A note from our Pastor:

”Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”

1 Timothy 5:22

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

As we approach the conclusion of this chapter, we find quite sporadic verses. While the Apostle Paul did not write to Timothy with these chapter and verse divisions, he did write his letter in sections based on the central thought. It appears the verses at the end of this chapter were some last, random, thoughts he wanted to impart to Timothy about interacting with young ministers before closing the subject.

For some bible students, the term laying on of hands might be an unfamiliar concept. To keep it in simple terms, the laying on of hands is part of the ordination of a man to the work of the ministry. The one being ordained kneels and those experienced ministers surround him. Often in conjunction with a public prayer, they lay hands on the young minister to recognize the gifts God has placed in him. There is no mystical power in the laying on of hands, but rather a symbolic acknowledgment.

Setting aside the unique term and the symbolic activity, the instruction from the Apostle to Timothy is to avoid engaging in the ordination service of a man who has yet to prove himself ready for the ministry. This instruction is not based on a set amount of time, but rather on observation of the minister. Other ministers and the community of believers as a whole should have witnessed an ability to teach with patience, love, grace, and mercy before the ordination was undertaken.

Seemingly, the Apostle was acknowledging that the community of believers would jump to ordain men too soon and would fail to allow them to demonstrate their gifts fully. This has likely happened in every generation of the church down through time. The instruction to Timothy was not to stop all of these ordinations but rather to indicate that it was acceptable for him not to participate in them. The same rights and responsibilities exist with any minister today.

The second part of this instruction to Timothy is permission to not participate in ordinations where he did not feel as though the one being ordained was fit for service in the ministry. The Apostle does not tell him to stop the ordination or condemn others, but rather gives him a reminder to not participate in the act.

Finally, the instruction to Timothy to keep himself pure was not an implication that he could be sinless, but rather that he could conduct his ministry with careful attention. It was an awareness that he could not stop all that would happen around him, but he also did not have to join in those activities if he felt they were against the will of God.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah