Gospel Identity

1 Timothy 6 NASB95

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. 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. 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 mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 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. 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 griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 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. 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, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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, 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. 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. Instruct 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. O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.

As we continue our series, For the Sake of the Church, we come to the end of the first Pastoral Epistle. We have learned the call of the church to Guard the Gospel, the call to godliness, and the necessity of correction in order to uphold the truth of God’s Word. You might be thinking, “This whole godliness thing is tough.”

For most people, becoming a Christian does not entail a dramatic change in occupation, living conditions, salary, or neighborhood. Yet, becoming a Christian does entail a transformation. How do we live this out? What ought our life look like?

Paul bookends chapter 6 with instructions for those on either side of the social construct- beginning with the poor and oppressed and moving toward the rich. So no matter where you find yourself, there is a word for you in this Scripture today as we explore 3 commitments that we should make in order to solidify our identity in Christ.

My hope is that we will better navigate how to live in this world without becoming a part of it; to live as citizens of our society without adopting its values.

The first commitment then is:

I Will Prioritize the Gospel Over My Position (1-2)

Verses 1 and 2, Paul addresses slaves. Now, we should note that he is not condoning slavery- he condemned slave traders and murderers in chapter 1. His statement here is not intended to justify the act, but rather acknowledge the reality.

There were Christians in Ephesus who were under the yoke of another- this could have been in order to pay a debt or it could have been that they were an especially oppressed people who had no other means by which to have food and shelter. Either way, there were some who had found freedom in Christ, but were still slaves in society.

The temptation would be to assert physical and social freedom through whatever means necessary: violence, rebellion, escape, etc.

Paul instructs these folks to embody the character of godliness towards their oppressors. They don’t deserve it. Slavery is wrong- injustices were evident. Yet, the social redemption that they sought must take a back seat to the eternal redemption that comes through the Gospel.

What Paul understood (and what we sometimes mistake) is that the Gospel was not about social justice, but eternal justice.

I want to acknowledge that society is and should be impacted and improved because of the Christian witness. But altering society is not the goal of Christians. Rather, it is a byproduct of genuine godliness. No real change will come about by political agitation or revolution. It is only through salvation that our society will change to reflect the goodness and justice of God.

So, I want to challenge you to think about your mindset and perspective today. I pray that God will guide us in truth as we examine Scripture together.

What does this mean for you and me? None of us are slaves in the way these folks were. Yet, some of you may find yourself in a position where you are treated unjustly.

Here’s your instruction: Treat those who are over you (your boss, your teacher, the govt.) as worthy of honor- the same word that we saw for financial support last week. This means that we place more value on them as persons made in the image of God than we do on the position or treatment that we believe we deserve. This is so that the Gospel will be represented well through you. You, as a Christian, are to reflect the Gospel through your actions… even (and especially) towards those who treat you unfairly. This is what Jesus modeled as He was brought before Pilate and eventually put on the cross.

God’s desire is that ALL would come to repentance, and this will only come as we faithfully live and teach the Gospel truth above our preference and desire for position/ better treatment.

Discuss: What temptations do you face when it comes to treating others with respect?

Secondly,

I Will Find Contentment in Godliness (3-10)

Paul gives us a picture of the false teachers. These were people who rejected the Gospel and would not listen to the truth. They had a whole lot of ego but no understanding. (You ever meet someone like that?) It reminds me of what Paul said in

Romans 1:22–23 NASB95

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Paul points out that they have an unhealthy interest in stirring up chaos and trouble among others. These folks were not content except to be one who exercised power over others and received financial gain by pretending to be bearers of truth.

We might liken these to prosperity gospel preachers or faith healers who peddle false and divisive teaching. You do not have to watch religious television too long to begin thinking that much of it is simply big business—trinkets and financial deals for blessings, money that buys prayers. It can leave a person wondering if any unbelievers who watch such dealings would ever give true Christianity a try.

They took words out of context and twisted Scripture in order to create false controversies or cause others to be suspicious of the church teachings. They advocated that they held some sort of secret truth that only they could understand. And the godliness that they advocated was all for the sake of financial gain. It did not matter how many people they deceived- the eternal consequence of their false ideology… it was about the money.

But what Paul tells us is that true godliness with contentment really is a great gain! Material gains were irrelevant when we understand that we were created with a yearning for God- money and ‘stuff’ will never fill that void.

I know that there are benefits to having money- we talked about some of that last week. And so, we must recognize that it is our love for money that is the root of all kinds of evil. Examples abound:

The business man who becomes a workaholic, neglecting his family because he is chasing after money.

The gambler who dreams about hitting the jackpot who wastes resources and loses out big in life.

The mercenary kills for cash

The pimp and prostitute sell their bodies for money...

Some even walk away from the Gospel chasing after something temporary.

Verses 11 & 12 contrast this unhealthy thinking with the command to pursue the things of God! Christian brothers and sisters, you and I must understand our source of joy and contentment is only in Jesus Christ.

Paul says to Timothy, You, man of God, flee from these evil things and pursue godliness!!

Timothy’s identity is not in being a pastor or in how much money he has. It’s not in his material accumulation. No, his identity is as a man of God! And when our identity is secure in Jesus Christ, we can only be content as we draw into Him.

As Jim Eliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Discuss: What changes do you need to make this week to be content in godliness?

Finally,

I Will Live Redeemed (12b-19)

I love this part… (Read 12)

Here’s what we need to get here: The eternal life that we are promised is not just a future hope; it is a present reality!

Now, admittedly, we will not experience the fullness of God’s Kingdom until Christ returns, but we live right now, today, REDEEMED! If you have surrendered your life to the Lord, you have already been adopted into the family of God!

Many of y’all are believers… or at least you profess to be. You were baptized before a number of folks and claim the blood of Christ. Let me ask you… do you live that way?

Paul charged Timothy in the truth and reality of the Gospel to live for Christ.

Folks, there is a God- He is the creator of all things and the One who holds and guides history. This is the God of the Bible- Yahweh, the triune God. He is one God in 3 distinct persons. Jesus Christ is the begotten son of God- fully God who took on flesh and paid the penalty for our sins on an old Roman cross. He died, rose again and ascended into heaven. And one day, He will return to gather His people and judge the world.

Whether you are poor or rich, oppressed or in charge, if you have trusted Christ, your identity is “Child of God!”

Therefore, let your identity in Christ drive your attitude. Be generous and do good unto others. Be kind and show respect. Not to earn something, but rather to live out that which is already true of you IF you are truly a Christian.

That is life for the believer.

Let us not get caught up in the worldly chatter, but rather let us cling to the Gospel of Jesus Christ- living it out each and every day.

Discuss: What does it mean to live redeemed? What does your lifestyle reflect now?