Place hands hastily on no one

1 Timothy 5:22-25Healthy Relationships in God's Household

1 Timothy 5:22-25TSI-ID

²²Sebelum calon pemimpin jemaat terbukti sebagai orang baik, janganlah menumpangkan tanganmu pada orang itu untuk meresmikannya sebagai pemimpin. Sebab, kalau setelah menjadi pemimpin ternyata orang itu jatuh ke dalam dosa besar, kamu juga turut bersalah karena sudah meresmikan dia. Awasilah dirimu selalu supaya tetap murni dan tidak ternoda. ²³Dosa-dosa yang dilakukan sebagian orang segera terlihat dan menjadi nyata sebelum perkara mereka diperiksa. Tetapi dosa-dosa sebagian orang lain tersembunyi dan hanya akan ketahuan di kemudian hari. Demikian juga, ada perbuatan-perbuatan baik kita yang akan segera kelihatan dan ada yang tidak. Namun, yang tidak langsung terlihat pun tidak mungkin tersembunyi selamanya. Untuk kamu sendiri, saya sarankan: Di samping air minum yang biasa, minumlah juga sedikit air anggur sebagai obat, supaya kamu tidak sering sakit perut. ²⁴Dosa-dosa yang dilakukan sebagian orang segera terlihat dan menjadi nyata sebelum perkara mereka diperiksa. Tetapi dosa-dosa sebagian orang lain tersembunyi dan hanya akan ketahuan di kemudian hari. Demikian juga, ada perbuatan-perbuatan baik kita yang akan segera kelihatan dan ada yang tidak. Namun, yang tidak langsung terlihat pun tidak mungkin tersembunyi selamanya. Untuk kamu sendiri, saya sarankan: Di samping air minum yang biasa, minumlah juga sedikit air anggur sebagai obat, supaya kamu tidak sering sakit perut. ²⁵Dosa-dosa yang dilakukan sebagian orang segera terlihat dan menjadi nyata sebelum perkara mereka diperiksa. Tetapi dosa-dosa sebagian orang lain tersembunyi dan hanya akan ketahuan di kemudian hari. Demikian juga, ada perbuatan-perbuatan baik kita yang akan segera kelihatan dan ada yang tidak. Namun, yang tidak langsung terlihat pun tidak mungkin tersembunyi selamanya. Untuk kamu sendiri, saya sarankan: Di samping air minum yang biasa, minumlah juga sedikit air anggur sebagai obat, supaya kamu tidak sering sakit perut.

Provisional translation while the preferred version for this language is being licensed.

Terjemahan Sederhana Indonesia · Terjemahan Sederhana Indonesia.

Place hands hastily on no one

English original

1 Timothy 5:22 has been interpreted in a variety of ways. If "laying on of hands" refers to ordination, it may mean that to ordain an unqualified elder is to give tacit approval to, and thereby participate in, his sins. Milne states:

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands (1 Tim. 5:22) is a timely warning against rushing into choosing and appointing a man to church leadership before he has been properly tested and approved from experience. Men may be voted into leadership simply because there is no one else available, or because there is no one else available, or because they have status or influence. Instead, prospective candidates should be carefully selected on the basis of their personal qualities and gifts (Acts 6:3, 5f). Laying on hands was the usual method in the early church for transferring the authority of leadership and marking the occasion of new leadership (Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tim. 4:14).

However, if it refers to restoring or affirming an elder who has been accused of sin (1 Tim. 5:19-20), or to censured sinners in general, it may indicate that hasty restoration is a sinful form of favoritism (1 Tim. 5:21). According to Mounce:

When Timothy commissions ("lay hands on"; cf. 1 Tim. 4:14 for a discussion of this process) an elder, whether it be a new elder or one who was caught in sin and repented (1 Tim. 5:19-21), he is not to do so quickly. The danger is that Timothy could be sharing in their sin. 1 Timothy 5:24-25 add that the sins of some and the good works of others are not readily apparent. Patience is therefore important, giving the sins and the good works time to surface, and hence avoiding sharing in sins. In saying this Paul repeats his earlier concern that elders not be recent converts (1 Tim. 3:6) and that deacons undergo a testing period to confirm their character and Christian commitment (1 Tim. 3:10).

Paul commands, "keep yourself pure" (1 Tim. 4:12). He calls Timothy to godliness, including, though not confined to, sexual morality (1 Tim. 5:2). If he is to rule others, his own life needs to be one lived in holiness (1 Tim. 4:16).

As to wine, Paul tells Timothy to drink "a little" (1 Tim. 5:23) - see "Drinking Alcohol" below. The practice of abstaining from wine as a matter of principle perhaps reflected the influence of the false teachers' concept of purity (1 Tim. 4:3), or perhaps it was intended to protect weaker Christians from stumbling (Rom. 14:21). However, Paul recognized the medicinal value of wine (see the medical studies on procyanidins, tannins, and resveratrol). Still, one should consult with one's personal physician on matters of alcohol, as alcohol may negatively effect certain health conditions or dangerously interact with certain medications, etc. Some that have or have had problems in the past with alcoholism should abstain if they cannot use alcohol with proper moderation (Phil. 4:5; cf. Eph. 5:18) and within the law (Rom. 13:1-7). Wine can be a medicine or a poison. See WLC 135.

place hands hastily on no one. This section on how to relate to 'the elders' ends with a final admonition to proceed slowly and with caution, when it comes to choosing or ordaining elders in the first place or to restoring them after they have been sanctioned. Move, but slowly.

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