SCRIPTURE
17As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,19thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. 20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; 21by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. Grace be with you. (1 Timothy 6:17-21, NRSV)
WHAT
Paul finishes his letter to Timothy by completing a thought he began two passages ago regarding what his young protégé is to teach those who are rich with money. Between that passage and this one, he had interjected words of exhortation to Timothy himself. But now he returns to the subject of wealth. Here is the advice to the rich condensed together. It makes more sense when read together this way:
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. … As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17-19, NRSV)
Every congregation, modern and ancient, is going to have some people who have more money than they “need” to survive (not more money than they “want.” See the Rockefeller quote from earlier!) That money can get them into trouble and actually rob them of the contentment they seek, or it can help them store up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. What actions and attitudes make the difference? The answer to that very practical question is what Paul urges Timothy to teach in Ephesus.
First up, Paul tells Timothy:
As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (1 Timothy 6:17, NRSV)
The Greek word translated “haughty” by the NRSV is hypsēlophroneō, which is made up of two parts. The first part, hypsēlos, means high, lofty. The second part, phrēn, refers to the mind, the faculty of perceiving and judging. Together, the word means to set the mind on high and lofty things, such as honors and riches, and thereby to think of oneself too highly, to be proud in the negative sense.
It is easy for people of wealth to think of themselves this way, to look down as “less than” those people who are poor in regard to material things. “Teach them, ‘Don’t do that’!” Paul says. Nothing in this world gives anyone the right to look down on another person, least of all the possession of wealth which can be here today, gone tomorrow. Paul urges Timothy to teach his flock that in the end, as countless people throughout history have learned, riches are very uncertain. Not only can you not take your money with you when you die, as N. T. Wright reminds us pointing to verse 7, you can’t even be sure you’re going to keep it while you’re alive! Just ask anyone who has lost their life savings through investment losses or scams. Money is not reliable; only God is. Money comes and money goes; God does not. Money can’t be relied upon. “Even those who have plenty of it discover all too soon that it doesn’t buy them contentment (back, again, to verse 8),” says Bishop Wright.
From his earlier passage, we recall that Paul views money as neither good nor evil in itself. It is simply a technology invented by humans to facilitate trade. It is the love of money, Paul says; the chasing after more money, the making of money an idol, that is the root of many evils. Money can be used to accomplish much that is good. Christians through the ages have used their money to build hospitals and neighborhood health clinics, schools and universities, churches, etc. People with wealth have been patrons of the arts, thereby sharing with all humanity beautiful symphonies, exquisite sculptures, and wonderful paintings, and so on. They have funded research, especially medical research. That’s why Paul urges Timothy to teach:
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (1 Timothy 6:18-19, NRSV)
“Teach the rich to be rich in good works,” Paul urges.
Notice that Paul does NOT tell Timothy to teach that rich people are to give away all their money. Jesus did once tell a man with many possessions to do that. To this young man who had asked him what he must do to inherit the life of the kingdom, Jesus looked at the young man whom he loved, and said:
“You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21, NRSV)
In this particular instance, Jesus could see that his wealth had enslaved this young man and it was what stood between him and the life that really is life. But he wasn’t laying down a general principle that everyone, everywhere, in every time must give away all that they own. That is clear from what Paul does not tell Timothy. The rich are not commanded to give away everything they own, but instead to be rich in good works, to use their wealth to do good, not simply to “buy more stuff” chasing after contentment.
Some folks are bothered by verse 19:
…thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (1 Timothy 6:19, NRSV)
Is Paul suggesting that the good use of money is sort of a way to buy God’s favor? Is Paul, the most ardent defender of justification by faith, now teaching works righteousness? Or is this perhaps more evidence that Paul did not right this letter? No, none of these. Bishop Wright points out:
“The New Testament is clear from start to finish that the eventual goal of our pilgrimage will be in accordance with the life we have led. We are assured of that goal from the very start, from the moment we come to faith; that is part of what ‘justification by faith’ is all about. But then, because God’s Spirit is at work within us, we are commanded to live our lives in accordance with the new world we have already entered by faith. When we reach the goal, the risen and glorious life in God’s new world, we will discover that the life we have led in the Spirit, in obedience to God, is indeed preparing and shaping us for that new world.” (Emphasis mine)
When we live the life of the world to come, the life that really is life, when we come to the end of our time on earth, we discover that the life of the kingdom that we lived on earth just continues on in that new world. This is true whether we are materially rich or not. But when the rich use their wealth for good, when by faith they share it generously and use it to support the purposes of God’s new world, their action simply becomes part of the new world they go on living. “The end in view,” says Bishop Wright, “is ‘the life which really is life’, as opposed to the life of the present age, which is a bare shadow of that which is to come.” William Barclay notes the old adage, “What I kept, I lost; what I gave, I have.” As Luke tells us in Acts, quoting an otherwise unknown saying of Jesus, in time and in eternity:
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
Paul ends this letter with another personal word to Timothy:
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. Grace be with you. (1 Timothy 6:20-21, NRSV)
Recall that the name “Timothy” literally means “one who honors God.” Paul is urging his trusted assistant to live up to his name by guarding what has been entrusted to him, despite all the stresses and pressures of leadership, especially in a difficult church. The Greek word translated by the NRSV as “entrusted” is parathēkē, which literally means a deposit such as you would place in a bank or give to a friend. “When such money was in time demanded back,” notes Professor Barclay, “it was a sacred duty to hand it back in its entirety.” Sometimes children were called a parathēkē, a sacred trust. Picking up on that thought, Professor Barclay goes on to say:
“We do well to remember that our duty is not only to ourselves but also to our children and our children’s children. ...We are not only the possessors but also the trustees of the faith. That which we have received, we must also hand on.”
When Paul tells Timothy, “Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge (GREEK: gnosis),” we can clearly detect a reference to the Gnosticism espoused by some of the Ephesian elders and their supporters (see Background commentary for more on Gnosticism). With their ideas about endless emanations of divinities from the True God down to creation, and with their endless genealogies and theological myths, there was no end to their “profane chatter and contradictions.”
Professor Barclay writes of the Greek philosophical school – a very influential school – called the Academics. The Academics held that, in the case of everything in the realm of human thought, you could by logical argument arrive at precisely opposite conclusions. Therefore, there must not be any such thing as absolute truth; there were always at least two hypotheses of equal weight. They went on to argue that, this being so, the wise will never make up their minds about anything but will hold themselves forever in a state of suspended judgment. “The effect,” notes Professor Barclay, “was of course to paralyze all action and to reduce people to a state of complete uncertainty.” This type of philosophical thinking lay historically behind Gnostic philosophies.
“So, Timothy,” Professor Barclay paraphrases Paul as he writes, “Don’t waste your time in subtle arguments; don’t waste your time in trying to score points. Don’t be too clever trying to be wise. Listen rather to the clear and unquestionable voice of God than to the subtle disputations of over-clever minds.”
Paul ends the letter as he began: “Grace be with you.”
In our final commentary, we’ll look back at what we have learned in this letter.
APPLY
Children are a parathēkē given to us as parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, etc.
PRAYER
Lord, while I do not consider myself wealthy, I know that by the world’s standards, I am rich. I try to be generous, sharing my financial blessings with the church and other kingdom-aligned causes. If I am not living according to your standards, which Paul lays out here, tap me on the shoulder to let me know – or better yet, hit me over the head at midnight with a two by four. In Christ. Amen.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Paul says money can get the rich into trouble and actually rob them of the contentment they seek, or it can help them store up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. What actions and attitudes make the difference?
2. What is the Greek word translated “haughty” by the NRSV? What does the word in Greek with its constituent parts literally mean? Why is such an attitude dangerous?
3. Paul tells Timothy to teach the wealthy to “be rich with good works,” and thereby “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future.” Does this seem like Paul, the most ardent defender of justification by faith, is teaching works righteousness? Is this more evidence that Paul did not write this letter? Why or why not?
4. What is the Greek word translated “entrusted” in verse 20? What does it mean? How are children an example of that concept? Regarding the Christian faith, what does that Greek word say to us?
How can you apply these insights in your life?