1 Timothy 5:17, commentary and pictures

Elders who rule well are to be counted worthy of special honor, especially those who work hard in preaching and teaching the word and doctrine. That honor includes esteem, love, respect, and valuing their counsel, together with material provision so that they and their families are sustained in their devoted work. Labor in word and doctrine means studying Scripture and clearly preaching and teaching Bible truth by speaking and writing. Those who do this labor are ministers of Christ, called by God as His ambassadors and under-shepherds to build up the church, feed and guard the flock, and call people to be reconciled to God. They are worthy of liberal, generous support from the tithe sufficient for their needs and families, and should as far as possible be freed from temporal business so they have time for prayer, meditation, and study of Scripture.

Elders and Double Honour

Elders who rule well are to be counted worthy of special honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching the word and doctrine. That honor is a response to their work, calling for esteem, love, and respect toward them. Those who so labor are to keep learning and improving in order to be examples to the flock and to benefit those they meet, for without continued growth and self-improvement they will not grow in grace and in knowledge of Christ. Their labor calls for self-denial, perseverance, prayer, and diligent effort, with the grace of God shown in their lives and with faith exercised in working for the salvation of people. Those charged with spiritual oversight and ministry in word and doctrine should as far as possible be relieved of temporal business so as to have time for meditation, prayer, and Scripture study, since involvement in business details can dim spiritual discernment, with ordinary temporal matters left to the proper officers and only difficult matters brought to the council overseeing the whole church.

Double honor includes valuing their counsel, particularly when guidance is sought about church management. It also includes material provision, for the church should sustain those servants whose time and strength are devoted to the work and who may otherwise struggle to support their families, and to let them leave without help treats their labor lightly and is unjust. Honor further takes the form of gentle, encouraging support, because ministers are human and face difficulties and need help rather than being treated as querulous children. Even a simple, uneloquent ministry can reach children when the heart has been softened by Christ's teaching and the minister holds firmly to Christ by faith, through whom imperfect character is shaped. Those who have worked long and unselfishly for God should be treated with respect and tenderness even when they can no longer do the work they once could or sometimes judge wrongly, and younger workers should make room for them in their hearts and councils.

The verse distinguishes ruling well from especially laboring in word and doctrine, so that one not called or qualified to minister in word and doctrine can still serve the Lord through practical help and encouragement in meetings. Preaching and teaching is ministerial work that not everyone is qualified to do, while other kinds of service are also important and have been neglected. Labor in word and doctrine means preaching and teaching, applied as a call to speak gospel truth and minister in the Word and doctrine. It includes studying Scripture and presenting Bible truth clearly, both by speaking and writing, so as to serve the church effectively. That work of laboring in word and doctrine is distinct from the separate work of reproving wrongs and revealing hidden sins.

There is a class especially called to labor in word and doctrine whose work is to devote time to proclaiming to others the way of life and salvation. All who are not so called are required to labor with their hands at what is good, to lay by in store as they are prospered, to provide for their own needs, to have something to give to others, and to do their part in sustaining the cause of truth. Those who preach also need nourishing food and rest so they can keep up their work. Both those who labor in word and doctrine and those who labor with their hands need to preserve their physical strength for their work.

Identity of Gospel Laborers

Those who labor in word and doctrine are ministers of Christ, chosen ambassadors called by God to build up His church, carrying grave and weighty responsibility. Since His ascension Christ as the great Head of the church carries forward His work in the world through them to speak to people and meet their needs, acting in His place and as His representatives to call men and women to be reconciled to God. They can fulfill this calling only as they receive wisdom and power from above. They are Christ's under-shepherds and overseers appointed to tend and oversee the flock, caring for the people with the same interest Christ has shown, faithfully feeding them, strengthening the weak, nourishing the fainting, protecting them from danger, and instructing and warning the people. That work calls for self-denying constant labor for the flock's welfare, not a hireling's concern for wages, ease, or personal interests, and it includes faithfully teaching every church member to pay an honest tithe and warning that withholding tithes brings God's curse, a teaching that cannot be left to another because it is unpleasant without becoming unfaithful.

Their ministry is joined to walking humbly with God and requires meekness and a willingness to understand the Lord's will, as a learner as well as a teacher. They are workers seeking to save souls whose preaching and teaching ministry can be weakened when harmful home influences dishearten or lead them astray. They are engaged in active labor in the cause and work of God warning the world to prepare for the coming of the Lord. That warning message proves a savor of life unto life to those who receive it unto salvation and condemnation to those who reject it, so it must be presented in the most attractive light in the power of the Holy Spirit. Their work is of the same exalted character as the work of those handling sacred things in the publishing office, sharing one work with a deep individual interest in the REVIEW as a channel through which the brightest beams of light shine forth to the people.

Elders who lead well are worthy of special honor, particularly those who labor in preaching and teaching. This applies to a husband's anticipated work when he was expected to devote himself more especially to preaching. Such devotion is the special labor in word and doctrine.

Character of Faithful Ministers

Those who labor in word and doctrine must be men of God, pure in heart and life, partakers of the divine nature who have escaped the corruption in the world through lust. To them the mystery of godliness is opened, raising them above earthly and sensual enjoyments, and with open communion between God and their souls they have peace and serenity that elevates them. They are cheerful and happy without jesting, joking, worldly conversation, lightness, frivolity, or superfluity, watching unto prayer. That communion makes them fruitful in the knowledge of God's will, opening before them treasures of practical subjects to present to the people. Such subjects do not cause levity or smiles but solemnize the mind, touch the heart, and arouse the moral sensibilities to the sacred claims God has upon the affections and life.

They are to be examples of good works, holiness, cleanliness, and order, living worthy of imitation both in and out of the pulpit. A minister of Christ must remember this calling to serve through word and doctrine and maintain a clean, pure spirit and patience. They must keep learning and improving so they can be examples to the flock and benefit those they meet, for without continued growth and self-improvement they will not grow in grace and in knowledge of Christ. Those fitted to bear the solemn work of teaching truth effectively are converted, humble, and meek learners as well as teachers, not self-confident or stubborn, developing their abilities with meekness and willingness to understand the Lord's will. Those who minister in word and doctrine are to examine their hearts before God and put away self-seeking.

Their work for the salvation of people calls for self-denial, perseverance, prayer, and diligent effort, showing the grace of God in their lives and exercising faith. They must not be at ease while people remain unconverted but pray earnestly and work persistently with faith, self-denial, courage, benevolence, diligence, and perseverance, following Christ's example, and they will answer for duties they omit. They are a pure, faithful, self-sacrificing company who do not study their own ease but minister faithfully, laboring earnestly and not slothfully, cheerfully spending and being spent with burden of soul. Willing to suffer and endure privation, toil, and all things for Christ's sake and to save those for whom He died, they feel woe upon them if they preach not the gospel, while slothful, dilatory, self-caring ministers who love ease, spare themselves, and will not take the burden do not meet the standard. To labor in word and doctrine is to labor for the salvation of others, a duty requiring God's call and fitness rather than a high opinion of one's own abilities, so that to imagine the duty without the call is deception. Esteeming oneself too highly, failing to take up the common burdens of life, failing to keep the body under and control the passions, and ruining mental and physical health by wrong habits disqualify a person from this work.

Some who labor in word and doctrine do not practically understand God's law, its holy claims, or Christ's atonement, and need to be converted before they can convert sinners. Those who explain the Scriptures and teach truth to others must practice the truth they present in clear lines, conscientiously and entirely surrendering mind and heart and life to the control of the Holy Spirit. They must cease to love and cling to sin, be cleansed from impure practices, pride, selfishness, and self-glorying that close the door of the heart and bring the frown of God, receive renovating power and moral cure, and present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God as reasonable service. Heaven's treasures are committed to faithful instructors who minister in word and doctrine, who are to seek the Lord humbly and earnestly, relying on the Holy Spirit and showing Christ's spirituality and tenderness, so that their labors may succeed. Labor in word and doctrine is a solemn work to be undertaken humbly with a consecrated heart and life, not neglecting secret prayer.

Their work calls for care of brethren with pity, love, compassion, and tenderness rather than unnecessary censure, breaking their own hard, proud, unbelieving hearts and persevering in helping others where they are weak. They must remember their own experience and bear in mind that they are but men, liable to err and possessing like passions with their brethren. Because Christ has done all for helpless sinners bound in chains of darkness, sin, and despair who could do nothing for themselves, and because their brethren feel the same need of pitying help they have felt, the love of Christ must constrain them to be very compassionate and tender, coming to the hearts of their brethren and helping them where they are weak and need help most, weeping over the erring and those backslidden from God. It is through the exercise of faith, hope, and love that they come nearer and nearer to the standard of perfect holiness, knowing the soul is of infinite value whose worth can be estimated only by the price paid to ransom it which Calvary explains.

Duties in Word and Doctrine

Those who labor in word and doctrine are to be thorough workers who present truth pure, unadulterated, and thoroughly winnowed, with simplicity yet in its purity. They are to feed the flock clean provender and sound teaching, carefully separating truth from error. This stands in contrast to unfaithful teachers who mix truth with discordant views, erroneous sentiments, strange views, fanatical excitement, and wild feeling. They must strip the work of everything like false and fanatical excitement so that truth stands on its own merits, revealing its native purity and exalted character and making it attractive to the intelligent mind. They are to be firmly established in the truth before being authorized to teach it to others.

They must be thoroughly furnished through earnest, diligent study and diligent searching of Scripture with earnest prayer and careful study, so as to understand Bible doctrine and Christ's practical lessons. Scripture supplies rules of life for every class and vocation with examples for every kind of case, and those who hunger for righteousness and clear their minds of what is cheap can bring forth both new and old truths, with the word of life coming through human lips. They are to devote themselves zealously to the work, since neglect and lack of preparation harm the work and burden faithful workers. As God's educators and representatives they are to teach correctly, valuing and properly using their God-given abilities including the organs of speech, and overcoming defective habits rather than excusing them. Their work is to keep self out of sight and reveal Christ, making known the exaltation of Christ as the central truth. They are to give clear messages of truth simply, confidently, and with authority, trusting the Lord to work with them, with influence coming not from outward appearance but from working in Christ's way of simplicity and self-denial.

Preaching sermons is not enough to fulfill the ministry in word and doctrine. Those who labor must also shepherd by watching over souls and the flock, visiting people in their homes, learning their spiritual condition and meeting the needs of members, and instructing, advising, and counseling them. Those who neglect this personal shepherding work should be trained for it before being accepted to serve, especially in new fields. Such direct labor with people is also how God educates those who serve in word and doctrine, as they place themselves where the Holy Spirit can work with them. Public desk preaching only commences the work, which must come close to hearts in concentrated labor upon the very ones labored for, not too general and scattered.

That public labor must then be lived out with a guarded example that brings no reproach and illustrates the life of Christ, and be followed by private efforts, laboring personally for souls whenever opportunity presents, conversing around the fireside and beseeching and entreating souls to be reconciled to God. The work is soon to close and every one will receive reward according to labor. Preaching that only raises inquiry and awakens interest in large congregations leaves the work unfinished unless more thorough effort fastens the impressions upon minds. Without that, efforts prove nearly fruitless, because Satan has many attractions ready to divert the mind, and the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches combine to choke the seed of truth sown in the heart so that in most cases it bears no fruit. Their preaching is as messengers from God to men, not merely as orators.

Even fellow workers remain learners under that preaching and are granted the privilege of improvement through it. They must not wander listlessly about as though the discourse has nothing they need to hear, nor let personal preferences and prejudices influence their hearing, but be present before God to hear all things commanded of God, and so receive much more profit. There should be less sermonizing and more teaching: teaching people how to study the Bible, training younger and new believers who show ability to become workers, counseling and instructing new converts who give promise of ability, and cooperating with colporters, canvassers, and Bible readers in house-to-house work rather than devoting all time to tent-meeting discourses. While ministers teach, other workers can cooperate by giving Bible readings and directing people to the truth, and ministers should teach and train younger workers to study the Bible and labor effectively and train minds and manners for efficiency.

At camp-meetings too heavy burdens in preaching and transacting business rest on the few ministers who work in preaching and teaching. They must depend more on Christ's presence and less on their own efforts, with firm faith in Jesus as mighty helper, preserve strength and vigor, and keep minds stayed on God so human infirmity does not affect judgment or mar the solemn, dignified, holy character of deliberations. Their preaching should be short and right to the point, with place given to Bible readings, opportunity for believers and unbelievers to ask questions, and special meetings for those interested who need instruction. They should educate brethren and sisters to work and lay the burden on them, which saves ministers from exhaustion, gives the people spiritual strength by their own effort, and makes the result tenfold greater. People brought to enlightenment through prayerful labor in Bible instruction and wise use of publications, by giving first attention to books dealing with evidences of faith and Bible doctrines and scattering books on Bible subjects that prepare a people with loins girded with truth and lamps burning to stand in trying times, are themselves to become laborers in word and doctrine, teaching others and spreading such books.

As teachers of the third angel's message and educators in health reform pressing back the tide of moral woe, they are armed with the clearest messages of truth, including the call to present the body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, and to be transformed by renewing of the mind instead of being conformed to the world. When they stand true and give these messages with simplicity, assurance, and all authority, the Lord works with them. Their ministry of the word accomplishes less than publications among a class ministers cannot reach but canvassers carrying essential books can reach. There is a class whom the minister cannot affect, and God calls young men and women to work for Him to do a work ministers cannot do and to reach that class. Those who minister in word and doctrine are called to prepare the way for truth about Jesus to reach people, including Boston, and whether speaking to small or large assemblies to teach from Scripture and make clear that obedience is required to be fitted for advancement to the higher courts of heaven.

They should enter fields and spend part of the day in physical work with students, teaching Bible truth from nature as Christ did, and can join students in physical exercise and use lessons from nature to illustrate Bible truths. Doing this gives both teachers and students healthier spiritual experience, stronger minds and purer hearts to understand eternal mysteries, instead of constant book study that works the brain without using the muscles. Their true education is to use talents in earnest service, making use of opportunities in ordinary encounters to draw people to the Saviour and plant seeds of truth, with Christ's light and the message of warning so deeply in their hearts that it is reflected in words. The work described as more important than ministering in word and doctrine is not undertaken merely for wages.

Support and Church Order

Double honour for elders who rule well, especially those who labour in word and doctrine, includes material remembrance and support for servants whose time and strength are devoted to the work so they and their families are sustained, and to let them leave without help is to treat their labour lightly and unjustly. Those who labour in word and doctrine are worthy of liberal, generous, substantial support from the united willing gifts of the people, including fair wages from the tithe sufficient for needs and family responsibilities, not cut or reduced, with the tithe making up past deficiencies, and faithful aged workers and the needy widows and children of ministers are also to receive care. Women who devote themselves to ministry in word and doctrine, including house-to-house work, Bible readings, canvassing, and private or public explanation of the Word, are to be paid from the tithe just as men are, since work away from a congregation is no less deserving than preaching before one, even when as demanding or more demanding. Tithe funds for preaching and teaching are not to be diverted to building upkeep or other expenses, which belong to a separate church fund.

Those who distribute church funds must see that liberal donations are not squandered or wasted, and ministers receiving them must show zeal, hard work, and self-sacrifice at least equal to givers who laboured hard and wore out nerves, constitutions, and health through years of toil to gain what they freely give. Those who receive the liberal donations and administer the means in the treasury have a solemn responsibility and duty of equal self-sacrifice, to study carefully the providences of God to discern where there is greatest necessity as co-labourers with Christ in establishing His kingdom on earth. When appealing for support, ministers need discernment to learn what people can afford, not letting the poor make large pledges and being careful whose pledges they accept, since a pledge consecrated to the Lord is regarded as sacred. Aged stewards losing hold on life and soon to dispose of their means should remember faithful ministers, investing means where, should health and life fail, it can sustain God's work rather than binding it in worldly enterprises, which is the right disposition of the Lord's goods and lays up treasure in heaven put out to the exchangers and constantly accumulating.

Those called to minister in word and doctrine and to oversee spiritual interests need time for prayer, meditation, and study of Scripture and should as far as possible be freed from temporal business, office work, merchandise or traffic, financing and managing building projects, and lesser details, since entering into them dims clear spiritual discernment and keeps the sacred, elevated work from proper care. Ordinary temporal matters properly belong before the proper officers to be adjusted by them, with only matters so difficult as to baffle their wisdom carried into the council of those who have oversight of the entire church, and the same order and system as in the days of the apostles with departments conducted by men of ability qualified for their positions must be maintained now, on which the prosperity of the cause very largely depends. Ministers gifted for preaching should not be kept wholly in office work but go out and speak as opportunities arise while others who cannot go out do the office work, and one gifted for the Word and doctrine should be left to that ministry rather than carry the separate responsibilities of financing and managing a church-building project.

Those who minister in word and doctrine must work in perfect unity and carry the Spirit of Christ to every congregation, with the ministry of the word revived and kept in proper balance with medical missionary work, not separated from it or displaced by a work that consumes resources while other fields remain untouched. The ministry of the gospel in word and doctrine must be sustained through agencies establishing small churches in new fields rather than spending resources on buildings. Provision should be made for workers in word and doctrine who need toning up and rest to receive treatment.