Younger Widows having Damnation? 1 Timothy 5:12

As Paul the apostle continued his instructions to Timothy concerning widows who were in the church in Ephesus, he told him,“But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;”. The idea was that younger women had a tendency to find a new man to marry, and they would leave the things of the church to do so. In chapter five and verse twelve of his letter to Timothy, Paul gave the reason of “damnation” for why this was so important where we read:

Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.

The verse begins, “Having damnation” We note that this is a continuation of the thought from the previous verse where Paul told Timothy to refuse the “younger widows”. Their inclination to forsake the things of “Christ” to be married again would have them “holding and owning judgement, punishment and condemnation of wrong”.

The verse goes on to say, “because they have cast off their first faith.” Paul then gave the reason why this “damnation” would come upon them, “because” which means “that or since” “they have cast off” or “done away with, set aside, disregarded, thwarted the efficacy of anything, nullified, made void, frustrated, rejected, refused and slighted” “their first faith” or “main, principle and primary belief in the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ”. The “younger widows” who would forsake their belief in Jesus Christ just to be married again would be bringing judgment upon themselves for doing so.

As we think through this verse, it can be a little troubling for us. We might wonder why would a “younger widow” be subject to “damnation” if she desired to be married again? The idea is that she would commit to spiritual things of the church in the beginning of her widowhood and forsake her “vows” later when a new man came along. Should Timothy receive her into the care of the church where not only would the church care for her, but she would also care for the things of the church, he would in essence bring her into a situation which has a tendency to be forsaken. In other words, the “younger widow” was to be given the opportunity to remarry without obligating herself to the church and then going back on her word. We can be assured of this, the Lord Jesus has our eternal destination in mind, and when He through His Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these words, He only had the best interest of the “younger widows” in mind. May He also bring His eternal truth to us as we study through His word.

Next time Paul shares even more about younger widows, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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