How to Live in God’s House, Part 7
In our message, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS II (1 Tim. 5:17-6:2), we continued to look at some relationships within the church, and how we are to treat one another.
Last week, we looked at how Christians are to treat older men (in the Greek, presbýteros, 1 Tim. 5:1a) and other people in our fellowship. Today the Lord focuses on not just an older man in the church, but on a man one who holds the office of an “elder” (presbýteros) by overseeing or ruling over the affairs of the local body of believers (1 Tim. 5:17). The qualifications for such men that the Lord places in this ministry were given back in chapter 3 (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Acts 20:28), but now the Holy Spirit is showing the church specifically how we should treat such leaders. Elders, overseers, and pastors, the Bible says, are to be honored for their position (as all people are to be honored) and even given “double honor” for the work of laboring and teaching in the Bible (1 Tim. 5:3, 17; 2 Cor. 9:8-10; Gal. 6:6, etc.). A distinction seems to be made here by the Lord between “elders” who help administer and run the church and “those who labor in the word and doctrine” (1 Tim. 5:17b). The next verse clarifies what “double honor” means- it is ‘generous or adequate pay’ because one should “not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” (1 Tim. 5:18a referencing Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15 and Deut. 25:4). The Holy Spirit also quotes Jesus’ words here to prove this point, “The laborer is worthy of his wages” (1 Tim. 5:18b; Luke 10:7). Biblical teaching has to be at the core of the ministry so the church does not fail (John 17:17; Prov. 30:5; Luke 4:4; Acts 20:27; Ps. 119:105; 2 Tim. 3:16-17, etc.).
The Bible next focuses on the discipline of church leaders (1 Tim. 5:19-25). Disciplining church members is explained in many places in the Word of God to include Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Cor. 2:6-11; Gal. 6:1-5; 2 Thes. 3:6-16; 2 Tim. 2:23-26; Titus 3:10 and 2 John 9-11, but here the Lord focuses specifically on the offices of leadership in the church showing they are equally accountable to Him. Such men likewise should be treated “without prejudice, [and without] partiality” (1 Tim. 5:21). That is, Timothy in that time and we also in our time are “to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone” (1 Tim. 5:21 NLT).
But “an accusation against” a church leader should not be entertained or even looked at unless it is from two or more separate, reliable, and verifiable “witnesses” following the Matthew 18 principle (1 Tim. 5:18; Matt. 18:15-16). And such accusations must be factual- not based on opinion, rumor, preference, or gossip- demonstrating a clear and ongoing violation of the truth of the Bible (John 8:44; Rev. 12:10; 1 John 1:9; 1 Cor. 11:31-32, etc.). When this occurs and the church leader is unrepentant (i.e. the statement “Those who are sinning” in verse 20 means ‘those who persist in sin’) then that leader is to be “rebuke[d] in the presence if all” as “Hymenaeus and Alexander” were (1 Tim. 1:18-20; 5:20; Matt. 18:17). Sin is a serious matter in the lives of believers and those in leadership (1 Pet. 4:17; James 3:1). “Rebuke” here is a command to bring sin to light, to expose it before all, so “that the rest may fear” (1 Tim. 5:20). This helps correct the wrong and discourage others from sinning (1 Cor 5, etc.). Modern congregations that ignore church discipline do so at the peril of both the offender and themselves (1 Tim. 5:21a).
The primary job of exercising this discipline in the first century rested with the plurality of elders that led the church (i.e. 1 Tim. 5:21 NET is written to Timothy and the other elders in Ephesus, see also Acts 20:27-30, 1 Pet. 5:1-4, etc.). They were “not [to] lay hands on anyone hastily” (1 Tim. 5:22a). That is, Timothy and the other overseers in Ephesus were not to put someone into ministry unless that person was biblically qualified and had the character to match it. Nor was the leadership to let fallen leaders return unless biblically acceptable and they were fully repentant so they did not “share in… [their] sins…” (1 Tim. 5:22b). For Timothy, Paul urged him to take care of himself physically, emotionally, and spiritually so he would be up to this difficult task of managing God’s house. This meant, in Timothy’s case, taking “a little wine [medicinally] for [his] stomach’s sake” because of his frequent illnesses (1 Tim. 5:23).
Timothy and leaders in Ephesus were to evaluate people as best as they could (1 Tim. 5:22), and we are reminded here of the truth that all people will be thoroughly evaluated one day by the One in who sees all things (Heb. 4:12-13; 9:27, etc.). This will occur for lost people sadly at the white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15, etc.) and for God’s children at a very different place- the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10, etc.). While today, “some men’s sins are clearly evident [and they precede] them to judgment,” there will come a time the Bible says when the unseen sins will “follow later” (1 Tim. 5:24; Rev. 20:12, 15, etc.). And, in the case of saved people, likewise, not all of our “good works… are clearly” seen or known today, but there will come a time in the future when Jesus will flood them with light and bring those “good deeds done in secret” into the open (1 Tim. 5:25 NLT; 1 Cor. 4:5; John 8:12; Heb. 6:10, etc.).
We ended this message discussing our call as God’s children to be faithful in all our relationships to include those we work for (1 Tim. 6:1-2). This glorifies the Lord by encouraging people who know Christ personally and by drawing the lost to Jesus. *For more information on these truths from the Bible please see SBFC’s August 10, 2025 message above.