Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.
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1 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 6
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1&2 All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. 2 Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.
1Tim 6,1-5
(95i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Attitude of a servant
1Tim 6-1,2
(13i) Servant
>>
Support the body >> Servant in the work force – Paul was leading
the Church to establish a
view of Christianity in a positive light in the world, instead of giving
people reason to hold Christians in contempt. Paul taught the people of God
to work harder than ever, that we might be a good example, not only to our
employers, but also to everyone around us, and if our employer happened to
be a Christian too, not to take advantage of him, but to serve him all the
more because he is a bother. Paul said he didn’t want the name of God or
their doctrine to be slandered. Their doctrine at that time was considered a
sect, in that there were many sects of Christianity back then, similar to
our concept of denominations. Paul’s specific brand of Christianity was the truth,
which he wanted to keep unstained in order that Christians may become
evangelists simply by being known as Christians, to attract people to the
faith without even speaking a word. Just in the fact that they were
Christians people knew there was something special about them. Those who
asked to give an account of their faith would be prepared in their minds to
receive the truth; they would perceive that the truth was beneficial to
anyone who believed in it and walked by its precepts. How does that compare
with Christianity today?
(73g) Authority
>>
Respect Positions Of Authority >> Respect your
boss at work
(131f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Brother depends on you >> To do
the will of God
1Tim 6-1
(9a)
Responsibility >> Prevent being blamed for
something you did not do >> Prevent accusations
(142h) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
Reputation exposed to slander >> Protect your
reputation –
Scripture commands us to respect authority in the world, such as our boss at
work, to treat him with honor because of his authority and not to undermine
him or to rebel. We do this to protect the name of God and our doctrines. If
we quarrel with our boss or disrespect him, how is the Church supposed to
teach that we are to love one another and treat each other with dignity and
consider others as more important than ourselves? We are to treat people
outside the Church the same way we treat our fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ, so if they wandered into our church, they would see us behaving the
same way we do at the workplace. We need to follow a homogenous standard of
conduct. There is nothing worse than behaving one way in a situation and
behaving another way in another situation, as though we were chameleons and
able to change our color to suit the environment. That is hypocrisy. Paul
wants us to be a single lump of dough so that one piece is the same as the
next. Every aspect of our lives should be a representative sample of our
faith, nothing that contradicts what we believe. The more we contradict
ourselves, the less effective we are as Christians in the world and the less
we have to offer one another in the Church.
1Tim 6-2
(230f) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking >> Partaking of the ministry of the
saints
(239k) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Let not many of you become teachers >> Dividing
accurately the word of truth -- This verse goes with verses 17&18
3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
1Tim 6,3-10
(177e) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Doctrine that tickles your ears
(223f) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Miss God >>
Missing the point >> Miss the meaning of the
truth
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1Tim 6,3-5
(16i) Sin
>>
Continuing in sin to avoid the light >> Deny the
truth
(19g) Sin
>>
Having the mental disease of the world >> Man’s
twisted understanding – Paul is writing about godliness, which is in
reference to our works. Those who say Paul taught that works were of no
consequence to our eternal salvation are sorely confused. Paul wrote about
godliness probably more than any other writer of the New Testament. In this
particular case Paul was saying that anyone who would distort his words and
make him say we don’t need to obey the Ten Commandments is conceited and
understands nothing, but would rather argue with you about controversial
questions and disputes about words to avoid the truth about themselves. Those
who believe that maintaining the law of God is no longer relevant has a
depraved mind and are deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a
means of gain. In other words, those who would advocate such things think that
godliness is a means to an end other that godliness, which ultimately and
invariably ends in deception and fraud. Paul was a teacher of righteousness by
means of serving God through his conscience, and in these verses he was
teaching that faith and service through our conscience was for the purpose of
securing godliness as a goal, not as a means to some other end.
(24j) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> World is envious of
Jesus
(41k) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
The word leads you to godliness –
When we meet a bona fide Christian who loves the Lord, spiritual fellowship
naturally flows through the people in the sharing of knowledge that represents
their relationship with God, encouraging one another, but the people to whom Paul
is referring are just the opposite; they are discouraging. After a
conversation with them we feel completely deflated. They also have tendencies
to believe the doctrines of a cult, suggesting that the truth is not something
that attracts them. Godliness is the very epitome of living the truth, though
it does not speak about the law, yet it inadvertently satisfies its
requirements, since all aspects of the law are godly. It is interesting that
godliness is not a fruit of the Spirit either, yet all the fruit combined
establishes godliness, which is the epitome of living the Christian life.
Therefore, godliness is what pretenders are trying to avoid, replacing it with
constant friction, having a depraved of mind that is incapable of the truth.
(75f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Motives >> Being manipulative >>
Questioning God’s authority
(76a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Hidden motives >> Motives based on selfish ambition –
There are those in church who use their lives to fool people into believing
they are Christians. When it comes to Christianity, they are actors; they
behave one way in front of Christians and a totally different way in front of
their friends and family. They have a lifestyle that they prefer that is
contrary to Christianity, yet they enjoy the environment of the Church,
because in their eyes it is rich in opportunity to exploit people who have
lowered their guard. Their contemplation of godliness reduces to a means of
gaining an advantage over the unsuspecting. The only thing they are willing to
invest in Christianity is their theatrical skills, but far as godliness goes,
they are no more interested in it than they are in their own death, yet they
walk in death and don’t know it.
(78g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Sincerity >> Embracing your first love >>
Simplicity of faith
(90i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Keeping the law >> Righteousness of the law >>
All righteousness is covered by the law – If we believe in God with a clear conscience,
we will know how God wants us to live. In order to maintain a clear
conscience, we will need to live according to His will, which the Ten
Commandments define as godly. After all, what good thing can we do that is not
covered by the statements: ‘Love the Lord thy God,’ and ‘love your
neighbor as yourself’? The last statement, ‘love your neighbor as
yourself,’ is not even in the Ten Commandments, but is taken from an obscure
verse (Lev 19-18) after the law was given. Jesus pulled this statement from
its anonymity and polished it off and set in on every person’s mantle as a
trophy that summarizes the entire law and the prophets. All we need to do is
add our love for God to it and we will accomplish everything God would ever
want us to do. If we love our neighbor as our self, we wouldn’t commit
adultery with our neighbor’s wife or covet his things or lie to him, etc.
However, there are people in the Church with ulterior motives for appearing
righteous before men. Whoever is faking Christianity and pretending to be
nice, thinks that godliness is a means of gain. Paul said, “godliness is a
means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment,” which is something
the ungodly have no interest, because their quarry is the treasures of the
world. They are after the things that promise happiness while following their
sinful nature. This is all that remains for people who think that works are
not necessary for salvation.
(158c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Contentions -- These verses go
with verses 20&21. The problem with controversy by virtue of being in a so-called discussion is that both parties are by definition
contentious and therefore wrong. To win a dispute is only as meaningful as the motive for arguing.
Paul was protecting the Church from those who
have a problem with the doctrine conforming to godliness. If a person is
contentious, it is an indication that his main goal in life is not pursuing
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness and all the other fruits of
the spirit, which is the core of Christianity, but would rather argue about
them. People who live and walk by a contentious attitude generally are
Christians in name only. Show me a contentious person, and I will show you a
person who is not attempting to establish godliness or any other of the
rudimentary fundamentals of Christianity in his heart. Show me a contentious
person and I will show you a person who is envious, full of strife, and
abusive in his speech. Show me someone who does not conform to the godliness
of Christ, and I will show you someone who is full of evil suspicions toward
other people, while he readily forgives himself for his inconsistencies. Show
me a person who uses a Bible dictionary without considering the context of a
statement, and I will show you someone who is deprived of the truth, who
“has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about
words.” Show me a contentious spirit and I will show you a person who is in
a perpetual state of friction, who has a depraved mind, “who supposes that
godliness is a means of gain.”
(172ab) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the
wheat >> Devils among the saints >>
False brethren among the people of God >> Legalists among the liberated
(175j) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >>
Ignorant of what God means >> Ignorant of the
meaning of God’s word – Instead of pursuing godliness which has
intrinsic value, they use it as a mask to give themselves the appearance of
godliness for the purpose of infiltrating groups and exploiting the saints.
These people are of depraved mind; they could quote you Scriptures, but are
deprived of the truth. There is a huge difference between knowing what the
Bible says and knowing the truth. Eph 4-21 says, “The truth is in Jesus.”
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit in His place, so those who would fake godliness do
not have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. They cannot hear His voice, hence
they do not know the truth. Rom 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God, and 2 Tim 2:19 says, “The Lord
knows those who are His.” We too should have an idea who are the true
brethren, and who are merely faking Christianity.
(176i) False
Doctrine (Key verse)
(212e) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> He is the creator >>
Evolution (Defaming God) >> The scientific mind
cannot know God
(223c) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Conceit >>
Imposing your opinion of self on others >>
Cliques make people seek your acceptance –
Paul said the pretender is conceited; that is, he feels superior to others.
Being a phony, he can play any part he wants, why not then pretend to be
better than everyone else? When he begins to defend his beliefs, students of
the word will notice that he does not correlate with the Scriptures and will
contradict himself at every turn and demonstrate that he understands nothing
about the Bible. He will be exposed as devoid of the truth. In his defense, he
will bring up meaningless points that revolve around morbid interests in
controversial questions and disputes about words. That is, he will become
semantic, which start arguments, which is exactly what he wants. If he can
start an argument, he will use it as a distraction from the issues at hand,
and of course the argument will be cloaked in “debate.” People who
love to debate have a contentious spirit, and this contentious spirit is one
of the signs of a pretender and a spiritual liar. His method is to deflect the
conversation into argumentation about words and definitions that can go on
forever, and nobody is benefited. This is the opposite of spiritual
fellowship.
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4-8 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
1Tim 6-4,5
(21m) Sin
>>
Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >>
The love of money -- These verses go with verses 9&10
1Tim 6-4
(22k) Sin
>>
Pride glorifies self >> Being wise in your own
eyes
1Tim 6,5-12
(249b) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> Do not trust the
carnal perception of wealth >> Do not pursue
wealth – The flipside of contentment is the love of
money, the root of all evil. The hippies of the 60’s were content with less,
but they weren’t godly. They sought contentment as a means of pursuing their
selfish, hedonistic lifestyles, but neither contentment nor godliness promises
the desires of our flesh, so the hippy movement faded, proving they were
incomplete. Today’s world of yuppies is in hot pursuit of the almighty
dollar, going the opposite direction of contentment. The more money they have
the more they use it to prove their godliness, but money cannot prove God in a
person’s life, so this system too is destined to collapse.
1Tim 6-5,6
(231b) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery
of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The mystery is solved in contentment
– Godliness with contentment is the goal of
faith, for without contentment people invariably use godliness as a tool to
achieve their own goals. With contentment godliness becomes real in that we
cannot fake contentment. To be content with less is a gift from God, since
people have an inherent desire for more. When we become content with less, it
is an indication that the Kingdom of God is growing in us. Godliness and
contentment are intrinsically tied together and have a relationship similar to
faith and love; in fact, they are all mentioned in this chapter.
Just like love is the primary manifestation faith, so contentment is the
primary manifestation of godliness. Without contentment godliness is
incomplete, hence we have no proof that our godliness is real. There are very
few religious liars who are not infatuated with money, but contentment proves
the motives of godly people. Godliness has only one objective, which is to do
the will of God, and contentment is the means by which we serve Him.
1Tim 6-5
(81i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pray without ceasing >> Sinning from a
lack of prayer
(163c) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Being a slave to greed -- This verse goes with verse 9
(182k) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Deceitfulness of riches -- This verse goes with verses 9&10
(197a) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual
laziness >> Rebelling Against what God wants you
to do >> Refusing to renew your mind –
The kind of person to whom Paul is referring puts on a good show until we
confront him with his showiness of Christianity. Godliness is a point of
contention with him, because it exposes his true identity and addresses the
fact that he has no conscience. People can pretend to be Christians for years
and are good at fooling everybody in churches where the word of God is not
preached and where the people are not committed to the Scriptures. Churches
where people are students of the Bible and disciples of prayer are not where
pretenders like to hide, where lively discussions about the Bible are common.
When the saints fill their hearts and minds with the word of God, it will
overflow from their mouths; godliness will ultimately surface in the
discussion, and the pretenders will be discovered.
1Tim 6,6-10
(94o) Thy kingdom come
>>
Perspective is your personal reality >> How your
location influences you
1Tim 6,6-9
(120j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >>
Content with your standard of living >> Content
with the means God gives you -- These verses go with verses
17-19. The attitude of godliness is contentment. When we
put the two together, godliness and contentment, we immediately find God in
our life. The Holy Spirit will abundantly fill us with the anointing that will
direct us to the truth, which is the treasure of godliness and contentment.
Walking in the Spirit and living out our faith toward one another, creates an
atmosphere and environment that is conducive to righteousness that will not
self-destruct, promising to continue as long as we live by its principles, but
the promise of materialism is pain and suffering. Along its journey we will
bear witness to the spirit of evil in the world that is controlled and run by
the love of money. We have two choices to either pursue the things of the
world that money can buy at the sacrifice of contentment, or to pursue
contentment through godliness and achieve our heart’s desire for free.
1Tim 6,6-8
(189d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >>
Costly sacrifice -- These verses go with verses 17&18
1Tim 6-6
(108a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Balance between truth and error >>
Wisdom brings balance between truth and error
(206b) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to living in the spirit >>
Conditions to participating in the spirit
-- That
word "godliness" means more that a general description of a way of
life. Godliness describes our composition, what God is making in us. If our
good deeds fully describe us, then we are just god people, and Jesus
forewarned us that there are no good people. We are better than that; we are
God's people! Therefore, the gain of godliness is more than what we do, it is
what we are. Godliness and contentment work together in us to create the
substance of faith. That is why God is offended when we are not content with
Him. We must be content with what God is putting un us and making from us, or we
will never receive from Him; and without His contribution how can we be
godly.
9&10 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many
pangs.
1Tim 6,9-11
(162j) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Bad company >> Do not associate with people who
practice sin
(164g) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >>
Satan’s system of authority >> His elementary
principles of the world
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1Tim 6-9,10
(19h) Sin
>>
Having the mental disease of the world >>
Worldly influence on the mind –
The New Testament does not correlate the love of money with faith in God. The Church
has been trying to marry money to the gospel of Christ for
centuries, but it’s like oil and water; they just don’t mix. An
emulsifier is a reagent that is introduced between two dissimilar chemicals
that allow them to mesh their properties to become a homogenous solution. Milk is a prime example of this; the dairy industry adds an
emulsifier to keep the cream from separating and rising to the top. In the
case of our discussion, the emulsifier that comes between the love of money
and the love of God that makes them compatible is the lies and deceptions
that people have imagined in their many false doctrines that allow them to
believe wealth and Christianity are compatible, but there are intrinsic
problems with this. There is the problem with money itself, which has a way
of steering people away from God. To be financially wealthy gives the false
impression that everything is okay between God and the rich man,
since they attribute God as the one who blessed them, and so they assume
their eternal salvation is also guaranteed, but this is a deception. There
is something else about money that is intrinsically deceptive:
the time and effort they devote in their pursuit of money that takes away from their
pursuit of God. Imagine the relationship they could have with God if
they spent as much time and effort seeking Him as they do pursuing the
almighty dollar!
(21m) Sin
>> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >>
The love of money -- These verses go with verse 17
(78o) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind >> Putting your heart on
display >> Consequence of not renewing your
mind
(96m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having
an attitude of greed –
People
go into debt spending money they don’t have, and whether they pay off
their credit cards and mortgages is scarcely in the interest of either the
borrower or the lender, which makes the world all the more bizarre. Another
word for materialism is hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure. No idol has ever
satisfied anybody; people buy expensive toys because they think they will
make them happy, but no idol has ever satisfied anyone's wanderlust.
(160k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s
attitude determines our direction >>
Temptation to walk in unbelief >> Tempted to
pursue your addictions
(161b) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s
attitude determines our direction >> Wander >>
Wandering from the character of God >>
Wandering from the faith -- These verses go with verses 20&21. When
Paul said that “The love of money is a root of all sorts of
evil,” naming greed as one of the great evils, it must make
room for man’s arrogant pride. That was the cause of man’s first sin
after being tempted to be like his Maker. God spent time with Adam before
this and regularly talked with him during the cool of the day. Adam had a
relationship with God, and he must have loved the Lord, but when he was
tempted to be like God, (though he was already made in his image) the devil appealed to his pride. Adam was
probably the most intelligent man who ever lived, but his intellect didn’t
keep him from falling into sin, hence the contrast between intelligence and
wisdom. Adam’s intellect was high enough that he could have managed a
kingdom that far exceeded anything man has ever done, but he traded it all
for the possibility of being more like God than ever. Here’s the part that
is complicated: Satan told Adam the truth! That is, man is more like God now
that he ate the fruit and has come to the knowledge of sin. Satan told Adam the truth, but he had evil
motives for speaking to Adam in the first place, so even the truth is false when the devil says
it. For this reason it is impossible for Satan to tell the truth, and for
this same reason it is impossible for God to lie, because His motives are
always good. Little did Satan know that he just fell into God’s trap. God
knew that man would fall; he expected it and even wanted him to fall,
because now God has created man in a way that is more like Him than ever. In
other words, God is not done created man in His image, and if He isn’t
done by now, then He never will finish creating man in His image. In a
million-billion years from now, we will be more like God than ever. At the end of eternity we will finally be like God, yet having
all this time also to realize that we are not God. God wanted a man
that was humble enough to be trusted with something great as the
likeness of God.
(182k) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Deceitfulness of riches -- These verses go with verse 5
(190d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Separation from the old man >>
Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Self-afflictions that are against the will of God
(195a) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >>
You can only love one at a time
(199h) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> The world rejects God >>
Rejecting Christ to keep the world
(202b) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Running from God >> Running to your sinful
nature >> Run from God by running to the world
(251c) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Making plans >>
Making evil plans –
Some try to manipulate Scripture and say that money is not the root of all
evil but the love of money. Although that is what it says, “The
love of money is the root of all evil” and not money itself, yet really
what’s the difference? The person who doesn’t pursue money though it
falls in his lap wouldn’t value it, compared to the person who sought it
with all his heart. Some people don’t have much use for it besides paying
his bills and buying his daily needs; then there are others who can’t seem
to get enough of it. They hunt for it, working 70-80 hours a week, or
investing years in college to secure a job that pays good money, or else
finding a place on Wall Street. Regardless how he chases down the almighty
dollar, it is impossible to say that he doesn’t love it. If we pursue
money, then we love it, and if we love it, then this passage applies to us.
Paul is speaking first and foremost to Christians, in that non-Christians
can suffer this fate and no one really notices, since this is the way of the
world for just about everybody who doesn’t love God, but Christians are
called to a higher purpose than the love of money, making our sin all the
more evil in greater temptation and a far more sinister snare, in much
foolishness and great harm to our person, plunging us into ruin and
destruction. Any so-called Christian who fits this description, his faith
should come into question. How is he even saved as a lover of money? What
did Jesus say about it? “No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Mat 6-24). It is a cold, hard
fact that we cannot mix the love of God with the love of money; for if we
love money, then we don’t love God; and if we hold to money, then we
despise God. If becoming wealthy is our number one goal in life, then how is
our faith our number one goal in life? The two of these are in opposition to
each other. To gain the world’s treasures we must be committed to pursuing
it, which invariably takes from our commitment to God. It is what Paul said
in Gal 5-17, “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you
may not do the things that you please.”
1Tim 6-9
(163c) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Being a slave to greed -- This verse goes with verse 5
(186d) Works of the devil
>>
The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >>
Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool >> The fool throws Jesus away for something
better >> The world betrayed the Lord
1Tim 6-10
(204c) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Back-slider >> Practicing sin >>
Withdrawing from a righteous standard of living
(207d) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal
security? >> You can get lost again --
This verse goes with verses 20&21. People
in today’s church have devised a doctrine they call eternal security, once
saved always saved they chant; and of course they find a couple verses that
seem to correspond with their belief and ignore the dozens of passages that
conflict with this idea. In combination with their love of money and their
doctrine of eternal security, they surmise that they will always be destined
for heaven, so they can defraud as many people of their money as they want and
it won’t pose any negative consequences on their eternal destiny, because
they can’t lose their salvation. They want it all; they want the highlife
here and now and they also want to go to heaven and walk on streets of gold.
However, since they can do only one thing at a time, either spend all their
time and effort chasing money or else using their resources to develop a
relationship with God, since they can’t do both, then neither can they have
both. These people who want it all, the real reason they have chosen this life
over the life to come is they don’t really believe in God. They said the
sinner’s prayer and really meant it, but there is always the possibility
that the Bible is not true, whereas they can see that the world is real (that
too is a deception). So according to the proverb, ‘A bird in hand is worth
two in the bush,’ they commit themselves to this life and forget about
eternal salvation, figuring they will go to heaven anyway because of their
contrived eternal security clause. They say they want both this life and the
life to come; yet God recognizes them as having made a choice. God would tell
them, ‘If you want this life, then you shall have your reward in full,’
but those who choose the life to come in eternity will never have their reward
in full, because their reward will never end.
KJV
NAS
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11&12 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1Tim 6-11,12
(46e)
Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >>
Subjecting your flesh >> Being fearless in
battle – Why do we need to fight if we have a
willingness built into us? Jesus said in Mk 14-38, “The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.” He didn’t say the flesh was unwilling; He said it
was weak to do the will of God. The flesh benefits from doing the will of God,
but it is weak to do it, and those who try to serve God in the flesh are weak.
So, we must fight to submit our flesh and allow the willingness of the Spirit
to dominate our lives and lead us into the will of God. If we let our flesh
lead us, it will always lead us away from the will of God. Our fight is to
take hold of the eternal life to which we were called, and we already possess
it, but he says to take hold of that which we possess. It is not enough to
merely possess eternal life like a knife in our front pocket; he wants us to
take hold of it like the sword of the Spirit and wield it in the face of our
enemy. This is called working the grace of God; take hold of it and work His
grace into our lives. We can’t just sit back and let God work His grace in
our lives; He wants us involved in our salvation.
(106l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >>
To protect your faith -- These verses go with verses 20&21
1Tim 6-11
(99k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >>
Persevere in doing good –
Collectively, Paul wrote to all the churches that there were disciples of
Jesus and believers. God would have us all disciples of Jesus, but not every
Christian wants to be a disciple. They don’t want to get too committed in
their faith or fit the description of a fanatic; they just want to get saved
and continue with their lives. However disciples of Jesus want to lead a good
wholesome life, raise a family, train their children to obey Christ, honor His
laws, go to church and attend Bible study. Such a lifestyle befits salvation.
Some Christians try to be good, while others try to please the Lord, and there
is a difference. Timothy was a disciple of Jesus; Paul was obviously an
apostle, who charged Timothy to take responsibility for the believers under
his watch to teach them the ways of God and to pursue godliness. God is always
trying to get the believers involved in their faith to become His disciples.
We should all be students of His word and disciples of prayer and be committed
to love and good works.
(125ba) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Faith and love in equal measure –
There
are two things Paul reiterated throughout First and Second Timothy and in
Titus: godliness and faith & love. These are extremely important to us as
the people of God. Faith is the workhorse that produces the fruits of the
Spirit, and the goal of that fruit is godliness. So, we have faith > fruit
> godliness in that order. Faith and love are similar to godliness and contentment; they are
sisters of one another.
(127o) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Overcome evil with good
(128e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >>
Be gentle in all your ways >> Put gentleness in
your character
(192k) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Repent >>
Stop practicing sin >> Run from sin
(193k) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Run to God >>
Run to God to avoid running from Him –
Paul said these things to Timothy and Titus, but he implied them for us all.
We must be actively involved in our faith or our faith will disappear, for
there are forces in our lives that are pushing us in the opposite direction of
God, and for this reason we need to push back; otherwise, we will follow these
forces and God will become a distant memory to us. Our faith will become
something that we once had, and Satan will make sure that we remember it with
distain, so we don’t go back to it. These forces can be convincing, even
though it is more like someone trying to convince us that two plus two equals
something other than four. These forces have the power to drive us from our
convictions and from the things we know are true. One person can say these are
demonic forces and another can say they are forces that reside within our
flesh, and both would be right.
(250k) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Lists >>
Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of
spiritual traits in descending order
1Tim 6-12,13
(150e) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Confessing Jesus >>
Making the good confession
(Son of God)
1Tim 6-12
(91g) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> Walking along the narrow way >>
Responding to the call of God
(232i) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> Take hold of
the hope of His purpose -- This verse goes with verses 18&19
(244e) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> Eternal life of the
trinity >> Father is the source of eternal life
KJV
NAS
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13-16 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which He will bring about at the proper time -He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
1Tim 6-13,14
(7b)
Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >>
Defend the word of God by obeying it – Paul charged Timothy to maintain the
doctrines that he received from the apostles. Note that he didn’t charge
Timothy to maintain the Scriptures, but their doctrines. That is, he charged
Timothy with maintaining the emphasis and interpretation of Scripture. Since
the last 2000 years, however, those doctrines have been muddied, though the
Scriptures themselves read largely the same. The Church doctrines have become
compromised through our behavior. Our conduct often does not reflect what we
believe, so people have slowly changed what they believe to correspond with
their behavior. What we believe has now mutated the gospel; it has lost its
vitality by the delusions over the centuries that people have added and
subtracted from it. It is naturally difficult to live up to our own standards,
but we shouldn’t make excuses for ourselves, and we especially should not
write those excuses into our doctrines, consequently diluting them to the
level of our willingness to serve Christ with our flesh. Paul didn’t care
that it was hard; he wanted Timothy to live up to the standards that Paul had
taught him, so that the purity of the gospel would not be compromised. Paul
was thinking about the future; he was thinking about us, about the potential
thousands of years that would transpire before Christ would return. He was
afraid that people would not live up to the truth and would malign the gospel
by inventing new doctrines that corresponded with their behavior, instead of
subjecting their flesh to model after the truth. He would not allow that to
happen while he was alive.
(43g) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Perfect (mature) >>
Flawless
1Tim 6-13
(148c) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Jesus solemnly testified
1Tim 6-14,15
(215c) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
Fulfillment of God’s time >> The moment we
have all been waiting for
– Jesus will come at the proper time. The
proper time has come and gone for many people who have waited for his return
throughout the centuries, including the apostle Paul. What people think and
what God thinks is proper are often two different things. However, since Paul
knew there was a 2000 year period between Adam and Abraham and a 2000 year
period between Abraham and Christ, he probably suspected he would not see His
second coming. God’s timing is tantamount to His sovereignty; it is like a
giant boulder towering over us, and in our way. We look at it, knowing it
weighs hundreds of tons, and knowing we can’t move it. If He is not willing
to move the boulder, then it will stay right there, and if he chooses not to return
in our lifetime, then He won’t no matter how hard we pray. The sovereignty
of God is immovable. We can ask God for things and maybe He will grant us some
of them; some prayers he answers while others He doesn’t; that is the
sovereignty of God. We can get mad at Him and complain about the way He thinks
and feels about Himself and the world, but nothing will change. We just
have to accept God as He is, because He is “the King of kings and the Lord
of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable
light.” This too is sovereign.
(237a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The rapture >> Appearance of Christ
1Tim 6-14
(2f)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments in your walk with God
(104k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >>
Shall see His appearing –
Paul and Timothy and the Church in the first century had reason to expect
Jesus to return in their lifetime, in that He never said He wouldn't. They
were to keep themselves pure and holy before God, for we don't want to shrink
away from Him at His appearing. One day we will see His face, and if He
doesn’t come in our lifetime, we have done no wrong in keeping His
commandment, singular not plural, “This is My commandment, that you love one
another, just as I have loved you” (Jn 15-12). We are to consider others
more important than ourselves until the day of Christ.
KJV
NAS
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1Tim 6-15,16
(39l) Judgment
>>
The essence of life defeated the essence of death
(66a) Authority
>>
Lordship of Christ >> He is Lord over all
creation >> over life and death
(66i) Authority
>> Jesus’ authority
>>
Jesus is the power of God >> Demonstration of
His Spirit
(67a) Authority
>> Lordship of Christ
>>
Jesus’ authority >> The glory of His authority
(224l) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of
heaven >> The holy of holies >>
The throne room of heaven
(243j) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> The indestructible
kingdom >> The head of the body is
indestructible >> Jesus is indestructible
(252a) Trinity
>>
You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship
Jesus (Because He is equal with God) >> Jesus is
worthy of our worship >> Worship Jesus for His
inherent worthiness
(253b) Trinity
>>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is
equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the
external qualities of the Father >> Son is
infinite and eternal like the Father
1Tim 6-16
(112b) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Light >> Jesus’ light overcomes darkness >>
The light of His power
– We cannot separate God from the light that
emanates from Him. People tried to separate Jesus from His truth, and they
tried to kill Him, but they only destroyed themselves in the process. No man
has seen Jesus Christ in his true glory. Some may have seen visions of Christ;
His closest disciples saw Him at his transfiguration on top of the mountain
with Moses and Elijah, but that was not the unapproachable light to which Paul
was referring. That was a simulation of His glory. The unapproachable light
that emanates from His throne is something that will instantly vaporize the
flesh, like the light intensity of a nuclear blast. 2The 2-8 alludes to this
as it says, “Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming.” We will be able to survive the fullness of the glory of God in our
resurrected bodies in that we will then be made of the same substance as God,
and we will dwell in His unapproachable light. For this reason we will be
safe, because nothing can come close to God without being destroyed, unless
they are made of the same substance, which if required to define, would be
“faith.” The substance of God is the only thing that can survive His
presence, and God will give us a body that is composed of his substance. If we
can survive His presence, then we will survive eternity itself! If anything
comes to destroy us, all we have to do is run to God and bask in His presence,
and our enemies will be vaporized. This is how we will live secure forever in
our eternal dominion. The New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from God
(Rev 21-2), the Bible says the Lamb of God (Jesus) is its light source. For
this reason, nothing can come into the city and live, except those who belong
to Him.
KJV
NAS
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17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
1Tim 6,17-19
(57a) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> The rich are poor –
The rich man may have solved the problem of poverty in his personal life, but
he has created a bigger problem, as Jesus put it, “It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God” (Mat 19-24). In the long run the rich man would have been better living
in poverty that his heart may be more susceptible to the gospel, but as it is,
how can the rich man believe in Jesus when he already has everything he wants?
(94b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Perspective on wealth in this life
(120j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >>
Content with your standard of living >> Content
with the means God gives you -- These verses go with verses
6-9. Wealthy
Christians ought not to fix their hope on this life because of their money,
which to them is a real temptation. To consider having reached nirvana as it
were in this life through their earthly riches indicates that they have no
idea what is waiting for them in heaven. What little enjoyment we can extract
from this life through the uncertainty of riches cannot hold a candle to the
joy awaiting us in the presence of God, who richly supplies us with all things
to enjoy. Paul was talking to the Church, which was mostly poor, suggesting
that what little they have came from the Lord, and there is very little more
they need. Psalm 37-25 says, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never
seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” God promises
to meet our needs, and for Him to ‘richly supply us with all things to
enjoy’ indicates that God gives above and beyond our needs; this is speaking
in reference to the poor. Those who have very little have enough, and what
little they have beyond their needs is the subject of Paul’s discourse.
Money and wealth are relative, for some have much and consider themselves in
need, while others have little and feel overstocked. Keep in mind too that
many of the things God richly supplies don’t involve money at all but are
free. In generations past, children didn’t have many toys; their parents
couldn’t afford to buy them, so they would make toys from whatever they
could find lying around the neighborhood, like a large appliance box, or
something as simple as a mousetrap. Many of these makeshift toys were more fun
than the ones we can buy at the store, because there was a little pride in the
fact that they recognized its value, imagined what they could do with it and
were able to fashion it into a form that fit their purpose.
(226g) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >>
Rewarded in heaven –
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mat 6,19-21).
Paul instructed wealthy people to take advantage of their wealth and share it
with others who are in need so they can amass treasures in heaven and take
hold of that which is life indeed, basically converting their money to eternal
rewards. This is the ultimate investment. People in the Church nowadays try to
talk us into giving them all our money using a similar argument, so we will
have treasure in heaven; but if we do what they say, all our money will go to
an inanimate building and to a money-crazed preacher. In contrast, Paul’s
suggestion was to use our hard-earned money to directly care for the needs of
the saints, those who were poor and in need. If their children needed jackets
or food, we should buy them a few bags of groceries and set them on their
door. Every penny that the rich man spends on the saints in good works and
shares and meets the needs of God’s children is converted to eternal
treasures that they will receive on the day of the First Resurrection in the
life to come. The problem with the Church today is that people are so earthly
minded that they’re no heavenly good. They don’t want to invest their
lives into a kingdom for treasures they cannot enjoy in this life; they want
to receive the benefits now. It is a major problem they are unwilling to
invest their lives into the Kingdom of Heaven in that it keeps the Church from
being truly functional. Some people in the Church go hungry and are improperly
clothed, and nobody is caring for them.
(235e) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Tithing >> Offerings >>
Help your weaker neighbor (alms)
(248i) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Values >>
Valuing God >> Do not value things that
devalue God –
Paul is not talking about unbelievers in the world but about wealthy believers
in the Church. The disciples asked Jesus, “Who can be saved?” Jesus
answered, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible” (Mat 19-25,26). Everyone’s salvation is truly miraculous, but
those who are saved among the rich are a double miracle. A rich man’s money
is not their only asset; Paul also instructed them to do good works. Sharing
their wealth is a good work, but Paul delineated between that and doing other
good works. He wanted rich people in the Church to act just like any
Christian. Those who are poor in the Church have very little to offer in the
way of finances, so the only things they can offer are their good works, and
Paul is saying that these things are just as important as money. A rich man
sharing his wealth is a good work, just like the good works of a poor person,
no better or worse. The world runs on money, but that should not be the case
with the Church, though it actually is the case in these last days.
Christianity has become very expensive, and it shouldn’t be that way.
(249e) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> Do not trust the
carnal perception of wealth >> Do not depend on
wealth – People who belong to Jesus are more rich that
those who have money. The Bible says that those who love and serve God are
promised all things to enjoy, even though they may receive them through the
godliness of contentment. Paul instructs those who are wealthy to share with
those in need, simultaneously helping God fulfill His promise to the saints
and converting their worldly possessions into spiritual wealth. People who are
wealthy think they are living the good life, but Paul wants them to convert
their worldly wealth into spiritual treasures, so they may walk and live by
the Spirit and thus "take hold of that which is life indeed." Jesus
taught that those who follow Him have an abundant life, not abundant wealth
and riches in a worldly sense, but spiritual wealth, compounded with unity,
which is how our treasure exponentially grows.
KJV
NAS
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1Tim 6-17,18
(34m) Gift of God
>>
Be generous like your Father >> Give to the poor
(175c) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >>
Wealth gives a false sense of godliness
(189d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >>
Costly sacrifice -- These verses go with verses 6-8
(239k) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Let not many of you become teachers >> Dividing
accurately the word of truth -- These verses go with verse 2
1Tim 6-17
(21m) Sin
>>
Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >>
The love of money -- This verse goes with verses 4&5. Paul
didn’t comment on giving money to the Church; rather, he talked about
sharing among the saints. The “Church” didn’t need any money; people
held church in their homes; there was no building or overhead involved. The
only need for money back then was for those in need. Today Christianity is
defined by the building and not by the people, and consequently there is no
money left to help those in assembly. One role of the deacon in the First
Century Church was to assist those in need; for this reason the role of deacon
is rare these days, because the Church is concerned more about the building
than the people. We have large facilities that cost an arm and a leg, so the
whole experience of church revolves around the building. The early church used
to meet in people’s homes, but today the need for hospitality is bypassed,
of which the Bible speaks very highly. We say we don’t do that anymore
because the need is not there, as in days of persecution. They could not build
a place of worship, because it would become an opportunity for their enemies
to coral the saints and throw them all in jail, or whatever they intended to
do to them, and then burn down their church, or else confiscate it and use it
for their own purposes, so they had church in their homes, and there was no
overhead involved, and it was very intimate, and it required people to be
obedient in ways more than just finances. The need for money was extremely
minimized, so that all donations went directly to those in need instead of to
the mortgage on the Church and to the pastor’s salary. If persecution
returned, maybe the Church would return to godliness; too bad we are unwilling
to serve Him in good times.
(30e) Gift of God
>>
Prepare to receive from God >> We must first get
His attention
(97d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attention >> Facing in the direction of the Lord >> Focusing your attention on God
(121e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Hope >>
Expectation >> Hope is the expectation to
receive >> What the wicked fears (expects) will
come upon him
(165e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Do not partake of
the world >> Do not desire the treasures of the
world
(170g) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Temporary >>
This life is temporary
(223a) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Conceit >>
Thinking you are superior to others >> Thinking
you are inherently better than others
KJV
NAS
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18-21 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. 20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge "- 21 which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.
1Tim 6-18,19
(7l)
Responsibility >> Use time wisely >>
Get ready >> Use this time to gather
– "Gathering" is the main point of the
parable of
the Ten Virgins, which is not
only a parable about the last days, but is specifically about the time just
before the end. In
a spiritual sense the physical possessions we give away to help
others in greater need will as
it were be turned to gold and studded with all precious jewels and awaiting your
arrival in the Kingdom of God. The more we give away in this temporal
existence with our finite resources, the more we will have in the
eternal kingdom. However, we will not need them there, so God will place the reward where it counts the most – in
our hearts.
(8e)
Responsibility >> Prepare to Interact with God
>>
Prepare to meet Jesus by living a holy life
–
When it is our time to go, we will want to have lived a good life, helping others and
loving God. This is the best way to prepare to meet your maker; it is a
life-long process, not just a sinner's prayer.
(11g) Servant
>>
God’s standard is in proportion to our output –
Paul was saying about the rich that they have a special opportunity to amass
greater fortunes in heaven than the rest of us, using their money to do good
works and blessing those who are in need of assistance, but in fact the Bible
also teaches that few rich people will ever see the Kingdom of Heaven, and if
they do make it there, they will unlikely shine the brightest in heaven, because
of the deceitfulness of riches. The affluent tend to use their wealth to bless
themselves in this life instead of investing it in the life to come. Those who
will shine the brightest in heaven probably didn’t have much money in this
life, but they did what they could with what they had and invested everything
into the Kingdom of Heaven. God will not judge us based on what we had but based
on a percentage basis that we invested into His heaven.
(127j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good is the
prerequisite to going to heaven
(137f) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the
foundation >> Church is the foundation of manifested truth
(192d) Die to self
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Receiving from God by substitution >>
Wheeling and dealing in God’s spiritual economy
(232f) Embrace
(Key verse)
(232i) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> Take hold of
the hope of His purpose -- These verses go with verse 12
(254b) Trinity
>>
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live
because He is life >> We live because we are in
Jesus –
The rewards of heaven will apply to our “life indeed.” This word “life”
in the Bible is used in a way that the world doesn’t know. Virtually every
translation uses
the word “life” in this verse, so life is the proper term, but we
need to understand what the Bible means by this term. We understand the word
“life” to mean the opposite of dead, but the Bible’s definition of life
is: something that comes from God and relates to His very essence. There are a
number of biblical terms that converge into one meaning. For example, the Bible
says God is love, but it also teaches that faith and love are the same;
so we could also say that God is faith. Again, the Bible teaches that Jesus is
the “truth”, and that He is also the light of the world; they are all
talking about the same thing, speaking to the very essence of God. This is the
way Jesus taught, making it sound like something that could be quantified. That
is, some people have more of the life of God than others. Paul compared people
of the First Resurrection to the stars of heaven; some are brighter than others,
so light speaks to God’s essence, and all the terms converge into one
trying to convey the essence of God, who will cause each of us to shine with
variations of intensity with the life of God that raises the dead, according to
each person’s faith that he manifested in this life through love.
1Tim 6-20,21
(106l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >>
To protect your faith -- These verses go with verses 11&12
(158c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Contentions -- These verses go
with verses 3-5
(161b) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >> Wander >>
Wandering from the character of God >> Wandering
from the faith -- These verses go with verses 9&10. Paul
didn’t want Christians getting involved in worldly and empty chatter because
it is inevitable that we sin, as Solomon said in Proverbs 10-19, “When there
are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is
wise.” Moreover, it doesn’t glorify God. There are many people in
Christendom today with the opinion that not everything we say and do must
glorify God, but in heaven we will glorify God in all things, and if that is
our purpose there, it should be our purpose here. God would much rather our
conversation revolved around the Scriptures, our faith and our calling,
keeping our conversation on Him. There is worldliness and chatter, and then
there is the opposite, being far more malignant, which is knowledge that is
falsely called science. This false knowledge refers to a religious belief
system that has been around even before Christ, called Gnosticism; Gnosis means
knowledge. Paul is talking about the Gnostics, saying that what they believe
does not lead them to the truth. He said that some have professed these things
and have thus gone astray from the faith. The Gnostics teach that their
beliefs do not require faith at all but are loosely based on a handful of
favorite sources and gurus, and from there they spin off in every imaginable
direction, inventing their own ideas about God within a certain framework.
Whatever they devise is their personal truth, which to them doesn’t
even mean anything; instead their spiritual experiences contain the meaning in
the process of attaining this so-called knowledge. That is, they are in
contact with spirits but not the spirit of God, and their communion with
demons is the core of Gnosticism. Pilate said, “What is truth?” not
believing that such a thing existed. Likewise, if we hear people say that they
don’t need faith to have a relationship with God, that they can experience
Him apart from the Bible, stay clear of them. Meanwhile our faith is based on
the knowledge of the Scriptures, which have not changed over the centuries to
this day. The Bible is our constant, and we place our faith on that invariant,
whereas Gnosticism is just the opposite. They have no faith at all and their
religion is a floating belief system, like a boat in the middle of the ocean,
lost. Wherever the current takes them is where they want to go, whereas
Christians resist the currents of this world, knowing that they ultimately
originate from the devil. Instead, we point our bow at the Scriptures and row
toward Christ and His truth.
(161k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >> Carried Away >>
Carried away by religion
(166b) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the
world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful
nature >> Man’s wisdom gives reason to reject
God
(182i) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Being deceptive with people >> Distorted
perception of others
(199e) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> Throwing God away >>
Renouncing your faith
(202f) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Running from God >> Running from the word of God >> Running from the truth
(203i) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Back-slider >> Withdraw from obeying God >>
Withdrawing from the truth
(207d) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal
security? >> You can get lost again --
These verses go with verse 10
(212d) Theory of Evolution
(Key verse) –
Back in the 1950s a man named Alan Turing, an embryologist, designed a computer program that could play checkers. He calculated
that the possible moves rivaled a number with 40 zeros in it! So, he realized he needed to write a program that could
select game winning moves among the vast number of possibilities, but teaching a computer how to play checkers is not easy. He tried a variety of approaches, and settled on a strategy that after tinkering with it a few years eventually beat some of the best checker players of all time. He came to the conclusion that he needed to design a program that could write itself, supplying it with the game’s objective and a set of rules to follow and then integrated a number of feedback loops into it, so the program could evaluate its own progress and learn from its mistakes. The more the program played, the more it tweaked its strategy and improved its game. In his book Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, Daniel Dennett used this story as an analogy that non-living matter discovered life on its own and then taught itself how to survive and flourish (Dennett, pp. 208-212). In stark contrast to Dennett’s idea, the checkers program needed a god to create it (Alan Turing), but Dennett didn’t use Mr. Turing in his analogy, because Dennett is an atheist. The checkers program especially needed Mr. Turing to give it the rules of composing a strategy, so it could establish its own algorithm from millions of
possibilities. When you include Mr. Turing’s input, the story works very well as an analogy for creation, but without him the story
makes no sense at all. However, one thing does make sense about Dennett’s analogy, God designed life in very much the same way that Mr. Turing designed his checkers program: He designed it to take care of itself.
(212d) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> He is the creator >>
Evolution (Defaming God) >> The philosophy of
evolution – Atheism has been around a long time. In
contrast to atheism, science does not automatically draw us away from our
faith. That is, science and faith are not opposites as some have proposed.
What seems inherent in science is the tendency of deifying humanity, referring
to humanism. Science leads us to think we are as smart as God because we have
figured out a few things about His stuff. It erroneously leads us to believe we are at
some level with Him. However, the real opposite of faith in Jesus is atheism,
though atheism too ironically is a faith in itself. Apart from faith, man with
his science and technology is nothing short of a worm. Paul calls it
empty chatter, in that he too wasted his life accumulating knowledge under a
man named Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), and knows that it’s a dead end. There is no
inherent value or treasure waiting for us at the end of the rainbow in worldly
knowledge like there is in Jesus.
(221d) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden
behind the veil from the world >> God hides from
the mind of man >> He hides behind man’s
intellect
KJV
NAS
/ Navigation Bar
1Tim 6-20
(7g) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the gospel >> Defending your
territory
(35j) Gift
>>
God gives Himself to us >> Gifts from the Holy
Spirit >> Spiritual gifts
>> Knowing the mind of God
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