Monk Life

“who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1Tim 4:3)

Tupac dropped mad rhymes about Thug Life in the ‘hood. You’ve seen those Salt Life stickers on rear windows of SUVs. (Just wondering, are you REALLY a disciple of the Salt Life just because your grandma and grandpa own a beach house?) Disciples of Sheldon Cooper are livin’ the Nerd Life. 

If you hung out on the mean streets of first century Ephesus, you would have known all about those rolling the Monk Life. I’m not sure if they had a sticker on the back of their chariot, but these folks went out of their way to let you know they were SO much holier than you because of what they didn’t do. Call it self-salvation by subtraction. Living the Monk Life meant living the single life. It also meant making a big deal about their diet.

Monk Life had made it’s way into the Ephesian church. Thanks to a heads up from the Holy Spirit, Paul saw it coming. He tells Timothy not to be fooled by appearances. They teach a demon doctrine while in disguise (1Tim 4:1-2). You know these hucksters are lying when their lips are moving. They spew so much fiction that they wouldn’t know the truth they tripped over it walking down the street. They are false teachers “who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (v3). Forget Monk Life. Live the True Life. Enjoy the Grace Life.

It’s hard to imagine what a hot mess the church at Ephesus has become in just a few short years. The Apostle Paul personally planted the congregation drink a three-year run in the big city on the west coast of Asia Minor (Acts 19; 20:31). Folks flocked from all over the region to hear about Jesus. At some point, a posse of spiritual grifters weaseled their way into the church and distracted the followers of Christ with all sorts of whacky “myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations” (1Tim 1:3). 

Paul began the reform by kicking out two of false teachers named Hymenaeus and Alexander (1Tim 1:20). When the apostle has to hit the road for Macedonia, he appoints his protege Timothy as the new lead pastor with instructions to finish the job of cleaning up the mess they’ve made (1Tim 1:3-7) and finding godly leaders (1Tim 3:1-13). 

While we don’t know exactly who these self-righteous tricksters are, the former Pharisee gives us a few hints. They “forbid marriage marriage and require abstinence from foods” (v3). Some folks believe they could be an early form of Gnosticism. They had the goofy belief that the real world was evil. (I’m NOT talking about MTV’s “Real World.” It may not be evil but it certainly has NOTHING to do with Jesus!) Gnostics thought the only way to true salvation was by turning your back on everything physical. For instance, they didn’t believe God would get Himself all dirty by taking on human flesh since it was so sinfully yucky.

Other scholars have a sneaking suspicion that Paul’s talking about the Essenes and Therapeutae. These were both Jewish denominations that lived like monks in desert monasteries. They called it the Contemplative Life. Not exactly bumper sticker worthy, now is it? The Essenes set up an outpost just up the mountain from the Dead Sea in Qumran. That’s where we discovered what are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Therapeutae gave up property, sex, and certain foods. Whether it’s the Gnostics, Essenes, or Therapeutae, it was all about self-salvation by subtraction. They were all about keeping out the big, bad world and it’s evil influences. They were all about living the Monk Life.

You haven’t met a Gnostic, Essene, or Therapeutae but these folks are still around. No, you won’t drive past the First Gnostic Church or Essene Community Fellowship in your neighborhood. But there are plenty of people who believe the only way to please God is by insulating yourself from the fallen world. They say things like, “We don’t smoke and we don’t chew or go out with girls who do!” Catchy, yes. Biblical, no. 

Do I really need to remind you of the sort of riffraff Jesus like to hang around? First century fundamentalists had a problem with His social circle. Two thousand years later, they are still plenty of fundies out there. You’ve probably seen them picketing somewhere or boycotting something. As a friend of mine says, fundamentals have no “fun,” too much “dam,” and not enough “mental.” Some of the greatest threats to grace come from INSIDE the faith!

At first glance, Monk Life sounds pretty stinkin’ super spiritual! I mean, doesn’t Paul endorse biblical singleness (1Cor 7:25-35)? Didn’t our Savior want us to take a zero tolerance policy on sexual immorality (Mt 5:27-30)? Wasn’t Jesus personally a proponent of fasting (Mt 6:16-17; 9:14-15)? Didn’t God Himself lay down some uber strict dietary laws to His people (Lev 11)? This is exactly how cults get started. They sprinkle just enough Scripture on their whacky ways to make it sound both biblical and believable. 

First of all, they “forbid marriage” (v3). There’s just one tiny problem with it. What God has to say all throughout the Bible. I’m pretty sure Yahweh didn’t drop the ball when He married Adam and Eve (Gen 2:23-25). God clearly sees marriage as a mysterious picture of Jesus’ relationship with His own bride, the church (Eph 5:22-32). The writer of Hebrews instructs us, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled” (Heb 13:4). Just because there are plenty of jacked up marriages out there doesn’t mean it should be avoided. I’ve got bad news for those repping the Monk Life. Marriage is good idea because it’s God’s idea. 

These first century fundies “require abstinence from foods” (v3). The idea here is probably avoiding certain meat products. Let’s be very clear here. Paul is not throwing folks under the bus who follow certain diets for health or philosophical reasons. However, going gluten-free doesn’t get you closer to God. Vegan is NOT a denomination. Well, at least it shouldn’t be! The apostle is warning against the idea of trying to save yourself through dietary restrictions. Hey God, look how holy I am! I’m putting down the Little Debbie cakes and filling my plate with kale and tofu!! I hate to tell you but I don’t think He’s all that impressed.

Food and faith are constant source of tension in the New Testament. Paul filled three entire chapters on it when answering questions from the Corinthians (1Cor 8:1-10:33). Dietary restrictions led to a HUGE apostolic showdown between Peter and Paul in Antioch (Gal 2:11-14). The apostle tells the Colossian church that all of the kosher food rules God gave Moses were simply a sneak peek at the coming Messiah (Col 2:16-23). It even led to a massive meeting back at the home office in Jerusalem (Acts 15). Church leaders eventually decided that non-Jewish followers of Jesus don’t have to order from the kosher menu.

According to Paul, these rules go against the incredible goodness of our gracious and giving God. All of these things are part of the universe He “created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (v3). The apostle says the key to the whole deal is seen in Creation. God created the universe for us to enjoy (Gen 1:26-29; 9:3)! He is a Giver! His universe is to be enjoyed. Stewarded and cared for yes, but absolutely to be enjoyed.

If you’re buying what the false teachers are selling, the see God as a supernatural tease who tempts us with the good stuff only to tell us it’s evil. In their view, He’s like the cranky fisherman in the Stat Farm insurance commercial who dangles a dollar just out of reach. “Oh, you almost had it! You gotta be quicker than that!” Just the opposite. He’s an amazing Father who’s the source of every good gift we have (James 1:17). Jesus says our Heavenly Dad can’t wait to showers His kids with good gifts (Mt 7:11).

We’re grateful recipients when we trust in His goodness. We realize there’s nothing we can do to earn His love. We don’t impress God by staying single or eating paleo. As a matter of fact, we may be missing out on the overflowing life He has for us if we do (Jn 10:10). Our holiness gauge doesn’t rise or fall according to what we give up or deny ourselves. When we place our trust in the One who lived, died, and rose on in our place, our grace tank is always full. 

Don’t let anyone dupe you into thinking the way to God is a poverty gospel. That’s as dangerous as the prosperity garbage that’s all the rage these days. It’s NOT about Monk Life. It's NOT about self-salvation by subtraction. It’s living the True Life. The Overflowing Life. The Grace Life. I wonder where I can find one of those stickers?