1 Timothy 5 - Should Church Leaders Be Paid?

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Widows, Elders and Slaves

5 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. 3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5 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. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Paul turns to more practical matters like how Timothy should oversee the treatment of all people in his church. In each relationship whether with an older man or woman, or younger man and woman, they were to treat each other with mutual respect. You can see the intergenerational nature of the church, as elders were to be treated with respect, and younger persons were not to be looked down upon. Part of the men looking at the women as sisters was also the idea that they would look at them purely not with inappropriate thoughts. For a man looks at women in the church as his sister, it frames the relationship in the right way. 

These younger women were to be treated as sisters; Timothy, as any godly man, was to always make certain his conduct towards younger women was always pure and above reproach. A godly man is not flirtatious or provocative and does not use double entendre’ (witty words that can be taken in a flirtatious or provocative way. 

Then, Paul spends a lot of time teaching Timothy about how to treat widows in their community. In Paul's day women were more dependent on men, so therefore the believers needed to prioritize the needs of these widows. Importantly, Paul commands family members to take care of their own. Paul sees it as the duty of BOTH children and grandchildren to care for their parents and grandparents. After all, we wouldn't be here if not for our grandparents and parents. 

Having just lost my mom in July, it gave me great joy to be able to help my dad through the last couple of years. I it only felt right to be there for my mom and dad in light of the love they showed throughout all of my life. Being there for both of them and helping to make my mom's funeral a great celebration gave me a great sense of satisfaction. No one had to tell me to do this, it was the right thing to do. I continue to call my dad several times a week to support him. Many other of his friends and people from our church do as well. This is the way it should for every person as they age. It is heartbreaking when because of disagreements, kids are not there for their parents. I realize there are reasons for this happening that are often out of a person's control, but it still makes me sad and I am sure it does so for God even more. 

Paul feels so strongly about it that he says that someone who fails to provide for a family member or relative has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 

"This is the minimum required of a Christian man; if he does not do even this, his conduct is worse than an unbeliever’s." - Guzik

“We may add that Jesus Himself gave an example of providing for one’s own, when He provided a home for His mother with the beloved disciple.” - White

9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.11 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. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 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 busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

The treatment of widows must have been a big issue in the early church, because Paul spends the next seven verses giving more instruction to Timothy regarding how to treat widows. We get an idea of the general age of widows because priority is to be given to widows over 60. Maybe this would translate to women over 80 in our day. But it does give us a clue regarding life expectancy. Also, Paul lists several character traits, which would qualify her for the list of widows. 

Younger widows however did not need to be put on the list. He counsels them to remarry and to have children and manage their homes well. This was partly to due some behavior that was already happening in the church. I.e. Paul points to women who were idle and possibly indulging in sensual behaviors instead of being obedient to Christ. 

Paul did not condemn young widows for wanting to get married, only observing that many unmarried women are so hungry for marriage and companionship that they don’t conduct themselves in a godly way in regard to relationships. Many people get into a bad romance or spoil a friendship, because they are desperately needy for relationship. It’s a common occurrence that Paul warned against.

17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21 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.

Paul then instructs Timothy regarding the church's spiritual leaders, which are called "elders". Note there were different types of elders, as he mentions elders whose main role is to preach and teach. This would be like the pastors of the church today, who preach and teach and also lead the church. In reference to what he teaches regarding the treatment of elders he says, "a worker deserves his wages", which would point to the fact that some of these elders were to be paid by the church they served. 

"In this context, double honor means financial support. Paul already stated that certain widows were worthy of honor (1 Timothy 5:3), speaking of financial support. Now he added, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. Some think the church should not support pastors and staff, and that the paid ministry is an abomination – they say that the church instead should be using the money to support the needy. This is an attractive way of thinking; but it isn’t Biblical. If the needy (that is, the truly needy) are worthy of honor, then those who properly rule and teach in the church are worthy of double honor." 

Paul then lays out guidelines for when an elder needs to be disciplined. The accusation of a single person should not be enough to bring proceedings against an elder, but only when there are two or three witnesses. The term witness would seem to imply that they saw something. If it is indeed proven that the elder was guilty of such charges, they should be disciplined publicly as a warning to others. 

This seems a little harsh to me, but it does show that those who desire to be a leader or pastor need to realize they are held to a higher standard, because of the influence they have on others, especially younger believers. 

John Calvin one of the great Protestant reformers and thinkers has this to say about this passage, 

In his commentary on 1 Timothy, John Calvin explained some reasons why people are so quick to receive an accusation against a pastor when perhaps they should not: “The more sincerely any pastor strives to further Christ’s kingdom, the more he is loaded with spite, the more fierce do the attacks upon him become. And not only so, but as soon as any charge is made against ministers of the Word, it is believed as surely and firmly as if it had been already proved. This happens not only because a higher standard of integrity is required from them, but because Satan makes most people, in fact nearly everyone, over credulous so that without investigation, they eagerly condemn their pastors whose good name they ought to be defending.” Calvin pointed out there is a spiritual attack in all of this: “It is indeed a trick of Satan to estrange men from their ministers so as gradually to bring their teaching into contempt. In this way not only is wrong done to innocent people whose reputation is undeservedly injured, but the authority of God’s holy teaching is diminished.”

22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. 24 The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25 In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.

Finally, Paul has instructions on seemingly unrelated issues, but nonetheless important enough for him to bring up. He tells him to judicious and measured with those who he lays hands on. This seems to be a reference to those whom he might ordain to ministry in a public sense. 

This is used in the sense of ordination. Paul cautioned Timothy to let a man prove himself before he was recognized in ministry. There should not be a rush; time must season a man and his ministry. - Guzik

He should be careful not to get caught up in the sins of the people. It is a great for a leader to counsel others and be involved in their lives, but also to be careful not to get caught up in their affairs. 

Apparently Timothy had stomach issues and was overly conscientious about the appearance of drinking wine. So while leaders should be mindful of their behaviors before others, in this case he seems to instruct Timothy to be a little easier on himself. 

Timothy was probably abstaining from alcohol for the sake of setting a good example. However, this abstinence was hurting his health – wine was safer to drink than water. So, Paul told Timothy that it wasn’t wise to sacrifice his health for the sake of this abstinence – he would do more good for Jesus and His kingdom by taking care of his body in this circumstance. - Guzik

Timothy, like any other pastor I know, will be privy to many sins in the community he pastored. Some of them will be really obvious and of a public nature, while others may not surface until later. It is the same with good deeds. Some are more noticeable and others are more behind the scenes. 

We all have areas of our lives God is dealing with; and sometimes the area is something clearly evident to others. But sometimes the sinful area is not evident; some people are regarded as holy just because they are good at hiding their sin.

Who are the widows in your life that you could reach out to?

How can you support the leaders in your church, especially by praying for them? How does tithing to your church help support your full time spiritual leaders?  How does this help them to focus on their ministry?

Who looks up to you in your church? Why is it important for you to set a good example to those who are looking up to you?