Day 347 Reading Schedule: 1 Timothy 4-6

1 Timothy 4: Warning Against False Teachings and Paul's Advice 

[Overview]
This chapter introduces guidelines for proper pastoral care. This is a personal advice to Timothy, but it is also a guideline for all pastors today. Paul warned that in the last days, apostasy would occur and false teachers would follow. The false teachers of Paul's time were deeply steeped in asceticism, such as abstaining from marriage and eating plants. In order to counter these, he teaches that a reliance on revelation, self-control, theoretical Bible study, and spiritual training are necessary. And Paul teaches that Timothy must continue to strive for his own progress and do his best in the ministry of spreading the word in order to prevent the danger of apostasy. Even today, there are many groups that spread false gospels and deceive believers. In order to prevent your flock from being deceived in this situation, you must follow Paul's advice in this chapter. The content can be divided into warnings against false teachers (verses 1-5) and workers of Christ (verses 6-16).

1 Timothy 5: The Attitude of Pastors toward the Saints 
[Overview]
Having discussed the basic attitude that pastors should have in the previous chapter, Paul now presents pastoral answers to various problems that arise in the church. Among them, he focuses on how to treat people of different status and age. The content of this chapter is about pastoral administration and the attitude of pastors, but its essential content can be said to be a recommendation for church order. This chapter assumes that each group of the church should be treated like family members, and is composed of three paragraphs: attitude toward men and women, young and old, attitude toward widows, and attitude toward elders. This chapter selects widows and elders as the two groups of church members that should be most careful about. It also teaches that the faults of the saints should be clearly rebuked, and that such rebukes should be based not on human judgment but on the Word of God and the spirit of love. The content can be divided into recommendations for church order (verses 1-2), attitude toward widows (verses 3-16), and attitude toward elders (verses 17-25).

1 Timothy 6: Fight the Good Fight of Faith 

[Overview]
This chapter continues the discussion of human relationships in the church discussed in Chapter 5, then deals with church issues, and finally concludes with a command to Timothy as an individual and a conclusion. First, it deals with obedience to one’s master (verses 1-2). This is a lesson from the situation of the early church when slavery existed, and it discusses the principles of obedience and love toward two classes in conflict, and is in line with Ephesians 6:5-9. Next, it deals with pride and greed that the godly must refrain from (verses 3-10), and it includes personal advice from Paul, a senior pastor, to Timothy, a junior pastor (verses 11-16), and it also mentions the practical faith that the rich should have (verses 17-19), giving a lesson to the rich who are prone to becoming complacent in reality. Finally, it ends with an informal greeting (verses 20-21).