1 Timothy 6.4b-5a-Paul Describes That Which Is Produced By Those Teaching False Doctrine
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday September 21, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:4b-5a-Paul Describes That Which Is Produced By Those Teaching False Doctrine
Lesson # 126
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 6:3.
The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:4b-5a describes that which is produced by those teaching false doctrine in Ephesus.
He teaches that these false teachers have a sick obsession with pointless arguments about words, which causes envy, dissension, slanders and evil suspicions.
He writes that they incessantly argue and are corrupt in their thinking and are defrauded of the truth.
1 Timothy 6:3 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, 4 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. (NASB95)
“But he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words” is composed of the conjunction alla (ἀλλά) (ah-lah), “but” which is followed by the nominative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb noseo (νοσέω) (noe-sayowe), “he has a morbid interest” and then we have the preposition peri (περί) (pe-ree), “in” and its object is the accusative feminine plural form of the noun zetesis (ζήτησις) (zeetee-cease), “controversial questions” and then we have the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” which is followed by the accusative feminine plural form of the noun logomachia (λογομαχία) (loegoe-mah-heeah), “disputes about words.”
This strong adversative conjunction alla is marking an emphatic contrast between godly behavior which obedience to Paul’s gospel produces in a believer and ungodly behavior, which is the product of false doctrine.
The verb noseo means “to possess a sick obsession” with something rather than “to have a morbid desire” since the word is a play on words.
In 1 Timothy 6:3, Paul described his teaching as “sound words.”
The word “sound” is hugiaino, which means “healthy, sound” and describes Paul’s teaching as free from error and falsehood in direct contrast to the heretical doctrine of the apostate pastors and Judaizers.
This verb describes those teaching false doctrine as mentally and spiritually ill.
It describes these false teachers in Ephesus as possessing a sick obsession with controversial issues and arguments in the sense that they possess a persistent and disturbing preoccupation with controversial issues and arguments.
The noun zetesis means “pointless debates” since the word denotes that rather than a true and sincere search for the truth, the false teachers in Ephesus were involved in argumentative debate and dialogues, which were pointless, useless and of no instructional value whatsoever.
The noun logomachia means “dispute over words” or “arguments over words.”
This word is telling us more about the previous noun zetesis, “pointless debates” in the sense that it is giving us more information about this previous noun.
“Out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions” is composed of the preposition ek (ἐκ), “out of” and its object is the genitive feminine plural form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) (oce), “which” and then we have the third person singular present middle indicative form of the verb ginomai (γίνομαι) (yee-no-meh), “arise” and this is followed nominative masculine singular form of the noun phthonos (φθόνος) (fehthoe-noce), “envy” and then we have nominative feminine singular form of the noun eris (ἒρις) (ehd-eece), “strife” and this is followed by the nominative feminine plural form of the noun blasphemia (βλασφημία) (vlass-feh-mee-ah), “abusive language” and then we have nominative feminine plural form of the noun huponoia (ὑπόνοια) (ee-poe-neeah), “suspicions” which is modified by the nominative feminine plural form of the adjective poneros (πονηρός) (ponee-yearoce), “evil.”
The relative pronoun hos refers to the false teachers’ unhealthy obsession with pointless arguments about words.
The preposition ek functions as a marker of “source” and the relative pronoun hos as a “genitive of source” indicating that the sins listed by Paul in 1 Timothy 6:4b-5a “originate from” these pointless arguments about words that the false teachers have an unhealthy obsession for.
This verb ginomai means, “to cause” indicating that the false teacher is “causing” the sins listed by Paul in 1 Timothy 6:4b-5a by possessing an unhealthy obsession with pointless arguments about words.
The noun phthonos is used here in 1 Timothy 6:4 to express the envy which makes one man grudge another something which he himself desires, but does not possess.
To envy is to feel resentful, spiteful, and unhappy because someone else possesses or has achieved, what one wishes oneself to possess, or to have achieved.
Therefore, envy originates from jealousy.
The noun eris means “dissension” which manifests itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy and is a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument.
It refers to a perverse and stubborn tendency to quarrel and dispute with people, sometimes deteriorating into bitter violent conflict or dissension.
The noun eris emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.
The word describes arguing about words because of pride and not truth and originates from envy, ambition, competition and the desire for prestige, and status in life.
The noun blasphemia means “slanders” and refers to the act of defaming someone’s character as a result of bitterness towards them.
The noun huponoia means “to have an opinion based on scant evidence, often with the implication of regarding a false opinion as true—‘to imagine, to conjecture, to suspect, to falsely suspect, to be suspicious, suspicion.’ (Louw and Nida, 31.32)
The adjective poneros is modifying the noun huponoia, “suspicions” and describes these suspicions as evil in character or contrary to the character and nature of God and His will.
It describes these suspicions as contrary to the character and nature of God and His will as revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God.
1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. (NASB95)
“And constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth” is composed of the nominative feminine plural form of the noun diaparatribe (διαπαρατριβή) (theeah-patah-tree-vee), “constant friction” and then we have the genitive masculine plural perfect passive participle form of the verb diaphtheiro (διαφθείρω) (theeah-fearowe), “of depraved” and this is followed by the genitive masculine plural form of the noun anthropos (ἄνθρωπος) (ahn-throe-poce), “between men” and then we have the articular accusative masculine singular form of the noun nous (νοῦς) (noose), “mind” and this is followed by the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” which is followed by the genitive masculine plural perfect passive participle form of the verb apostereo (ἀποστερέω) (ahpoe-steh-rehowe), “deprived of” and then we have the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun aletheia (ἀλήθεια) (ahlee-theeah), “the truth.”
This term diaparatribe means “incessantly argue” indicating that the false teacher’s unhealthy obsession with pointless arguments about words causes not only envy, dissension, slanders and evil suspicions but also “incessant arguments.”
In 1 Timothy 6:5, the noun nous means “mind” and specifically refers to the particular manner or way of thinking.
It denotes an attitude, practical reasoning or intellect that enables a person to arrive at a conclusion regarding a matter.
By possessing an unhealthy obsession with pointless arguments about words, these apostate pastors who were teaching false doctrine were corrupting their intellect.
In other words, they were destroying their ability to arrive at a conclusion regarding the will of God.
They were corrupting their ability to think according to God’s standards and possess divine viewpoint.
In 1 Timothy 6:5, the verb diaphtheiro means “to corrupt” and is modifying the noun nous, “mind.”
The term denotes that the intellectual capacity of the false teachers to comprehend the will and ways of God has been adversely affected in that they are no longer thinking according to the will of the Father as a result of rejecting the gospel and thinking according to the lies of Satan’s cosmic system.
The word denotes that they are morally degenerate in that they are no longer thinking according to the will of God, which is revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God, and specifically the gospel, which Paul taught.
In 1 Timothy 6:5, the verb apostereo means “to defraud” since this English word accurately conveys its idea.
The idea of this verb is that these false teachers have been defrauded of the truth of the gospel by deception.
The participial clause that follows, namely, νομιζόντων πορισμὸν εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν, “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain” presents the means by which they were deceived.
They were deceived by Satan and their sin nature that godliness was a means of financial gain.
The noun aletheia means “truth” and refers to the revelation of the Father’s character, ways and will.
Therefore, the word refers to the truth of God in an objective sense as a body of knowledge containing the revelation of God’s character and nature, His ways and His will for His children.
Specifically, aletheia is a synonym for the gospel.
Therefore, the word refers to the content of Paul’s teaching that appears in exhaustive detail in the main argument of the Romans epistle in Romans 1:16-15:13.