“Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. Some people’s sins are obvious, preceding them to judgment, but the sins of others surface later. Likewise, good works are obvious, and those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden.”
We are going to wrap up chapter 5 with these last three verses. Although I spent an entire blog post on verse 23, it was more on a false teaching prevalent today than the verse itself, so I will look at that verse first.
At first glance, verse 23 seems to be out of place in Paul’s instructions to Timothy on how to select and discipline elders. But in verse 22, Paul tells Timothy, “Don’t be too quick to appoint anyone as an elder, and don’t share in the sins of others.” He ends with, “Keep yourself pure.” A. Duane Litfin writes in his commentary 1Timothy, “Perhaps Timothy was inclined to an asceticism which associated purity with total abstention (cf. 4:3-5), which in turn led in Timothy’s case to stomach ailments and frequent illnesses, perhaps due to the poor quality of the water he drank.” Paul is concerned about his protege’s health and wants to encourage him in moderation in this.
We still see this same question in the Church today. Is it okay to drink alcohol? Throughout church history, moderate alcohol consumption has always been accepted. The very first miracle of Jesus was turning the water into wine at the wedding of Cana. Complete abstinence among church denominations is a relatively new development in church history, starting with the Holiness movement in the United States in the mid-1800s. This group of evangelical Christian denominations believe in a holiness theology that demands total abstinence rather than temperance. Some of these restrictions are loosening, but I know that when I worked with our youth group at a Christian and Missionary Alliance church (one of the holiness denominations) thirty years ago, I signed a pledge saying that I would not drink alcohol. I do not drink, so this was not a problem for me. I do not believe that this is a pledge that the C& MA churches have volunteers sign anymore.
But what does the Bible say? Of course I already alluded to Jesus’ first miracle. The Bible talks about both the pleasures of drinking wine and gives warnings about drunkenness. Looking through the verses, there are far more warnings against drunkenness and strong drink. Perhaps this is because God knows our sinful hearts and our proclivity to excess in so many things.
So is it okay to drink alcohol? The Bible does not condemn it. But there are also many warnings about drinking too much. It is up to each believer to decide for themselves. Paul has helpful words in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but I will not be mastered by anything.” His words later in his letter to the Corinthians are also beneficial. He is writing to them about eating food sacrificed to idols. He tells the believers that because the idols are not really gods, and there is only one true Lord, he writes, “All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him” (8:6). He goes on to say that not everyone has this knowledge. “But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak” (v. 9). In the same way, if your drinking is going to cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble, it is better not to do it in front of them.
One last point on this. Paul never forbids drinking in his letters, only excessive drinking. In the requirements for elders, he should not be “an excessive drinker” (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7). A Deacon should not drink “a lot of wine” (1 Timothy 3:8). The older women that Paul writes about in Titus 2 are not to be “slaves to excessive drinking” (v. 3). Drinking alcohol is not forbidden, excessive drinking is. Some people will have a hard time drawing the line at what is acceptable and what is excessive. Abstinence may be the best option for them. For others, they may choose to drink “wine that makes human hearts glad…” (Psalm 104:14) provided by our good Father. But whatever we do, we are to do it with thanksgiving. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
After the brief interlude about Timothy’s health, Paul goes back to instructions on picking elders in verses 24 and 25. Verse 24 is really a continuation of verse 22. Paul, in that verse, warns Timothy not to be too quick to appoint anyone as an elder. He goes on to tell him that some people’s sins are obvious, but some people’s sins are not as clear. It is important to take the time to get to know the person before appointing them to a leadership position.
Paul uses the phrase “preceding them to judgment” here in verse 24. Their sins are obvious; we will see them before the final judgment. I looked up the word “judgment” used here in my new Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. This is the entry. “Judgement in a judicial sense: judgement given, sentence pronounced (Jn 5:30; 2 Pe 2:11; Jude 9). Specifically: sentence of punishment or condemnation, e.g., to death (Ac 8:33). Usually implying also punishment as certain consequences (Mt 23:23; Mk 3:29; Jn 3:19; 5:24, 29; 1 Ti 5:24; Heb 10:27; Jas 2:13; 2 Pe 2:4; Rev 16:17; 18:10; 19:2).”
This is the question that I am wrestling with as I write. Is Paul warning Timothy against appointing elders who are false teachers? The word judgment used here is the judgment seat of Christ, where He will give a sentence of punishment for those who are not clothed in His righteousness. Paul warns Timothy very strongly that some elders/ overseers are not what they seem. He had already warned him about the false teachers in Chapter 4. Now he reminds him that some people’s sins are not obvious, just as some false teaching is very subtle. One of my favorite Spurgeon quotes is “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”
Today, just as it was in the early church, it is important to take time in selecting elders and pastors for the church. Outward appearance, personality, and charisma are not good reasons for picking a leader! Paul’s warning of not picking a new convert (3:5) is important. A church in search of a new pastor should take the appropriate time and measures in selecting a pastor and in appointing elders. Andreas J. Köstenberger writes in 1-2 Timothy, Titus, “A more deliberate course of action will allow time to bring a person’s real character to light. This will remove the need for discipline at a later time (vv. 19-20).”
Lastly, Paul writes that just as some sins are obvious, and some surface later, good works can be obvious, and some are more subtle. But good works will not remain hidden forever. There are people whose good works are obvious, but there are many more who are working behind the scenes, quietly, not getting any notice by those around them. But eventually, their good works will also be exposed. There are many people who are working in the church today, not for the approval and applause of man, but for the glory of God.
These last verses on elders are Paul’s last words to Timothy on how to appoint the leadership of the church. He warns him that some sins are obvious, and some are hidden. In the same way, some good works are obvious, and some are not. Litfin writes, “Thus Paul emphasized the difficulties inherent in choosing qualified candidates for the ordination. Hasty, superficial assessments, whether positive or negative, are sometimes inaccurate, leading to the enlistment of unqualified men or the overlooking of those whose fine qualities are less obvious.”
And on those wise words, not just for leadership, but for any relationship, I will end this post.
Grace be with you!
