Title: Respect and almsgiving (1 Timothy 05:1-8)
Contents 1. Christianity has made a significant contribution to breaking down the barriers of status discrimination that society holds wherever it goes. This is particularly the case in Korea. He made a great contribution to reforming the world where people were discriminated against by dividing them into class and class.
2. However, the side effects are not formidable. In the West, regardless of age, if you try to apply the titles of brothers and sisters as they are in Korean society, this will cause serious side effects. If a young man who is not yet 20 years old calls an uncle in his forties and forties “Brother!”, even if he is a brother in Christ, it is inappropriate behavior.
3. So, Paul gave guidelines on how to behave toward certain members of the church.
I. Respect the elderly (1-2).
A. Treat the old man like a father.
1. The Greek word for “old man” can mean a leader or supervisor, depending on the preceding and following sentences, or it can simply mean an older person. The case of the text is used to contrast with the youth.
2.Paul urged the young to “treat the elderly as you would your father.” He said that he should not try to solve it by force.
3. He also asked older people to “treat the young people as if they were your children.” It is okay to treat them casually, but it is recommended to be gentle.
B. Treat the old woman like a mother.
1. The old woman asked to be treated like her mother. What is emphasized here is a call for proper respect and courtesy.
2. Also, the young woman was told to rebuke “just as a sister would with cleanliness” For the elderly, it means to cover up any flaws in moderation, and for the young, it means to show interest more directly.
3. However, in the case of a young woman, he advised that he should be more careful. Because temptation follows.
C. Parents and brothers in Christ.
1. Leaders must beware of the trap of authoritarianism. This is especially true when a young person is in a leadership position. In the past, there were elders under thirty. No matter how outstanding his faith is, he must take into account some age of the world.
2. There are many revivalists in Korea, but there were cases where revivalists, who were once respected, suffered from various rumors due to sexual problems. Therefore, if you think of the opposite sex as your brother, it will be a great strength to resist temptation.
II. Take care of widows (3-8).
A. Take care of someone who is completely alone.
1. More specifically than anywhere else in the Bible, the problem of women in the church is addressed. Paul exhorted Timothy to cherish, honor, cherish, and respect them.
2. Paul classified widows into four categories: 1) true widows (3, 5, 16); I have no relatives and no one to take care of me.
2) A widow with relatives (4, 8, 16).
3) carnal widows (6); These are the people who enjoy "pleasure".
4) A widow on the list (9-10).
3. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God wanted widows to be protected through His people (Deuteronomy 10:18, 14:29, 24:17-21, Acts 6:1-6).
4. The reason Paul told us to take care of widows more specifically than in any other part of the Bible is probably because of the difficult circumstances at the time. It is speculated that the persecution of the Jews and the Romans may have made the widows more difficult.
B. There are people who do not have to support.
1. “Respect widows who are true widows” (3). What does a true widow mean? This original language is the same word used in 1 Peter 2:17 when Peter commanded, “Honor the king.” It means to be respectful. Not only that, but it means to do it continuously, not temporarily once or twice.
2. The basic attitude the church should have toward widows is “respect”. But it should not be unconditional and take care of everyone. Even though she lost her husband and was alone, if she had property or had relatives to take care of, the church should not take care of them. These are mentioned in Section 4. “If any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show filial piety in their own homes and pay back their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God.” A living relative has to take care of him. They must not leave this burden on the church.
3. God made the widows' families take care of their welfare. “Whoever does not take care of his relatives, especially his own family, has betrayed the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”
4. But if there are no living relatives, the widow has no choice but to rely on God alone. However, you should not rely on the church unconditionally because you have no relatives. If she enjoys “enjoyment” (6), that is, if she is self-centered, lavish, and sensual, the Church has no responsibility to help her.
C. The church has no obligation to care for all in need.
1. Sometimes you want to think of the church only as a charitable organization. But it is not. The first duty of the church is to “preach the gospel”. And salvation follows.
2. If the church wants to help anyone, it must follow the guidelines given by Paul. And you have to discern his situation well.