Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 1st Letter Volume 60

Paul Teaches Timothy to Nulify Error and Greed in the Church Part 1

1 Timothy 6:3 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;  KJV

Paul is now going to instruct Brother Timothy on how he should consider, confront, and crush error and greed that develops in the Church of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. The desire of the Apostle Paul is to see Timothy teach against those who will not submit to authority in the Church and to keep them from leavening (which is an influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something and the something here being the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ) the whole lump, that is, the whole Church with greed for material gain, so he writes this next in his letter, "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;" (1 Timothy 6:3) (KJV). When Paul begins this verse with the words, 'If any man teaches otherwise', he is referring directly to what he has just previously written in the first two verses concerning obedience and submittal to authority and now he means the authority that our Lord Jesus Christ has placed within His Church on the earth.

Those (during Paul's day) who taught that the law of Moses and its keeping was as important as the Gospel itself were those who rejected authority in the Church (the Judaizing teachers who discredited Paul the Apostle) and taught others to do the same. Paul wanted Timothy to identify where this was happening and teach the truth of the Gospel only in order to squash this false doctrine or spiritual error/cancer being introduced into the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ before it began to spread like a cancer in the human body. The little English phrase 'teach otherwise' is translated by the Greek word heterodidaskaleō meaning to instruct differently: - teach other doctrine. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning this teaching otherwise or another doctrine, "A doctrine different from what the Apostle had now taught, concerning the duty of servants to their masters; as did the false teachers, who despised dominion or government; not only civil government, and so spoke evil of rulers and magistrates; and Church government, and therefore reviled the Apostles, elders, and pastors of Churches; but family government, and encouraged disobedience to parents and masters."

When Paul writes here, 'and consent not to wholesome words', he means the words that have been taught by the Apostles Paul, Peter, John, and the others that were given to them directly from our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit which are God's Words and the words that would make up what we now know as the Bible. The English word 'consent' is translated by the Greek word proserchomai which means (figuratively) worship, assent to: The English word 'wholesome' is translated by the Greek word hugiainō which means figuratively to be uncorrupt (true in doctrine). Therefore, we see that the Apostle Paul is saying here that men and women in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ should accept and respond favorably only to doctrine or teaching in the Church of Christ that is true and uncorrupted by error or falsehood. Here is what Albert Barnes had to say concerning consenting to wholesome words by members of the Church of Jesus Christ, "Words conducing to a healthful state of the Church; that is, doctrines tending to produce order and a due observance of the proprieties of life; doctrines leading to contentment, and sober industry, and the patient endurance of evils."

When Paul writes, 'even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ', it is pretty clear that he means everything Christ taught during His 3 year earthly ministry, but also everything else he was currently teaching through the Apostles. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say concerning the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Healing doctrines - doctrines which give nourishment and health to the soul, which is the true character of all the doctrines taught by our Lord Jesus Christ; doctrines which are according to godliness - securing as amply the honor and glory of God, as they do the peace, happiness, and final salvation of man. All this may refer to the general tenor of the Gospel; and not to any thing said, or supposed to have been said, by our Lord, relative to the condition of slaves. With political questions, or questions relative to private rights, our Lord scarcely ever meddled; He taught all men to love one another; to respect each other’s rights; to submit to each other; to show all fidelity; to be obedient, humble, and meek; and to know that His kingdom was not of this world." Note: "Then why have in the past and are in the present many men over the centuries seeking to use the money that comes into the Church from the Body of Believers to build great swelling Cathedrals and Buildings that will crumble, corrupt, and collapse over time, instead of using it for exactly what Paul told Timothy to do earlier in this letter and that is to take care of widows and other parts of Christ spiritual body that are unable to care physically and financially for themselves, huh?"

Finally, when Paul writes, 'and to the doctrine which is according to godliness', he means that all the teachings of Christ Jesus our Lord were to make men and women more like God the Father and less like the sinful creatures we human beings were born to be because of Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden. The English word 'godliness' is translated by the Greek word eusebeia which means piety; specifically the gospel scheme: - godliness, holiness. The Apostle Peter wrote these words speaking of what Christ Divine Power has done for us now when we submit ourselves completely to Him, "For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by {and} to His own glory and excellence (virtue)." (2 Peter 1:3) (Amplified Bible). Here is what Albert Barnes had to say concerning the doctrine which is according to godliness, "Which tends to produce piety or religion; that is, the doctrine which would be most favorable to an easy and rapid propagation of the Gospel. The idea seems to be, that such a state of insubordination and discontent as they would produce, would be unfavorable to the promotion of religion. Who can doubt it?"

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…