Wealth, Discipline and Godliness in 1 Timothy

While most quarters of NT scholarship resist the idea that the radical and urgent Apostle Paul of Galatians wrote the 'tame and institutional' Pastoral Epistles, I am unimpressed with the arguments made in support of this position (particularly when the main agenda fueling this view is the demotion of the Pastoral epistles in favor of the Acts of Paul & Thecla, which more align with critical predispositions). One of the exegetical reasons why I am unimpressed with Dibelius and company is that Paul's discussion of wealth in 1 Timothy is hardly supportive of the kind of bourgeois ethics that critics of Pauline authorship believe pervade this letter. To the contrary, while Dibelius and his spiritual children naively try to force a modern-day diamond-shaped sociology onto the first and second centuries, the Pastorals as a whole, and 1 Timothy in particular, are concerned with helping the socially superior members of the community better relate to the rest of that faith community. This is definitely the case when it comes to issues of wealth, and how Paul addresses it within the context of error in 1 Timothy.

In 1 Timothy 6, the opponents of Timothy in Ephesus subscribed to "false doctrines" that stand in opposition to the instruction of Christ. Specifically, it was believed that godliness should lead to financial gain, so that the pursuit of holiness was really the pursuit of earthly wealth, since it is said that the false teachers were eager for money. In addition, Timothy's opponents apparently reveled in whipping up dissension within the assembly through quarreling about words and obsessing about controversy. The result was "constant friction" and envy, among other things, within the congregation.

It isn't just that the false teachers believed financial gain should derive from godliness as purely a doctrinal matter. It is possible that they themselves may have profited from their teachings, or from their adherence to the Law (1:7), and believed that holiness would necessarily result in wealthy abundance. But 1Tim 6.9-10 show a downward progression emanating from the desire for the wrong thing (money). This leads to temptation that is indulged, which results in the plunging of men into ruin and destruction. Paul's exhortations to Timothy exalt characteristics that are the opposite of those of the false teachers.

In contrast, 1 Timothy 4 links godliness to discipline, training, labor, striving, diligence, and perseverance. Unlike 1 Timothy 6, where the false teachers wrongly link godliness to wealth, Paul makes a positive link between godliness and discipline in 1 Timothy 4. Paul compares physical training with spiritual training, believing that while physical training serves some good, spiritual training is more important because it contains benefits that will be realized in both the present and future age. Paul commends spiritual discipline to Timothy in order that he might be a powerful model and blessing to the congregation that he serves.

By comparison, the link made by the false teachers between godliness and financial gain is a false and destructive link in Paul's view. Whether it's an interest in financial gain, a desire to get rich, a love of money, or placing their hope in their wealth, such pursuits and attitudes are neither the mark nor the result of an authentic Christian experience. Paul commends contentment as the true way of gain, not wealth and riches. Paul exhorts Timothy to be rich in good deeds and generosity, not money or material wealth. In stark contrast to the love of money exhibited by Timothy's opponents, Timothy is told to be content in the simple necessities of food and clothing. Richness, for Paul, is not about how much you have, but how much you do for others and how much you edify yourself and others with the truth of Scripture. The arrogance of those who trust in their wealth is contrasted with the contentment that Timothy should find in trusting God to make daily provision for his needs. While wealth is uncertain and unstable, God's provision is certain and solid.

In our day of get-rich-quick schemes and the pursuit of wealth and all its trappings, 1 Timothy is hardly putting forth a bourgeois ethic of comfortable living as either the highest goal, or the logical result of effective ministry. The writer of 1 Timothy was hardly the institutional company man that Dibelius made him out to be. The Christian church has been repeatedly embarassed by health-wealth preachers who I doubt have ever preached a sermon out of 1 Timothy 6. But again, this is where having a high view of Scriptural inspiration becomes invaluable. It's not a fluke that a letter written 2,000 years ago would so eloquently speak to the modern day scourge of the prosperity gospel. As Christians, we must face the reality that we will never totally escape the painful question often voiced by unbelievers and even a lot of Christians that Christianity is a tough sell when Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Paul Crouch, and Creflo Dollar are its celebrity salesmen. But we do have a response, not only from the whole of Scripture that speaks against the trappings of wealth, but from 1 Timothy in particular.