"I have a question - need an interpretation of 1 Timothy 5:8. Rock solid, hard core, gloves off, down and dirty. What are the implications, explications, every angle, no stone left unturned."
1 Tim 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
It is much like Paul's comment about the lad who was in a sin in which even the pagans did not indulge in Corinth and the church said nothing about it. The faith is about walk as well as talk and trust. We live a life of faith and by doing less than an infidel would do for his family your are denying the faith you profess.
Most people deny the faith somewhere in their life and indeed every sin we commit is an act of adultery since we are hooking up with the enemy, which should make us be thankful that He does not treat us as we do people guilty of that sin. In that, we are denying the faith because we are called to be holy and often our walk doesn't match up with our talk.
Saints that do not act saintly are worse than an infidel who makes no pretense of faith or holiness. Indeed, Paul said those without the law that do things in law are better than those who have it and do not do it.
We have many deadbeat Dads who would call themselves Christians that have abandoned their children after a divorce and do not provide for them. Other dads/moms may be present in the home, but selfishly consume most of the resources leaving the family going without needs; material, physical and even emotional. Thus he is worse or more evil than an infidel who provides for the needs of his family.
Being he goes into the subject of taking on the needs of widows right after would indicate that some widows had families that should be providing support and are capable of doing so but shoved them over to the care of the church. Thus he lays down the standards for the church in who gets such care and of what character they need to be.
Older women would have greater trouble providing for themselves and less tempted to forsake their dedication since they already had lost their ability to have children and maybe more so their sexual desire versus a young woman who would in her grief thinks she no longer desires a husband and family, but would rethink that after awhile and then leave. Also, prevents a young woman from deciding to be lazy and not work using the free time to become a busy body.
This then puts the onus back on the family and probably shamed a few into supporting them. Had the church continued to provide such service and exhort the families to care for one another we may not have seen such extensive welfare systems come into existence because families, neighborhoods and the Church would have been providing them. Just sayin'.
