1 Timothy 6.18-Paul Tells Timothy To Command The Rich To Be Rich In Good Works, Generous And Ready To Share
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday November 1, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:18-Paul Tells Timothy To Command The Rich To Be Rich In Good Works, Generous And Ready To Share
Lesson # 140
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 6:18.
In 1 Timothy 6:18, the apostle Paul tells Timothy to continue making it his habit of commanding the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to make it their habit of performing actions that are good in the sense of being divine in quality and character and benefitting others.
He also says that he wants the rich to be rich by means of excellent works, generous and willing to share with those in need.
1 Timothy 6:18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. (NASB95)
“To do good” is the present active infinitive form of the verb agathoergeo (ἀγαθοεργέω) (ahgahthoe-ehree-ehowe), which means “to perform actions that are good in the sense that they are divine in quality and character and benefit others.”
It speaks of these wealthy Christians in Ephesus performing actions with their wealth and possessions that benefit the unsaved in their community and especially those who are members of the body of Christ as well as the Father.
This verb describes these actions as good in the sense that they are divine in quality and character because they are in accordance with the Father’s will.
They are in accordance with the Father’s will because they are the result of being influenced by the Spirit.
The Christian is filled with or influenced by the Spirit when they bring their thoughts into obedience to the teaching of the Spirit, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God.
Therefore, these works are divine in quality and character because the teaching of the Spirit as recorded in the Word is the basis for these actions.
Agathoergeo speaks of performing actions that are intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others, benevolent because they are based upon the teaching of the Spirit and in accordance with the Father’s will.
The present tense of the verb agathoergeo is a customary present signaling a regularly occurring action indicating that Paul wants the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to “regularly” or “make it their habit of” performing actions that are good in the sense that they are divine in quality and character and benefit others.
“To be rich in good works” is composed of the present active infinitive form of the verb plouteo (πλουτέω) (ploo-teh-owe), “to be rich” and then we have the preposition en (ἐν), “in” and its object is the dative neuter plural form of the noun ergon (ἒργον) (air-gone), “works” and the dative neuter plural form of the adjective kalos (καλός) (kah-loce), “good.”
The verb plouteo means “to be rich, to be wealthy” and is used with wealthy Christians in Ephesus as its subject.
The prepositional phrase ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς, “in good works” is modifying this verb and expresses the means by which these wealthy Christians are to be rich.
Therefore, Paul is telling Timothy to continue making it his habit of commanding the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to be rich by means of performing good works.
This verb is used as a play on words with πλουσίοις, “those who are rich” that appears in 1 Timothy 6:17, which refers to those in the Christian community in Ephesus who are rich or wealthy.
Paul is telling these wealthy Christians in Ephesus that true wealth is performing actions that are divine in quality and character and benefit both God and men.
Paul wants them to be spiritually prosperous and they have a great opportunity to do so by using their wealth and possessions to benefit others in the body of Christ as well as the poor in their community and the unsaved.
The noun ergon means “works, actions” referring to actions performed by wealthy Christians while in fellowship with God and were produced by the Holy Spirit through them when they exercise faith in the Word of God.
The noun ergon, “works” is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of means indicating that Paul wants the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to be rich “by means of” good works.
It tells the reader how they are to be rich.
True wealth is the result of performing actions that are in obedience to the Spirit’s voice which is heard through the command of the Lord Jesus Christ to love one another as He has loved all men.
True wealth is not by means of acquiring an abundance of possessions or large sums of money but rather by means of good works that are the direct result of obeying the Lord’s command to love one another and are the result of performing actions empowered by the Spirit that benefit both God and men.
The adjective kalos means “excellent” and is modifying the noun ergon, “works” which is used of the works or actions that Paul wants the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to perform by means of the Spirit.
Kalos describes these works or actions as being of the highest moral quality or character because they were done by the power of the Spirit as a result of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one another as He loved.
The implication is that these works were useful and a great benefit to the Christian community in Ephesus and to the Lord Himself.
“To be generous and ready to share” is composed of the accusative masculine plural form of the adjective eumetadotous (εὐμετάδοτος) (ehv-mehtah-vehtoce), “generous” and this is followed by the present active infinitive form of the verb eimi (εἰμί) (ee-mee), “to be” and then we have accusative masculine plural form of the adjective koinonikos (κοινωνικός) (keenoe-neekoce), “ready to share.”
The verb eimi means “to possess a particular characteristic,” which is identified by the adjectives εὐμεταδότους, “generous” and κοινωνικούς, “ready to share.”
This indicates that Paul wants the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to possess the characteristics of being generous and willing to share.
This adjective eumetadotous means “generous” indicating that Paul wants the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to be generous in the sense of contributing to the needs of the body of Christ by sharing their possessions and wealth.
The first century apostolic church practiced providing for the needs of its own (Acts 2:45; 4:32-37; 9:36-41; 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-4; 9:1-15).
There was great poverty in the first century apostolic church due to persecutions.
Therefore, it was critical for believers who were prospering or did have the essentials for maintaining a proper human existence to share their prosperity and abundance with those in the royal family of God who were destitute or poverty stricken.
When the believer provides for the needs of those who are poverty stricken in the body of Christ whether they are in his or her own periphery or in different parts of the world, it produces thanksgiving to God.
When the believer provides for the needs of those who are poverty stricken in the body of Christ whether they are in his or her own periphery or in different parts of the world, it is an expression of God’s love in their life (1 John 3:16-17).
In divine love, there is to be reciprocation between believers in the sense that there is to be a mutual exchange of care and concern among believers for one another.
Divine love involves a reciprocal relationship among believers in the sense of there being a mutual sharing of feelings, actions, responsibilities and attitudes between believers.
It involves reciprocation among believers in the sense that believers are to share together as partners in the needs, burdens, concerns, joys, and blessings for the purpose of encouragement, comfort, challenge or exhortation, praise, prayer and physical help according to the needs and ability (cf. Phil. 1:5 with 1:19; and 2:4 with 1:27; also 4:3; Rom. 12:15; and 1 Thess. 5:11,14,15; Heb. 10:33).
Divine love involves reciprocation among believers because believers share the same eternal life through regeneration and thus the same eternal “relationship” and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28).
It involves reciprocation among believers because they entered into an “active partnership” with each other and through their prayers, friendship and financial support they are to support the communication of the gospel of Christ’s enterprise on earth.
The adjective koinonikos describes someone who is “willing to share” one’s possessions and financial wealth.
Therefore, Paul wants the wealthy Christians in Ephesus to be “willing to share” their financial wealth and possessions with those who are in need in the body of Christ as well as outside the body of Christ.
It refers to Christian fellowship and in particular the horizontal aspect of Christian fellowship which is a reflection of the vertical aspect of Christian fellowship.
This adjective speaks of the partnership aspect of Christian fellowship as well as the companionship and stewardship aspect of Christian fellowship.
Christian Fellowship denotes the following concepts: (1) Relationship with Christ: We are all permanently united together by the common (eternal) life that we share as a result of regeneration and the Baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2:42; 1 C. 1:9; 1 Jn. 1:3). (2) Partnership: We are to work together for a common purpose to obtain common objectives for the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 1:27; Phlp. 1:5; Gal. 2:9; Heb. 1:9). (3) Companionship: We are to communicate with one another and have fellowship with one another sharing with one another the things (viewpoint and thinking) of Christ (Acts. 2:42; Heb. 10:25; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:11; Rom. 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Thess 5:11; Philem. 6). (4) Stewardship: We must recognize that all we have belongs to the Lord and has been given to us as trusts from God to invest for His purposes. Believers need to be willing to share their material possessions for the promotion of the gospel and to help those in need. Good stewardship stems from recognizing our relationship to Jesus Christ, but it also means recognizing our partnership in Christ’s enterprise on earth. (Rom. 12:13; 15:27; Gal. 6:6; Phil. 4:15; Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:4; 9:13; Heb. 13:16; 1 Tim. 6:18).