1 Timotius 3:13--4:5
Konteks3:13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves 1 and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 2
3:14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions 3 to you 3:15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves 4 in the household of God, because it is 5 the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. 3:16 And we all agree, 6 our religion contains amazing revelation: 7
He 8 was revealed in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit, 9
seen by angels,
proclaimed among Gentiles,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves 10 with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, 11 4:2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars 12 whose consciences are seared. 13 4:3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4:4 For every creation of God is good and no food 14 is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. 4:5 For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
[3:13] 1 sn The statement those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves is reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching (Matt 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45) that the one who wishes to be great must be a servant (διάκονος [diakonos], used here of deacons) of all, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (διακονέω [diakonew], as in 1 Tim 3:10, 13).
[3:13] 2 sn In the phrase the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the term faith seems to mean “what Christians believe, Christian truth,” rather than personal trust in Christ. So the whole phrase could mean that others will come to place greater confidence in them regarding Christian truth; but the word “confidence” is much more likely to refer to their own boldness to act on the truth of their convictions.
[3:14] 3 tn Grk “these things.”
[3:14] sn These instructions refer to the instructions about local church life, given in 1 Tim 2:1–3:13.
[3:15] 4 tn Grk “how it is necessary to behave.”
[3:15] 5 tn Grk “which is” (but the relative clause shows the reason for such conduct).
[3:16] 6 tn Grk “confessedly, admittedly, most certainly.”
[3:16] 7 tn Grk “great is the mystery of [our] religion,” or “great is the mystery of godliness.” The word “mystery” denotes a secret previously hidden in God, but now revealed and made widely known (cf. Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 1:9; 3:3, 4, 9; 6:19; Col 1:26-27; 4:3). “Religion” (εὐσέβεια, eusebeia) is a word used frequently in the pastorals with a range of meanings: (1) a certain attitude toward God – “devotion, reverence”; (2) the conduct that befits that attitude – “godliness, piety”; and (3) the whole system of belief and approach to God that forms the basis for such attitude and conduct – “religion, creed.” See BDAG 412-13 s.v.; 2 Tim 3:5; 4 Macc 9:6-7, 29-30; 15:1-3; 17:7. So the following creedal statements are illustrations of the great truths that the church is charged with protecting (v. 15).
[3:16] 8 tc The Byzantine text along with a few other witnesses (אc Ac C2 D2 Ψ [88 pc] 1739 1881 Ï vgms) read θεός (qeos, “God”) for ὅς (Jos, “who”). Most significant among these witnesses is 1739; the second correctors of some of the other
[3:16] tn Grk “who.”
[3:16] sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
[4:1] 10 tn Or “desert the faith by occupying themselves.”
[4:1] 11 tn Grk “teachings of demons” (speaking of the source of these doctrines).
[4:2] 12 tn Grk “in the hypocrisy of liars.”
[4:2] 13 tn Or “branded.” The Greek verb καυστηριάζω (kausthriazw) can be used to refer either to the cause (“brand”) or the effect (“seared”).
[4:2] sn Consciences are seared. The precise meaning of this phrase is somewhat debated. Three primary interpretations are (1) the consciences of these false teachers are “branded” with Satan’s mark to indicate ownership, (2) their consciences are “branded” with a penal mark to show they are lawbreakers, or (3) their consciences have been “seared” (i.e., totally burnt and desensitized) so that they are unable to notice the difference between right and wrong. See G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles (NIGTC), 189.