Logos Word of God – BT10: “The Reading” in 1 Timothy 4:13 was NOT The Law ‘portion of’ scripture
Logos Word of God – BT10: “The Reading” in 1 Timothy 4:13 was NOT The Law ‘portion of’ scripture
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For another detailed breakdown of this, see Body-of-Christ-Ministry – BT13. In 1 Timothy 4:13 Paul says: “Until I erchomai ‘come from one place to this place,’ [I strongly urge you to] presently/ongoingly prosecho ‘hold attention toward and reaching/accomplishing’ (a) the reading (b), the paraklesis exhortation (c), the didaskalia doctrine/teaching (d).” The 3 “the” definite articles imply these are specific congregational practices that Timothy would be familiar with, which Paul would take back control of when he arrived. They are integrally related as you can see in:
<Notes> a) prosecho: ‘hold toward and reaching/accomplishing,’ set and keep a course toward to accomplish, b) ana + gnosis = again knowing gnosis information, c) paraklesis: ‘alongside-calling, urging, exhortation, encouraging, comforting, consolation, counseling, instructing, teaching,’ or from early Church history it can mean: invocation of the Holy Spirit to be “the One Teacher” of Matthew 23:8 – see Romans 15:4 that regards the Messianic ‘portion of’ OT scripture and NOT the whole/entirety of it, d) didaskalia – see also Romans 15:4 that also talks about the specific kind of instruction/teaching for Jewish-Christian paraklesis encouragement.
Just as with 2 Timothy 3:16 and Romans 15:4, there are too many people that try to also make 1 Timothy 4:13 be a “proof-text” that ALL Christians are to use ALL of the OT graphe scripture in their lives. However once again, upon close scholarly examination, it turns out to be FAR from a “proof text,” a terrible translation to do so, and it actually argues for the use of ONLY the Messianic ‘portion of’ of graphe scripture! Remember “A text without a context is a pretext for a proof-text,” as the great professor & author D. A. Carson once stated!
“THE READING” in the immediate context and that of everything else Paul has written to his evangelist-preacher-in-training Timothy, has absolutely nothing to do with “the reading” of the books of Moses. In context, it’s very possible Paul was simply referring to in 2 Timothy 1:13 the “sound doctrine/teaching . . . in/by/with [singular] trusting-relying-faith and/coupled [singular] unconditional-love” that are combined into one idea, just as 1 John 3:23 combines these same 2 commandments into 1 compound commandment from God, because the next definite article in 2 Timothy 1:13 is in the singular “the-ONE in Christ Jesus.” This the same “sound logos words/messages of the Lord of us, Jesus Christ” to be entrusted to other men like Timothy (a). <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 1:13, cf. Titus 2:2. See also 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9, 2:1.
Acts 15:31 is a case where a letter was READ by Gentile-Christians that was written from Jewish-Christians in consensus with each other and the Holy Spirit, and when it was read this resulted in the SAME paraklesis ‘alongside-calling, urging, exhortation, encouraging, comforting, consolation, counseling, instructing, teaching’ and consequently rejoicing, joy being a ‘flavor’ of the singular fruit of the Spirit that is singularly unconditional-love per Galatians 5:22. This should give us a clue about what Timothy was to READ and the nature of his “the paraklesis exhortation, the didaskalia doctrine/teaching.”
Therefore, Timothy’s temporary “reading UNTIL Paul’s arrival” could indeed simply be of the things Paul wrote to him previously or left with him, whether we have a record of them or not, because we know other letters of Paul’s have been lost. But look what that was! Body of Christ – BT15: “THE TEACHING” of 1 Timothy 4:13 is the Sound Doctrine of the gospel Truth about Christ’s love and salvation by grace thru faith but also godly loving of each other.
However it’s much more likely that Paul was referring specifically with the definite-article to a collection of Messianic prophetic passages from the OT graphe scriptures that Paul and Barnabas often quoted from to convert Jews to Christ, just as Timothy was converted by! That’s because we know from 2 Timothy 3:14-16, that these were the “hois ‘the specific things’ you-have-already manthano ‘learned the essentials from’ and/coupled you-have-already-become pistoo ‘persuaded/assured-of as faithful/trustworthy, because of where you have placed your trusting-relying-faith‘, . . . that from childhood ta ‘the-specific-ones’ sacred gramma writings you-have-already [with ongoing effects] eido ‘mentally seen to perceived/known, ta ‘specifically-the-ones’ routinely/habitually [NOW also] are-being-powerfully-able to-make-you-wise eis ‘toward and reaching the goal/purpose of’ salvation dia ‘thru the realizing channel of’ [singular] trusting-relying-faith, tes ‘specifically the one that is’ IN Christ (The Anointed One) Jesus.” Look at the 4 definite-articles (bolded) used! Paul is very specific, as with his teaching that he has left Timothy as we have seen above in Body of Christ – BT15.
We saw from Logos Word of God – BT7 that THIS IS the ‘kind/class/category/portion of’ pas graphe scripture that is also for Timothy as Paul’s “the man of God” evangelist-preacher per 1 Timothy 6:11 NOW “profitable/useful for teaching/instruction, for rebuking and correcting [Jewish Law-teachers], etc.” This interpretation would also be consistent with everything Paul previously wrote or spoke to Timothy about above in Body of Christ – BT15, and was exactly the way Paul preached/taught to Jews, and rebuked or corrected Jewish Law-teachers. Paul did often say to imitate his/his-team’s example (a), especially to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:10. We also saw that to translate “pas graphe scripture” in 2 Timothy 3:16 as “the whole/entirety of OT writings” is a violation of Greek rules, Pauls’ use of Greek, and the context. It’s just plain bad translation and interpretation! <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1; Philippians 3:17, 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:9.
We also know from early Church writings that this list of prophetic logion ‘oracles/utterances of God’ (d) existed in the predominantly Jewish Church to continue to paraklesis ‘close-beside encourage, instruct, counsel’ converts to stick with Christ and not be tempted by “the teachers of the Law,” which is a theme throughout Paul and Barnabas’ teaching since they travelled as an evangelistic team and would sound very much like each other. This 2.6% of the OT were the verses used to convert early Jews – see also New Covenant Ways – BT13a. There are at least 365 Messianic prophecies – see also Salvation – BT4 .<Notes> d) Acts 7:38; Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 4:11.
It’s absolutely shameful that 30 bible translators (a) have actually inserted the words “of scripture” and one bible inserted the “Word of God” (b) at the end of the “Until I ‘come from one place to this place,’ [I strongly urge you to] presently/ongoingly ‘hold attention toward and reaching/accomplishing’ THE-specific-kind-of READING” phrase in 1 Timothy 4:13. They based this on pure conjecture, and often with no footnoting to justify their decision! This is abhorrent, especially when nothing in the immediate context would lead you to do this as we’ve clearly seen above and will see below! Can you see how “winds of doctrine” get started in the Church! Thank God 30 translations did NOT commit such a crime (c)!
<Notes> a) including: AMP, CJB, CEV, ERV, EHV, ESV, ESVUK, EXB, GW, GNT, ICB, ISV, TLB, MSG, MOUNCE, NOG, NASB1995, NCV, NET, NIRV, NIV, NIVUK, NLT, NRSVA, NRSVACE, NRSVCE, NRSVUE, RSV, TLV, VOICE, b) NLV, c) KJ21, ASV, AMPC, BRG, CSB, CEB, DARBY, DLNT, DRA, GNV, HCSB, PHILLIPS, JUB, KJV, AKJV, LEB, MEV, NABRE, NASB, NCB, NKJV, NLV, NMB, NTE, OJB, RGT, WEB, WE, WYC, YLT.
The context of 1 Timothy 4:13 actually proves that “THE READING of ‘the entirety/whole of’ scripture” is absolutely NOT what’s in mind! From 1 Timothy 4:3, the “logos message (a) of God” and the “prayer of thanksgiving” that makes “everything God has created, which is good” now “ongoingly holy (b)” has absolutely nothing to do with the OT Law! It was Jewish “teachers of the Law” that were “requiring abstinence from foods that God has created” (c)! But Paul is telling Jewish-Christians otherwise: They should be “received with thanksgiving by-the pistos ‘faithful/trustworthy one – those who have trusting-relying-faith in The Faithful/Trustworthy One’ and/coupled have already [with ongoing results] genuinely, fully, experientially, relationally epiginosko known The Truth” (c), who is Jesus Christ per John 14:6. But “we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior (Jesus) of all (d) people – particularly those belonging to trusting-relying-faith. Paraggello ‘inform/notify close-beside, authoritatively charge, solemnly entreat’ and/coupled teach THESE things” (e)! Can you see what Paul is telling Timothy to ‘READ to gnosis informationally-know again’ only “UNTIL Paul arrives?” This is certainly not the food Laws of the OT, which are many!
<Notes> a) We saw in the Intro page that logos in the NT in all but 4 cases refers to Jesus Christ or His gospel message, b) hagios: sanctified, consecrated, separated, dedicated, made ceremonially ‘clean’ or pure, c) 1 Timothy 4:3, d) pas: often means ‘each/every of a kind/class, category/portion of’ as is clear here by the qualifying adverbial phrase following – see pas graphe scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16, e) 1 Timothy 4:10-11.
We also know from the context that “THE READING” indeed has something to do with Timothy’s grace-gift of evangelism-preaching of the gospel (a) that he should “practice, be immersed in” (b), and that he is to “carefully watch for himself and his teaching, persist in/by/with” (c). This absolutely cannot be ‘the whole/entirety of’ OT scripture because Paul says “by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (c). The OT Scripture won’t save anybody, certainly not the Torah Law of conditional-favor that makes up 97.4% of it – see Logos Word of God – BT5a, no matter how much you read it! <Notes> a) 1 Timothy 4:14, b) v. 15, c) v. 16.
We can’t forget: “For if that first [OT] covenant had been NOT memphomai faulted-blameworthy-rejectable-condemnable, there would have been no occasion to look for a second [NT covenant]” (a) and “For on the one hand, a former [OT] commandment is set aside because of its asthenes ‘weak, infirm, without vigor or strength, depleted, lacking in necessary resources, insufficient, frail, and sick nature’ and/coupled anopheles ‘unprofitable uselessness’ – for the Law made absolutely-in-fact-NO-thing perfect – but on the other hand, a kreitton ‘so-much-better’ [NT] hope is introduced, through which we presently/ongoingly draw near to God” (b). Why would Paul have Timothy read the Law after says that? <Notes> a) Hebrews 8:7, b) Hebrews 7:18-19.
We also know from Paul’s writings that “The Truth” (a) that these Christians “have already [with ongoing results] genuinely, fully, experientially, relationally epiginosko known” sure is NOT gnosis informational-knowledge ABOUT anything, not even OT scripture, so why would Paul have Timothy just “READ to gnosis informational-know again.”
Instead, “The Truth” actually is Jesus Christ (b) and the “logos gospel message of/belonging-to The Truth of God of/belonging-to the Lord [Jesus] (c). “The logos gospel message of The Truth” that Timothy was to “preach as an evangelist, carefully watch for himself and his teaching, practice or be immersed in, and persist in/by/with” of 1 Timothy 4:14-16 is that which can ALONE “save him and his hearers.” Again, THIS certainly is NOT the ‘whole/entirety of’ the OT scriptures and certainly not the Torah Law of conditional-favor that makes up 97.4% of it that condemns men to death (d).
<Notes> a) 1 Timothy 4:3, b) Ephesians 4:21; Titus 1:1; 2 Corinthians 11:10, cf. John 14:6, c) Acts 8:25, 15:7; 1 Corinthians 1:17; Galatians 2:14; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5, d) John 7:51; Romans 5:16, 18; 2 Corinthians 3:9; cf. Romans 8:1 NOW for Christians.
Then why would Paul tell Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13 to then “prosecho ‘hold attention toward and reaching/accomplishing’ himself to THE READING” of “the ‘whole/entirety of’ scripture” as so many translations have erroneously inserted?
As we’ve seen, Paul already had told Timothy what NOT to thus be devoted to: NOT Jewish-teacher things, but faith things: 1 Timothy 1:4, and NOT teaching of deceitful spirits/demons that cause some to depart from The-Christian-Faith, even concerning abstinence from foods: 1 Timothy 4:1-3! How could “READING the Law ‘portion of’ the scriptures,” the very ones the Jewish-teachers were using to enforce food laws, be “The Truth” that will “save both yourself and your hearers?” <Notes> a) 1 Timothy 4:3, b) Ephesians 4:21; Titus 1:1; 2 Corinthians 11:10, cf. John 14:6, c) Acts 8:25, 15:7; 1 Corinthians 1:17; Galatians 2:14; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5, e) 1 Timothy 4:13.
The “THE READING of [every/whole of] scripture” translations also ignore the context of Paul’s other writings concerning “pas ‘each/every of a kind/class/category/portion of’ graphe scripture,” particularly 2 Timothy 3:16. There they believe that pas always means “the whole/entirety of” and thus here that “the whole/entirety of graphe scripture . . . is profitable/useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, etc.” but Paul uses pas often as ‘each/every of a kind/class/category/portion of’ and particularly regarding scripture! It also violates the context and everything Paul says about the Law and teachers of the Law in the Church! They believe Paul is including the Torah Law of conditional-favor based on obedience to 613 commandments, which are strewn throughout most of OT scriptures, making for 97.4% of the verses, though they were certainly concentrated in the 5 books of Moses. See Logos Word of God – BT7 for many other violations necessary to prove “the whole/entirety of scripture . . . is profitable/useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting . . .”
However, THE READING of the Law seriously violates many things Paul wrote about NOT using the Law – see Logos Word of God – BT8, but especially 2 Corinthians 3:14-18 where Paul criticizes Jewish-Christians for listening to the Jewish teachers of the Law who continue to press Jewish-Christians to “read Moses” or the old covenant. Paul says “to this very day,” it causes the hearer’s hearts and minds to be hardened and blocked from seeing God’s glory that is alone in the face of Jesus Christ. Do you want this to happen to you?
The way to metamorphic transformation is to turn your face, heart, and mind away from Moses to the Lord. As we fix/gaze our wide-open eyes on Jesus, then this “cocoon to butterfly” change can happen but ONLY by the Spirit, who is the Lord! Paul’s argument is that this will never come from THE READING of the Torah Law of conditional-favor. In fact, the exact opposite will happen, because “the enabling-power of sin is the Law” (a) for the “Law came in [time] to increase the trespass” (b). It’s called “Law of sin and/coupled death” (c) for that very reason! <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 15:56, b) Romans 5:20, c) Romans 8:2.
Reflections:
As Christian musicians, do we really want to keep taking verses out of context and ignoring their specific vocabulary from the original languages to prove our “pet doctrine” that churches should be READING from the entire OT scripture? Biblical exegesis is getting the meaning from the Greek text, NOT 1 of 900 English translations, and then insuring the context supports our translation and interpretation. This how you build your doctrine, NOT by reading into the text our English definitions, cultural understanding, and Church traditions to then create an interpretation of the text that now supports our pretext for our “proof-text.”
1 Timothy 4:13 “public READINGS” in predominantly Jewish-Christian church gatherings were once again specifically the ‘portions of’ the OT scripture that are prophetic discussing the Messiah and His preached gospel logos message for salvation through trusting-relying-faith in Christ within the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant. This is the same 365 or so verses that the early Church used to convert Jews, about 2.6% of the OT, which the NT writers use liberally but especially Paul and Barnabas. This “public READING” would never include the 5 books of Moses or old covenant, for much is written to prohibit this – see Logos Word of God – BT8. It’s possible that Paul is asking Timothy to read portions of his “sound-doctrine/teaching” that he has already communicated to Timothy, but again much of this is based on Paul building arguments from these select OT Messianic prophetic verses to rebuke Jewish Law-teachers and to close-beside-encourage young Jewish-Christians still feeding off this ‘milk’ of the OT logion prophetic oracles-utterances concerning the stoicheion elementary ‘abc’ fundamentals about Jesus as their promised Messiah per Romans 3:2, Hebrews 5:12, 6:1.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for keeping the Law out of our lives, because we died to the Law when we were water-baptized into Your death. I pray that You will free other deceived Christians who still read “scriptures that imprisoned ALL under sin” with so many “regulations and commandments and rituals” for Jews to “guard them like prisoners, no different than slaves” when their entire purpose was to bring the “child-like” Jewish people to mature sonship through trusting-relying-faith in You as their Messiah.
Even the Messianic prophecies used to convert Jews to Christ in the early Church are still “milk” and the “ABC fundamentals” compared to the “solid food of discerning good and evil by the Holy Spirit” – see New Covenant Ways – BT16, which is the actual grace-gift “promise” You have for Christians. None of the OT was meant for Gentiles!
Lord, free confused Christians from looking to palaios “old, antiquated, worn for wear, worn-out” scripture with it rules & regulations and “skia shadows/outline-sketches that are not the body/reality of Christ” per Colossians 2:17. Free confused Christians about the ‘new scripture,’ as Catholic traditions erroneously named the NT writings 208 years after the apostles. Free us from the traditions of men, so that You alone become our One Teacher by Your Holy Spirit.
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Spiritual Education, “The Reading” in 1 Timothy 4:13 was NOT The Law ‘portion of’ scripture, The Reading was select Messianic portions of OT scripture used to convert Jews & encourage Jewish-Christians, Paul used this prophetic milk ABC’s often to encourage Jewish-Christians NOT to listen to Law-teachers, Paul used these Messianic portions to argue against Jews, These are the same being referred to in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, THE READING is about The gospel Truth of Christ as savior that gives the Holy Spirit to encourage & instruct us into all The Truth
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