Welcome to this asynchronous group dig into 1 Timothy. The purpose of this group study is to challenge and encourage – in a word exhort – all of us together to come to a fresh living understanding and application of God’s message to us through this powerful first letter of Paul to Timothy.

Our challenge is to dig together, all encouraging each other along the way so we all proceed at the same pace and all grow together in one heart and one mind. Let us refer back to this introductory purpose statement as often as needed to stay on track in this aim. Ideally, we will make this journey in about 10 days to 2 weeks. We do not want to rush but we do want this to be a super charge boost to each of us during this couple weeks here at the beginning of 2023.

Let us encourage and challenge each other to read, to dig AND to share questions, thoughts, insights, applications, testimonies, prayer requests and praise reports right here by text, audio, video and multimedia posts all focused on spurring each other on through this dig to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT and to GUARD THE TRUST we have each received.

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1 Timothy
An Overview

Chapter 1 – STOP false teachers
Chapter 2 – PRAY together
Chapter 3 – God’s House
Chapter 4 – Sound Doctrine
Chapter 5 – Youth & Elders
Chapter 6 – Godly Living

The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5

“Libi sma moeilijk yere.”

This is an observation made from time to time over the years by one seasoned saint. People are difficult. This is true. We are the ones (Jb12:2). Reflecting on how to live at peace with all men as much as is possible, naturally leads to reflections on dealing with difficult people. First among these reflections is that we ourselves are numbered among these difficult people. Second among these reflections is how terribly difficult others can be. And as we reflect on these things we begin to identify particular difficulties, particular issues, challenges, traits and ideally some possible solutions.

Among the difficulties of difficult people are pride, arrogance, disrespect, disobedience, rudeness, anger, malice, slander (E4:31), hatred, unkindness, deceitfulness, ignorance, unpredictability, unforgiveness, inconsistency, obstinance, indefatigability, contrariness, orneriness. And stubbornness. Yes, stubbornness is brutal. Stubbornness is weighty (Pr27:3). It is a bear, a beast.

So after we see all these things in ourselves, we continue reflecting on God’s WORD which has power to transform, and burn, to purge and overcome, to break and to heal.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35

And then we come to that word servant. After thinking about love languages and heaping coals, about kindness and persistence in doing good. We come to that word servant, and we are reminded that it is the glory of God to transform people. It is the duty of man to be the servant of all these difficult people. What must begin as difficult people serving difficult people cannot but lead to transformation. Not instant gratification (H11:25). Rather, the lifelong dedication, not focused on strategies for transforming others, but on strategies for being

The servant of all.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42‭-‬45

Here is a mission should we choose to accept it.

On any given topic or question, let us commit first to going to God’s WORD, and if necessary in more intense study of the WORD without man’s opinions, to see what God says, and always to continue in His WORD. Only then should we consider what others say, and we should accept no teaching except what is in accordance with God’s WORD. People love to say God’s WORD is not clear and requires opinion and interpretation, scholars and professionals and more.

We know and declare that God’s WORD is even as He declares, clear to the spirit man to receive the things of the Spirit with no need for struggle to understand as these things are plain and clear in Christ.

Do you also accept this mission?

Purpose

The purpose of this single page is for the reader to gain the basic biblical view of the millennium. To do this, the reader must read and continue reading God’s WORD. Before reading further on this page, the reader must read the following five chapters in their entirety back-to-back from beginning to end. Even if you have read them before, read them again now as if you never read them before, and as always, continue in God’s WORD daily in the same way.

Now read 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Peter 3 and Revelation 20-22.

Summary

1. Some have already died in Christ; some are still alive in Christ. This is in this earth age.

2. Christ will come down from heaven to the clouds above, and we will be taken up to meet Him in the air. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are still alive in Christ will be caught up with the risen dead in Christ to meet Him. We will be with Him forever.

3. Satan will be bound in the Abyss for 1000 years.

4. After being caught up with the dead in Christ and the LORD in the air, the saints reign with Christ & judge the nations for 1000 years in the beloved city here on earth (R20:6-9).

5. Satan is released for a short time, deceiving the nations, and surrounding the holy city.

6. Fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them.

7. The devil is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are.

8. These heavens & earth will be destroyed by fire, & there will be a new heaven and earth.

A brother DS asked

Can a man forgive sins?

Yes, with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20:21 – 23

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14 – 15

There are all sorts of sins

There are sins against man
There are sins against God
There is sin against the Holy Spirit
There is sin against the Son
There is sin against the blood of the covenant
There are sins which enter the place of judgment ahead of man
There are sins which trail behind
There are sins outside the body
There are sins against the body
There are sins not unto death
There is a sin unto death

Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. But whoever confesses and forsakes his sin will receive mercy.

The brother DS asked again, “I know that, but my question is does the p—– have the authority to say your sins are forgiven?

The short answer is likely yes.

Christ has already accomplished forgiveness of sin once for all
Those who follow Christ have authority in Christ to declare this same forgiveness to all who repent.

Scripture declares we are all brothers in Christ with various callings and tasks.

For all who repent there is forgiveness in Christ. And it is clear that anyone who walks in darkness is not in the light and outside of Christ there is no remission of sin.

We also have another indication of this from Paul in an often overlooked passage in protestant circles and misguided usage in catholic circles.

“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake.”
2 Corinthians 2:10

So, we have the authority to declare the forgiveness of sins to those who repent and turn from their sin.

But clearly there is no forgiveness found without repentance, confession and turning from sin. These do not require any human priest but are indications of a genuinely broken and contrite heart which will receive forgiveness from God by the completed work of Christ.

Another brother DM added further reply

God only can forgive sins, we know. The P—– might have said “Your sins are forgiven” to the man while the P—– believes that the man was truly confessing and forsaking his sins and trusting in God’s mercy, then I think the P—– can say “on the basis of the authority of God’s Word, if you have confessed your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you of all unrighteous.” I think only in that context can the P—– say that without seeming like he is like God , which is not God or like God in the sense to forgive a man’s sins. I would be offended if a man told me that “my sins were forgiven” without knowing what is truly going on in my heart. Interesting situation DS and good question…that was my understanding. I would personally never tell a person their sins are forgiven them, that is only something God can do, but I can say that Jesus Christ died for their sins, but their state before God of “forgiveness” happens when they confess their sins, repenting and believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins, then God tells them they are forgiven and they will have assurance. Man can’t ever do that one. Nope. Never. but if a brother is [committing terrible sin], and did it again, and he told the P—– about it, or a brother, and the brother is showing godly sorrow, then it will lead to repentance 2 Co 7:10, and that will mean he (sinning bro) is seeking God for the restoration and God tells him that “you are forgiven”, and gives that brother peace. The brother is only playing a role to listen to confession, pray for him, and gently help restore by restore, that is, tell him the scriptures, and the scriptures are heard and believed. we are not to tell others “your sins are forgiven” but if you have confessed and forsook them (Proverbs 28:13) then on that basis, God will have mercy, but when at the point in time the brother truly in his spirit does this (can a p—– see that? no) and when God heard his cry, …we’ll never know, unless the sinning bro stopped sinning and proved his repentance by his deeds. I have been in [a certain type of] addiction recovery and I never ever heard a bro tell another bro “your sins are forgiven” without some kind of explaination. There is real room for error to turn God’s grace into a license to sin, which is false teaching Jude 3

Amen and amen
Both/and

Mark 2

Brother DM agreed

I was thinking of that one. Mark 2:5 right when Jesus tells him “Your sins are forgiven” what a powerful thing Jesus does and that is what I want and I think we all want it. Perhaps that P—– didn’t know or perhaps it was misunderstood but I think that the P—– knows too. But I can see how a listener might pause and say “hey, wait a minute, let me get this straight” 🙂

But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. 1 Corinthians 14:24 – 25

Great topic, DS

As we can see above, there are sins against God and sins against man, sins against us and sins against others, sins of all sorts. Only God can forgive our sins against Him. We are clearly instructed to forgive men’s sins against us, and that our own forgiveness itself from God Himself hinges on this, our own forgiveness of other’s sins against us.

There are sins which are against only God, sins against only oneself and God, sins against other people and God, sins against ourselves and God, as well as sins against ourselves, others and God and others against all of humanity and God.

All sin is against God but the other parties involved vary.

God has provided forgiveness for all sins against Himself, against us, others and all humanity for all time. This payment was by the blood of JESUS. The way to forgiveness is through repentance and confession to God and to those involved. But there is only ONE mediator between God and man, the Man, Christ JESUS.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

People make wrong judgments every day, every hour. There is a gold standard. There is right and wrong, good and evil. There is also discretion, wisdom, prudence (Pr8:12). There is a wideness within the ways of God. These are not the broadness of the path of destruction. There is a breadth, depth, height and wideness in the righteousness of God, in His love, His liberty and His life (E3:18). Within the righteousness of God, His WORD teaches us to make right judgments. JESUS, Who is the WORD of God made flesh declared this Truth. We are to stop judging by mere appearances, stop looking at the surface of things, at the externals, at the natural and earthly view of things (2C10:7). We are to make right judgments.

Herein is the pathway to growth, maturity and indeed sanctification in Christ JESUS. Scripture declares that we are to train ourselves in distinguishing good from evil, right from wrong (H5:14). This, we learn, is how the mature become mature. And it is the mature who can then understand and walk in the greater things of God, who can cut their teeth on solid food. Here again, the carnal man who desires to follow JESUS must beware, must be extra vigilant, because his carnal flesh will easily lead him astray. The deceiptfulness of riches (Mt13:22), the cunning trickery of false and deceptive liars, masquerading as teachers of the good news of the evangel (E4:14), will cause such as these to make increasingly wrong judgements. All these men fail to learn the most elementary truths about the ways of God which show us that the greatest things of God are in fact the most despised things of man (1C1:28).

So, make a right judgment. Go ahead. Practice making right judgments according to the judgments of God, according to what God says, according to the Spirit, rather than according to the flesh. This will be good for your soul. This will deepen your growth. This always begins with the sword of the Spirit of Truth which is the WORD of God (E6:17). Look deeply into the perfect law of liberty (J1:25), and humbly accept the WORD planted in you (J1:21).

And test yourself (2C13:5). Pay close attention. Watch your words and inclinations, your thoughts and opinions, your tendencies and actions (1T4:16). Not for carnal legalistic aims (C2:21), but to examine your judgments in accordance with the WORD. Do this, and you will easily begin to recognize the contrast between the two (2C6:14). The Holy Spirit will show you where your thoughts and opinions are deviated from His thoughts and ways. If you surrender to His thoughts and ways revealed by that same Spirit (1C12:9) in accordance with the truths of the scriptures, then you will be able to see more and more clearly. By God’s grace and strength, you will be able to identify and then diligently choose life, wisdom and righteousness as you grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD JESUS CHRIST (2P3:18). Now, go make right judgments.

We know the expression yet rarely do this, let alone regularly and almost never completely.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
2 Corinthians 13:5

Simple questions, even words and certainly scriptures can be powerful starting points for beginning to examine ourselves and allow the light of life to probe deeply into our innermost being.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Just one sample stating point is this question which we should ask, and consider, honestly hear, acknowledge, evaluate and allow to give access to God’s WORD into our heart.

There are many other similar and various words, questions, truths, probing beams of the light of God’s life, God’s ‘chay’ the righteous life that God desires.

The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. Proverbs 20:27

Here is this starting question. Read it. Slowly. Consider it. Listen to it. Ask yourself.

Why are you so angry?

ὀργὴ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς δικαιοσύνην θεοῦ οὐ κατεργάζεται. Ἰάκωβος i:xx

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 1 John 3:9

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7