Podcast

Paul is in prison and has been abandoned by some of his prior compatriots. We must never be ashamed to testify to our faith in God. This testimony comes from the Holy Spirit, but we must act on this spirit. We do have the ability to reject God’s will, but if we choose to testify to the Lord, His truth will come through us.

Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy comes later in his life, as he is nearing his death. The content is markedly different, though the language suggests it may have been written by the same scribe.

Paul connects the Christian’s life to that of God. We are to not be timid but to be prepared to act on our Christian duties, even if we should need to rekindle our faith from time to time.

Those who came to Christ in slavery were asked to continue in the same way. It was not possible for the Church to afford the complete release of slaves at that time. Christians are asked to tame their passions and use them for the Lord. Even a rich man may be generous with money and use that money to do God’s work.

The widows who dedicate themselves to the Church should be ones were were dedicated to one man in marriage. Similarly, while the overseers (a position in the church that would later become the position of bishop) of the Church may have work besides preaching, they should receive double honor for their fidelity to work in the Church despite other obligations.

For believers who go astray into sin, if they persist, on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15) they should be rebuked in the presence of all. We do not want to participate in others’ sins.

In the society surrounding the early Christian community, there was no support network for widows. Paul instructs that if an older woman’s husband dies, and this woman devotes herself to the work of the Church and vows never to marry again, the community should support that woman if the woman’s family is not present. Younger women should not be pressed prematurely into this sort of vow.

Paul returns to the subject of a particular heresy that is threatening the church at that time, but he instructs Timothy not to engage the arguments about it and does not specify the heresy here. We know that they were talking in part about food laws and imposing further restrictions on the Church. These restrictions are not necessarily wrong and may in fact be helpful, but these doctrines are not to be placed on the people. Mark 7 tells us that all foods are morally clean. Nothing is to be rejected if it received with thanksgiving, as this sort of spiritual appetite can never be satisfied.

Authority in the Church comes from men, and while it does not preclude the wise counsel of women, this particular kind of authority can come only from men. A priest should not be a drunkard or quarrelsome or greedy and desirous of money. He should not be a recent convert and must be held in esteem.

In a marriage, the wife should be submissive to her husband. Similarly, all Christians should be subject to one another to care for their brethren. This does not necessarily mean that the strongest personality in a family is the father’s. It is through the bearing of children that women are saved, though it is not necessary for women to bear children to be saved.

Paul reminds the men that Christ’s death was a ransom for the multitudes, and that there is no limitation on who may be saved by a secret knowledge or ancestry. This does not mean that we may worship God however we please. Those who attend the Mass must do so in a respectful manner. We must not be ostentatious or skimpy in our attire or quarrelsome in demeanor there, of all places.

Women are instructed to learn and teach the faith to their children. They are not to have authority over men, though they are commended to prophesy in the assembly.

Paul instructs us to pray for the salvation of all men, including leaders and kings. There had been an error that said that not all could be saved, and perhaps this was the error that Paul was writing the letter to combat. We are to desire the salvation of all and pray for all. We should ask our brethren to do the same for us and likewise the saints to intercede on our behalf.

Even though Paul was familiar with the beliefs of Christians, he says that he had an ignorance of Christianity. The people that are causing trouble in Ephesus are not in a similar situation. They are or were in some sense believers, but have gone astray, and Paul says that they must be separated from the Church by excommunication, hopefully to see the error of their ways and rejoin the Church.