1. I Timothy 3:16. What does “justified” in the Spirit mean? Did Jesus need to be justified?

The word can have several meanings. This verse is not about being made right with God. It has to do with vindication. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. He said He would rise from the dead. The Holy Spirit raised Him and proclaimed thereby that all Jesus’ claims were true.

2. I Timothy 4:1. What time period is Paul talking about?

A 19^th century commentator assures his readers, that though all these evils have abounded since the first century, the 19^th century has seen the worst.

Oh that he might see today. Evil has multiplied so quickly. One wonders just how evil a world can be.

3. I Timothy 4:4. So we can eat everything?

The key is “created by God.” As you walk around the food store, you will notice a huge section given to fruits and vegetables, etc. All of these are created by God. Throw in the drink section, the milks and juices, and you have a pretty sizeable selection of foods. Then there are the meats. No problem, says Paul. God’s creation is good. Enjoy.

But wait. There’s a lot of store left. A lot of things not made by God, but by man. For these, a careful reading of labels is necessary. Much of it will contribute to bad health. Some will not.

There are doctors watching over some, and their orders must be followed. Restrictions apply. But generally speaking, and within the bounds of moderation, this is a freeing passage and needs to counteract the scariness of listening to food gurus. To hear some tell it, there is simply nothing good out there. Men live in fear. On the other extreme are those who eat anything that will fit into their mouth, if it tastes good. Beware, folks. This promise is not for you.

4. Timothy 4:7. What is an “old wives” fable?

The Rabbis of the day were very busy spinning Scripture and finding things that the ordinary man could not find. The scholar would speak his drivel to the synagogue, and it would be passed on from there around town by certain women who had nothing better to do. It is a practice we must be aware of and avoid in our day.

If a new interpretation of Scripture sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true, and it definitely isn’t good. For sure, don’t pass it on.

5. I Timothy 5:8. What is the difference between “his own” and “his household”?

“His own” refers to anyone in his family. I see here no drawing of lines between saved and unsaved, for every bit of help to the unsaved is a potential conversion.

“His household” obviously is the people who live under his roof. Let all ministers of the Gospel beware: No outside ministry will be meaningful if any of the insiders, that is, the family, are ignored.

6. I Timothy 5:9. Should these same age requirements be in the church today?

Much disagreement about the meaning of this text. But it is not the first time we come across the fact that there was a concern for the elderly women who had lost their husbands. The choosing of the deacons was originally motivated by this need (Acts 6).

Some want to make these chosen women into deaconesses, some even into female elders, as they had responsibilities in the church for the younger women and others in need. Why they need a title is beyond me.

All we know for sure is that the church is to take care of its own whenever necessary. Often family members can do the job. Other times there are programs in place that take care of the elderly. But the church needs to be on the lookout for widows in need. I am not sure if I have ever seen such a program in place in the church.

As for the age requirement, the idea is that by age 60 most women are not considering remarriage, and would thus be without male support. 60 sounds like a good number even to this day.

7. I Timothy 5:11-13. It is “against Christ” for young widows to marry? How have they “cast off their first faith?

If indeed the support of widows involved also a service from those same widows, Paul says, don’t extend this invitation to younger women. They are not ready to give themselves wholly to Kingdom work. They desire a family, a husband who cares. If you put them in charge of a ministry and meet their financial needs, there could come a time when they will turn away from it all and even from Christ.

No, better that these young women go ahead and get married, and participate in the ministry of Christ by bringing up a godly family.

8. I Timothy 5:22. Is this about ministry?

Most agree that it is. To ordain someone to Christian ministry without serious vetting is a practice that will come back to haunt those responsible. Everything the ordinand does from that day on will be a reflection on those who set him apart. Paul says, Be wise. Check this man out thoroughly.

9. I Timothy 5:23. Is wine OK for believers?

This is medicinal wine, to be sure. Wine used to cure some medical problems Timothy had. I find it interesting that Paul does not encourage Timothy to keep praying for healing, but rather to go the natural route whenever possible. God has put foods and drinks on the earth for the healings that people need. Not to rule out a miracle, though!

The fact that Jesus not only came to a wedding feast where wine was freely flowing, but also changed water into more wine, is enough for me to know that a certain amount of it is not condemned by the Lord. Drunkenness and alcoholism are condemned, though, and they are a blight on any society.

The wine of those days, we read, was not as strong. And it was a better choice in some areas than the water, due to toxins in the latter.

The other thing we must pass on is that there is a great variety of very tasty and healthy drinks in our day. We can argue about how much and how often we drink wine, but the wiser and more loving approach is to ignore it altogether, and drink something that will bring no question marks to new or weak believers.

10. I Timothy 5:24. How can sins “follow later”?

It is possible that Paul is continuing here the subject of ordination, having just made a quick parenthetical statement about the use of wine. If so, the meaning of these last couple of verses in chapter five is clear. When you are checking people out, your decision probably won’t be based on what is evident. You will have to remember, Timothy, that some men hide their sins and they are not discovered until it is too late.

How many false pastors could have been kept from the pulpit had this gem of wisdom been followed!

11. I Timothy 6:10. Should this read “a”root? Should it read “all evils”, all “sorts of evil”?

John speaks of the lust of the flesh (bodily-based sin), the lust of the eyes (riches etc), and the pride of life, as being the three essential roots of evil, though he does not use the word “root.” Rather than place Paul against John, it is wiser I think to honor those many translations that have changed “the” to “a” here. A root of all kinds of evil is the love of money seems to be the sense of what Paul is saying.