Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”
Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?
It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.
Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.
We should note that we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.
Introduction
Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?
It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.
Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.
We should note that we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.
Introduction
Traditionally, First and Second Timothy and Titus have been characterized as "pastoral epistles." The assumption is that Paul wrote these letters to teach these men how to pastor their churches. For Timothy, that would be Ephesus (1Ti. 1:3), and for Titus, various churches in Crete (Tit. 1:5).
We think this is a mistaken assumption, however. Because of this, we believe it is the source of several doctrinal problems:
- It is used to justify the unbiblical leadership structure that a singular pastor presides over the congregation
- It unduly expands the scope of Paul's personal instructions to apply universally
- It derives unbiblical ideas about how church services should be conducted
So, if these two letters are not "pastoral" letters, then Paul was not giving "pastoral" direction. From this initial errant assumption descends other errors, which eventually leads to a complete misapplication of Paul's letters.
Further, if Timothy and Titus were not pastors, then it throws open the opportunity for a completely different, and hopefully more biblical, understanding of how these letters should apply.
The Letters to Timothy
In fact, there was no such thing as lead pastor back then.
We would assert that Timothy wasn't the pastor, he had been sent to do a job. In fact, Paul's purpose was to
- give Timothy personal instruction and exhortation (1:18, 4:11).
- tell Timothy to work to set things right until Paul came (3:15, 4:13).
- address problems (1:3).
- watch out for certain blasphemers (1:20)
- teach Timothy doctrine (4:13), and
- provide structure for the leadership of the church Timothy was to install (chapter 3).
This means first, Paul was encouraging Timothy to stay true to the faith. Second, Paul was providing guidance on the conduct of Christians. Third, he was instructing Timothy on how to handle situations in this church. We mustn't confuse these three things with being the lead pastor.
So, if Timothy wasn't lead pastor, what was he? Timothy was actually a valued associate of Paul (Ac. 19:22), who labored alongside him (Ro. 16:21), accompanied him on missionary trips (Ac. 16), went to various churches on assignment, and generally did his bidding.
Timothy was Paul's fellow-worker:
Ro. 16:21 Timothy, my fellow-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.
Ph. 2:22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
He was an itinerant preacher of the Gospel:
2Co. 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No”, but in him it has always been “Yes.”
Ac. 17:15: The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Timothy traveled to various churches:
- Corinth:
1Co. 4:17: For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
1Co. 16:10 If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
- Philippi:
Ph. 2:19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.
- Thessalonica:
1Th. 3:2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith...
- The Hebrew church:
He. 13:23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
Some of Paul’s epistles were co-written with Timothy:
2Co. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother...
Ph. 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi…
Col. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother...
Phile. 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow-worker...
2Th. 1:1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians
It should seem pretty clear that Timothy was one of Paul's company who traveled all over the Mideast as missionaries and problem-fixers.
The Letters to Timothy
Having considered the NT testimony as to Timothy's role and activities, we now shall examine the letters themselves.
In chapter one of First Timothy we find Paul's very first command to Timothy:
1Ti. 1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer...
Right off the bat we discover that Timothy wanted to leave Ephesus, probably to rejoin Paul in the next mission trip, but Paul wanted him to stay and correct false doctrines. Paul even told Timothy why he gave him this instruction:
1Ti. 1:18-19 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience.
Timothy had probably written to Paul about the problems in Ephesus, no doubt expressing frustration and discouragement. Paul reminded him of the prophecies spoken over him as an encouragement to keep fighting the good fight. That is, "Remember what was prophesied over you? So stay there and keep working to set the church in order."
Paul intended to come to Ephesus himself (also 2Ti. 1:4):
1Ti. 3:14-15 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
It's clear that Paul sent Timothy to this church on advance assignment until Paul himself could arrive. All of what Paul writes to Timothy is for the purpose of explaining doctrine, to encourage him, and to give him the necessary tools to put the Ephesian church on the right track.
As we move into chapter two we unfortunately enter a doctrinal minefield. We say this because many people assume this chapter is about how church services ought to be conducted. But the text does not tell us this. If we would divorce ourselves from this preconception, we would find that Paul was instructing on Christian conduct generally and not about conduct in church services.
The major points of this chapter:
- 1Ti. 2:1 Christians should pray, particularly for those in authority
- 1Ti. 2:8 Christians should pray without anger or fighting
- 1Ti. 2:9 Women should dress modestly and do good deeds
- 1Ti. 2:11 A wife should learn in quietness and submission (We discuss this in detail here)
- 1Ti. 2:12 A wife may not teach or usurp authority over her husband (We discuss this in detail here)
- 1Ti. 2:15 A wife will be saved/restored/made whole for the sake of/through/because of childbearing if she continues in faith
None of these points need be considered through the lens of what constitutes a proper church service. Our primary evidence of this is found in 1Ti. 2:8:
1Ti. 2:8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling (ESV).
Notice, ...in every place... Not "in church," or "during the gathering of the church." Clearly these instructions in chapter 2 are general instructions for Christian conduct everywhere. Indeed, should not women dress modestly all the time, and not just in church? Should not a wife be submissive to her husband always, and not just in church? Should not women continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety all of the time, and not just in church?
When we examine context apart from our preconceptions, we find the topic in chapter 2 is regarding instructions about the general behavior of Christians, and not of Christians in church.
In fact, there is no hint that Paul was writing to Timothy about church order until Paul specifically and directly turns to the topic in chapter 3. The word ekklesia does not appear until chapter 3.
In chapter 3, Paul begins to explain church order by starting with leadership qualifications. These are not qualifications for Timothy, but rather the church leadership Timothy was to install. There are qualifications for
The fact that Paul describes leadership to Timothy pretty clearly suggests that Timothy's job was to get this church on the right track, not be its lead pastor. This is borne out by Paul's statement:
1Ti. 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
Hmm. Paul points out to Timothy that it is the elders who lead the church. He doesn't tell Timothy that he is worthy of double honor; it's the elders. They direct the affairs of the church, not Timothy.
The balance of First Timothy is instruction about church matters, some doctrine, and a lot of encouragement.
We don't have much to say about Second Timothy, because once the reader is able to consider the contents of these letters apart from the lens of traditional understanding, our thesis that Timothy was not a lead pastor will become quite obvious. We will mention one verse:
2Ti. 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
We see the theme again and again. Timothy's job is to raise up men in this church to be the leaders, teachers, overseers, and deacons. He was not the lead pastor.
In sum, there isn’t a single passage in the NT that indicates that Timothy was pastor or head of this particular church. Rather, it is reasonable to conclude that Timothy was on assignment from Paul as a young church planter charged with setting up leadership and correcting doctrine in this church, and Paul was advising him how to do it.
The Letter to Titus
Similar to Timothy, Titus was on assignment to a church. And also as with Timothy, Titus is never described as a lead pastor. Titus was not sent to preside over this church, he was sent to do a job. And, Paul was writing to help him and encourage him.
So if Titus wasn't pastor, what was he?
Titus traveled with Paul:
Ga. 2:1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
Titus appears to have been an early minister to the Corinthian church:
2Co. 8:6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
It's possible Titus deserted Paul:
2Ti. 4:10 ...for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Paul expected to meet up with Titus in Troas:
2Co. 2:12-13 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-bye to them and went on to Macedonia.
The Corinthian church refreshed Titus:
2Co. 7:13 By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
Titus was being sent back to Corinth, who were told to welcome him:
2Co. 8:23-24 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.
It seems clear that Titus was like Timothy in that he co-labored with Paul, and was sent out from Paul to perform various tasks, on of which was to appoint elders in the various churches in Crete:
Tit. 1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
That was Titus' job. It's right there in black and white. Titus was not a lead pastor. His job was to appoint leadership in these churches, not lead them.
Similarities
It is interesting to note the similarity of the instruction regarding Timothy and Titus. Both were being disrespected:
1Ti. 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young...
Tit. 2:15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Both were instructed to teach:
2Ti. 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
Tit. 2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.
Both were to correct false doctrine:
1Ti. 1:3 ...command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer
Tit. 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Both received information on leadership qualifications:
1Ti. 3:2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach...
Tit. 1:7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
Conclusion
Titus, like Timothy, was part of a band of traveling ministers, perhaps even apostles (see our explanation here), who ministered in various churches to correct them, teach them, give them guidance, and install and train the leadership. Paul's letters were to encourage, exhort, and instruct these men to do the job they were sent to do.
This means that they were not lead pastors. If they were not lead pastors, then pastors are not in charge of churches, elders and overseers are.
This means these men were not being told about properly conducting church services. If they were not being told about conducting church services; rather, they were being told about how to encourage holy living.
This means that we have been taught doctrines that are based on a false premise. If this is true, we need to reexamine our doctrines.
No comments:
Post a Comment