WORDS TO RICH BELIEVERS – 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on September 17, 2014 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group; September 17, 2014
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Theme: Paul exhorts Timothy to urge the rich in the church to do what is eternal with their riches.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Paul had been exhorting Pastor Timothy to pursue godliness in everyday living—both inside the church walls and outside in the world; and both for himself and for those he served. In this portion of his letter, he tells Timothy how he is to bring this focus into the lives of believers who are wealthy in this world’s goods.
Note carefully, in verse 17, how Paul refers to such believers. He calls them those who are “rich in this present age”. God saves people from all classes of life—rich or poor; and even those believers who are the poorest in this world’s eyes are declared by Jesus Himself to be “rich” in heavenly terms (Revelation 2:9). That’s true also of rich believers. But when it comes to godly living, each class has its own unique challenges—and the challenges of believers who are “rich in this present age” are addressed specifically in this passage.
I. THEY NEED TO THINK RIGHT (v. 17).
A. Note that Paul does not instruct Timothy to tell wealthy Christians to repent of their wealthiness. Paul does not condemn the possession of wealth in and of itself. Rather, he urges Timothy to make sure that wealthy believers have the right attitudes. First, Paul writes, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty . . .” Rich believers are not to be proud and think themselves superior to everyone else simply because much has been given to them. After all, if we have anything, we only have it because God saw fit to give it to us (1 Corinthians 4:7). Any glory that comes from the possession of earthly riches is short-lived at best; and is always far inferior to the glory that will be ours in heaven. Pastor James wrote; “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits” (James 1:10-11). The knowledge that the glory of riches will fade should make the rich Christian rejoice even more in the glory that will never fade away.
B. Second, Paul goes on to write, “nor to trust in uncertain riches . . .” In the original language, Paul puts the word “riches” in the emphatic position, and says that we are not to hope in “of riches uncertainty”. Riches and uncertainty go together. Many people at many points of history—through circumstances entirely outside their control—have gone to bed one night fabulously wealthy and have woken up the next morning with nothing. It’s fine to use riches when we have them; but it is terribly unwise to place our hopes in them. People who have done so—counting on their wealth to secure for them “the good life”—have often experienced terrible disappointment. “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:4-5).
C. Paul urges that they not put their hopes in riches, “but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” Rich believers—and, for that matter, the believer who is poor in this world’s goods—needs to make sure that they have their hope in the heavenly Father as the great Provider of all that we need. ‘Anxiety’ might be a good indicator of whether or not our hope is in the right place. Jesus taught us not to be anxious for the things of this world, for our heavenly Father knows we need these things (Matthew 6:25-34). As the psalmist has put it, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2).
II. THEY NEED TO DO RIGHT (v. 18).
A. Instead of thinking wrongly about their wealth, the rich believer ought to do rightly by it. Paul urges Timothy, “Let them do good . . .” This is a reason why we should never think that it is wrong, in and of itself, to be rich. One of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church is ‘the gift of giving’. Paul wrote, that “he who gives” should give “with liberality” (Romans 12:8); and it would be hard to see how someone can be called to ‘give’ liberally if they do not ‘have’ the means to do so. The rightness or wrongness of wealth lies not in its possession, but in how it is obtained (James 5:1-6), and what is done with it. To have righteously-gained wealth by which to ‘do good’ is truly a great blessing!
B. They are urged, “that they be rich in good works . . .” In verse 9, Paul warned that those who desire to be rich in this world’s goods “fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts . . .” Here, Paul urges believers to, instead, ‘desire to be rich’ in good works. (A great heroine of the Bible in this respect is Tabitha (or Dorcas) in Acts 9. We’re told, “This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did” (Acts 9:36). Perhaps she also had the means to do so.
C. Paul urges that they be “ready to give . . .” The word that Paul uses (found only here) means to be ‘generous’—to continually be of a giving spirit. It’s the idea of having a heart-attitude that never resents extending this world’s wealth with an open hand to those in need. As someone once said, you can test of whether or not the things of this world have too tight a hold on you is how you feel when you give some of it away. Is there joy in the giving?
D. Finally, Paul urges that they be “willing to share . . .” The word used here is related to the word for “fellowship” (koinōneō). It refers to a giving or sharing of what one owns. It’s pictured for us wonderfully in Acts 2:44-45 through the work of the Holy Spirit; where, after Pentecost, we’re told, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
III. THEY NEED TO INVEST RIGHT (v. 19).
A. In being good stewards of the riches God has entrusted to them, and in doing good with what God has given them, they are making the surest and most profitable investment that can be made. Paul writes that they would thus be “storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come . . .” There will come a time when they must release all their earthly riches; but only, in the end, to gain much more—and in that which money cannot buy. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). They can count on the promise given in Hebrews 6:10; “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
B. And in this respect, they do what they do “that they may lay hold on eternal life.” The word “eternal”—found in the King James and New King James versions—is not in the best texts of the New Testament. Instead, it’s a word that speaks of “being”. The New American Standard has it “life indeed”. The New International Version has it “life that is truly life”. People think that riches bring the “good life”. But doing what is right with them leads to obtaining “life indeed!”
* * * * * * * * * *
“Rich in this present age” is a description that would apply to most all of us living in modern American culture. Compared to most of the people of this world, we are abundantly “rich” in this world’s goods. God has graciously blessed us; and we should thank Him and use that blessing—however much we have—to His glory and in His service. But we must use it rightly!
If wealthy believers (including us) handle the wealth God has entrusted to them in a truly godly manner, they can be “rich in this present age”, and even richer in the age to come.
