Quote:
Originally Posted by Praxeas
1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV
Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
Its not talking about church elders but older men
|
Agreed on that part. But are you claiming that 1Tim.5:20 refers to elders ONLY, since
1Tim 5:19 specifies elders?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Praxeas
Actually it was talking about Elders who sin
1Ti 5:19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses.
1Ti 5:20 Those guilty of sin must be rebuked before all, as a warning to the rest.
1Ti 5:21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind
|
Do not many epistle chapters end with a collation of loosely related, but not tightly connected thoughts and admonitions? The subject of 5:19 is "accusations brought against the elders" but that thought NOT necessarily continued with 5:20. Likewise, the idea of 5:20 is a slight gear change from 5:21, and 5:21 just roughly related to 5:22, and so on.
I can appreciate how a 21st Century (ie, nicer) interpretation tries to avoid a traditional justification some pastors have used in order to unfairly smack people around with the bible. But the text here seems so not tricky, with its additional context not mitigating its stand-alone meaning,
"Those who are sinning, rebuke in the presence of all, that others may also fear." (NKJV)
[PS, The same word "presbutero" (for "elder") is used in all of
1Tim 5:1, 5:19, and 5:17. But 5:17 implies these "elders who rule well" are church leaders, if not officers of sort. Is it likely that Paul would be telling Timothy to openly rebuke ONLY those Elders (with a capital "E") ? Considering the qualifications for deacon (1Tim3:10 "tested and blameless"-- !) then it's unlikely that sin-problem Elders are primarily in view (in 5:20) as they would not achieve any leadership office, or at least would be quickly removed.]
Threaded Mode
