1 Timothy 5:1-25

 

(1 Timothy 5:1-25)

Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure. Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

 

『Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. 』 Paul said that when dealing with older people, treat them as if they were dealing with their father and with their mother. Also, when dealing with young people, you should treat them like brothers and sisters. It is connected with the word "Honor your parents," the fifth of the ten commandments recorded on Moses' second tablet. It means to honor God, the spiritual Father, through the physical adult.

 

Paul tells Timothy about the widow. However, he starts by saying that he should be a true widow. "Ontos" translated as "true" here is an adjective originally meaning "true, actually," and means a widow who really needs help. In the Old Testament times, the widow was a disaster. And along with the orphans and strangers, they were poor in the marginalized class of society.

 

However, through the words of Deuteronomy 10:18, God said that he loved and cared for them deeply, and that in the New Testament, Jesus had pity on widows, giving them special attention and rebuking those who abuse them. In response to these widows, Paul verse 16 urges the church to respect and care for the true widow. In other words, seek out those who are spiritually marginalized. Widows and orphans are those who have left God, crying out to God and asking for help. It is to proclaim the true truth to them and teach them the way to return to God.

 

Paul begins to speak of the elders of the Church, this time from verse 17 to the last verse 25. Paul dictates that the church should give respect and appropriate material practices, especially to those who are well-directed in the Church, especially those who are good at preaching and teaching.

Paul solemnly orders the church to exercise discretion when the church members are involved in the matter, and to enforce disciplinary action without prejudice against those who have been found to have committed crimes. In addition, Paul urged the church not to lay hands on discreetly and rashly, and there was only a temporal difference, whether it was evil or good deeds. At the same time, he wants Timothy to be proactive through his life.

Paul knew how the church would develop and change in the future. So, he repeatedly urges the church to be cautious about raising people, as did Thessalonica. The Early Church was a time of chaos. Not only is it necessary for the church to understand the situation of the time, but it is also important to speak properly. However, after that, the church began to deteriorate. The church became politically powerful, a means of war, organized like an institution of the world, and used as a social gathering.

 

Christian history began on the 50th day after Jesus' resurrection. Jesus promised to establish his own church (Matthew 16:18), and the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, and the church (ecclesias: a meeting called) was officially started. The early converts to Christianity were Jews, or converts from Judaism, and the church was centered around Jerusalem. Because of this, Christianity was initially considered a Pharisee, Sadducee, or a sect of Judaism similar to the Essenes. However, what the apostles preached was fundamentally different from other Jewish sects.

 

As the Jewish Messiah, Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) and to establish a new covenant based on the death of the cross (Mark 14:24). However, because this message accused the Jews of killing their own Messiah, it infuriated many Jewish leaders, and some Jews, such as some of Saul, acted to eradicate the way of Christ (Acts 9 :1-2).

 

However, the Early Church began to grow. Not long after the Pentecostal event, the door of the church was opened to non-Jews. The evangelist Philip preached the Gospel to the Samaritans (Acts 8:5), and many of them believed in Christ. When the apostle Peter preached the gospel to the gentile Cornelius family (Acts 10), they also received the Holy Spirit.

 

The apostle Paul (who had previously persecuted the Church) preached the gospel throughout Greece-Roman and even in Roman cities (Acts 28:16) and preached to Spain. In 70 AD, however, Jerusalem was destroyed, and most of the New Testament was completed and circulated among the churches, and over the next 240 years Christians were sometimes persecuted by Rome, sometimes randomly and sometimes according to government decree. As the number of churches increased in the second and third centuries, the leadership of the church became more and more stratified. During this period, several heresies were exposed and disputed, and the New Testament canon was agreed, but persecution continued to deepen.

 

The Roman Church has emerged as the center. In 312 AD, by Roman emperor Constantine, Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire. Bishops gained honor from the government, and around 400 AD the term "Romans and Christians" became practically synonymous. After Constantine, Christians were no longer persecuted. Rather, those who were persecuted were pagans who did not convert to Christianity. Because of this forced conversion, many people entered the church in a truly unchanging state. The pagans came into the church with the idols and practices they were accustomed to, and the church deteriorated.

 

Over the next few centuries various church councils were held, through which they determined the official doctrine of the church, condemned the abuse of the priesthood, and promoted sectarian peace. As the Roman Empire weakened, the church became stronger, and many discrepancies occurred between the churches in the West and the churches in the East.

 

During the Middle Ages in Europe, the Roman Catholic Church remained in power, and the bishops lived like kings, claiming authority over all classes of people. Church leadership corruption and greed were common. From 1095 to 1204, the Pope supported the Crusaders' war, a bloody and costly price to repel Islam's progress and liberate Jerusalem.

 

Reformation took place. For a long time, several people tried to call attention to the theological and political abuse of the Roman church and the abuse of human rights. However, in many ways, all attempts have been tolerated. However, in 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther stood up against the church, and everyone heard his refutation. The Protestant Reformation took place because of Luther, and the Middle Ages ended.

 

Reformers, including Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, were different in many details of theology, but they were consistent in that they emphasized the highest authority of the Bible rather than the traditions of the Church, and that they were saved by grace only through faith, not by action. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Although the Catholics returned to Europe and continued a series of wars between Protestantism and Catholicism, the Reformation helped to successfully break the power of the Roman Catholic Church and open the door to modern times.

 

After the Reformation, there were also sects within Christianity. The Lutheran Church, which originated from Martin Luther, was not found much except in Germany, the Scandinavian Peninsula, and the United States. Reformation of the 16th century originated from Martin Luther, and despite the small proportion of Protestantism in Luther, Protestantism was not unified into the Lutheran Church and was divided into several denominations. In particular, looking at the process of establishing an Orthodox church with a long tradition, it was found that the division of the early Christian world did not weaken the power of the religion of Christianity, but, paradoxically, the result of spreading the Christian community to various cultures.

 

The division of Christianity also contributed to strengthening the identity of the people who embraced a particular denomination. From 1790 to 1900, the church showed an unprecedented interest in missionary work. The colonization of the new continent has opened the door to the need for missions, and industrialization has provided people with the financial power to support missionary funds. Missionaries traveled all over the world to preach the gospel, and churches were established around the world. America was at the center of mission.

 

Another characteristic of 20th century Christianity is the Americanization. In the meantime, Christian history has been dominated by Europe. The history of England, France, and Germany was Christian history. However, in the 20th century, especially during World War I and World War II, the United States rapidly emerged as a powerful political force, and the world was reorganized around the United States. Later this became even worse. With the expansion of American political power and economic growth, the American Church spread all over the world. American missionaries traveled around the world from the 20th century onwards through the Student Resource Movement.