An old woman seen from behind, seated on a low stool in a small bare room at first light, her hands folded in prayer, a clay lamp still burning on the sill of an unglazed window.

The Book of

1 Timothy 5

Paul shows Timothy how to treat the church as a family: fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, widows and elders.

25 verses≈ 4 min1 personBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

Tap any post to go deeper

In this chapter

Where we are

1Sound teachingFalse teachers and the grace of Christ
2–3God's householdPrayer, worship and its leaders
4A good servantTrain yourself for godliness
5–6:2The church familyWidows, elders and slavesChapter 5
6:3–21True richesContentment and the good fight

Reproof and Respect

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

1 Timothy 5:1–2

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Honoring True Widows

Honor the widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

Paul

But refuse to enroll younger widows. For when their passions draw them away from Christ, they will want to marry, and thus will incur judgment because they are setting aside their first faith. At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.

So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander. For some have already turned aside to follow Satan.

If any believing woman has dependent widows, she must assist them and not allow the church to be burdened, so that it can help the widows who are truly in need.

Who cares for a widow?

Whiteboard

Paul’s plan is practical and kind. A widow’s children and grandchildren care for her first, learning “to show godliness to their own family.” A believing woman helps the widows in her own home. That leaves the church free to care for the widow who is truly alone, whose hope is in God.

Question

Quick question

Paul wants every widow in the church cared for, and he begins close to home.

Who does Paul say should care for a widow first?

Honoring Elders

Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

An ox with its mouth free treading sheaves of wheat on a round stone threshing floor in late-afternoon sun, chaff in the air, a farmer seen from behind with a wooden fork.

For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.

Reflect

Honor those who teach you

Paul asks the church to honor those who “work hard at preaching and teaching.” Who has opened God’s Word to you faithfully: a pastor, a teacher, a parent, a friend? How could you thank them, pray for them or help carry their load this week?

A Charge to Timothy

I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.

Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

A fig tree heavy with ripe fruit beside a stone wall on a quiet country path at dawn.

The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even the ones that are inconspicuous cannot remain hidden.

0:14

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Pray

Seen by God

Thank God that He sees what others miss: the quiet prayers, the meal carried to a parent’s door, the kindness no one noticed. Even the good deeds that are inconspicuous “cannot remain hidden.” Ask Him to make you a faithful member of His family, honoring the old, caring for the alone, and, as Paul tells Timothy, “Keep yourself pure.”

You’ve experienced

1 Timothy 5

0 of 6 chapters read

A verse to carry with you

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

1 Timothy 5:1–2

or swipe left