Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 1st Letter Volume 62

Paul Teaches Timothy to Nulify Error and Greed in the Church Part 3

1 Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.  KJV

Paul now in continuing his discourse to Brother Timothy about such evil stirrings in the Church of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ now declares to him what should be his response to such men or women in the Church who continue to stir up strife and envy and jealousy by writing these words, "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." (1 Timothy 6:5) (KJV). In some strange way many readers of the Word of God and even many well meaning Christians have concluded that our Lord Jesus Christ wants us (His redeemed children) to grit our teeth and put up with any person, even the persons that are causing us nothing but trouble, trials, and tribulation, however, we forget these Words that came straight from the mouth of the most forgiving, loving, and caring man to ever walk the earth when He spoke to the Apostles then concerning the Jewish rulers, "Then the disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were displeased {and} offended {and} indignant when they heard this saying? He answered, Every plant which My Heavenly Father has not planted will be torn up by the roots. Let them alone {and} disregard them; they are blind guides {and} teachers. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch." (Matthew 15:12-14) (Amplified Bible). In other words, we are not to love our enemies to the point where it causes us hurt or harm, the sensible and reasonable and logical thing to do is to leave them alone and go about our own business excluding them, which is exactly what the Apostle Paul is telling Timothy here to do.

The Apostle uses the little English phrase 'Perverse disputings' in verse 5 to further describe the things that go on within these circles and it is translated by the Greek word paradiatribē (again another of these words used one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning  misemployment, that is, meddlesomeness: - perverse disputing. In other words, continuing with his description of these people from verse 4, Paul declares here that their disputing over words are done so with the wrong purposes, that is, used incorrectly or in a faulty way or manner and even done so without the request from others, that is, in an intrusive manner. It also carries with it the meaning that it is continued or continual disputes, disagreements, and disruptions that constantly cause friction and arguments. No wonder these type of people often twist the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ because they don't humble themselves and ask the Author of the Word of God (God the Holy Spirit) (1 Corinthians 2:13) to illuminate His Word to them that they might give it out to the world in complete confidence that it is the Will and Word of God. Paul goes on further to describe these men as those with corrupt minds and the English word 'corrupt' is translated by the Greek word diaphtheirō meaning to rot thoroughly, that is, (by implication) to ruin (passively decay utterly, figuratively pervert): - corrupt, destroy, perish. The English word 'minds' is translated by the Greek word nous meaning the intellect, that is, mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling, or will); by implication meaning: - mind, understanding.

In other words, their minds will not receive the truth of the Word of God, therefore, they twist it to fit their own corruptions unwilling to receive guidance and correction from the Word and so they dispute over words from the Bible and make others see things in the word of God that are not there and are not meant by our Lord Jesus Christ, thus, we have a full blown health, wealth, and prosperity Gospel that has made its way into every continent on planet earth, remember what the Apostle Peter said about such people warning them then and us now, "And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (that which is conducive to the soul's safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him, Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist {and} misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures. Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless {and} wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind]." (2 Peter 3:15-17) (Amplified Bible). Here is what Dr. John Gill said about those disputers with corrupt minds, "Who being corrupt in their principles, and corrupters of the Word of God, dispute in a very froward and perverse way, rubbing and galling one another, and so provoke, to wrath and anger, and, every evil work." When Paul writes here, 'and destitute of the truth', he is saying that these people once knew the truth, yet they chose to turn their backs on the truth and take heed or listen to fables and this is what then and now has caused many men and women to use the Gospel (the saving grace and power of God) as a means to get temporal earthly treasure that has an expiration date attached to it, instead of standing for the truth of the Gospel no matter the earthly cost or sacrifice it brings.

When Paul continues on and writes, 'supposing that gain is godliness', he means that these men and women have made the acquiring of earthly things such as houses, cars, jewelry, clothes, etc. as the measure of their closeness to God the Father, for if they have gained all these things in abundance, then surely they are being blessed of God, but the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Ephesian believers back then about what the blessings they and we have 'in Christ' during the period of the Church and Grace, "May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us {in Christ} with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!" (Ephesian 1:3) (Amplified Bible). The acquisition of earthly wealth is not the measure of a persons or a Churches godliness or closeness to God the Father. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning gain being godliness, "Such were Simon Magus and his followers, and other false teachers, who made merchandise of men, looked everyone for his gain from his quarter, and acted as if there was nothing in religion but worldly profit and gain; these served themselves, their own bellies, and selfish interests, and not the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul tells Timothy to do this with these people, 'from such withdraw thyself', and here it is clear what Paul means and that is to remove one's self from such people who believe this gospel of gain and in turn teach it to others, Here again is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning withdrawing from them, "Do not come near them; have nothing to do with them; do not lay hands on them, or admit them into the ministry; do not suffer them to preach, or encourage them by hearing them: if in the Church, cast them out; have no communion with them, neither in a civil nor in a religious way; avoid all conversation with them." 

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…