Order in the church: 1 Timothy

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, ²To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ³As I urged you on my departure to Macedonia, you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach false doctrines ⁴or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith. ⁵The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. ⁶Some have strayed from these ways and turned aside to empty talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or that which they so confidently assert. ⁸Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. ⁹We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, ¹⁰for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching ¹¹that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. ¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service. ¹³I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy. ¹⁴And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life. ¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. ¹⁸Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith. ²⁰Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

2First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. ³This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time. ⁷For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything. ⁸Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension. ⁹Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, ¹⁰but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God. ¹¹A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. ¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet. ¹³For Adam was formed first, and then Eve. ¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression. ¹⁵Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

3This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. ²An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. ⁴An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. ⁵For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? ⁶He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil. ⁸Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money. ⁹They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰Additionally, they must first be tested. Then, if they are above reproach, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things. ¹²A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household. ¹³For those who have served well as deacons acquire for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these things ¹⁵in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

4Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, ²influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. ³They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, ⁵because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. ⁶By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed. ⁷But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness. ⁸For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come. ⁹This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance. ¹⁰To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe. ¹¹Command and teach these things. ¹²Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders. ¹⁵Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. ¹⁶Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

5Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. ³Honor the widows who are truly widows. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers. ⁶But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive. ⁷Give these instructions to the believers, so that they will be above reproach. ⁸If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ⁹A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man, ¹⁰and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work. ¹¹But refuse to enroll younger widows. For when their passions draw them away from Christ, they will want to marry, ¹²and thus will incur judgment because they are setting aside their first faith. ¹³At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention. ¹⁴So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander. ¹⁵For some have already turned aside to follow Satan. ¹⁶If any believing woman has dependent widows, she must assist them and not allow the church to be burdened, so that it can help the widows who are truly in need. ¹⁷Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.” ¹⁹Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁰But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin. ²¹I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality. ²²Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. ²³Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments. ²⁴The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later. ²⁵In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even the ones that are inconspicuous cannot remain hidden.

6All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. ²Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles. ³If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, ⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, ⁵and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain. ⁶Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. ⁹Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. ¹¹But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses. ¹³I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate: ¹⁴Keep this commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which the blessed and only Sovereign One—the King of kings and Lord of lords—will bring about in His own time. ¹⁶He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. ¹⁷Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. ¹⁸Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. ²⁰O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,” ²¹which some have professed and thus swerved away from the faith. Grace be with you all.