Глава VI

About slaves (1–2). Against the desire for enrichment (3–16). Exhortations to the Rich (17–19). Conclusion of the message (20–21). 1 Timothy 6:1. Slaves who are under the yoke must consider their masters worthy of all honor, so that there is no blasphemy against the name of God and the teaching. 1 Timothy 6:2. Those who have faithful masters should not treat them carelessly, because they are brothers; but we must serve them all the more because they are faithful and beloved and do good to them. Teach and exhort this. The Apostle does not go against the relations established in society, according to which the entire society was divided into masters and slaves. He exhorts Christian slaves to obey their masters and show them respect, so that the Christian teaching is not discredited in the eyes of the pagans, as if leading its followers to the destruction of relations recognized by the laws of the state. Christian slaves have reason to serve their Christian masters with even greater zeal, because these latter, of course, treat their slaves with love. Wed. 1 Cor 7:21–22. 1 Timothy 6:3. Whoever teaches otherwise and does not follow the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching of godliness, 1 Timothy 6:4. he is proud, knows nothing, but is infected with a passion for competition and word disputes, from which envy, strife, slander, and crafty suspicions arise. 1 Timothy 6:5. Empty disputes between people of damaged minds, alien to the truth, who think that piety is for profit. Stay away from such people. There are people who imagine the task of Christianity differently. They think that Christ came to change the socio-economic order of life ("as if godliness were for gain" v. 5). But to speak this way about Christianity means not to understand it at all. Why do others express such thoughts? Because they have strayed from the true path and become damaged in their minds. Here we have a clear refutation of the idea that Christianity and socialism are one and the same. 1 Timothy 6:6. It is a great gain to be pious and contented. 1 Timothy 6:7. For we have brought nothing into the world; It’s obvious that we can’t take anything out of it. 1 Timothy 6:8. Having food and clothing, we will be content with that. No, Christianity wants to make people pious and happy with their situation (cf. Matthew 6:33). And in fact, just as we did not bring anything with us into earthly life - no property, so we will not take anything with us when we die. Why be overly interested in acquiring something that is only of temporary value? It is enough for us if we have only the essentials for existence. “Food and clothing” are symbols of everything necessary for existence. 1 Timothy 6:9. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts that plunge people into disaster and destruction; 1 Timothy 6:10. for the root of all evil is the love of money, to which some have abandoned the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows. The one who decided (“and those who wish” – οί δε βουλόμενοι) to acquire wealth for himself is exposed to various kinds of temptations; Various lusts awaken in him, leading a person to moral destruction. Many who strived for enrichment have already abandoned the faith, because wealth pushed them onto a different path - they began to freely satisfy all their, often unclean, desires. 1 Timothy 6:11. But you, man of God, flee from this, and advance in righteousness, piety, faith, love, patience, meekness. Timothy, as a Christian, stands in close communion with God ("man of God"). Therefore, his only wealth is in God - he has nothing to look for money for. His desire should be aimed at acquiring the virtues that Ap. Paul counts six here. “Truth” is generally the correct attitude towards God and people (Matthew 5:20). “Piety” – reverence for God. “Faith” – as consoling in all sorrows and expressed in firm confession. “Love” – through which faith is revealed. “Patience” – which manifests itself in enduring suffering. “Meekness” - when a person even accepts insults without grief. 1 Timothy 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called and have made a good confession before many witnesses. Faith, which itself has already been born not without a struggle in man, requires for its confirmation also a struggle against various temptations. The reward for such a struggle, which is the object of aspiration for every good Christian, will be eternal life, to the achievement of which Timothy was called through the Gospel and the desire to receive which he testified upon his entry into the Church, accepting St. baptism, in the presence of many witnesses who heard the confession of faith read to him. The Apostle calls this confession “good” or beautiful, as expressing a clear conviction in the existence of afterlife bliss with Christ. 1 Timothy 6:13. Before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, Who bore witness to the good confession before Pontius Pilate, I command you 1 Timothy 6:14. to keep the commandment purely and blamelessly, even until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, In order to further strengthen Timothy in unswerving piety, the apostle places him before the face of God Himself, who gives life to everything and is therefore able to restore to His servant the life that he might lose for a firm confession of faith. The Apostle places Timothy before the face of Christ, who before the unbelieving Pilate firmly declared His confession of Himself as the Son of God. In the end, the apostle points out to Timothy that he must keep the commandment given to him by the apostle until the very appearance of Christ on earth. Some say that the apostle here refers to the death of Timothy (Polyansky), but such an understanding seems very inappropriate to the direct meaning of the expression: “even before the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The idea of ​​the possibility of living to see the second coming of Christ was not alien to the apostle. See Col 3:3–4; 1Sol. 4:17. 1 Timothy 6:15. which in due time the blessed and only mighty King of kings and Lord of lords will reveal, 1 Timothy 6:16. the only one who has immortality, Who dwells in the unapproachable light, Whom no man has seen and cannot see. Honor and eternal power to him! Amen. The appearance of Christ will take place at its own time, determined by God (cf. Acts 1:7). God is called here “blessed” in contrast to earthly rulers, who are often forced to undergo various kinds of suffering. He is the only strong one (δυνάστης), because, strictly speaking, all other rulers on their own, without God, are powerless (Ps 145:3) and are completely dependent on God. Along with all people, they are subject to the law of death, from which only God is free. He is the “one immortal” in the proper sense of the word, by virtue of His own nature: all other living beings, even Angels, have immortality, which they received at their origin from God. You cannot approach God and see Him - of course, with ordinary eyes (a visionary vision of God is not meant here). The apostle says all this in order to convince Timothy to endure with firmness any trials that God sends him, and especially to convince him not to be afraid of earthly rulers, who are nothing before God. 1 Timothy 6:17. Advise the rich in this age not to think highly of themselves and to trust not in unfaithful wealth, but in the living God, who richly gives us everything for our enjoyment; 1 Timothy 6:18. so that they do good, become rich in good deeds, be generous and sociable, 1 Timothy 6:19. laying up for yourself treasure, a good foundation for the future, in order to achieve eternal life. Here the apostle addresses those who have already become rich. Such people should not be proud of the wealth they have acquired, but humbly realize that their wealth is a gift from God. They should not see wealth as something lasting: wealth is untrue, that is, it soon disappears. True wealth, or, more correctly, contentment, is given only by God, who often sends people even something superfluous to what is necessary so that they can sometimes find pleasures in life for themselves, of course, completely innocent ones (cf. Acts 14:17). The rich should take care that others live well and share their means with the poor: through this they prepare for themselves the treasure of eternal life (cf. Matthew 6:20, 19:21). 1 Timothy 6:20. Oh, Timofey! keep what is devoted to you, turning away from worthless idle talk and the contradictions of false knowledge, 1 Timothy 6:21. which, having given themselves over, some have wandered away from the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. The apostle concludes his epistle with an invitation addressed to Timothy so that he would preserve the pure gospel teaching handed down to him, turning away from empty disputes, which have already led some to fall from the faith (see 1 Tim. 1:4-7). You might be interested in: