Do you love who God loves? Really love them? 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters in all purity. 

Now Paul begins to give Timothy specific instructions on how to deal with certain types of people. 

We should remember that God has given the pastor instructions on addressing people with the Gospel – and now talks about relationships with different types of people – so that the Gospel will be lifted high in the Church. 

Here are a couple interesting things about this text:

1)  God seems especially concerned that pastors not rebuke older men sharply, though that command applies to all groups.  Pastors should rebuke no one sharply, especially older men. 

Why might that be?  Simple – real authority structures exist in families and in communities.  Older men are the ones who have authority in their families and typically in the Church.  To rebuke an older man sharply would be to disrespect him and the position that God put him in.  

2)  God gives the young pastor an analogy to family relationships.  People in the Church should be treated as family members.  Why? 

First, because they are.  Paul wrote Timothy so that he’d know “how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God…”(1 Timothy 3:15). 

It really is family, because God really adopts people in the person of Christ.  Everyone who is in Christ, through faith in him, is a child of God (1 John 3:1). 

Secondly, because there is no unit on earth as typified by love as the family.  And God is love towards all his children, and his children thus must love one another.  This family is characterized by love. 

3)  That’s why ‘sharp rebuking’ is replaced by ‘encouraging.’  Now, that doesn’t mean pastors are to just come alongside people and say, ‘good job!’  What’s implied here is that a behavior needs to change. 

But that said, God tells us that the way that change should happen is through encouragement – partnership – entering into the situation with the person to help them with it. 

Why?  Because Jesus was manifested in the flesh – alongside of us – and took on our sin and died – and was vindicated in the Spirit – in his resurrection – bringing us with him to glory. 

There is no judgment from Christ – let there be none from us.  There is compassion and love and entering into the thick of things from Christ towards his people.  Shall pastors do any different?  Shall pastors be more harsh than their Lord? 

4)  Young women, the pastor is commanded, are to be treated uniquely, in all purity.  Timothy was a young man.  He especially is warned to be pure with young women – since the temptation to fall into lust or any kind of sexual sin will be greater with young women. 

And note that Paul says ‘all’ purity.  He emphasizes how stringent Timothy must be – how on his guard he must be.  There must be no impurity or inconsistency or hidden agenda or mixed motives in his dealings with young women – not because young women are ‘bad’ or something – but because Timothy, and pastors in general, are men, susceptible to temptation. 

How should we summarize these things? 

1)  God has adopted all believers in Christ into his family through Christ, his Son. 

2)  He has done this in love, and caused us to be a family marked by love. 

3)  Pastors represent Christ in this family in Christ’s absence, and are to come alongside everyone to help them out of their sin – not condemning, but loving and helping people. 

4)  Those relationships and conversations will look different, based on what sort of family member each person is. 

5)  These things do apply to all of us – as we speak to other members of God’s family. 

Father, I admit that when I see sin in the Church, my first response is not to think of the love that you have for each of us – that you punished Jesus for us and have adopted each of us in him, perfectly and forever.  My first response is often to ‘fix it’ – to fix behavior rather than to give your love to a person who is missing out on you. 

I think in part that’s because I believe I’m either righteous – or at least more righteous than them.  Forgive me, Father!  I’m a sinner…  And I think it might also be because I want to believe myself to be a Savior – and yet, only Christ is our Savior. 

Help me to love your people well – since you love us and are our Father – and you’ve chosen to adopt us in Christ because of your love. 

I ask these things so that Christ will be lifted up by the Church and honored among the peoples!  Glorify yourself, my Lord! 

In Christ I pray, amen.