Open the Bible UK Daily

As for the rich… charge them not to… set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 Paul speaks of two kinds of hope here. Some people set their hope on “the uncertainty of riches,” others “on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” These are very different kinds of hope. When God gives you more, you need to...

Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 Notice, Paul says that godliness with contentment is not just gain , but great gain . If you have godliness with contentment, it will be of huge advantage to you. Why? Paul gives four reasons. He says, “If getting rich is your goal…” 1. You cannot keep what...

Godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6 The ninth distinguishing mark of a gospel-centred church is gospel lifestyle . Paul speaks to “the rich” (6:17) and to “those who desire to be rich” (6:9). So there’s something for those who have less and something for those who have more here. Paul says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (6:6). Contentment is finding joy in what God...

The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgement, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. 1 Timothy 5:24–25 All of us serve in the light of the coming judgement. God sees all things. Nothing is hidden from Him. But people are not always what they appear to be, and that is why we should exercis...

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 1 Timothy 5:19–20 There are two important points here: Good leaders need to be protected from bad people. Good people need to be protected from bad leaders. Protection for good leaders Godly leaders will al...

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 The eighth distinctive of a gospel-centred church is gospel leadership . Gifted and godly leaders are a sign of God’s blessing on a church. A local church depends in large measure on the character and competence of its leaders. Notice what is being said here...

Let a widow be enrolled if she… [has] a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 1 Timothy 5:10 Paul speaks about widows who are to be recognised, honoured, and supported (5:3). But he also speaks about widows who are to be enrolled or registered on a...

Care for those who are truly widows. 1 Timothy 5:16 There will be genuine need in the church. Paul emphasises this three times. “Honour widows who are truly widows ” (5:3).“She who is truly a widow… ” (5:5). “Care for those who are truly widows ” (5:16). How do we know who to help and who to support? The Bible is a wonderfully practical book, and Paul shows us the path of wisdom through two princi...

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8 The seventh distinctive of a gospel-centred church is gospel compassion . Paul is urging the church to cultivate a culture of caring and serving. The Bible is full of God’s compassion for His children, especially those who do not have oth...

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:10 Many people are confused about how to live the Christian life. Two misunderstandings have caused much of this confusion. 1. The “hard labour” version says: “We toil and strive.” This version says that the Christian life is one great e...

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed onin the world, taken up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 Godliness—a God-centered life—is not a system or a programme. It is a person. The mystery of a fully God-centered life lies in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The mysteryof godl...

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness... 1 Timothy 3:16 The sixth distinguishing mark of a gospel-centred church is gospel life . How are we to make progress in character and competence? How are we to become the kind of people who will be effective in getting God’s global mission done? Godliness (a God-centred life) is the central theme of 1 Timothy 4. “Godliness is of value in eve...

“An overseer must be… able to teach… He must manage his own household well… He must not be a recent convert… He must be well thought of by outsiders.” 1 Timothy 3:2–7 Paul outlines three areas of core competence for church leaders: doctrinal, personal, and spiritual. Doctrinal: able to teach “An overseer must be… able to teach” (3:2). “[Deacons] must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear cons...

An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 1 Timothy 3:2-3 What kind of people should we trust and follow as leaders? Here are three traits to look for, cultivate, and thank God for. Wise judgment “Sober-minded, self-controlled, res...

If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 1 Timothy 3:1 The fifth distinguishing mark of a gospel-centred church is gospel character , that is, the character and competence of a Christian leader. Most of us are not called to be an elder or a deacon, so you may wonder, What does this have to do with me? Here are three answers: 1. Discernment: What to look for The biblica...

God our Saviour... desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. 1 Timothy 2:3–6 This is a marvellous statement of God’s redeeming purpose in Jesus Christ. Does “all” mean “every single person”? Or “all kinds of people”? It seems clear that “a...

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul is speaking about the place of prayer in public worship. This is increasingly out of fashion. But God has given this ministry to the church. If...

I urge that supplications... be made for all people. 1 Timothy 2:1 The fourth distinctive of a gospel-centred church is gospel ministry . We share Christ’s passion for the world. The gospel did not come to us so that it could end with us. Christ trusted it to us so that we could bring it to others. A gospel-centred church is a missional church with a passion to bring the good news of Jesus Christ...

The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:14 Sometimes all we can see is our sins and our failures. But we also need to affirm what God is doing in us. You are not yet what you will be. But you are not what you used to be either. God has poured grace, faith, and love into your life. The grace of God is being poured into your life “Christ...

I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. 1 Timothy 1:13 You may know someone who is bored with their Christian life. There isn’t any joy in it. They will agree that Christ came to save sinners. But if you were to ask, “Oh, which sins of yours has Jesus forgiven?” they would be stuck for an answer. If you can’t think of...

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15 The third distinguishing mark of a gospel-centred church is gospel salvation . We are sinners, saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. Grasping this will help us to grow in humility, gratitude, and joy. Here we have one of the great New Testament statements of th...

The whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 Christ calls us to live a life of love (Eph. 5:2). The Old Testament law spells out what that means. It means honouring your father and mother, not committing adultery, and telling the truth. We all need this instruction. We are not so wise that we know what a life of love is. Read the New Testament...

The law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient. 1 Timothy 1:9 What is the proper use of the law for a Christian believer? The way you answer this question will shape the character of your life, your home, and your church. Here are two proper ways to use the law. 1. The law restrains rebels from evil “Lawless and disobedient” (1:9) is what we are by nature. The law restra...

We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully. 1 Timothy 1:8 The second distinctive of a gospel-centred church is gospel freedom . In other words, we are drawn by grace, not driven by law. It’s clear that there were difficulties in the church at Ephesus. Some were confused about the role of the Old Testament law in the life of a Christian believer. That’s not surprising. This is a difficul...

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 “Love that issues from…” Where does love come from? How does love grow? How can you become a loving person, and not a divisive one, at work, in your home, and in the church? Love comes from a pure heart The word pure means “undivided.” James says the “double-minded” man is “unstable...