To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay (11)

To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay -- the Series of Explanation and Analysis of Scripture (11)

The Explanation and Analysis of Some of the Verses in 1 TIMOTHY

“ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ” (1 TIMOTHY 1:14 )

The reason that one has the “faith” and “love” is because he is “in Christ Jesus”:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2)

“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. ” (2Co 3:4)

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, ” (Col 2:6-7)

The love of us is rooted and established in Christ in us:

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ” (Eph 3:17)

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ” (1Jo 4:7)

Christ Jesus is the source of the faith. Only by living in Christ, we will have the true faith. In the meanwhile, the more we know Christ, the more faith we will have. The faith and love that are in Christ Jesus come from the rich grace of God. Faith is to let us believe in LORD to receive the salvation from LORD; love is to let us love LORD to live the salvation from LORD. Love is produced by faith; faith is shown though love. Faith is in the mind and no one can see it. However, faith can be shown through love.

In the book of 1 TIMOTHY (1Ti 1:5,19; 2:15; 3:9; 4:12; 6:11) and the book of 2 TIMOTHY (2Ti 1:5,13; 2:22; 3:10), it’s been mentioned for many times that the believers must have faith (sincere faith), love and good conscience (clear conscience). It is obvious that faith, love and good conscience are very important to the workers of LORD. Here, the related verses in 1 TIMOTHY are listed and analyzed in the following:

(1) “ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ” (1 TIMOTHY 1:5 )

Good conscience is the guard of the faith. Faith is the root and foundation of love, and love is produced from the sincere faith.

The love that belongs to God is produced from the sincere faith. The “sincere faith” is mentioned again in (2Ti 1:5). Since there is faith that is “sincere”, there is also faith that is “insincere”, which is the false faith that is dishonest, saying yes on mouth while means no in mind, as that of the hypocrites without the deeds worthy of the faith.

All the spiritual virtues are rooted and established on the faith. Only when “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”, we can be “rooted and established in love” (Eph 3:17). Therefore, if the faith is false, Christ won’t dwell in, and that person won’t produce true love. The law and commandments of God hang on the commandments of love which is to let people receive the love of Christ and show it. This love comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.

(2) “ holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. ” (1 TIMOTHY 1:19 )

“Conscience” is the goodness, examination and rebuke from God in us. The first ancestor of mankind sinned and the spiritual life died to God. The life of mankind is separated from God. A little that’s left is the conscience.

“one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ” (Eph 4:6)

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. ” (Rom 11:36)

“"Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD . ” (Jer 23:24)

“For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Act 17:28)

“since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, ” (Rom 2:15)

“Some have rejected these (faith and a good conscience) and so have shipwrecked their faith”. Whenever the conscience is not at ease, many prayers can not be prayed. Thus, there is not only barrier in front of God, but also barrier inside the person himself. The relationship between the faith and conscience is as the relationship of the goods and the ship; the faith is like the goods, and the conscience is like the ship. Whenever there is a hole in the ship, the goods will leave out. When the conscience is clear, the faith will be strong; when there is a hole in the conscience, the faith will leave out.

A sincere faith and a good conscience depend on each other. If one rejects the conscience and does not listen to the instruction and rebuke of the conscience, one will lose the spiritual sense gradually, even be senseless finally. Whenever the conscience is lost, it is like a ship with the hole, and the water can come in all the time and the ship will sink. At the beginning when the faith is going to be bankrupt, one will be instructed and rebuked by the conscience; it is a pity if he does not listen to it, he will lose the sense of conscience eventually. Once the conscience is rejected, the faith will go bankrupt.

If the believers do not keep a good conscience, do not live by the Holy Spirit, cleanse oneself frequently and live in the truth, their faith will be like a wrecked ship and will sink soon.

If one is guilty in conscience, it is as a bridgehead built for the devil. In the battle, before using the weapons, one will fall at the very beginning because of the rebuke of the conscience. Therefore, we must live a holy life and follow the principles of the holy life and the teachings of LORD.

Holy Spirit let us have a keen conscience. Whenever we do sins or evils, we will receive warnings and reminders to guide us to repent. If one ignores it and refuses the Holy Spirit to take the charge, and puts out the Spirit’s fire, he will be like a jar of clay thickly wrapping the inward treasure without letting the light get out.

(3) “ They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. ” (1 TIMOTHY 3:9 )

“Keep hold of the deep truths of the faith ”. “The deep truths of the faith” in the original text is “the mystery”. The mystery of our faith is to be one in Christ as mentioned in (Eph 3:3-6): “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. ” and “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ”(Col 1:27)

This is to require the ministry to live a holy life. Even if being contaminated by the sins occasionally, one should deal with it right away so that to be forgiven by God and others and to have a clear conscience.

“With a clear conscience” is closely related to “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith”. One who has a casual attitude toward sins and evils, will also have a casual attitude toward the truths of the faith. Furthermore, if one has a guilty conscience, he won’t be able to stand for the truth or fight a good fight for the Gospel. Therefore, the ministry must guarantee good moral characters so that to stand firm on the truths of faith.

(4) “ Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. ” (1 TIMOTHY 4:12 )

The workers of LORD should live a Christian life and show the characters that a Christian should have, and they should set an example for the believers in spiritual life. The workers of LORD should set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity: they should speak honestly, gently and cautiously, and let others feel our words are reliable, truthful and beneficial to others; they should live a life in the light and honestly; they should be more willing to sacrifice themselves for others than the average believers, more willing to suffer for others, and more willing to serve others; they can serve others for the sake of loving LORD, care about the needs of others, and help those who are weak; they should have the true faith, then they will have the root and foundation of all the spiritual virtues so that to produce every spiritual virtue, and to overcome the enemies in the battle of spiritual work; they should be holy in life and be clear thoroughly; should not treat others unfairly, resort to trickery to serve oneself at all, and overstep one’s bounds to take advantage of others; and should do everything with a clear conscience.

The requirement of God to His servants is to set an example from all aspects for the believers.

(5) “ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” (1 TIMOTHY 6:11 )

We belong to God. Those who belong to God train themselves to be godly, but not seek money and wealth. The goal of worldly people is to seek the money and wealth in this world, for money is the most useful thing in this world, and money represents this world. However, we spiritual men pursue the spiritual thing. Being not eager for money is the biggest difference between us and the worldly people.

The believers should pursue the spiritual virtues, such as righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness and so on. These spiritual virtues are the wealth of us. This wealth is not material, but can be brought into the eternity. Only this wealth is the true inexhaustible wealth.

One who belongs to God should have godly way of living and godly attitude: “so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ” (2Pe 1:4)

Note that there are similar reminders in 2 Timothy: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ” (2Ti 2:22) “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ” (2Ti 3:10)

It is apparent that these spiritual virtues are very important to the workers of LORD.

“ Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ” (1 TIMOTHY 6:12 )

“Fight the good fight of the faith” indicates that one is willing to fight for the truth of faith, has no fear of the dangers and difficulties, is willing to pay the price and sacrifice, even is persecuted, badly treated, falsely accused by others with all kinds of evils, misunderstood and rejected by the dear people of oneself and so on.

The godly people flee away from those things of loving the world, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness, and fight a good fight for the faith! The Christians should not have any other goal of life, for they belong to God, and they should live for Christ only.

There are many Christians who never fight in the battle, and there are also some who only fight for once and then will turn around and run away. What they fight is not “a good fight”, but a lost battle. The reasons that they are defeated in the battle are because they can not endure the sacrifice, can not bear with the misunderstandings and scolds of others, are not willing to give up any passion for the sake of LORD, can not love LORD more than loving their own parents, spouse, children and family members, and can not overcome the temptation of loving the material pleasure and the world.

Fight a good fight for the faith. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ” (2Ti 2:3) This is the mission and the calling of the Christians.

We should take hold of the eternal life, just as Joshua and Caleb took hold of the promise of God about the land of Cannan when they got out of the Egypt.

<1> If we hold the faith firmly, we will share in Christ and will not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Those who stand firm to the end will be saved:

“We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (Heb 3:14)

“if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. ” (Col 1:23)

“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ” (Mat 10:22)

<2> We should be in Christ and deny ourselves, and grow up spiritually in our salvation:

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ” (1Pe 2:1-2)

<3> We should in reverent fear, live the rest of our earthly life for the will of God:

“Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. ” (1Pe 1:17)

“As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ” (1Pe 4:2)

<4> We should press on to pursue the perfection to be one in Christ:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ” (Php 3:12)

<5> We should pursue a holy life and live a holy life. Otherwise, it is to reject God, who gives us His Holy Spirit, and will miss the grace of God:

“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. ” (1Th 4:7-8)

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ” (Heb 12:14-15)

<6> To press on to pursue to be one in Christ, is to take hold of the eternal life:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” (Rom 6:22-23)

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ” (1Jo 5:11-12)

“And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ” (1Jo 5:20)

“ For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ” (1 TIMOTHY 2:5 )

“Mediator” is one who harmonizes in-between. Because of sins, men are alienated from God. Only Jesus Christ is the mediator between men and God. He reconciled us to God, for He is both God and man. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ brings new life to the mankind. He gave Himself as the ransom for the people:

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. ” (Eph 2:14-18)

LORD Jesus Christ is our only mediator:

“I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, ” (Isa 42:6)

“This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, ” (Isa 49:8)

“Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. ” (Heb 7:22)

“But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. ” (Heb 8:6)

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. ” (Heb 9:15)

“to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ” (Heb 12:24)

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ” (1Jo 2:1)

The mediator is a guarantor for two sides. Both God and men have the obligation to keep the covenant. Christ is the mediator for the New Testament; He didn’t abolish the laws, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17).

“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. ” (Gal 3:19-20)

In this verse, “the Seed to whom the promise referred ” refers to Christ (Gal 3:16). This verse explains that the purpose of the law is that it was added because of transgressions. “It was added ” indicates that before there was the law, although everyone sinned, they did not know what sin is until God gave the holy and righteous law to men, when people compare their own conducts with the law, no one can say that they did not do transgressions. Since people know their sins through the law, but they can not deal with the sins, they can only wait for Christ to come.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. Through the law men become conscious of sin and are aware of the urgent need for the sinners to live in the grace of God (Rom 5:20; 7:7-12); and also make people truly realize their corruption and powerlessness. This will actively push people to turn to and rely on LORD.

The covenant of Law was also put into effect by a mediator. The “mediator” should be the guarantor of the two sides; both God and men have the obligation to keep the covenant. Christ is the mediator for the New Testament; He didn’t abolish the laws, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17).

“ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 TIMOTHY 6:18-19 )

Those who are rich in this world is not really rich; unless they rely on God, give all that God richly provides them to those who are in need; then they will be truly rich. All of the chances, knowledge, capabilities, money of us in this life are given by God. The believers should put their trust in God, but not in the money in this world.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ” (1Ti 6:17)

God entrust the wealth in the rich believers. It is for the purpose that they have more chances to store up the wealth in heaven. If they make best use of the wealth given by God and be faithful managers, they will get a greater reward. To do good is the duty of our Christians. Since we are the managers of the wealth of God in this world, we should use the money for God; thus, we can hand over the accounts with confidence in front of LORD. That is what is saying here that: “they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age”.

It is edited and compiled under the guidance of Holy Spirit. All thanks, praises and glories be to God!

(1 TIMOTHY (1:14,5,19; 3:9; 4:12; 6:11;) 6:12; 2:5; 6:18-19)

1 TIMOTHY 1:14 “ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ”

(NOTES)

“the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”:

The reason that one has the “faith” and “love” is because he is “in Christ Jesus”:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2)

“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. ” (2Co 3:4)

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, ” (Col 2:6-7)

The love of us is rooted and established in Christ in us:

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ” (Eph 3:17)

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ” (1Jo 4:7)

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) Christ Jesus is the source of the faith. Only by living in Christ, we will have the true faith. In the meanwhile, the more we know Christ, the more faith we will have.

(2) The faith and love that are in Christ Jesus come from the rich grace of God.

(3) Faith is to let us believe in LORD to receive the salvation from LORD; love is to let us love LORD to live the salvation from LORD.

(4) Love is produced by faith; faith is shown though love. Faith is in the mind and no one can see it. However, faith can be shown through love.

In the book of 1 TIMOTHY (1Ti 1:5,19; 2:15; 3:9; 4:12; 6:11) and the book of 2 TIMOTHY (2Ti 1:5,13; 2:22; 3:10), it’s been mentioned for many times that the believers must have faith (sincere faith), love and good conscience (clear conscience). It is obvious that faith, love and good conscience are very important to the workers of LORD. Here, the related verses in 1 TIMOTHY are listed and analyzed in the following:

1 TIMOTHY 1:5 “ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ”

(NOTES)

Good conscience is the guard of the faith. Faith is the root and foundation of love, and love is produced from the sincere faith.

“a good conscience ”:

a conscience that is clear and not guilty.

“sincere faith”:

“sincere” is true, but not false. The love that belongs to God is produced from the sincere faith. “sincere faith” is mentioned again in (2Ti 1:5). Since there is faith that is “sincere”, there is also faith that is “insincere”, which is the false faith that is dishonest, saying yes on mouth while means no in mind, as that of the hypocrites without the deeds worthy of the faith.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) All the spiritual virtues are rooted and established on the faith. Only when “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”, we can be “rooted and established in love” (Eph 3:17). How can Christ live in us to be the root and foundation of our love? It is “through faith”. Therefore, if the faith is false, Christ won’t dwell in, and that person won’t produce true love.

(2) The law and commandments of God hang on the commandments of love which is to let people receive the love of Christ and show it. This love comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith: (1) comes from a pure heart: a heart with pure intention and without distracting thoughts; (2) comes from a good conscience : only the love with a good conscience is true; (3) comes from a sincere faith: it is not a false faith that is saying yes on mouth while means no in mind, as that of hypocrites, without the deeds worthy of the faith.

1 TIMOTHY 1:19 “ holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. ”

(NOTES)

“conscience”:

is the goodness, examination and rebuke from God in us. The first ancestor of mankind sinned and the spiritual life died to God. The life of mankind is separated from God. A little that’s left is the conscience.

“one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ” (Eph 4:6)

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. ” (Rom 11:36)

“"Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD . ” (Jer 23:24)

“For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Act 17:28)

“since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, ” (Rom 2:15)

“Some have rejected these (faith and a good conscience) and so have shipwrecked their faith”:

Whenever the conscience is not at ease, many prayers can not be prayed. Thus, there is not only barrier in front of God, but also barrier inside the person himself. The relationship between the faith and conscience is as the relationship of the goods and the ship; the faith is like the goods, and the conscience is like the ship. Whenever there is a hole in the ship, the goods will leave out. When the conscience is clear, the faith will be strong; when there is a hole in the conscience, the faith will leave out.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) When the conscience of the believer is not clear, it needs to be dealt with right away so that to keep the conscience clear. Otherwise, the faith will be shipwrecked; the spiritual things leave out and men will fall in front of God.

(2) A sincere faith and a good conscience depend on each other. If one rejects the conscience and does not listen to the instruction and rebuke of the conscience, one will lose the spiritual sense gradually, even be senseless finally. Whenever the conscience is lost, it is like a ship with the hole, and the water can come in all the time and the ship will sink. At the beginning when the faith is going to be bankrupt, one will be instructed and rebuked by the conscience; it is a pity if he does not listen to it, he will lose the sense of conscience eventually. Once the conscience is rejected, the faith will go bankrupt.

(3) “Some have rejected the conscience and so have shipwrecked their faith” ; that is, if the believers do not keep a good conscience, do not live by the Holy Spirit, cleanse oneself frequently and live in the truth, their faith will be like a wrecked ship and will sink soon.

(4) One of the armor of the Christians is to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ” (Eph 6:16). If one is guilty in conscience, it is as a bridgehead built for the devil. In the battle, before using the weapons, one will fall at the very beginning because of the rebuke of the conscience. Therefore, we must live a holy life and follow the principles of the holy life and the teachings of LORD.

(5) Holy Spirit let us have a keen conscience. Whenever we do sins or evils, we will receive warnings and reminders to guide us to repent. If one ignores it and refuses the Holy Spirit to take the charge, and puts out the Spirit’s fire, he will be like a jar of clay thickly wrapping the inward treasure without letting the light get out.

1 TIMOTHY 3:9 “ They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. ”

(NOTES)

“with a clear conscience ”:

shows that they should not have a guilty conscience.

“keep hold of the deep truths of the faith ”:

“keep hold of ”, also shows that they have been rooted and established in the truths of faith already and are not easily moved; not only they can hold of the truth of the faith, but also can “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith”.

“deep truths of the faith” in the original text is “the mystery”. The mystery of our faith is to be one in Christ as mentioned in (Eph 3:3-6): “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. ” and “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ”(Col 1:27)

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) This is to require the ministry to live a holy life. Even if being contaminated by the sins occasionally, one should deal with it right away so that to be forgiven by God and others and to have a clear conscience.

(2) “with a clear conscience” is closely related to “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith”. One who has a casual attitude toward sins and evils, will also have a casual attitude toward the truths of the faith. Furthermore, if one has a guilty conscience, he won’t be able to stand for the truth or fight a good fight for the Gospel. Therefore, the ministry must guarantee good moral characters so that to stand firm on the truths of faith.

1 TIMOTHY 4:12 “ Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. ”

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) How the workers of LORD do not let others look down on them? They should show something in their characters in practice. It is not that they advocate themselves in front of others and talk about their achievements and strong points. It is that they live a Christian life and show the characters that a Christian should have, and they should set an example for the believers in spiritual life. In this way, others won’t look down on you because you are young.

(2) The workers of LORD set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Although these five things do not cover all things in the spiritual life of a believer, they include the main parts in the spiritual life. If one can set an example for the believers in these five things, it is enough to gain the respect from others.

<1> Set an example for the believers in speech:

Being as a worker of LORD, one should not have two tongues out of same mouth, and should set an example for the believers in speech. That is, one should not speak anything dishonest and vicious, the secular language or the curse, but should speak honestly, gently and cautiously, and let others feel our words are reliable, truthful and beneficial to others.

<2> Set an example for the believers in life:

Being as a worker of LORD, one should set apart from the average people in his life and live a life of the children of LORD:

a. We should live in the light, and should not do anything covertly and furtively. If we have a clear conscience in everything to others and can display it in front of anyone, what we did will have nothing to be slandered by others. Anything in darkness has the intergradient of sins and evils; everything in light has the intergradient of purity. Since we are the children of light, we should live a life in the light and separate us from the deeds of darkness.

b. We should live a life honestly. If the servants of LORD did dishonest things, that would be unforgivable. When we handle things for others and deal with others, we should not use crooked means, and should live an honest life and treat others with the faithfulness and kindness of God.

<3> Set an example for the believers in love:

We should conduct ourselves in love. As to one who can set an example for the believers in love, he is more willing to sacrifice himself for others than the average believers, more willing to suffer for others, and more willing to serve others. He can serve others for the sake of loving LORD, care about the needs of others, and help those who are weak. To set an example for the believers in love, is to be an adult in spirit, but not a baby any longer.

<4> Set an example for the believers in faith:

a. Faith is the starting point of all the spiritual life. Faith is also the root and foundation of all the spiritual virtues. Only after having the faith, one will have every other spiritual virtue. In the book of 2 Peter, eight virtues of the believers are mentioned and faith is listed as the first one: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ” (2Pe 1:5-7) All these virtues are added based on the foundation of the faith, for only the virtues of the Christians that come from the faith are valuable. We receive the salvation of LORD through faith in Him and receive Him to live in us; then there will be the virtues belong to God in us. It is obvious that faith is the root and foundation of all the virtues.

b. “faith” is also the important secret to overcome the enemies in the battle of spiritual work. In chapter 6 of Ephesians, when talks about the spiritual armor, “faith” is described as the shield, with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. In the spiritual battle, “faith” is indispensable to overcome. If a worker of LORD can not set an example for the believers in faith, he won’t be able to be respected by other believers.

<5> Set an example for the believers in purity:

“purity” is to be holy in life, be clear thoroughly, do not treat others unfairly, do not resort to trickery to serve oneself at all, do not overstep one’s bounds to take advantage of others, and do everything with a clear conscience.

1 TIMOTHY 6:11 “ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

(NOTES)

“all this”:

refer to what mentioned in the preceding text: “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. ”(1Ti 6:3-5) and “eager for money”(1Ti 6:8-10) and so on.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) Why should we flee from all this to pursue the virtue of faith? It is because we belong to God. Those who belong to God train themselves to be godly, but not seek money and wealth. This is the biggest difference between the godly people and the worldly people. The goal of worldly people is to seek the money and wealth in this world, for money is the most useful thing in this world, and money represents this world. However, we spiritual men pursue the spiritual thing. Being not eager for money is the biggest difference between us and the worldly people.

(2) Since we do not pursue the worldly wealth, what should we pursue then? We should pursue the spiritual virtues, such as righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness and so on. These spiritual virtues are the wealth of us. This wealth is not material, but can be brought into the eternity. Only this wealth is the true inexhaustible wealth. We should have the spiritual eyes to see the spiritual growth. The growth in the spiritual virtues is the increase of our wealth, and it is more valuable that the increase of the worldly wealth. Therefore, we should pursue to be rich in spirit. LORD Jesus said to the Church in Laodicea that they are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Although the Church in Laodicea is rich, they are poor in spirit.

(3) The believers should belong to God, for we are bought at a high price by Jesus Christ. One who belongs to God should have godly way of living and godly attitude: “so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ” (2Pe 1:4)

(4) Note that there are similar reminders in 2 Timothy: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ” (2Ti 2:22) “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ” (2Ti 3:10)

It is apparent that these spiritual virtues are very important to the workers of LORD.

1 TIMOTHY 6:12 “ Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ”

(NOTES)

“Fight the good fight of the faith”:

indicates that one is willing to fight for the truth of faith, has no fear of the dangers and difficulties, is willing to pay the price and sacrifice, even is persecuted, badly treated, falsely accused by others with all kinds of evils, misunderstood and rejected by the dear people of oneself and so on.

“Take hold of the eternal life”:

We should take hold of the promise of the eternal life.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) The godly people flee away from those things of loving the world, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness, and fight a good fight for the faith! The Christians should not have any other goal of life, for they belong to God, and they should live for Christ only.

(2) There are many Christians who never fight in the battle, and there are also some who only fight for once and then will turn around and run away. What they fight is not “a good fight”, but a lost battle. The reasons that they are defeated in the battle are because they can not endure the sacrifice, can not bear with the misunderstandings and scolds of others, are not willing to give up any passion for the sake of LORD, can not love LORD more than loving their own parents, spouse, children and family members, and can not overcome the temptation of loving the material pleasure and the world.

(3) Fight a good fight for the faith. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ” (2Ti 2:3) This is the mission and the calling of the Christians.

(4) We should take hold of the eternal life, just as Joshua and Caleb took hold of the promise of God about the land of Cannan when they got out of the Egypt.

<1> If we hold the faith firmly, we will share in Christ and will not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Those who stand firm to the end will be saved:

“We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (Heb 3:14)

“if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. ” (Col 1:23)

“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ” (Mat 10:22)

<2> We should be in Christ and deny ourselves, and grow up spiritually in our salvation:

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ” (1Pe 2:1-2)

<3> We should in reverent fear, live the rest of our earthly life for the will of God:

“Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. ” (1Pe 1:17)

“As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ” (1Pe 4:2)

<4> We should press on to pursue the perfection to be one in Christ:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ” (Php 3:12)

<5> We should pursue a holy life and live a holy life. Otherwise, it is to reject God, who gives us His Holy Spirit, and will miss the grace of God:

“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. ” (1Th 4:7-8)

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ” (Heb 12:14-15)

<6> To press on to pursue to be one in Christ, is to take hold of the eternal life:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” (Rom 6:22-23)

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ” (1Jo 5:11-12)

“And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ” (1Jo 5:20)

(5) Here, Paul reminded Timothy that he had good testimony before, and encouraged Timothy do not lose heart, be strong and courageous. By recalling the grace of God on him, he should be more loyal and do his best, fight bravely for the faith.

1 TIMOTHY 2:5 “ For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ”

(NOTES)

“mediator ”:

“mediator” is one who harmonizes in-between. Because of sins, men are alienated from God. Only Jesus Christ is the mediator between men and God. He reconciled us to God, for He is both God and man. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ brings new life to the mankind. He gave Himself as the ransom for the people:

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. ” (Eph 2:14-18)

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) LORD Jesus Christ is our only mediator:

“I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, ” (Isa 42:6)

“This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, ” (Isa 49:8)

“Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. ” (Heb 7:22)

“But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. ” (Heb 8:6)

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. ” (Heb 9:15)

“to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ” (Heb 12:24)

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ” (1Jo 2:1)

(2) The mediator is a guarantor for two sides. Both God and men have the obligation to keep the covenant. Christ is the mediator for the New Testament; He didn’t abolish the laws, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17).

“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. ” (Gal 3:19-20)

In this verse, “the Seed to whom the promise referred ” refers to Christ (Gal 3:16). This verse explains that the purpose of the law is that it was added because of transgressions. “It was added ” indicates that before there was the law, although everyone sinned, they did not know what sin is until God gave the holy and righteous law to men, when people compare their own conducts with the law, no one can say that they did not do transgressions. Since people know their sins through the law, but they can not deal with the sins, they can only wait for Christ to come.

<1> The law was put into effect through angels: in the Old Testament, it only mentioned that God in Mount Sinai has been surrounded by His numerous armies (angels) (Psa 68:17); in the New Testament, there are a few places implied that the law was put into effect through angels (Act 7:53; Heb 2:2).

The law was put into effect by a mediator: When God gave the ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, Moses was the mediator between God and the Israelites (Exo 31:18; 32:15).

<2> The law was added so that the trespass might increase. Through the law men become conscious of sin and are aware of the urgent need for the sinners to live in the grace of God (Rom 5:20; 7:7-12); and also make people truly realize their corruption and powerlessness. This will actively push people to turn to and rely on LORD.

<3> The covenant of Law was also put into effect by a mediator. The “mediator” should be the guarantor of the two sides; both God and men have the obligation to keep the covenant. Christ is the mediator for the New Testament; He didn’t abolish the laws, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17).

1 TIMOTHY 6:18-19 “ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

(NOTES)

“to be rich in good deeds”:

is equal to store up the treasures in heaven.

Those who are rich in this world is not really rich; unless they rely on God, give all that God richly provides them to those who are in need; then they will be truly rich.

“they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age”:

To do good is the duty of our Christians. Since we are the managers of the wealth of God in this world, we should use the money for God; thus, we can hand over the accounts with confidence in front of LORD. That is what is saying here that: “they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age”.

“take hold of the life that is truly life”:

that is, take hold of the eternal life.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) All of the chances, knowledge, capabilities, money of us in this life are given by God. The believers should put their trust in God, but not in the money in this world.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ” (1Ti 6:17)

God entrust the wealth in the rich believers. It is for the purpose that they have more chances to store up the wealth in heaven. If they make best use of the wealth given by God and be faithful managers, they will get a greater reward.

(2) Therefore, to do good and be rich in good works, is to store up the treasure in heaven. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Act 20:35) We should not forget the words of LORD that: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. ” (Luk 12:48) Since the rich people receive more material wealth from God, they also receive greater responsibility to help others on the materials. “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” (2Co 8:15) The purpose of God is to have the rich to help the poor. If he who gathered much have too much, then he who gathered little will have too little. Therefore, we should take being “rich” as a responsibility and be the manager of the wealth of God; thus, we will lay up treasure for ourselves as a firm foundation.

(3) If those who are rich materially are like the believers of the church of Laodicea -- neither hot nor cold in the faith(Rev 3:14-22), they are actually spiritually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Only to be earnest and have the faith that can pass the fire of trials is truly rich; only to do good, be generous and willing to share can clothe oneself with the garment of righteousness; only to be earnest in the truth of LORD, one won’t be blind spiritually. This is what the believers need to be watchful and to be prepared.

(4) The rich must do good, be generous and willing to share so that they are truly rich and they may take hold of the life that is truly life. This “life” is the life of Christ that the believers received. The believers should take hold of the way of this life and live a life according to the life they received.

References:

1. Zhongdao Chen: “The Lectures on the Bible Studying of the Letters in New Testament”.

2. P. C. Chong: “The Bible Courses”

3. Quoted notes from Watchman Nee, Shuguang Niu.