Christ's Commandments

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1Tim 6:1-2 . . Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine may not be spoken against. And let those who have believers as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.

I've heard that Masons practice favoritism; but Christians should never impose upon a fellow believer in that manner. Give your Christian employer the respect and subordination due his position; and give him a full day's work for a full days' pay. People are watching, and they pick up on things like disparity.
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1Tim 6:2 . .Teach and preach these principles.

Pastors should ensure their congregations are taught these things even when they don't care to hear them; and should never let the indifference of their flocks smother the voice of God.

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus-- who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom --preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but desiring to have their ears massaged, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own longings; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to fiction." (2Tim 4:1-2)

A good pastor can't be blamed when members of his congregation drift away to cults; but he can at least make an effort to ensure they have some truth under their belts before they go because if perchance they become disillusioned with the cult, they'll have something solid to fall back on.
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1Tim 6:3-6 . . 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; 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, and constant friction between men of depraved minds and deprived of the truth.

I'm pretty sure that the "conceit" Paul wrote about is relative to know-it-alls. Those kinds of people are often self-taught; and with them there is no such thing as a second opinion: only their own. And like the man said; they tend to be quarrelsome-- forever debating about petty stuff.
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1Tim 6:8 . . And having food and raiment let us be content therewith.

According to 1Tim 1:1-3, this epistle wasn't written to a church, rather, it was written to one of Paul's contemporaries-- a fellow church officer --so when he uses a pronoun like "us" I think it's safe to assume, unless indicated otherwise, that he's not speaking to a congregation.

Paul's instructions are handy for steering church officers away from wanting too much out of life.

"Piety with contentment is great gain." (1Tim 6:6)

The koiné Greek word for contentment is sometimes translated "sufficient". In other words, when good is adequate, better isn't necessary. Good is easier on budgets than better too. So then: if a church officer can get by with things that are less than best, then he shouldn't waste time and energy concerning himself with improving his situation.
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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1Tim 6:11 . . But you-- O man of God --flee these things and pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) believed that Christian virtues, especially compassion, are an impediment to achieving greatness; which is just another way of saying that nice guys finish last.

The koiné Greek word for "flee" is pheugo (fyoo'-go) which means not to walk away; but rather, to run away; as if for your life. (cf. 1Cor 6:18)

Q: What is a man of God?

A: Well; first off we should point out that the Greek word for "man" in that passage is anthropos (anth'-ro-pos) which refers to h.sapiens; viz: human beings, of either gender, not just males; so it would be far more useful to translate that phrase "people of God".

People of God are typically inspired individuals; for example: Moses was a man of God (Deut 33:1) and David was a man of God (Neh 12:24). Numerous passages in the Old Testament identify men of God as prophets. In that respect; Abraham was a man of God (Gen 20:7) and a whole bunch of other people too, including women; e.g. Miriam (Ex 15:20) Deborah (Judg 4:4) Asahiah (2Kgs 22:14) and Huldah (2Chron 24:32).

Obviously then, if your church's officers aren't inspired; then they aren't men of God; they're just church managers on a career path and/or mini Czars for whom power and prestige are irresistible.
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1Tim 6:12a . . Fight the good fight of the faith.

The first koine Greek word for "fight" in that verse is agonizomai (ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) which means: to struggle; literally to compete for a prize. This is the kind of conflict played out in competitive sports.

The second word for "fight" is agon (ag-one') which means: a place of assembly; viz: the field of completion; e.g. arenas, coliseums, and/or stadiums.

The object of a Christian's struggle is not so much conquest, but rather, a prize. In Paul's day athletes won wreaths. In our day, they win medals and lucrative contracts for product endorsements.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." (1Cor 9:24-26)

In Paul's day, there were no second-place winners; only first. When the competition is that fierce, athletes really go all out. So Paul is saying that Christians should battle for their reward as if there were only one gold to go around; in other words; really put their hearts into it.

However, a "good" race is won only when the winner plays by the rules; or otherwise it's a bad race: they're disqualified and win nothing.

"When someone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." (2Tim 2:5)
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1Tim 6:12b . .Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good profession in the presence of many witnesses.

All of Christ's believing followers are called to eternal life. Note the grammatical tense of the "have" verb in the passages below. It's in the present tense; not future; indicating that Christ's believing followers have eternal life right now-- no delay, and no waiting period.

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." (John 6:47)

"I assure you, those who heed my message and trust in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from Death into Life." (John 5:24)

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1John 5:13"

So then, why would Paul encourage Timothy to take hold of eternal life if he already had it?

Well; having it, and making use of it, are two very different things. By telling his friend to "lay hold" of eternal life, Paul was telling him to lay hold of the divine nature spoken of at 2Pet 1:4.

So then, how does one lay hold of the divine nature? Well; it's here where conduct plays a very important role in the lives of Christ's believing followers.

"If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live" (Rom 8:13)

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." (Gal 6:7-8)

NOTE: Seeing as how eternal life is a quality of life that's immune to death, then when Christ's believing followers live according to the sinful nature, they don't lose their eternal life; they just lose the use of it.
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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1Tim 6:13-14 . . I charge you in the sight of God-- who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession --to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The koiné Greek word for "commandment" in that passage is entole (en-tol-ay') which means: an injunction, i.e. an authoritative prescription. It's difficult to tell if Paul had a specific instruction in mind or if he intended Timothy to accept his entire epistle as the law of Christ. If the latter is the case, then the NLT's version is the better one; which reads like this:

"And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey his commands with all purity. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns."

The NLT's version encompasses all of Christ's wishes rather than only the ones associated with church officers.

The koiné word for "without spot/purity" is aspilos (as'-pee-loswhich means: unblemished.

It takes a pretty concentrated, uncompromising effort for a man to finish up a life of Christian service with an unblemished record. He's really got to mind his p's and q's the meanwhile maintaining graciousness; which consists of being honest, trustworthy, reliable, affable, tactful, genial, sociable, generous, charitable, altruistic, cheerful, reasonable, sensitive, thoughtful, patient, peaceable, kind, considerate, temperate, tolerant, approachable, helpful, supportive, unselfish, compassionate, sympathetic, mild, not easily provoked, humble, and courteous; plus characterized by a lack of stubbornness, assertiveness, despotism, conceit, and arrogance.

NOTE: The epistles of Titus, 1Timothy, 2Timothy, and to some extent 1Peter, are sometimes referred to as "pastoral" because they contain a large number of instructions related to the function of ordained Christian ministers.

Had Martin Luther King Jr complied with those instructions instead of going off-reservation into political activism and civil disobedience, he might've lived to a ripe old age. As it is, King died a martyr to a worldly cause instead of Christ's. That aspect of his ministry will no doubt go up in smoke as wood, hay, and stubble as per 1Cor 3:5-15. (cf. John 15:1-8)
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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1Tim 6:17-19 . . Command 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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 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.

Webster's defines "conceit" as an excessive appreciation of one's own worth and/or virtue. It's is all too common for the rich and famous to exhibit a masters-of-the-universe demeanor, so to speak. In other words: conceited people think of themselves as self-reliant; they don't need God for anything; no, they can get by just fine without Him. In their mind's eye, only the weak need God's help.

"that which is life indeed" refers to the divine nature about which Peter wrote at 2Pet 1:2-11, and the fruit of the Spirit about which Paul wrote at Gal 5:22-25, which are of far greater lasting value than the fruits of earthly wealth.
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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1Tim 6:20a . .Turn away from impious chatter

This probably refers to sophistry, which Webster's defines as the use of reasoning or arguments that sound correct but are actually false and/or subtly deceptive. Sophistry is fairly common in perpetual bull sessions that never get to the bottom of anything.

This isn't the first time that Paul warned about unholy rhetoric. The same alert was sounded at Eph 4:11-14 where Paul describes people whose line of bull sounds very convincing but is nevertheless quite unreliable.
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1Tim 6:20b . . Turn away from the opposition of science-- falsely so-called.

Galileo believed that science and religion are allies rather than enemies-- two different languages telling the same story. But the category of "science-- falsely so-called" is not the kind of science Galileo was talking about.

Theoretical physics, theoretical cosmology, theoretical chemistry, theoretical anthropology, conjecture, and speculation etc; are entertaining, but not yet proven to be true and reliable. People throw that kind of science up to Christians all the time as if it's been tested and proven when it's anything but. The evidence for theoretical science is often circumstantial rather than direct, i.e. suggestive rather than empirical.

Another thing to take into consideration is that scientific results are provisional; viz: susceptible to being overturned by some future experiment or observation.

"Scientists rarely proclaim an absolute truth or an absolute certainty. Uncertainty is inevitable at the frontiers of knowledge." (Joel Achenbach, National Geographic Magazine, March 2015)
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Tim 1:8a

That passage has been translated a number of ways; for example:

1• Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord

2• Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord

3• You must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.

4• Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord

5• Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord

I prefer No.2 because it fits with the passages below:

● Mark 8:38 . . If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.

● 2Tim 1:8b . . Don't be ashamed of me his prisoner; but Join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

The power of God is involved in one's suffering for the gospel when He sets you up for it.

● Phil 1:29 . . For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.
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2Tim 1:13 . . Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me.

The koiné Greek word for "hold fast" is echo (ekh'-o) which means: to clutch, cling, or adhere to.

The word for "pattern" is hupotuposis (hoop-ot-oop'-o-sis) which means: a sketch; viz: a blueprint and/or a schematic diagram.

When Noah was commissioned to build the ark, he wasn't left with no clue as to what it was supposed to look like. God gave him a design to work with. And when Moses was tasked to fabricate articles of worship for the Tabernacle, he too was given designs; in other words, Moses and Noah both made everything according to God-given specifications; viz: Christianity is a God-given religion; He has not left its design to human imagination.

Putting this in construction-speak: if the blueprint calls for welding, and the builder substitutes bolting, he'll have to do it over. If the blueprints call for oak panels, and the builder substitutes pine, he'll have to do it over; and do it right the next time or be rejected again.

Practically nothing is manufactured without first planning it out on a drawing. Sometimes drawings are created on the fly. I've had plans handed to me that were nothing in the world but a free-hand sketch on a piece of scrap paper; while others were gorgeous, finely-detailed computer-assisted drawings. Either way, CAD or free-hand, I was expected to follow specifications to the letter and not take it upon myself to revise the engineers' instructions without their consent.

What this boils down to is: modern churches have been handed down from Paul a God-given pattern for their operations. When they depart from His pattern, then they are no longer following Christ; rather, they are attempting to lead him.
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[Zeke]

Boiled down you have two commandments that fulfill the rest, And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ the IS RA EL of God in one body.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

The love is long-suffering, it is kind, the love doth not envy, the love doth not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, the more excellent way. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son(fear): for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son (love) of the freewoman.

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building,
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Bible, the greatest story ever told! Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament (spirit); not of the letter (fear), but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. The only divide in scripture is based on how its read, flesh ( fear) or spirit (love). Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh : yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.



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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Tim 1:14 . . With the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us; carefully guard what has been entrusted to you.

This probably refers to congregations whose spiritual welfare is the responsibility of church officers. The officers found in dereliction of duty are known as non vigilant watchdogs and self-seeking, incompetent shepherds; for example:

"Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. (Isa 56:10-11)
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Tim 2:2 . . And the things you have heard me say (in the presence of many witnesses) entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Paul's instructions were given to Timothy "in the presence of many witnesses" indicating that his instructions were never intended to be privileged information for the eyes-only of an elite category of super saints. The things he taught were transferred publicly rather than deep inside a secret chamber whose access was restricted to a special clique.

I also suspect that Paul sand-bagged Timothy. By instructing him in the hearing of witnesses, Timothy could never fall back on the tiresome old excuse of saying "I didn't know I was supposed to do that." Well, witnesses would certainly testify that he did know what he was supposed to do because they themselves heard Paul instruct him with their own ears.

It's a wise church that fully understands a pastor's duties and responsibilities just in case a time comes when they need to hold his feet to the fire; especially a complacent pastor or one that's gotten mixed up in political activism and civil disobedience. If a church doesn't know what a pastor's sacred obligations are, then there's no way they can know whether or not they're getting their money's worth. In my opinion, an ignorant church is a private pond stocked with hatchery fish.

Paul's directive in this matter was also a practical consideration as nobody resides forever on this earthen globe. Pastors die; that's just a fact of life. And they also get diseases like dementia, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. It's a wise pastor busy training his replacements so that all his knowledge and experience isn't lost to future church generations. Abraham was commended for this very thing.

"For I have chosen Abraham, in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of Yhvh." (Gen 18:18-20)

A good example of the result of neglecting to train reliable men in "all the things you have heard me say" is the church of Laodicea described in Rev 3:14-20.

According to Col 2:1-2 and Col 4:13-16; the Laodicean Christians were at one time solid believers. But between the time of Paul's writing his letter to the Colossians, and John writing the 3rd chapter of Revelation, the congregation meeting in Nymphas' home somehow went dead. It was still Christian in name, yes; but it no longer followed Christ.

The Laodicean church had all the trappings of a Christian church; except for one salient feature: the Christ of Christianity wasn't even a member let alone the captain of its industry. It was literally a christless Christian church. He's depicted outside the building banging on the door trying to get somebody's attention to let him in. Not a single member of that church was one of his believing followers, not one; no, not even the senior pastor.
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Tim 2:3-7 . . Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his commanding officer.

Combat soldiers are focused. They have but one solitary goal, and that's to accomplish the mission assigned to them by their leaders. They don't abandon their posts to go off doing other stuff. Desertion and dereliction of duty are courts martial offenses.

I truly believe that if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr had stayed in church and complied with the Bible's directives for ordained Christian ministers as per the epistles of Titus, 1&2 Timothy, and to some extent 1Peter instead of getting involved in political activism and civil disobedience, he could have served Christ another thirty-five years instead of getting himself assassinated when he was only 39 years old.

Was Dr. King a martyr? Well, if he was, it certainly wasn't in a cause for Christ. No, it was for a worldly cause. Dr. King marginalized his pastoral responsibilities. He put duty to the color of his skin first, and duty to Christ second. That was a very bad move for an ordained Christian minister obligated to a congregation above all other interests.

"He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph 4:11-12)

"Focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them." (1Tim 4:13)

"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:

. . . Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1Pet 5:1-4)
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[Gurucam]

Jesus' commandment (or Jesus' instruction or command) is, 'follow me' and 'let the dead bury their dead'

Matthew: 8 KJV N.T.
22 But Jesus said unto him, 1.) Follow me; and 2.) let the dead bury their dead.

Now to find out who were given, by God, to follow Jesus (these were just a chosen few) and what did Jesus tell them. These are in the Holy KJV N.T.

. . . and avoid the things which Jesus gave to the dead, for them to bury each other. These are also in the Holy KJV N.T.

One's salvation and deliverance is hinged on clearly and accurately separating these two sets of deliveries which are in the Holy KJV N.T. . . . and following the correct set. Forget Paul for now.

 

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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Tim 2:8 . . Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel

There are Bible-toting missionaries out there going door to door all over the world teaching that Jesus Christ's crucified dead body did not recover; it's still dead and his remains are squirreled away here on Earth somewhere in a condition and a location known only to God.

That is NOT the kind of gospel that Christ wants to hear preached about himself.

Others are adamantly opposed to any ideas that even so much as suggest that Jesus is David's biological progeny. That too is NOT the kind of gospel that Christ wants to hear preached about himself.
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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Tim 2:14 . . Command them in God's name to stop quarrelling over trifles.

In a Sean Connery movie titled "The Name Of The Rose" church dignitaries assembled a meeting of the minds to reach a resolution on a theological question which was: Did the Christ own the clothes that he wore or not?

Well, needless to say, the discussion turned into bickering wherein nothing was resolved. Tempers flared, shouting ensued, feelings were hurt, and people were alienated over the issue-- a rather trifling issue; which is precisely what it means to fiddle while Rome burns down around you. Christians are often embroiled in arguments over things that in the grand scheme of things have almost zero importance while all around them are weightier issues needing attention.

It's interesting that Paul didn't want Timothy's flock instructed to avoid quarrelling over trifles but to stop quarrelling. I can't help but wonder how many Christians think to seek absolution for the sin of quarrelling over trifles when they go to confession.
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