Getting Biblical in Daily Life
Christian Perspective
1 Timothy, 1 Timothy, and Titus were written by Christians for Christians. That means that you'll find all kinds of goodies about what it means to believe in Jesus in their pages. Let's take a peek.
The three letters are sometimes called the Pastoral Epistles because they deal with issues related to the church (and pastoring). They're full of rules and guidelines for how Christians should pick elders, deacons, and bishops to lead the congregation. Some denominations still follow these rules, today, while others have kind of gone their own way. For example, the Roman Catholic Church agrees with the Pastor that deacons should only be married once. But sorry, bishops—no holy matrimony for you.
The Pastor's thoughts have also led to how some Christians handle women's roles in the church. Because he says that women can't "have authority over a man" (1 Timothy 2:12) some folks (like Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and some evangelical Christians) interpret this to mean that ladies can't ever serve as pastors or leaders in the church. Other denominations like Anglicans and lots of mainline Protestants do allow women to serve as deacons, priests, and bishops. It's a pretty mixed bag. A mixed bag that people love to argue about.
The letters also mention a Christian practice called "laying on of hands"—it's how Timothy received the gift of prophecy (2 Timothy 1:6). Today, some Christians still use this practice. Either a member of the clergy or other fellow Christian places his or her hands on someone's body in order to pray for healing or some other kind of special blessing. Lots of people believe it's a good way to invoke the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes you'll also hear Christians talk about how the Bible is the inerrant. Basically, they just mean that it has no errors or mistakes in it, that everything the Bible says is 100% good and trustworthy. (Note: this isn't the exact same thing as saying everything in it is literally true.) These folks find support for their view in the Bible itself. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." The Bible may be the only book that can get away with endorsing itself.
Jewish Perspective
The majority of New Testament books are pretty heavy on the Jewish references, and the Pastoral Epistles are no different. Since Paul was born and raised in a Jewish home and his other letters are pretty heavily concerned with Jewish themes, ideas, and scripture, the Pastor obviously tries to follow this in his ghost writing.
He name-drops some figures from the Hebrew Bible. From biggies like Adam and Eve (1 Timothy 2:13-14) to lesser known figures like Jannes and Jambres (2 Timothy 3:8), the Pastor clearly knows his way around some Torah scrolls. He also doesn't shy away from quoting Hebrew scripture:
- "For the scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain'" (1 Timothy 5:18). That's a quote from Deuteronomy 25:4.
- "God's firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness'" (2 Timothy 2:19). And that one comes from Numbers 16:5.
Unlike Paul, the Pastor has some nice things to say about Jewish law: "Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately" (1 Timothy 1:8). Paul's relationship to the law was much more complex, but the Pastor sees it as a good way to keep chaos from breaking out. He does love law and order.
But he doesn't have such nice things to say about some of the Jewish-Christians in his midst. These are the guys who are promoting a Jewish way of life for Christians. The Pastor, like Paul before him, thinks this is a big no-no:
There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach […] For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (Titus 1:10-11, 13-16)
As biblical condemnations go, this one is pretty lightweight. But sadly, this verse and ones like it have done their part to fuel anti-Semitic fires over the years. Folks who take these passages out of context interpret them to mean that God is not down with Jewish people. Spreading hate and intolerance through the word of God? We're pretty sure Paul and the Pastor would not be okay with that.