Charge Before God and the Lord Jesus 1 Timothy 5:21

As Paul the apostle continued to give instructions to Timothy his “son in the faith” concerning “elders” in the church, he told him not to “receive an accusation” against an “elder” unless there were two or three witnesses to confirm it. He also told him to “rebuke before all” them that sin “that others also may fear.” In chapter five and verse twenty of his letter to Timothy, Paul charges Timothy “before God and the Lord Jesus Christ” that he “observe these things” where we read:

I charge you before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that you observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

The verse begins, “I charge you before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels,...” Paul began with the phrase, “I charge you” which means “attest, testify and solemnly and earnestly protest you” “before God” or “in the presence of and in the occupied space of God Almighty, the trinity composed of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit” “and the Lord” or “master and Messiah” “Jesus” whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” “Christ” or “the anointed messiah of God”. Paul continued with, “and the elect” or “picked out and chosen by God” “angels” which literally means “messengers, envoys or ones who are sent” and refers to “messengers from God”. Paul employs these three - God, Jesus Christ and elect angels to witness what he is about to charge Timothy.

The verse continues, “...that you observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.” Paul then tells Timothy his “charge”, “that you observe” which means “guard and keep watch over” “these things” or “the instructions and directions concerning elders”. Paul added, “without preferring one before another” or “separate, apart from and besides having an opinion formed before the facts are known, a prejudgment or prejudice” “doing” or “making” “nothing by partiality” which means “down through, according to or toward an inclination or proclivity of mind or a joining the party of one”. Timothy was to have no inclination or preferential treatment toward one person over another when he observed the directions of Paul the apostle.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we can see how determined Paul was to have Timothy follow what he had to say. It was imperative for the maturing and growth of the church for Timothy not to have partiality when he presided over church members. The awesomeness of “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit” presiding over his observance of these instructions was ominous enough never-mind the fact that Paul employed “elect angels” as his witnesses too. If we were given these charges from Paul, how would we do? Would we understand the gravity of carrying them out? Would we know that God, the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels were watching? Perhaps as we think this through we will not only have a sense of humility within ourselves, but also toward those “elders” who are to keep such charges, and when we think of them, let us be known for keeping them in our prayers.

Next time Paul tells Timothy not to lay hands on any man suddenly, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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