1 Timothy 6:3-10- Error and Greed
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings[a] of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.[b]
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[c] we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
I think this is a really
encouraging section, especially being faced constantly with those who
"advocate a different doctrine" in places like public school and, well,
everywhere. I think that it's easy to lose sight of the difference
between the Christian belief and the Dark Side. As it turns out, they
have no cookies.
For example, I have a lot of Mormon friends, and they're so devoted
to what they believe in- so convinced that they're right, and at the
same time are so kind, and I read this passage and think of verses 3
& 4 where it says, "If anyone advocates a different doctrine... he
is conceited and understands nothing." At the same time, it's kind of
funny, since this is how the world seems to try to convey Christians
instead. What I'm saying is, there are always people around who will be
positive that they are right and we are wrong, but this passage should
help us to see the opposite. Anything not of God is of the World (which
is bad, hinthint).
Verses 5 & 6, then, cover those people we all know. Mostly, I
think of the grumpy old politician with a cracked monocle and wiry beard
who sits behind a big desk answering some big shot's question, "Why
yes, I would be delighted to use taxpayer money for a new yacht and
mansion and private island, and THE ENTIRE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE (insert
maniacal laugh here)." THIS MAN is the reason why the Dark Side has no
cookies. Verse five says Grumpy Politician, "supposes that godliness is a
means of gain." Kind of like, say, idolizing godliness in itself. On
the other hand, this also refers to the people who up-talk religion.
That is, the people who focus more on the idea of religion as structure
or a means of maintaining sanity. Sure, religion might do that,
but aren't we more focused on the relationship? God is more than a
religion. Saying that is just putting God in a box. "Godliness is a
means of great gain," verse 6 says, "when accompanied by contentment."
It's a matter of looking at it the right way, per se.
As for verses seven and eight, HOLY GRANOLA BAR /i really like
these verses. Verse 7: We have brought nothing into the world, so we
cannot take anything out of it either. We can't just make things up. We didn't create the universe, we don't sustain all life as The
Intelligent Force beyond space-time, so what would give us the right to
just start flopping about, willy-nilly with our ridiculous accusations
of there being no God, Creator, Savior, this that and the other? I rest
my case. Verse 8: If we have food and covering, with these we shall be
content. This is a humbling verse, as it takes out our materialistic
views. It makes me think of the people we consider "deprived" in
third-world countries, and yet all we need are food and covering (and
God <__<) to be content. How cool is that? Okay, maybe we
don't see it as being so cool, what with living in a society where
we've come to believe that we need our good ol' PSP, pillows, and
whatever other household item that starts with a P (going for an
anaphora here)- but it's true. We don't really NEED all of our stuff. I don't know... It just puts things into perspective.
Verses 9 & 10: Let's revisit Grumpy Politician. "The love of
money is a root of all sorts of evil," such as, let's say, Norther
Hemisphere Domination. To be completely honest, the importance of money
eludes me. Well, I mean, in this world money has become everything. A
source of power, godliness (see what I did there?), a means of
survival, but take greed out of the equation, and what is money?
Nothing. Conclusion: money is grody.
Verse 11: "But flee from these things, you man of
God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and
gentleness."
Yeah. That.
THAT WAS SUPER DUPER LONG. I hope that's okay... Should I sign my name? I might as well <__<
-Lauren Rudewicz (ta-daa)
"We have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. We can't just make things up. We didn't create the universe, we don't sustain all life as The Intelligent Force beyond space-time, so what would give us the right to just start flopping about, willy-nilly with our ridiculous accusations of there being no God, Creator, Savior, this that and the other?"
ReplyDeleteThat's rad Lauren- thanks.