Honoring Elders 1 Timothy 5:17-25

In 1 Timothy 5:17-25, Paul emphasizes honoring elders who manage well and preach effectively. Accusations against them should be supported by two or three witnesses, and any rebukes should be handled carefully and impartially. Timothy is advised to avoid hasty ordination, maintain personal purity, and use wine for health, balancing leadership duties with personal well-being.

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“Honoring Elders” 1 Timothy 5:17-25

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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

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Section 10

17:07

“Honoring Elders” 1 Timothy 5:17-25

“Honoring Elders”

1 Timothy 5:17-25

Jim Dalrymple | Ozark Christian College

Let the elders who rule/manage well

● Manage his household well (3:4, 12)

Labor in preaching and teaching

● in speaking/preaching

● in teaching [cf. 3:2]

Worthy of double honor

Deut 25:4 “You shall not muzzle an ox...”

Luke 10:7 “The laborer deserves his wages”

Practical Observation: Without work, wages are not warranted. We who serve in the church must set an example of hard work and stewardship in an appropriate balance. This needs to be held in tension with those who see “godliness as a means of gain” (6:5). Elders are not to be “lovers of money” (3:3).

Charge – Same word as the false charges against Jesus in Luke 6:7

● Two to three witnesses

− OT background (Deut 17:6; 19:15-21)

− NT background (Mt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1)

● Persist in sin is a present active participle likely indicating continuing action.

● Rebuke – an example that stands in tension 5:1 “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father” (different Greek word). Notice the distinctions here:

Not done as an act of dishonor (5:1) but in effort to correct.
This is done in response to a persistent sin
This is done in community
This is done without prejudgment or partiality
This is done when sin has been exposed (witnesses, conspicuous)

● OT Background of a rebuke giving warning to others:

− DT 13:11 — And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

− DT 19:20 — And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.

● In the presence of God, Christ Jesus, angels

− Courtroom imagery—we must be just as aware of God’s presence in conflict as we are in communion.

− Without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands (cf. 3:6 not a recent convert)

Do not take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure

● One of the most difficult challenges is to remain pure in the midst of conflict in the church. Paul encourages Timothy to face these accusations with a heart unbending to the temptations that would accompany the conflict. Either way, in sin or in innocence, our motivations will be made clear.

● Use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and frequent ailments.

Option #1: Take care of yourself in the midst of conflict.

Option #2: Clarification of “pure” in immediate context.

Some suggest that Timothy had only been drinking water to appeal to the ascetic element in Ephesus. This parenthetical aside comes right after Paul says “Keep yourself pure” in 5:22. This thus suggests that purity does not include this abstinence from wine that is affecting his health.

Your sins and good works will become known (God is all-knowing and just)