord.

1 Timothy 3: Christian leader qualifications

The church in Ephesus had false masters, bad leaders. Paul addresses the qualifications of the leaders that should take place the bad leaders. The message/teachings of the bishops/masters were crucial. The focus of the message:

16 This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:
He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

1 Timothy 2: the false leaders and their followers

Paul wrote to Timothy:

11-15 I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first — our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.

Are these verses to be applied as a commandment to all churches? Perhaps no. Suppose that the false leaders in chapter 1 had deceived women who began to spread these false teachings. Suppose that these women were being more and more vocal in the church to the point of commanding men. Timothy had to control these women in order to fix the church, to make them remember that Jesus must be in the center of their lives.

1 Timothy 1: a toxic church

Paul was released from his prison, in Rome. Timothy is in Ephesus taking care of a toxic church. Evil leaders in the church are naturally inclined to their our honor and glory. In Ephesus, they were focusing in details of the Bible (genealogies, for instance) instead of focusing that Jesus came to save sinners. In doing so, they appeared to be wise, while in fact they were distancing the congregation from the faith and love. Timothy was in a very difficult situation: to oppose influential leader and to make the church return to the core of the gospel:

5-7 The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into dead ends of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven’t the remotest idea of what they’re holding forth with such imposing eloquence.

Ephesians 6: Armor of God: Atack and defense

A Christians is a new creature - governed by Jesus who becomes a target of the evil forces, therefore he must resist its attacks:

13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Imagine a pastor who is calling many to Jesus. If he falls, he becomes a joke or a flag against Christians. Even if he doesn't fall, evil can lie and accuse therefore, it is imperative to pray hard and long and to live in community, in a church supporting each other.