Treatment Of Church Members Series

Paul wrote in verse 7, “Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach.” Earlier in 1 Timothy 4:11, Paul said to Timothy, “Command and teach these things.” Now, in verse 7, he adds a command to the previous one. Timothy is to command the children and grandchildren of needy widows to practice godliness by taking care of their parents. The content of the command refers to what he wrote in verse 4.

B. Advice Regarding Younger Widows (5:11-15)

And second, let’s look at advice regarding younger widows.

Paul set down a rule for younger widows and then he gave a reason for that rule.

First, the rule: let them remarry and raise children. Paul wrote in verses 11-12, “But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith.” Widows younger than 60 were not to be enrolled in the list of those who were engaged in special ministry in the church. The phrase “their passions draw them away” is from the Greek word katastreniao and it occurs only here in the New Testament. It means “to have strong sexual desires” and is an expression that is used in a marriage relationship. Paul saw that younger widows might want to remarry. They would then turn away from their commitment to remain single. Apparently, in Paul’s day, younger women made some kind of pledge not to remarry when they were placed on the widows’ list. They promised to serve the Lord and his people for the rest of their lives. Though they intended to serve the Lord and his people, if they wanted to get married again and break their pledge, they would incur condemnation for having done so.

We do not have a “widows’ list” in our churches today. Widows do not make pledges to serve the Lord and his people for the rest of their lives in exchange for financial support from the church. Sometimes widows have financial support through various possibilities, such as insurance payouts, savings, government assistance, and so on. Nevertheless, the church should always make sure that widows are properly supported and not neglected once their spouses die. Younger widows who would like to remarry should be encouraged to do so, provided they marry a believer. All widows should continue to serve the Lord and his people to the best of their ability, and they should continue trusting that the Lord will take care of all their needs.

Paul continued in verse 14, “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.” Clearly, the younger widows that Paul had in mind were still of childbearing age. Although they had lost their first husbands, there was still the potential for remarriage and having children.

I knew of a woman whose husband was killed in an accident. Sometime later, she married again. As far as I know, they have a happy marriage and the wife was actively involved in the ministry of her new husband. They were a great team serving in a difficult neighborhood making a wonderful difference in the lives of people.