Wrestling with Theology

But you, man of God, must flee from all these things. Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called and about which you gave a good testimony in front of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12 ISV) Fight the Good Fight Every Christian is a warrior. But not every...

What is so great about the Tabernacle's furniture? What is God confessing in each of these pieces? He confesses Jesus' Incarnation, intercession and glory through each piece of furniture He puts into the Tabernacle. Our own sanctuaries were once customarily adorned in similar ways. They give our hearts, souls and minds avenues to worship all the great mysteries God has revealed in His Word through...

But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused themselves a lot of pain. (1 Timothy 6:9-10 ISV) Love of Money St. Paul spends the end of his first...

Nothing to this world we bring; from it take we nothing. With food to eat and clothes to wear; content we are in everything. (1 Timothy 6:7-8 ISV) Nothing In, Nothing Out Paul reminds Timothy of Job's words during his heartache (1:21): "I left my mother's womb naked, and I will return to God naked. The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken. May the name of the LORD be blessed." Except those who b...

They think that godliness is a way to make a profit. Of course, godliness with contentment does bring a great profit. (1 Timothy 6:5-6 ISV) Godliness Many television preachers try to tell you that the Christian life of godliness is all about being profitable. Having the perfect job. The perfect family. Even the perfect teeth. To them, godliness is supposed to be profitable for you so that you will...

All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their own masters as deserving of the highest respect, so that the name of God and our teaching may not be discredited. Moreover, those who have believing masters should be respectful to them, because they are fellow believers. In fact, they must serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dear to them....

Tournaments to crown the first ever PWA American Heavyweight and Tag Team champions!! Great matches that would have made ANY promoter happy all through these tournaments. Great feuds also begin through matches in these tournaments: Shane Douglas and Atsushi Onita; Sting and Eddie Gilbert; Mike Rapada and Sonjay Dutt?

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. (1 Timothy 5:24-25) Precedes and Follows Our reputation often precedes us wherever we go. We want those welcoming us to have AT LEAST a neutral view towards us. We'd prefer a positive, warm recep...

Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. (1 Timothy 5:23) Drink a Little Wine There are Christians who have a problem with alcohol consumption. They have valid concerns. I also have valid concerns about it. Alcohol is a gift of God. It has been shown throughout history that it does have some medicinal value. However, like any gift of God,...

I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. (1 Timothy 5:21) No Favoritism St. Paul takes what St. James has already written to remind Timothy about the dangers of showing favoritism. St. James writes "to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations" (1:1; 2:1-4): My brothers, as belie...

Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. (1 Timothy 5:20) Public Rebuke The two-edged sword of God's Word is properly wielded when the pastor uses both blades. There is the defensive blade that deflects the devil's temptations and accusations. But there is also the offensive blade that cuts deeply into the sin-sick soul. No one likes to be rebuked for their si...

The worker deserves his wages. (1 Timothy 5:18) A Worker Deserves His Wages Jesus tells His disciples these words as He sends them out to proclaim the kingdom of Heaven. He wants them to see that everything they receive as His preachers is given to them because of their proclamation. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by th...

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. (Deuteronomy 25:4) Do Not Muzzle the Ox St. Paul quotes this verse to Timothy in order to make sure that Timothy doesn't allow the Scriptures to be muzzled in the congregation in Ephesus. If you muzzle an ox, the ox will focus primarily on the muzzle over its mouth. It will blind itself to everything around it. Paul warns Timothy to not let t...

In this month's Confessional Corner, we look at the first few articles in the Roman Confutation of the Augsburg Confession where they complete reject and condemn Lutheran theology on: Justification Good Works The Lord's Supper in Both Kinds Priestly Celibacy Mass Next month, we will finish off the Confutation before going into the Apology. Here is where the rubber begins to meet the road in the Lu...

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17) Double Honor Did you honor your pastor this past Christmas? Your pastor takes the time to preach and teach God's Word to you and the rest of your congregation every week. If you are greatly enriched by either their teaching or preaching, they are...

If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need. (1 Timothy 5:16) Deaconess As the office of deacon was instituted initially for the sake of the distribution to the widows (Acts 6), the office of deaconess was first given for the sake of the widows. These wome...

Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. (1 Timothy 5:13) Busybodies and Gossips Busybodies is something that we tend to think of as not being that terrible. However, the Apostles place it as one of the most horrible of sins. Paul places gossips alongside...

As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. (1 Timothy 5:11-12) Young Widows to Marry True widows who had no one to care for them were registered with the congregation for help. Younger widows have a greater desire t...

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and become worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8) Doesn't Provide What's worse than an unbeliever? A believer who doesn't provide for their family. That goes for blood family as well as spiritual family. In our rural area, many of our congregations are experiencing hard economic times....

July 29’s WrestlExtravaganza episode covered the first 17 Clash of the Champions from Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. Below are some of the links for matches and entire cards from those broadcasts: https://wrestlingwiththeology.org/2020/07/27/wwt-83-links/

The widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. (1 Timothy 5:6) Pleasure in Death I can't help but think of Blanche Devereaux from The Golden Girls when I read this verse. Blanche was about as feisty a woman in her late-sixties as she probably was in her twenties and thirties. Her entire life revolved around the next man that would sweep her off her feet. Not the way a Christian wid...

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. (1 Timothy 5:3-5) Honor Widows Widows come in every age and every circumstance. They can be young, many of whom are widows because of the War on Terror. They can be old, having been married to their spou...

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (1 Timothy 5:1-2) Family of God The congregation of believers should be seen as God's family in that place. Each member of the congregation has his or her own role in the family. Older men as fathers. Older women as...

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourselves and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16) Persevere in Doctrine People cringe when they hear the word "doctrine." "Doctrine divides," they say. They say it like it's a bad thing. But what if it were actually a good thing. Let me give you a list of things that doctrine divides and tell me whether it's...

Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (1 Timothy 4:13) Devote Yourself In this simple statement we see the purpose of the congregation. The Scriptures are to be read publicly. That also means someone needs to be there to hear them. A congregation must be present and in the Word. Preaching is to occur. The Scriptures not only read but explained and applie...