“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1Tim 5:8).
My employers are very thoughtful. Every two weeks they give a lovely little thank you note for working. It’s a wonderful little thing called a paycheck. I may bring home the bacon but it’s not all my bacon. I’m not talking about the sizable slice the government takes out (that’s another verse and another rant for another day). Whether you’re working hard or hardly working, what you earn isn’t just for you. Bachman Turner Overdrive sang, “Taking care of business, it’s all mine!” Well as a followers of Jesus, it’s NOT all mine. We’re taking care of business when we’re taking care of others.
Here in Paul’s first letter to Timothy, the apostle has some important application of the Gospel for the young pastor and his Ephesian church. Smack dab in the middle of a big chunk about Gospel style assisted living (1Tim 5:3-16), he drops a warning that stops us in our tracks. “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (v8). In other words, when I diss my fam, I diss my faith. Yikes!
Let’s cut to the chase. I can’t say I follow Jesus and then fail to provide for my family. If that’s true, I may talk the talk, but I’m not walking the walk. Failing to make a plan and support the ones I love trashes the name of Christ. Turning my back on family financially tells the world I’m the most important person in my little corner of the universe. God has blessed me with a job so that I can be a blessing to others. I may bring home the bacon, but it’s not all my bacon.
Don’t forget the whole reason Paul fires off this note in the first place. It’s the middle of the first century. About 64 A.D. We’re only thirty years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The apostle has work to do over in southern Europe in a region known as Macedonia. He is probably making followup visits to the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (Acts 16:9-17:15). In the meantime, he’s handed the reigns of leadership in the Ephesian church to his spiritual son Timothy (1Tim 1:1-3).
Tim’s got quite a mess on his hands in E City. A crew of spiritual con artists have distracted folks from following Jesus with all sorts of goofy “myths and endless genealogies” (1Tim 1:4). Sprinkle in some dangerous occult practices and doctrine that’s nothing short of demonic (1Tim 4:1). Step one, remove the congregational cancer. Step two, replace them with humble, godly team of new leaders (1Tim 3:1-13). Step three, refocus the message on God’s goodness of the Gospel (1Tim 3:14-4:4). Step four, apply the Good News in practical ways (1Tim 5:15-6:20).
A big chunk of letting the rubber meet the road in this letter involves caring for widows. You might be shocked when you realize Paul spends 16 verses. That’s 25% of the application section! Now I’m not saying that the situation in your church and city are anything like what Tim faced in Ephesus. But if the Holy Spirit nudged the apostle to devote that much of his content to the issue, it’s something we need to pay attention to, don’t you think?
Here in the middle of his description of Gospel style assisted living, Paul backs up and gives the big idea when it comes to caring for others. “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (v8). This is so much more than simply making sure we’re taking care of mom and memaw. This is realizing you’re not flying solo through life. Others need you. Others depend on you. My paycheck is NOT all mine. As a follower of Jesus, taking care of business means taking care of others.
Someone who trusts in Christ should “provide for his relatives” (v8). Paul uses a Greek word here (Gr. pronoeo) that has a couple of interesting meanings. First, it describes caring for someone with the implication of ongoing responsibility. Second, the term also means to think about something ahead of time so you can respond appropriately. That’s actually the literal translation of proneo. “Pre (pro-) think (-neo).” It’s to plan ahead of time. Do you have a strategy or system in place that involves supporting those God has placed in your life?
This means my work is so much more than simply punching a time clock and cashing a check. Having a plan means having a budget. As Dave Ramsey likes to say, do I spend every dollar on purpose on paper before the month begins? I think Snoop D-O-Double G had the right idea when he rapped, “I’ve got my mind on my money and my money on my mind.” Let me be clear, I’m NOT saying this is about making it rain and rolling with a posse while dropping mad rhymes for Death Row Records. Don’t love money and use people. Use money to love people. We can’t do that if we don’t have a plan. Make a plan and then work the plan. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail. Make a budget. (Did I REALLY just use Dave Ramsey and Snoop Dogg in the same paragraph?!?)
When someone doesn’t plan and provide for their family and those God has placed under their care, “he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (v8). The original Greek word here is arneomai, which means to denounce either by words or actions. Disown, disavow, or disregard. Refuse, reject, or renounce. Jesus warns, “Whoever denies (Gr. arneomai) Me before men, I will also deny (Gr. arneomai) before My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 10:33). It’s the word Matthew chooses to describe Pete’s three-peat denial of Jesus (Mt 26:70-72). Just so there’s no doubt here, denying your faith is toward the top of the “Things a Follower of Jesus Should Not Do” list. When I diss my fam, I diss my faith.
Why is that? What in the world does my paycheck have to do with my the Gospel? Only everything. I may have earned my pay, but I certainly didn’t earn my salvation. What I’ve really earned is punishment. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Because God graciously gives and shares with me, I graciously give and share with others. I give because I’ve been given. I bless because I’ve been blessed. The buck does NOT stop here. So when we turn our back on our family, we’re turning our back to Jesus.
If that isn’t bad enough, Paul says someone who turns their backs on his family “is worse than an unbeliever” (v8). You don’t see it in the English translations, but the words “faith” (Gr. pistis) and “unbeliever” (Gr. apistis) are really variations of the same word in the original language. Once again, the apostle stresses placing our trust in Jesus to do for us what we could never dream of doing for ourselves. We place our trust in His perfect life that we failed to live. We place our trust in His death on a cross for our sin that we should have died. We place our trust in His resurrection to new life that we don’t deserve. That’s what we believe. That’s the point of our faith.
So you can sum this up “he has denied what he believes and is worse than an unbeliever.” Or “he rejected the trust he has in Christ and is worse than one who has never trusted in Christ.” Or as the Message paraphrases it, “Anyone who neglects to care for family members in needs repudiates the faith. That’s worse that refusing to believe in the first place” (v8 The Message). If you claim to follow Jesus, folks want to see what that looks like. They want to see how you live it out. Whatever you call it, faith or belief or trust, it MUST have a response. Jesus’ kid brother James like to say that faith without any kind of action is dead as a doornail (James 2:17, 25).
Please don’t misunderstand me. The Bible is NOT calling for some sort of hippie commune. He calls us to be responsible with His blessings. He’s put them in our hands and in our care in order to bless others. The first church readily sold off their resources for the good of others, but that was only to help “as any had need” (Acts 2:43-45). We need to pull our own weight. And we need to keep our eyes peeled for those who are struggling. A big part of taking care of business in God’s kingdom is taking care of others.
Paul warns folks in Thessalonica to get busy and get to work. Apparently believers there were so convinced Jesus was coming back any day now that they quit their jobs and let the church support them (1Th 3:6-11). The apostle and his team showed the Thessalonians what hard work looks like. If you’re able to work, get to work. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (1Th 3:10). Don’t be a financial burden your friends and family. That giant sucking sound better not be me draining the trough dry when I’m able to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
A practical application of my faith in Jesus is what I do with my paycheck. Do I understand my responsibility is to more than just myself? Do I budget and plan so that I can maximize God’s blessing to my family, to my friends, to my church, and to those who can’t care for themselves. It starts at home. If I fail to provide for my family, I’m not just giving a stiff arm to my Savior but it’s worse than rejecting Him in the first place. My paycheck is NOT all mine. As a follower of Jesus, taking care of business means taking care of others.
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