A devotion on 1 Timothy 5:17–25. “I solemnly charge you” sounds serious enough, but Paul adds that this charge is “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels.” The topic was and is serious: the discipline and training of other leaders in the church.
In chapter 5, Paul gives Timothy counsel about how to serve various groups of people in the church. In the previous verses Paul addressed various issues in connection with widows. In verses 17–25, the people group under consideration is elders.
17 Οἱ καλῶς προεστῶτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν, μάλιστα οἱ κοπιῶντες ἐν λόγῳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ·
Translation: The elders who rule/lead/care for (the church) well, of double honor are worthy, especially those who work hard/toil in word and teaching.
What a blessing it is when the church has spiritual leaders (e.g., a pastor and elders) who know what the church is and who toil to serve the members of that church in faith and love! Such elders should receive honor and material support from the church they serve. Those who toil to preach and teach well are worthy of “double honor” because they are especially beneficial to the church.
18 λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Βοῦν ἀλοῶντα οὐ φιμώσεις, καί· Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ.
Translation: For the Scriptures say, “A threshing cow you shall not muzzle,” and “Worthy (is) the worker of his wages.”
Paul quotes both Moses (Deut 25:4) and Jesus (Luke 10:7) as Scripture. It is God’s will that workers in all industries—even animals!—receive fair compensation for their work. The same is true of workers in the church of God. In our church body and in our congregations, God’s people will give the compensation of church workers careful attention, for the good of the workers and those they serve, and for the glory of God.
19 κατὰ πρεσβυτέρου κατηγορίαν μὴ παραδέχου, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων· 20 τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐνώπιον πάντων ἔλεγχε, ἵνα καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ φόβον ἔχωσιν.
Translation: A charge against an elder do not accept, unless (it is) on (the testimony) of two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in front of everyone, in order that all the rest too may have fear.
The discipline of church leaders is a difficult matter, made more difficult by the fact that the members and leaders of the church are sinners and saints at the same time. Sometimes the members are uncharitable towards their leaders. Sometimes they falsely accuse their leaders. Before Timothy acts upon a charge against an elder, there must be at least two or three witnesses. When an elder is found to be saying (teaching) or doing something that is not in line with God’s word, he must be publicly rebuked. Such a rebuke will lead all the spiritual leaders to know the seriousness of their calling and to examine their own life and doctrine. When the difficult task of discipline is left undone, greater difficulties follow.
21 διαμαρτύρομαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ἀγγέλων, ἵνα ταῦτα φυλάξῃς χωρὶς προκρίματος, μηδὲν ποιῶν κατὰ πρόσκλισιν. 22 χεῖρας ταχέως μηδενὶ ἐπιτίθει, μηδὲ κοινώνει ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλοτρίαις· σεαυτὸν ἁγνὸν τήρει.
Translation: I solemnly charge (you) before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, that you observe these things (vv. 19-20) without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, and (in this way) play a part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
It happens often among people that their relationships with others prevent them from doing or saying the right thing. Politics often obstruct justice. We see examples in government, in the justice system, in families, and even in the church. Timothy is to handle cases against elders without prejudice or partiality. The selection and appointment of new elders also needed to be untainted.
Timothy was not to be overly concerned about the opinions of other people. As he dealt with elders in the church, Timothy needed to remember that God was watching. Christ Jesus was watching. The good angels that serve God and his people were watching.
As we serve as shepherds under Christ in his church, let’s remember who’s watching. That will help us to watch our life and doctrine closely and to be wise in the discipline and training of spiritual leaders in the church.
23 μηκέτι ὑδροπότει, ἀλλὰ οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχον καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας.
Translation: Don’t limit yourself to drinking water only, but take a little wine for your stomach and your recurring health problems.
How does this verse fit in with the preceding verse? Perhaps Timothy needed to be reminded that the command to keep himself pure did not mean that he could not have any wine at all. No elder should be “alongside wine,” but this did not preclude the drinking of any wine. The topic of alcohol consumption is another topic that deserves the careful consideration of God’s people.
Another possible connection is that the stress of handling leadership issues was affecting Timothy’s well-being.
24 Τινῶν ἀνθρώπων αἱ ἁμαρτίαι πρόδηλοί εἰσιν, προάγουσαι εἰς κρίσιν, τισὶν δὲ καὶ ἐπακολουθοῦσιν· 25 ὡσαύτως καὶ τὰ ἔργα τὰ καλὰ πρόδηλα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλως ἔχοντα κρυβῆναι οὐ δύνανται.
Translation: The sins of some people are obvious, going ahead of them to the judgment, while for some their sins arrive afterwards. Likewise the good works also are obvious, and those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden.
These verses explain why it is wise to take time to train leaders in the church, because it takes time to know the true character of a person. Not all sins and weaknesses are evident right away. They show up later. On the other hand, it is also true that during the process of training workers their ability to serve faithfully develops and becomes more evident. Timothy was not able to read hearts. Time and presence with potential workers would help prevent Timothy from appointing leaders who would be harmful to the church.
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for your grace and favor. Continue to bless us as we honor our spiritual leaders, as we discipline them, and as we recruit and train them; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
P.S. For further reading, I recommend Pres. emeritus David Valleskey’s recent book, The Splendid Task of the Ministry: A Pastoral Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (NPH, 2023).