1Timothy Study #4

“Paul, the Woman-hater?”

1 Timothy 2:8-15

Study #4 in 1 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I am going to make a prophecy. Before this day is over you men are going to pat me on the back and say, “Mike, you are either one of the bravest men I have ever met, or else one of the stupidest.” And you ladies will be looking at me as if I were an axe-murderer, or as if I had done something unmentionable in public!

I am about to go where no Bible teacher wants to go. I am about to plunge into a biblical text… and Lord, please forgive me… that I could wish were not in the Bible! However, it is in the Bible, and in fact, it is smack dab in the middle of our study of 1 Timothy, so I just do not see any way around it.

TRANSITION:

We live in a time when any discussion of gender roles is met with predictable hostility. In fact, just the use of that term, “gender roles,” is enough to send some people, women and men, over the edge because they insist that that whole concept is chauvinist, misogynist, patriarchal, and totally passé.

The problem for us who are Christians is that the Bible runs counter to our culture on this matter. That should not surprise us though, because it runs counter to nearly every human philosophy, anytime, anyplace. And even if what the Bible says makes us cringe, and cramps our style, we owe it to God, ourselves, and our church to pay attention to it, and to bring our thinking and practice into conformity with it, or else we should stop calling ourselves “Christians.”

On the subject that we will be addressing in this study you need to know that there is some variation even between conservative, evangelical scholars of both genders. You also need to know that we are not going to end the debate because of my stunning treatment of this passage, as wonderful as it may turn out to be. Also, know that this discussion is not going away anytime soon. And when I get done you may be more confused than you are right now, and for that I apologize in advance.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 8: Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. 

• “Therefore.” Anytime we find this word we need to stop and figure out what it is “there for.” It always functions like a hinge, logically linking what has just been said with what is about to be stated. So, we need to look back at the preceding argument. In this context Paul has been talking about the importance of prayer. That is how he began this chapter, reminding Timothy that prayer should be offered up constantly on behalf of all men, including kings and all who are in authority. Then he narrows this down to point out the importance of prayer in all aspects of ministry, especially in evangelism. In verses 2:4-7 Paul talks about God’s desire to save sinners. But for that to happen Paul says they must deal with the Mediator, Jesus Christ. He came to give His life as a ransom for sinners and to provide a bridge to God. Then in verse 7 Paul tells us that this was exactly the message that was entrusted unto him by the Risen Christ, that he should carry the message to the Gentiles so that they could be saved. He says that he was appointed as a preacher, and as an apostle, and as a teacher of the Truth. Why? It is all about the salvation of priceless souls for whom Christ died. Everything is about winning lost people to Jesus!
• Now look again at verse 8. “Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” Paul writes this to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus at the time, a church that had more than its share of wrath and dissension, and that was affecting the church’s outreach in a negative way. No church wracked by sin and anger and arguing is going to be effective in spreading the Gospel. That is a fact! But what is the cure for wrath and dissension? PRAYER – lots and lots of prayer!
• One more thing before we move on… Up in verse 4 where he says that “God wants all men to be saved,” Paul uses the word that is non-gender exclusive. It means humankind and includes both males and females equally. However, here in verse 8 he changes and uses the Greek word for “males,” “men” specifically. Why does he do that? Let’s move on and see if we can figure it out.

Verses 9-10: Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, ¹⁰ but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.   

• So now, in the very same context, with the very same thought in mind, Paul addresses the women of the church. And he uses the Greek word that is specific to the female gender. He has already spoken about the Christian men of the church needing to exhibit by their behavior the holiness that they claim to possess. Now he takes up the related subject of what genuine holiness looks like in Christian women of the First Century church.
• First, notice that in verse 9 the subject is not clothing (outward apparel), but inner beauty that exceeds the outer beauty that many women (and men) prize so highly.
• The word “likewise” applies to the women what has already been said about the men, namely that their lives, too, should be characterized by prayer and devotion to the Gospel.
• These two verses are very similar to what we find in 1 Peter 3:3-5, “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.  ⁵ For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.” It is important to note that neither Peter nor Paul is saying that there is anything wrong with a woman using jewelry, makeup, pretty hairstyles, and lovely clothing to enhance her natural beauty. But both apostles are reminding Christian women that no amount of paint and hardware can hide bad character. As Christian men and women, our primary focus should always be on the inner qualities of godliness rather than on the outward qualities of style and fashion. So far so good! I think everyone can agree with that.
• But there is something else here, too, and that is the cultural/historical context. In many, if not most of the early pagan religions, including the Diana worship so prevalent in Ephesus where Timothy lived, women played a prominent role. For example, the worship of Aphrodite at Corinth was probably one of the most immoral in which temple prostitution was made into a religion. In all the mystery religions there were priestesses, and I believe that it is because of these common heathen practices that Paul is emphasizing that sexuality is not to enter the public prayer or worship in the services of the Christian churches. He says that when a woman is going to sing in church, to speak or pray or to have any part in a church service, she ought to keep in mind that her appeal should in no way be based on sex. She should seek to please God, and there is no way in which she can appeal to Him based on sex at all. Such appeal always characterized the pagan religions in the Roman world, and Paul is stressing that it should never be a part of Christian worship.

Verse 11: A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

• Oh boy, now we are into it! So, let’s check the KJV. Maybe that sounds better: “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection.” Oh no, that is even worse! So, what in the world are we supposed to do with this verse, or the one that follows it? 

Verse 12: But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. [i.e., in church services]

• First, I think that verses 11-12 must be looked at together because they form one thought in Paul’s mind. But what is that exactly? Well again, I believe that in this whole section Paul is dealing with the subject of “public worship” and what goes on in the public worship service of the local church. I believe that starting in verse 8 he is dealing with the conduct and appearance of those who are leading public worship. Some have concluded from these verses that Paul forbade women to speak or pray in church, but that is not true, because women praying in church is clearly implied in verse 9 and stated as fact in 1 Corinthians 11:5 so this cannot be a blanket prohibition. Rather, the point is that both men and women when involved in public worship should take care to dress modestly and appropriately, and not put on extravagant clothes that draw attention to themselves.
• But in these two verses Paul is talking about the learning and teaching of doctrine. He places this responsibility squarely on the shoulders of a select group of uniquely qualified males. Not all males, mind you, but some males. Most of the men were under the same injunction as the women; namely to learn in quiet submission.
• “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.” Some believe that Paul here prohibited only the uninstructed women of Ephesus from teaching. Other scholars see this as a general restriction for every church; that women are not to be official teachers in the assembled church. This later position is further buttressed by the phrase that follows, “…or exercise authority over a man.” [i.e., functioning in the role of overseer]
• In this egalitarian age we live in that idea does not go down very well, does it? According to our modern way of thinking we like to say that everyone is equal in every way, and everyone, men, and women alike, should have the same roles, privileges, and responsibilities. That idea is called “egalitarianism.” Unfortunately, God did not receive that memo! Remember earlier I said that as Christians, we need to accept the revealed Word of God, even when it chafes and cramps our style and clashes with our preconceived ideas? Well, this is one of those times.
• We must decide if we are going to agree that God knows what He is doing, even if we do not like it or even understand it, OR, if we are going to reject the Scriptures and rewrite them to please ourselves.

Verse 13: For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

• As support for his position Paul refers to God’s order of creation as described in Genesis 2:7-25. Adam was made before Eve, and thus has the privilege of the firstborn, a concept well accepted and understood by all ancient societies. Paul views the man-woman relationship set forth in this passage as grounded in the order of Creation. Of course, being made first does not make men superior to women in any way, but it does carry privilege to which we as modern people find it hard to relate. 

Verse 14: And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

• Here Paul gives his second argument for men carrying the lead in public worship, and that has to do with The Fall, way back in the Garden of Eden. According to the Scriptures it was Eve who was deceived, not Adam. In fact, we know that Adam sinned with his eyes wide open. According to Romans 5:12 he knew exactly what he was doing. “So,” you ask, “does that make Adam better?” NO, of course not, and Paul is not saying that either.
• He does, however, seem to argue that since the woman was deceived and then led Adam astray, she is not to be entrusted with the teaching function of an overseer (elder) in the public worship services of the assembled church.
• Again, nowadays lots of self-proclaimed “Christians” have jettisoned this view as misogynist, patriarchal, and out-of-touch with the modern world. For that reason, everywhere you look you will find women pastors, women preachers, women elders, and women evangelists. They insist that Paul was wrong and misguided, a product of his times. They say, “Surely God did not mean to communicate what Paul said. Somehow Paul went off the reservation there for a minute and just threw in a little of his own patriarchal bias.” However, I do not think so. My view of the Inspiration of Scripture does not allow me to pass judgment that way. I believe that Paul was being led by the Spirit of God to write this, even though I do not fully understand all the reasons behind it. 

Verse 15: But women will be preserved through [he uses the Greek preposition διά with the genitive case meaning through, or by instrumentality of] the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

• This is the last verse, but things are not getting any easier! What in the world does this mean? Three possible answers have been put forth over the years:

1.    Some have postulated that it speaks of the godly woman finding fulfilment in her role as wife and mother in the home. However, even in that day not all women were wives or mothers. So, are childless women just left out entirely? I do not think this is what Paul was talking about.

2.    Others say that it refers to women being kept physically safe in childbirth. But wait a minute. Even in those days lots of women died in childbirth, even Christian women. So, what kind of a promise is that if it does not seem to hold up under closer examination?

3.    Still others say that it refers to women being saved spiritually through the most significant birth of all, the birth of Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. For me, this is the best explanation of the three, and seems to me to make the most sense. I think that Paul is here referring to Genesis 3:15-16 to point to the Incarnation of Christ, the Savior of the World. Salvation came to the world through one special childbirth.

• Dr. J. Vernon McGee, in his commentary on 1 Timothy, agrees with me. He writes: “It was the sin of Eve that brought sin into the world. Now every time a woman bears a child, she brings a sinner into the world—that is all she can bring into the world. But Mary brought the Lord Jesus, the Savior into the world. So how are women saved? By childbearing—because Mary brought the Savior into the world. Don’t ever say that woman brought sin into the world, unless you are prepared to add that woman also brought the Savior into the world. My friend, no man provided a Savior: a woman did. However, each individual woman is saved by faith, the same as each man is saved by faith. She is to grow in love and holiness just as a man is.” 

CONCLUSION:

So, here is the deal… we should not read this passage as a barrier to women working and serving in the Church. Paul was not a member the of “He-Man Women-Haters Club.” While it is true that the woman was created second, and that it was the woman who fell into sin due to the seduction of the serpent, yet…

·       It was Mary of Nazareth who bore and who trained the child Jesus.

·       It was Mary of Magdala who was the first to see the Risen Lord.

·       It was four women, who of all the disciples, stood by the cross.

·       Priscilla with her husband Aquila was a valued teacher in the early Church, a teacher who led Apollos to a fuller knowledge of the truth (Acts 18:16).

·       Euodia and Syntyche, despite their quarrel, were women “who labored in the Gospel” (Phil. 4:2-3).

·       Philip, the evangelist, had four daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21:9).

·       The aged women were commanded to teach the younger women (Titus 2:3).

·       Paul held Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s mother, and grandmother, in the highest honor (2 Timothy 1:5).

·       And there are many women’s names held in honor in Romans 16.

·       Then, of course, there is Paul’s own statement found in Galatians 3:26-28, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”         

I urge you not to go off half-cocked, like so many have done, and conclude that Paul was just wrong about this subject. You do that to your own peril. God’s Word is God’s Word, whether we like it or not! I confess that I do not fully understand all the reasoning behind this teaching, but despite that, it is my understanding that in the church there are some roles and some duties that are for certain chosen men to carry out. To arrive at any other conclusion, I must do injury to the text to try and make it conform to my modern ideas rather than simply accept it and submit to it.

1 Timothy Study #3

“The Titanic Revisited”

1 Timothy 1:18 – 2:7

Study #3 in 1 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the story of the RMS Titanic, the luxurious British passenger liner that was touted as being “unsinkable,” but that on the night of 15 April 1912 sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to NY City, taking 1,517 people to their deaths.

For many years she was lost, having sunk in waters some 2½ miles deep. However, on September 1, 1985, almost 25 years to the day after the approximate site of the wreck was finally located, an expedition to the ocean floor led by Robert Ballard, an oceanographer and former Navy captain, was able to transmit images of history’s most famous shipwreck. Many of us can still remember that day as the ghostly images of the doomed ship on the ocean floor flashed across our TV sets, holding millions of people spellbound. 

TRANSITION:

I love old books and I have several that I treasure. One of them is a first edition that my father gave me. It was printed within weeks of the sinking of the Titanic, giving fascinating details taken from eyewitness accounts while the memories were still very fresh in the survivors’ minds.

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 18-19: This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, ¹⁹ keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. 

• Paul had known Timothy for many years already and had almost certainly been instrumental in leading Timothy’s mother and grandmother to Christ. Moreover, he had served as Timothy’s spiritual mentor, taking the young man with him on several of his missionary journeys and exposing him to every aspect of ministry. So close were they that Paul felt like a spiritual father to Timothy and regarded the younger man as his son. Thus, in Paul’s letters to him he addresses him as such several times, emphasizing the loving relationship that existed between them.
• “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son…” What command? In this case the command is yet to come in the last part of the verse. But before we look at that I want us to examine this word “entrust.” This is one of Paul’s favorite words. He has already used it once in this chapter, up in verse 11, and it appears many times throughout the Pastoral Epistles. In verse 11 Paul speaks of “…the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” Paul recognized that the Gospel is a precious, costly gift from God and must be defended and protected. He also recognized that he had been given the awesome privilege and responsibility of sharing that life-giving Gospel with unsaved people everywhere. Later in this letter, in 6:20, Paul impresses upon Timothy the fact that he has been entrusted with the very same Gospel and should take great pains to guard it. Paul writes: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you…” He is speaking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, here in verse 18 of chapter 1 Paul is referring to something more specific. He is telling Timothy to value and treasure in his mind and memory the prophecies that were spoken over him when he was ordained and commissioned. Apparently on that occasion there were godly prophets present who predicted that Timothy would be greatly used by God in the future and would one day have a significant leadership role in the Church.
• Paul is bringing this to Timothy’s remembrance and urging him to continue to “…fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience.” The KJV says, “…wage the good warfare.” The word Paul uses does not mean a battle but a campaign. A battle is a single event. The Christian life is a long-term campaign, a siege. Anybody can fight a battle. Paul is trying to prepare Timothy for the long-haul warfare that he will have to wage against God’s enemies. Some of those enemies are in the spirit realm, while others are in the form of people who arise to attack the work of God.
• “…which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” Did you know that a person’s faith can suffer “shipwreck”? I would guess that every single one of us can think of at least one person who in the past claimed to be a child of God and was active in the church, leading everyone to assume that he or she was a genuine believer and very dedicated to Christ. Then something happened, and now that person has apparently abandoned the faith and shows no interest whatsoever in the things of God. How do you explain this phenomenon? This is what Paul is talking about when he says that some have suffered shipwreck regarding their faith. But look at the rest of the phrase— “…which some have rejected.” What exactly have they rejected? In context Paul mentions three things: “fighting the good fight, keeping faith, and keeping a good conscience.” I already said something about this first phrase, “fighting the good [noble, pure, honorable] campaign.” But what does it mean to “keep faith”? It means to hold onto the truth even though the whole world disagrees. The Gospel includes both the aspects of believing the truth, and also obeying and living out the truth. Which leads us to the third command— “…keeping a good conscience.” If we turn away from obeying God, we always do injury to our conscience. To violate your conscience for very long will lead you to change your belief system so that you can live with yourself. That is why we say that sin is a slippery slope. Paul is warning us against reshaping our doctrine to fit our sinful practices, then proceeding to teach a false doctrine that no longer cramps our style. That is a sure-fire formula for spiritual shipwreck! 

Verse 20: Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

• “To blaspheme” means to speak or act in a dishonoring way against God or God’s work, and refers to any violation of the Third Commandment, any light and sinful use of God’s name. Paul says that these two men were doing exactly that by their speaking against the leaders and doctrines of Christ’s Church. We know next to nothing about these two guys whom Paul mentions by name, although this is probably the same Alexander spoken of in 2 Timothy 4:14 where Paul observes, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” And Hymenaeus is mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 where Paul tells Timothy, “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.” So, in Paul’s mind these two professing believers are examples of people whose spiritual lives ended up being shipwrecked, and Paul knew something about being shipwrecked. According to his testimony in 2 Corinthians 11 coupled with the story at the end of the Book of Acts about his sea journey to Rome, Paul was shipwrecked four (4) times over the course of his ministry. He knew what he was talking about.
• “…whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.” What does he mean by that? To understand it we need to see how he uses that phrase in other places. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5:5 he says the same thing about a man in the Corinthian church who was living openly in immorality, yet the elders of the church refused to do anything about it. So, Paul wrote, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” Paul was telling Timothy that these two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, just like the man in Corinth, should be excluded from the fellowship of the congregation so that they might repent and abandon their evil ways. The reference is to “church discipline” (cf. Matt. 18:17). Paul’s purpose was not punitive but curative, to cause these men to see the error of their ways and return to the Lord. Failing that, he knows that their lives will be just like the Titanic, headed for the bottom and for destruction.
• The Church of Jesus Christ is like a big tent and serves as a kind of sanctuary from Satan’s power and direct influence. Out there in the world Satan is king. So, Paul says, “Throw these guys out of the tent and let the devil chew on them for a while. Then maybe they will come to their senses and realize what they are missing.” 

Chapter 2:1-2: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 

• In the preceding verses Paul has been describing the forces that try to tear down the church. Now he turns his focus to talk about the things that will build up the church. Here in 2:1 Paul uses four different synonyms for prayer—entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings. He says that all of these should be offered up on behalf of all men but especially for kings and other authority figures.
• So, what are the differences between these four kinds of prayers?
• “Entreaties” refers to asking on behalf of our personal needs.
• “Prayers” is the normal and most used word for prayer in the NT and always refers to prayers directed toward God in reverence and worship.
• “Petitions” are intercessions on behalf of others as we bring their needs before God’s throne of grace.
• “Thanksgivings” speaks to the attitude that should permeate all kinds of prayers; namely, an attitude of gratefulness and praise to God for all that He has done for us.
• “…so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” This is interesting in that the emperor in Rome at that time was none other than old “Crazy-pants Nero,” one of the bloodiest, and cruelest leaders in Rome’s whole history. And yet, Paul tells Timothy that he and other Christians should pray for Nero “so that they might lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” Was he nuts? What was he thinking? Well, first we should pray for our leaders because their actions and policies affect the whole society. Secondly, if they do not know Christ then they are as eternally lost as anyone else, despite their power and influence. In this next verse Paul reminds Timothy that God wants all men to be saved, even a man like Nero. 

Verses 3-4: This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

• “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God…” What exactly? Praying and interceding for others, including unbelievers. According to 1 Peter 2:9 you and I are called to be priests. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Did you get that? “A royal [i.e., kingly] priesthood.” And what do priests do? They intercede before God on behalf of other people, which is exactly what you and I are called to do, for all people, including the most obnoxious people that we cannot stand to be around. 
• “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This phrase has been the cause of many theological debates because people say, “If it is true that God really wants everybody to be saved then why are there still unsaved people running around who reject His offer of salvation and thumb their noses at Him in every way possible?” That is because universal salvation is not the determinative will of God by which He rules the universe. This is where we get into some sticky theology. But perhaps the best way to clarify it is to point out the difference between the concepts of “wishing” and “willing.” From the day when God created man in His own image and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden, it was his “wish” that they would remain faithful and obedient to Him. However, He created them with free will and they used it against Him, which grieved Him and made it necessary for Him to set in motion the Plan of Salvation involving the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. On the other hand, there are occasions in the Scriptures where we see God exercising His sovereign “will,” and nothing in the world can stand against that. When God wills to do something, it gets done! In the case of this verse, it is God’s wish, His desire that all men would come freely to drink from the fountain of salvation, but He does not force them. He does not exercise His “will” to force men to be saved, because that would violate the system He set in motion. To be saved men must respond to God in faith, confessing Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and they must do it willingly, voluntarily. 

Verses 5-6: For there is one God, and one Mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. 

• This verse is hugely important! It tells us that there is only one who stands between us and Almighty God, and it is not a priest, or a preacher, or Mary, or the saints, or angels—no, it is Christ, and Christ alone. He is the only Mediator. Moreover, He is the One who gave His life as a sacrifice for us. This word “ransom” is the Greek word, antilutron, made up of anti- (a preposition meaning substitution) and the noun, lutron, (meaning the ransom of a slave). When put together it means a payment given instead of a slave—that is, in substitution for him or her. The person holding the slave accepts the payment as a substitute. Paul describes this in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us.” We were slaves to sin and thus stood condemned. Only Christ, the sinless Son of God, could pay the price to release us from that bondage.

Verse 7: For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 

• “For this” meaning for the proclamation of this glorious message. Paul uses three different words to describe his calling:
• “I was appointed a preacher” – The word means a herald, a proclaimer of a message. In 1 Cor. 1:21 Paul tells us, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” 
• “I was appointed an apostle” – This word means an envoy or an ambassador, commissioned by a sovereign king with a message and authority to declare that message.  But in a sense every Christian is called to an apostolic ministry. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 
• “I was appointed a teacher” – A teacher instructs people in things that are true. You and I are also called to be teachers of the truth. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commanded us, “Go ye into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching to obey all that I have commanded you.” We accomplish that teaching task by instructing people in the truth and by modelling the truth in our own personal lives.

CONCLUSION:

There are many things in this text that are of great importance. Let me recap four that I see:

1. The Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. We need to prepare and train ourselves for a long engagement. We need to KNOW the truth and PRACTICE the truth so that we do not end up on a spiritual reef or sandbar somewhere, shipwrecked in our faith and useless to the Kingdom of God.
2. Paul’s statement about Christ being the Only Mediator between us and God flies directly in the face of one of the most sacred teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and virtually every other religion on the planet. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me,” and He was not just joking around when He said it. There is no other WAY to God. Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Acts 4:12 clearly states, “There is salvation in no one else.” 
3. In this text Paul names the individuals who were creating problems in that local church. He was more concerned for the health of the Body than he was for the feelings of any individual. We too need to learn that lesson.
4. We need to ask God every day to show us how precious lost people really are to Him. The heart of God is evangelistic to the max! If we are not moved by the lost condition of people around us, then we have no clue what God is really like. He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The question is… do we? Really? And exactly what are we prepared to do about it?

1 Timothy Study #2

“The World’s Worst Sinner”

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Study #2 in 1 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

I am sure you are familiar with the “Guinness Book of World Records.” What you may not know is the history behind it. For example, you may not know that the Guinness Book originated in Ireland. This quote comes from an article by Alex Altman in Time Magazine dated Friday, 14 November 2008. The title of the article is, “A Brief History of Guinness World Records.”

“Like many of the records it charts, the Guinness Book was the product of a can-do spirit and the need to validate one’s pride. In 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery in Ireland, went on a hunting trip with friends. Though he considered himself an excellent shot, Beaver was unable to bag any golden plovers. Beaver suggested that the bird might be the fastest in Europe. Upon returning from the trip, neither he nor his friends were able to locate a reference book that provided the answer. The squabble triggered a marketing epiphany. Figuring that pub-goers would be grateful for a record book that settled debates and bar bets, Beaver created one. In 1954 he tapped a pair of brothers for the task: Norris and Ross McWhirter, who ran a London fact-finding agency. The idea was to distribute the book free of charge to bars in a ploy to generate publicity. The first edition, first titled the Guinness Book of World Records, debuted in 1955. It was a hit. Some 50,000 copies were reprinted and sold; demand proved so high that the book went through three more editions over the next 12 months. Over the ensuing decades, the book became a phenomenon, selling more than 120 million copies in 100 countries and in 37 languages.”

The first edition topped the bestseller list in the United Kingdom by Christmas 1955. The following year the book was launched internationally, and as of the 2025 edition, it is now in its 70th year of publication, published in 100 countries and 40 languages, and maintains over 53,000 records in its database. 

TRANSITION:

You know too that the Guinness Book publishes world records in every area you can think of, and some of them very bizarre indeed. In our text for today the apostle Paul makes a statement that, if true, would put him into the Guinness Book in the category of, “The World’s Worst Sinner.” Of course, he would have a lot of competition for that title. He would be going up against such notable heavy hitters in the sport as Adolph Hitler, Vlad the Impaler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, Ivan the Terrible, and Genghis Khan, just to name a few. But Paul assures us here in 1 Timothy chapter 1 that in his opinion, he could beat out all of them for the title and the prize. Let’s see why he would make such a claim. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 12-13: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me [lit. empowered me], because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.

• “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord…” Paul had met the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. He had heard His voice, and according to Galatians, had seen Jesus in that blinding moment. He was grateful to the Lord Jesus for His divine intervention in his life, to stop him from doing more awful things to persecute the Christians.
• “Who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service…” To what service does Paul refer? Army? Navy? Air Force? To find the answer all you need to do is back up one verse to verse 11: “…according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” The service Paul is talking about is the Gospel ministry, proclaiming the Good News wherever he could find someone to listen and urging men and women, boys, and girls, to repent, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. And in the context, specifically he is referring to the fact that the Gospel must be contrasted to the Law and legalism. The Law only reveals sin and brings condemnation. On the other hand, the Gospel brings forgiveness and freedom.
•  “…even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.” A “blasphemer” is someone who speaks against God, which Paul certainly did when he railed against Jesus, the Son of God, albeit in ignorance of who Jesus really was. He says he was also a “persecutor” because he pursued Christians like a hunter pursuing his prey. He wanted them all dead or in prison. And then thirdly he says that he was a “violent aggressor.” Paul was a bully! He acted out of personal pride and religious zeal, which is a dangerous cocktail indeed.       
• “…yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.” Is Paul trying to excuse himself? Is he trying to justify his sinful behavior? NO! He is just giving credit where credit is due. He is trying to point out that if God could deal with him in mercy after all the terrible things he had done, then surely God will offer His salvation to any sinner who comes to Him. Paul is praising God for His mercy. God certainly did not owe Paul anything, yet because Paul acted out of misplaced religious zeal, thinking he was doing right and not understanding that he was in fact doing wrong, God had mercy on him and stopped him dead in his tracks. God could have simply killed Saul. Instead, He chose to redeem him and turn him into a trophy of His grace for the entire world to see and marvel at.  

Verse 14: …and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

• Here Paul goes on to point to the mercy and grace of God that had been poured out on him by Christ. Moreover, he points again to the faith and love with which the Lord Jesus dealt with him, rather than with justice and judgment. Grace is God’s undeserved, unearned, freely given favor. Paul says that in his case this was “more than abundant,” his way of saying that God has a boatload of grace to give to sinners!
• I also find it interesting to note that Paul says that Jesus had faith in him. We do not normally think along those lines, but it is true. Look again at the verse. Paul has already said up in verse 12 that “Jesus Christ considered him faithful,” which means that Jesus had faith in Paul, not because Paul was all that, but because Jesus knew that through His empowering Paul could do anything he was asked to do. I take it that the “faith” spoken of here in verse 14 refers to the same thing. And frankly, this blows my mind, to think that God has faith in me! But should it really surprise us? After all, we have faith in our own children even though we know they are flawed and imperfect. God knows us inside and out, but He still has faith in us. 

Verse 15: It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 

• “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance…” Some Bible scholars believe that Paul here is referring to an Early Church creed (i.e., statement of faith) that was well known to him, to Timothy, and to early Christians in general. However, it may not be that at all. The word here translated as “statement” is simply the Greek word, logos, which means word or message. This message is not merely a saying but is based on the words of Christ Himself and is equivalent to the truth of the Gospel. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Paul is once again just referring to the message of the Gospel, which he now summarizes beautifully.
• “…that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This is the Gospel in a nutshell. “World” is the Greek world, cosmos, referring to the world of men, of human organization. Jesus stepped into humanity to rescue and save sinners. He came to die for the sins of humanity. He did not come to be a great teacher, although He was certainly the best teacher ever. And He did not come just to provide a moral example, although His life has been an inspiration to millions. He came into the world to save sinners.
• “…among whom I am foremost of all.” The KJV says, “…of whom I am chief.” There it is! Paul says that he is without a doubt, “The World’s Worst Sinner,” at least the way he adds up the points. When you share your testimony make sure that you do not try and tell people about how wonderful you are or about how much you have accomplished. Rather, tell them that you were a sinner, deserving of judgment, and that Christ saved you!

Verse 16: Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.   

• Some have understood the first phrase of this verse to be aimed back at Paul’s statement in verse 13 about being shown mercy because he had acted in ignorance. However, I do not agree. I believe that he is giving us a second reason why God showed him mercy—namely so that once he got saved, God could use him as an example for others to follow.
• Truthfully, I do not know that Paul really thought he was the most sinful man in the world. Probably not. I think he was trying to make a point and he used hyperbole to do it. After all the things he did in the beginning to stifle Christians and to hold back the work of the Church I think he never got over the fact that God would still show him such kindness and mercy. Notice that two times in our text Paul makes almost the same exact statement: (1) in verse 13 he says, “…yet I was shown mercy,” then (2) here in verse 16 he says again, “…I found mercy.” He just could not get over it. And I think that mercy from God was one of the things that motivated him to give his best for Christ. Also, he knew that if God could save him, as big of a reprobate as he was, then God could save anybody, no matter what they had been or done.
• “…that in me…Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe.” In other words, Paul is saying that God saved him so that He could use him in the future as an object lesson. Paul said that he was not only a preacher of the Gospel, but also an example of it. His life was proof that the Gospel saves sinners.
• “…of those who would believe.” Over 185 times in the NT the sole condition given for salvation is belief/faith/trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures. Now all those who place their faith in Jesus for salvation will be saved from the wrath to come. And to add any other condition to salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is to turn the doctrine of salvation into a works project, which the Scripture condemns (cf. Rom. 11:6; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-10; etc.).

Verse 17: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen   

• After thinking about all these things that God has done for him, Paul just cannot hold it in any longer. Suddenly he bursts out with a song of praise, a doxology of adoration and thankfulness to God!
• Who is this “King Eternal”? It is God, of course.
• And what about “Immortal”? The Greek word here means incorruptible. God is not a man with a corruptible soul and spirit and a dying body. God is sinless and holy in every way.
• How about “Invisible”? We know that God is a Spirit and does not inhabit a physical body. That is what makes the story of the Incarnation so amazing. John 1:14 tells us that this All-Powerful, Omni-Present, All-Knowing, Invisible God in the 2^nd Person of the Godhead humbled Himself, took on human form and lived among us for 33 years so that He could die on the cross to save sinners like you and me. “God became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Invisible One became Visible, Immanuel, God with us. It is mind-blowing that He would love us that much!

CONCLUSION:

I want you to take just a moment to scan back over these verses 12-17 and look for six key words. I want you to underline or jot down all the words that describe exactly how Jesus Christ dealt with Paul.

·       Verse 13 – “…I was shown MERCY.”

·       Verse 14 – “…and the GRACE of our Lord was more than abundant.”

·       Verse 14 – “…with the FAITH and LOVE which are found in Christ.”

·       Verse 16 – “…I found MERCY.”

·       Verse 16 – “Jesus Christ demonstrated His PERFECT PATIENCE.” 

In his sin, Paul found in Christ mercy, grace, faith, love, and patience. Those same things are available to every one of us today. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

1 Timothy Study #1

“Laws for the Lawless”

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Study #1 in 1 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

After both of my parents died the job fell to me to be the executor of their estate. Several years earlier my dad had asked me if I would be willing to handle that responsibility for them and of course I agreed. However, until the time came, and the mantle fell upon me I had no idea how emotionally difficult the job would turn out to be.

One day, while sifting through the minutia of their lives I found an old shoe box in the back of a cupboard. It was filled with letters that my parents had written to one another back in the 1930s and 40s when they were very young. It is a strange sensation to read those faded handwritten words and try to imagine the circumstances under which they were penned. Life back then was very different than the life I have known, and my parents were different people, not fully formed, not yet Christians, and certainly not the wise, mature people that they became. But still in all, I cherish those letters. They are personal, and funny, and endearing, yet sometimes enigmatic because I don’t know what they were going through at the time.

During the approximately 33 years between his conversion (AD 34) and his martyrdom (AD 67) the Apostle Paul wrote a lot of letters as well. Most of the 13 Pauline Epistles that God has preserved for us in His Word are letters to churches, to groups of Christians scattered throughout Greece, Macedonia, Italy, and Asia Minor. However, four of the thirteen letters were written to specific individuals: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. It is to these 4 letters that we now turn our attention.

The letters to Timothy and Titus are usually categorized as “The Pastoral Epistles.” The letter to Philemon, on the other hand, is usually included with “The Prison Epistles.” However, for our purposes we are grouping them together because of their personal nature, having been written to individuals rather than to groups of people.

These four little NT letters, although small and sometimes neglected, are still important books for the Church of our day because they deal, at least in part, with the problems of church administration. I can think of at least seven (7) good reasons why we should study these letters:

1. Because they shed practical light on the problem of how a local church should operate.
2. Because they stress sound doctrine.
3. Because they call us to consecrated living.
4. Because they answer the question, “Are religious creeds of any value?”
5. Because they give added details concerning the last years of the apostle Paul’s life.
6. Because they provide us with valuable information about the condition of the Early Church in the third quarter of the 1^st Century AD.
7. Because through these little letters God still speaks to us today.

TRANSITION:

Timothy was the pastor in charge of the church at Ephesus. However, false teaching had begun to creep into that church. Paul wrote to Timothy to warn him of these errors and to encourage him to stand firm against them, and against those who were promoting them. Furthermore, Paul wanted Timothy to see the importance of the application of the Christian message to the personal life of a disciple. Timothy may have been a bit reticent to take a stand for the Gospel and in this Paul encouraged him strongly. In addition, Paul instructed him concerning matters of church life and worship. In 1 Timothy we have a small, yet powerful package. Divided into 6 chapters, with only 113 verses, Paul gives us a lot of meat to chew on.

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 1-2: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, ² to Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

• “An apostle” Literally a “sent one.” Paul was asserting his authority as an ambassador sent by Christ.
• “…according to the commandment” This word refers to a royal order, given by a King.  He is referring to the fact that God sovereignly commissioned him. He states this fact in a powerful way in Gal. 1:1, “Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead).”
• In fact, in both Galatians and 1 Timothy Paul says that his authority came from two sources: from “God, our Savior” and from “Christ Jesus, our hope.” This might take you by surprise—saying that God is our Savior. We usually refer to Jesus as our Savior. But remember this, Jesus came to do the will of His Father. The Scriptures tell us that the Father was the Architect of the plan of salvation (cf. Luke 1:47; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). Paul speaks of Christ as “our hope” because He is the reason that we can look expectantly toward spending eternal life in Heaven.
• “…to Timothy, my true child in the faith.” Timothy was the young disciple from Lystra who travelled with Paul during his 2^nd and 3^rd Missionary Journeys. This title, “true child” is a legal expression referring to a legitimate child who possesses all the rights and privileges of membership in the family. Paul is saying to Timothy that he accepts him unreservedly. 
• “Grace, mercy, and peace” All three are gifts from God. Normally in his letters Paul just uses “grace and peace” in his greetings. Only here in the Pastoral Epistles does he add the word, “mercy.”
• Notice that there are three biblical words that are very closely related; yet each is distinct.
• “Justice” = God gives me the punishment that I deserve, i.e., my “just deserts.”
• “Mercy” = God does not give me all the punishment that I deserve to receive.
• “Grace” = God gives me gracious gifts that I do not deserve at all.

Verses 3-4: As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, ⁴ nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.   

• “…that you may instruct certain men…” This word “instruct” is a strong military term meaning to drill it into the troops until it becomes rote, muscle-memory. That requires constant repetition. Paul tells Timothy that he cannot afford to let up on this because it is vitally important.
• Specifically, Timothy is to instruct these men not to teach certain things or to get caught up in unproductive arguments. But what things specifically? Paul mentions four (4) things in verses 3-4 and two (2) more down in verses 6-7.

1.    “Strange doctrines” – Paul is not talking about UFOs or zombies or flat earth theories but about doctrines that are not part of the Christian faith that has been handed down to us. By “strange” he means foreign to sound doctrine.

2.    “Myths” (KJV, “fables”) - This is the same word used in Titus 1:14 in connection with Jewish fables.

3.    “Endless genealogies” – Paul is not talking about the current Family Tree hobby that is so popular with amateur family historians. Rather, the errors that Paul is instructing Timothy about involved the constant and unrestrained wrangling and speculation about genealogies and allegorical interpretations of the Scriptures like those found in all the rabbinical literature. Moreover, in Ephesus this was probably combined with Gnostic speculations as well.

4.    “Mere speculation” – It is fine to ask questions and even to discuss the things we are not sure of in the Scriptures, but it is better to spend our time learning and discussing the things we do know, and finding practical ways to live them out, instead of having stupid and unfruitful arguments about things like, “Can God make a rock so big that even He cannot lift it?” or “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”

• “…rather than furthering God’s provision which is by faith.” As Christians we dip into the blessings that God has promised and provided not by endlessly speculating on the things that God has not told us, but by accepting by faith and obeying the things that He has told us. The Christian life is about walking by faith, not by sight.

Verse 5: But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 

• “…the goal of our instruction is love” God is love, and love should permeate our lives and exude from every aspect of our ministry. One of the most profound comments made regarding the Early Church came from the lips of a man named Aristides, sent by Emperor Hadrian to spy out those strange creatures known as “Christians.” Having seen them in action, Aristides returned with a mixed report. But his immortal words to the emperor have echoed down through history: “Behold! How they love one another.” 
• Jesus prayed that His disciples would have this kind of love. In John 17:20-21 Jesus said this to His Father: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” But it is not enough that we love one another—we also must love the world, the way God loves the world, and we must love sinners the way God loves sinners. Only then will the world really begin to believe our report.
• Notice that this love comes from three (3) sources:

1.    Love from a pure heart = an outward focused love, that has an “others first” priority

2.    Love from a good conscience = an inward element, that sees others as deserving of the same grace we have received

3.    Love from a sincere faith = an upward look, remembering that God is the source of grace, mercy, and peace (cf. v. 2)

• N.B. without a “pure heart,” a “good conscience,” and a “sincere faith” we will never, on our own, be able to produce genuine agape love. Never! 

Verses 6-7: For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, ⁷ wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. 

• Paul does not name names here, but I have no doubt that both he and Timothy knew exactly to whom he was referring. Apparently, there were some hard-headed professing Christians in the Ephesian church who were stirring up trouble and leading other people astray.
• Notice here we have the last two “BEWARE OF” warnings. The other four were up in verses 3-4.
• Beware of those who have turned aside to “fruitless discussion,” meaning theological arguments that produce no light, just heat and smoke and a bad smell. KJV says, “idle talk.” The word he uses here means “empty chatter.” Gossip, speculation, and destructive criticism are not spiritual gifts and should never come from the mouths of Christians.
• And beware of those who make “confident assertions” concerning things about which they know little or nothing. You see, just saying something in a loud and forceful manner does not make it true. Truth is what we are after!
• Paul points out that there are lots of people who are drawn to the ministry, like flies to a carcass, because they get a thrill out of people looking up to them as authorities. He says they “want to be teachers of the Law (i.e., the Scriptures) even though they do not understand it or even what they are saying about it. In other words, they are clueless, yet that does not stop them from trying to pretend that they know what they are talking about. Paul makes it clear that Timothy needs to deal with these kinds of people when they come into the church and begin making trouble. Loveless instruction impelled by impure hearts and motives always leads to legalism. Remember: the law is good, but legalism is always bad! 

Verse 8a: But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious… 

• This is an interesting statement. “The Law is good, if we use it lawfully” (i.e., justly, correctly, judiciously the way God intended). For you see, the Law can also be used as a hammer to crush people. Hitler used the law and the legal system in Germany to accomplish all his goals. In fact, everything he did was perfectly legal, but it was still immoral and ghastly and sinful. The same is true for the Roe v. Wade ruling on Jan. 22, 1973, that legalized abortion in the United States. It resulted in the legal murder of over 63 million babies before the law was repealed in June 2022.
• “Law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious…” A truly righteous person, guided by God’s revealed Word and led by His Holy Spirit will automatically do the right, moral, and honorable thing, motivated by faith, love and kindness. Law is the fallback for those who do not know God and who do not govern their lives by His Word. Paul tells us that the proper function of the law is to make sinners aware of their sinfulness. In other words, the wicked need laws. The unrighteous require a moral compass with severe consequences to keep the fabric of our society from unravelling completely. Without law we would be left with anarchy and chaos.

Verses 8b-11: …for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers ¹⁰ and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, ¹¹ according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. 

• Paul continues with his sample list of various kinds of unrighteous people. He has already mentioned the “lawless” [= without law] and the “rebellious” [= disobedient, insubordinate].  Now he continues his horrific list with more examples of kinds of wickedness:
• “Ungodly” [literally, “a-theists,” without God]
• “Sinners” [includes sins of all kinds, a general word]
• “Unholy” [having no piety, irreligious, totally polluted inside and out]
• “Profane” [people who treat the holy things of God with contempt, mockery, and scorn]
• “Parent-killers” [a crime so heinous that there was not even a Roman law against it because no one thought it possible]
• “Murderers” [manslayers, general term for deliberate murderers]
• “Immoral” [fornicators in general]
• “Homosexuals” [sodomites/male prostitutes – cf. 1 Cor. 6:9]
• “Kidnappers” [slave-traders? sex-traffickers?]
• “Liars” [a general term for all who twist, hide, or misrepresent the truth]
• “Perjurers” [promise-breakers/vow-breakers]
• Here is where we discover that Paul is not supplying us with an comprehensive list of all the things that God hates. No, this is just a sample list, and we could add to it.  “…and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching” Paul is not singling these things out as the worst of the worst. They are just examples that come quickly to mind, but we could add things like… gossips, church-wreckers, pornographers, child-molesters, wife-beaters, forgers, embezzlers, human-traffickers, etc. His point is that all these things are “contrary to sound [i.e., healthy, life-giving] teaching.” 
• And Paul explains what he means by “sound teaching” in verse 11: “…according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” Paul says that the standard for “sound teaching” is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, given to us by God Himself. You see God’s Word is the plumb line, the straightedge that we use to test every teaching, every theory, every questionable assertion, and every kind of conduct. We measure everything against God’s Word and the Gospel. 

CONCLUSION:

Look again at the last words of verse 11: “…the Gospel…with which I have been entrusted.” In our next study we will look more closely at this word but for now just recognize that Paul sees the Gospel as a priceless treasure that has been carefully placed into his hands by Almighty God for a divine purpose. 

But was Paul the only one entrusted with this Gospel? NO! You and I have been given the same commission, to tell the Good News, to share the Gospel, to make disciples. The Gospel is not a treasure to be hoarded and hidden, but to be shared. And make no mistake, we Christians will be judged as stewards on how well we have invested what has been entrusted to us. As farmers we will be measured on how faithfully we have planted the seed and watered. As soldiers we will be evaluated on our courage under fire, or our cowardice. I, for one, do not want to stand someday before my Lord shamefaced. How about you? “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”