But let us ask you, brothers, in the matter of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our meeting with him, not to be lightly driven out of your minds or terrified by any spirit or report, or letter that seems to come from us saying that the Day of the Lord has arrived. Let no one deceive you in any way; since first must come the rebellion and the revelation of the man of iniquity, the son of perdition, who opposes and sets himself above whatever is called divine and worshipful, so that he seats himself in the temple of God, displaying himself still as God. Do you not remember that I told you this when I was with you? And you know what now restrains him, until he will be revealed in his own time; for the mystery of iniquity is now at work, only there is one who prevents it until he is gone from our midst. And then the iniquitous one will be revealed, but the Lord will kill him by the breath of his mouth and annihilate him by the manifestation of his coming. But this one's appearance will come by the working of Satan with all his power, with the signs and portents of falsehood, with full deception of wrong for those who perish because they did not accept the love of truth for their salvation. Therefore God visits them with the force that makes them go astray, to believe in the lie; so that all who did not believe in the truth, but favored umighteousness, may be condemned.
But we owe constant thanks to God for your sake, brothers beloved by the Lord, because from the beginning he chose you for salvation by sanctification of the spirit and belief in the truth. He summoned you to this through our gospel, to a share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers, be steadfast, and preserve the traditions you were taught by us whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord himself, Jesus Christ, and God our Father, who loves us and gave us everlasting comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and strengthen you in every good action and word.
11 For the rest, pray for us, brothers, that the word of the Lord may go forward and gain in glory, as with you, and that we may be kept safe from the wrong and wicked people. For faith is not for all. But the Lord is to be trusted, who will strengthen you and protect you from evil. And we trust in the Lord concerning you, because you do and will do what we tell you. And may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and endurance to await the Christ.'
And we charge you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep yourselves from every brother who follows a course that is idle and not in accordance with the tradition you received from us. For you yourselves know how you should copy us, in that we were not idle when we were among you and did not eat food supplied as a gift by anyone else, but plied our trade with hard labor night and day so as not to be a burden on any of you; not that we did not have that right, but so as to present ourselves as a model for you to copy. For when we were with you we taught you that anyone who would not work should not eat. Since we hear that some among you follow an idle course, and do not work but mind the business of others. And these, by the Lord Jesus Christ, we direct and urge to ply their trade in peace and e^ their own living. But you, brothers, do not weaken in your good works. And if anyone disobeys our instructions in this letter, mark him and have nothing to do with him, to make him ashamed. But do not count him as an enemy, but counsel him as a brother. And may the very Lord of peace give you peace of every kind, always. The Lord be with you all.
The greeting is by the hand of myself, Paul. This is my signature to every letter. This is my writing. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
The First Letter to Timothy
IPAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS BY the order of God our savior and Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, my own true child in faith: grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I asked you, when I was setting out for Macedonia, to stay on in Ephesus, it was so that you could tell certain people not to teach heretical doctrines, not to put their minds on myths and interminable genealogies which lead to speculations rather than the plan of God, which is through faith. The aim of my instruction is love, from a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned faith, qualities which certain people have missed and turned to talking nonsense, wanting to be teachers of the law without either knowing what they are saying or what those things are about which they are so firm. We know that the law is a fine thing if one uses it lawfully, in the knowledge that the law is not established for the just man, but for the lawless and disobedient, the impious and sinful, the unholy and profane, the parricides and matricides, murderers, lechers, pederasts, kidnappers, liars, oath breakers, or anything else that is opposed to healthy teaching according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God in whom I believe.
I am grateful to him who gave me power, to Christ Jesus our Lord, because he thought me trustworthy when he established me in my ministry, though before I had been a blasphemer and persecutor and a violent man. But
was given mercy, because I had been acting ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overabounded in love and faith, which is in Christ Jesus. This word is to be believed and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the foremost, but for this reason I was given mercy, so that in me, foremost of all, Christ Jesus might display his complete patience, for an example of those to come who will believe in him for everlasting life. To the king of the ages, imperishable, invisible, single God, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
I entrust this charge to you, Timothy my child, in accordance with those prophecies which pointed to you before, so that in their spirit you may serve in the good campaign, keeping faith and good conscience. This certain people have rejected and come to grief in the matter of faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I consign to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
So I ask you first of all to make your prayers, entreaties, intercessions, thanksgivings, for all people, for kings and all who are of high degree, so that we may live a quiet and peaceful life in all piety and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior, who wishes all people to be saved, and to come to the recognition of the truth. For there is one God, and also one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all, a testimonial to his own times. To which fact I was appointed herald and apostle —I am speaking the truth, I do not lie—the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
I wish, therefore, that men in every place should pray, uplifting reverent hands, without anger or disputations. So too I wish women to dress in decorous style with modesty and good taste, not in hairstyles and gold or pearls or expensive fabrics, but as becomes women who profess piety through good works. Let a woman be a learner, quietly and in all obedience; I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to have authority over her husband. She should hold her peace. For Adam was made first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and went astray; but she will be saved through motherhood, if women are steadfast in faith and love and sanctity, with good behavior.
This word is to be believed. If anyone desires to be a bishop, it is an honorable wish. But then a bishop must be irreproachable, married to one wife, sober, discreet, orderly, hospitable, good at teaching, not given to wine, no brawler, but forbearing, peaceable, not avaricious, a good head of his own household, keeping his children under control in full respectability. If a man does not know how to be head of his own house, how shall he take charge of the church of God? And he should not be a new convert who might become conceited and fall into the devil's damnation. And he must be well spoken of by those who are outside our church, so as not to fall into disrepute and the entrapment of the devil.
So also deacons must be dignified, not two-tongued, not given to heavy dr^^ing, not shamefully grasping, keeping to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And they must first be examined, and then serve as
deacons when they are found to be unimpeachable. So also their wives should be dignified, not gossips, sober, faithful in every way. Let deacons be married to one wife, exercising good authority over their children and their o^ households. For those who serve well as deacons provide themselves with a good standing and much confidence in faith in Christ Jesus.
I write you these things hoping to come to you speedily, but, in case I am slow in coming, so that you may know how you should conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of truth. And, admittedly, great is the mystery of religion. He appeared in the flesh; he was justified in the spirit; he was seen by angels; he was preached among the nations; he was believed in the world; he was taken up to heaven in glory.
The Spirit expressly says that in times to come some will forsake the faith, giving themselves to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons through the hypocrisy of liars, branded in their own conscience, opposers of marriage, telling us to abstain from food which God created to be partaken of with t^^ksgiving by believers and those who recognize the truth. Because everything created by God is good, and not^^ is to be thro^ away which is received with thanksgiving, for it is hallowed by the word of God and prayer.
If you teach these things to the brothers you will be a fine deacon of Christ Jesus, trained in the words of faith and good teaching which you have followed; but reject the profane old wives' tales. And exercise yourself toward piety. Exercise of the body is good for only a little, but piety is good for everything, containing the promise of life now and to come. This that I say is to be believed and is worthy of full acceptance, for this is what we toil and struggle for; because our hopes are in the living God, who is the savior of all people, but most of all of the believers.
Teach and promote these beliefs. Let no one belittle you because of your youth, but make yourself a model of the faithful in speech, in behavior, in love, in faith, in chastity. Until I come, devote yourself to reading, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift of grace that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy by the laying of the council's hands upon you. Give your mind to these matters, occupy yourself with them, so that your progress may be visible to all. Attend to yourself and your teaching; keep on with it; for by doing so you will save yourself and those who hear you.
Do not reprove a man older than yourself, but exhort him as a father, and the younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger ones as sisters in complete chastity. Revere widows who are really widows. And if a widow has children or grandchildren, let these learn first of all to respect their own household and return to their forebears what they owe them, for this is acceptable in the sight of God. She who is really a widow and lives alone has put her hope in God and is constant in her prayers and entreaties night and day. She who indulges in pleasure is one of the living dead. Impress these ideas on people so that they may be above reproach. But if anyone does not take care of his own people, and particularly his own family, that one has denied his faith and is worse than one who never believed.
Let one who is registered as a widow be not under sixty years of age, widow of one husband, attested for good works: whether she cared for children, was hospitable to strangers, washed the feet of the saints, rescued the oppressed, or gave herself to whatever good work. But refuse the younger widows, since when their lusts take them away from the Christ, they want to marry, being open to the charge of breaking their original pledge. And at the same time they le^ how to be shiftless, going about from house to house; and not only shiftless but silly and meddlesome and improper in their talk. So I desire that the younger widows marry, have children, ^m their own houses, thus giving the Adversary no occasion for slander; for already some of them have turned back to follow Satan. If any woman believer has widows in her family, let her take care of them and not let the church be burdened, so that the church may take care of those who are really widowed.
The elders who have been good leaders should be accorded twice as much honor, especially those who work hard at speaking and teaching. For scripture says: You shall not muzzle the ox who treads the grain; and: The laborer is worthy of his hire. Do not accept a charge made against an elder unless it was before two or three witnesses; but convict those who do wrong openly before all, so that the others may be afraid. I charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels to keep these commandments without prejudice, doing nothing in partiality. Do not lay hands hastily on anyone or have anything to do with the sins of others. Keep yourself chaste. Do not go on being a water dr^ker, but take a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
The sins of some men are obvious and lead the way to judgment, but those of others lag behind: so also some good deeds are evident, and those that are otherwise can not remain hidden.
Those who are slaves under the yoke should consider their own masters worthy of fuU honor, so that the name and teaching of God may not be ill spoken of. Those who have masters who are believers should not therefore treat them with disrespect because they are brothers, but work all the harder as their slaves, because those who have the benefit of their good work are believers, and are beloved.
Teach and urge these principles. If anyone deviates from them in his teaching and does not adhere to wholesome doctrines, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and teaching that accords with piety, he is conceited, understands nothing, but is sick over controversies and battles of words; from which grow spite, rivalry, blasphemies, base suspicions, the frictions of men who are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, who think that piety is gain. And piety, with self-sufficiency, is a great gain; for we brought nothing into the world, and because we can take nothing out of it, and while we have food and covering we shall be satisfied with them. Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and entrapment and many senseless and har^^ desires which sink people into ruin and destruction. For the root of all evils is the love of money, in longing for which some have strayed from their faith and transfixed themselves with many pains.
But you, man of God, avoid all this. Pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Strive in the good contest of faith, lay hold on everlasting life, to which you were summoned and confessed to the good confession before many witnesses. I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and Christ Jesus, who testified to the good confession in the time of Pontius Pilate, to keep this commandment stainless and irreproachable until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his own time the blessed and single ruler will display; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, sole holder of immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see: to whom be glory and power everlasting. Amen.
Charge those who are rich in the present time not to be haughty and not to put their hopes in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us richly with all means for enjoyment, to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be liberal, sharing, laying away for ourselves a good foundation for the future so that all may partake of what is really life.
Oh, Timothy, guard this which has been entrusted to you, putting aside the profane babblings and antitheses of what is falsely called knowledge; which some have professed, and thus failed in their faith.
Grace be with you.
The Second Letter to Timothy
11PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS, BY the will of God through the promise of life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, his beloved son: grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I give thanks to God, whom I serve with the clear conscience which is from my ancestors, as I mention you continually in my prayers. I long to see you, night and day, remembering your tears; to make my joy complete as I am reminded again of the unfeigned faith that is in you. First it dwelt in Lois your grandmother, and Eunice your mo
ther; and I believe that it is also in you. For which reason I ^ reminding you to rekindle the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us any spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and discretion.
Do not then be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel, with strength from God: God who saved us and summoned us with a holy summons, not because of what we had done but according to his own purpose and his grace, grace in Christ Jesus granted to us countless ages ago, but made evident now through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and spread the light of life and imperishability through his gospel. Of this I have been appointed the herald and apostle and teacher; and that is the cause for which I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, but I know whom I trust, and I am persuaded that he can guard my trust until the great Day. Preserve the standard of wholesome precepts which you have heard from me in faith and love and in Christ Jesus; guard the good which has been entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit which lives in us.
You know this, that all the people in Asia turned away from me; among them are Phygelus and Herrnogenes. But may the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, because many times he refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chains; rather, when he arrived in Rome he eagerly sought me out, and found me; may the Lord grant that he find mercy from the Lord on the great Day; and you know better than I all the services he did in Ephesus.
The New Testament Page 40