‘But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.’ 1 Timothy 5:8(NLT)
‘Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives. Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good? The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan. If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone. Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone. Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often. Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.’ 1 Timothy 5:1-25(NLT)
‘So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
Living by the Spirit’s Power
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.’ Galatians 5:1-26(NLT)
“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith . . .”—1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT)
By Daniel Saavedra
“Talk is cheap!” We say it when someone makes lofty promises, like “I’ll never do that again,” or “I will be there on time,” or “I will lower your taxes.” It’s usually said to someone who is known for not being true to his or her word.
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul gives Timothy some instructions on how to interact with, care for, and support various groups within the church. He explains how we should treat and support widows and how we should address older men and women—as well as younger men and women. And then, he makes this bold statement: “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith.”
There are a lot of truly noble, valorous, and compassionate causes we can take up and people we can help; people we SHOULD help, that we’re instructed by the Lord to help . . . but what does it say about us if we’re taking care of widows but forsaking our parents, rejecting our siblings, or neglecting our spouse and children? This is what it says about us: “Such people are worse than unbelievers” (1 Timothy 5:8 NLT).
This warning was necessary as the circles of believers continued to widen during the early days of the church, and it’s still relevant for us today. Then, just like now, people tried to convince themselves that the hopes and promises of Christianity could be had simply by calling themselves a Christian . . . completely devoid of real devotion to Christ, without any practice of actual discipleship and self-denial, separate from any life change or heart transformation. As we established earlier, talk is cheap!
You see, for Paul, faith was not just a far-off intellectual understanding but a complete way of life. It permeated everything he did, said, thought, and understood. And thus, faith that is factually stated but practically denied is no faith at all. When we neglect those closest to us—people who the Lord bonded us to in name, blood, and by covenant vows—we are denying the faith, rejecting the heart of God, and are worse than pagans.
Why am I sharing this with you? I want to implore you, friends, to take care of your own! Be present, invest in them, show mercy, grace, compassion, humility, selflessness, and true, genuine care. Consider the example of Jesus on the cross. Just before dying, He confirmed His mother would be in good hands. Love your family well. Otherwise, you may want to ask yourself what kind of faith you subscribe to.
DIG: Read 1 Timothy 5 and Galatians 5.
DISCOVER: How is your relationship with your immediate family? Are you loving them well? Are you honoring them and putting their needs above your own? Are you devoting enough attention and care to them?
DISPLAY: Connect with your family today. Send an encouraging text, call them up and see how you can serve them this week, or if possible, visit them and bring by their favorite food and a game! Allow your faith to express itself in love!
from Family Matters