Root of Contentment: 1 Timothy XI

INTRODUCTION:

We have contrasted the difference between reformation and revolution. When we are confronted with great social evils, the revolutionary response is to attack the evils in such a way as to multiple the evils, and sorrows along with them. Reformation approaches the whole thing with a different heart and a different spirit.

THE TEXT:

“Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6: 1-10).

OVERVIEW:

Slaves who are in bondage need to honor their own masters (v. 1). They need to do this in order that the name of God and His doctrine not be blasphemed (v. 1). All right, the response might be, but what if the master is a Christian? (v. 2). This recognizes that there would be a tendency for a believing slave to despise a believing master, but he should go 180 degrees from what his natural tendency might be. If anyone disagrees with this teaching, and does not buy the wholesomeness of it, then certain things may be inferred about him (v. 3). He is a proud know-nothing, one who dotes on verbal wrangling (v. 4). The result of this kind of wrangling is envy, strife, railing, and imputation of evil motives (v. 4). This kind of guy gets into perverse disputes and thinks that godliness is a way to hit the jackpot (v. 5). But contentment is the best profit (v. 6). You can’t take it with you (v. 7). If we have food and clothing, we should be content with that (v. 8). Those who want to get rich are falling into a trap, and the result of falling into that trap is destruction (v. 9). The love of money is a good way to destroy yourself (v. 10).

SLAVERY:

There are two things to say about slavery here. The first is the obvious teaching of the New Testament. If a Christian were a slave or a slave master, that status did not affect his standing in the Church (Gal. 3:28). Slavery was as common in the Roman Empire as can be imagined—about a third of the population of Rome was in slavery, and about 50 million slaves in the Empire. The New Testament does not bring slave owners under discipline for the simple fact of owning slaves. But at the same time, certain principles were insisted upon—principles that would ensure the peaceful elimination of slavery over time. In the meantime, slaves were told to work honestly for their masters (Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:22-25; Philemon; 1 Pet. 2:18-20). This is the difference between revolution (violent bloodshed) and reformation (koinonia). The fact that the New Testament can attack social evils without making them automatic personal evils is a mark of its spiritual genius. But when revolution goes after such problems, it always needs a simple rule so that they know which heads to chop off.

WHY SOME DON’T GET IT:

St. Paul turns from this instruction about slavery, and works gradually into the next. And it is notable that he pinpoints a certain kind of person who is incapable of comprehending what he is saying. What is that person like? Hint: in our controversy here in Moscow over slavery, we saw no shortage of this mentality.

As we shall see, the root of all the problems here is discontent. Discontent with money, discontent with class or status, discontent with the pace at which troubles are improving. This is the heart of false teaching.

What Paul says about koinonia reformation is healthy—wholesome. But some don’t consent to it (v. 3). The false teacher’s empty head does not keep him from being full of himself (v. 4). His heart and tongue are tangled—he has questions and verbal clashes. These produce envy, quarrels, verbal hostility, and jumping to conclusions about the motives of others. These men have bent minds and hearts and so they produce bent disputes. They think that piety is supposed to be a means of personal advancement, particularly theirs (v. 5). Get away from such people. This is a wonderful picture of the rabid revolutionary of the early nineteenth century, and it is a vivid picture of some of the people we had to deal with on our slavery controversy.

DISCONTENT AND MONEY:

It may look as though Paul is changing the subject, but he is not. The subject started with Christian slaves learning contentment in that condition. Paul then turned to the turbulent and discontent spirits who reject this kind of wholesome teaching. And this kind of discontent heart always assumes that money is the ticket out.

We will be considering the subject of wealth in more detail later in this chapter, but the foundation of all right thinking here is contentment. Paul instructs the rich later; here he is instructing the discontent poor—those who want to be rich, and who are not now. Great profit is found in a combination of piety and contentment (v. 6). “Contentment” by itself is mere Stoicism, and the word used here was a common Stoic word. But our contentment is in Christ; it is coupled with godliness, with piety. Like Job, we came into the world naked, and we will leave it the same way. Hearses aren’t built with a trailer hitch for the U-Haul. Settle for, and be content with, food and covering (clothing and shelter) (v. 8). Those who don’t have wealth and who really want it are asking to be drowned in misery (v. 9). The pursuit of a false good will result in the obtaining of real evils. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Note that you can love money without having any. Money is a canker that can consume the poor as well as the rich. When men covet this, it causes them to stray from the faith, and to impale themselves on the spikes of sorrow.

And take special care how you respond to a rich man learning contentment.