1 Timothy 6:6-19

1 Timothy 6:6-19
With thanks to page sponsor
Tony Green,
Community Congregational Church of Clinton Heights, NY.

Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
- "The Love of Money," Theon of Alexandria, Progymnasmata: Chreia 125-126 (etc). At Rutgers University, Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus.
- Chapter IV, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Polycarp of Smyrna (c 115).
- II.3, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- VI.3, VI.9, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter XXV, The Prescription of Heretics, Tertullian (c. 200)
- Chapter VII, On Patience, Tertullian (c. 202)
- I.4, To His Wife, Tertullian (c. 206)
- Chapter XI, On Idolatry, Tertullian (c. 211)
- Chapter XV, Chapter XVI, Against Praxeas, Tertullian (c. 213)
- VII.XXI, Against Celsus, Origen. (c.246)
- On the Lapsed -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 251)
- On the Lord's Prayer -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
- Concerning Works and Almsgiving -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 254)
- Part 10, On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 318.
- From the Geneva Notes. (c. 1599)
  - "Sorrow and grief do as it were pierce through the mind of man, and are the harvest and true fruits of covetousness."
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.(c. 1700)
  - "Those that make a trade of Christianity to serve their turn for this world, will be disappointed; but those who mind it as their calling, will find it has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come."
- From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).
  - "Love of money - Commonly called "prudent care" of what a man has."
- The Danger of Riches (1 Tim 6:9): Sermon by John Wesley (1703-1791).
  - "Riches, either desired or possessed, naturally lead to some or other of these foolish and hurtful desires; and by affording the means of gratifying them all, naturally tend to increase them. And there is a near connexion between unholy desires, and every other unholy passion and temper. We easily pass from these to pride, anger, bitterness, envy, malice, revengefulness; to an head-strong, unadvisable, unreprovable spirit: Indeed to every temper that is earthly, sensual, or devilish. All these the desire or possession of riches naturally tends to create, strengthen, and increase."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  - "The Greek for contentment is translated "sufficiency" (2Co 9:8). But the adjective (Php 4:11) "content"; literally, "having a sufficiency in one's self" independent of others. "The Lord always supplies His people with what is necessary for them. True happiness lies in piety, but this sufficiency [supplied by God, with which moreover His people are content] is thrown into the scale as a kind of overweight" [CALVIN] (1Ki 17:1-16; Ps 37:19; Isa 33:6, 16; Jer 37:21)."
- From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
  - "Since we must leave the earth as we came into it, contentment and an immortal hope are better than earthly gains."
Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
- Commentary, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Chriatian A. Eberhart, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2013.
  - "Material wealth can get in the way of putting one's trust in God, and it can be a hindrance to following Jesus (Mark 10:17-22). Yet many of the church ministries and services depend on financial resources of those who are willing to share them. Therefore, those who have riches "are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life" (1 Timothy 6:18-19)."
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2013.
- "All Kinds of Evil," Richard Mario Procida, Modern Lectionaries, 2013.
- "How Did It Come to This?" Mark Scandrette, The Hardest Question, 2013.
  - "Breaking my rules of consumption."
- Commentary, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, A.K.M. Adam, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
  - "The lesson today skips over the extensive discussion of roles in the church and takes up (after a denunciation of those who teach false doctrine, revisiting a topic from the beginning of chapter 4) the question of discipleship and wealth."
- "Righteousness," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog.
  - "Righteousness is getting it all right. If you play it the way it's supposed to be played, there shouldn't be a still foot in the house."
- "Run with Perseverance," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog.
  - "'Fight the good fight,' he says (1 Timothy 6:12), where it's not the fight to overcome the best of the competition that he's talking about but the fight to overcome the worst in ourselves."
- Radical Gratitude, lectionary-based stewardship, Northwest United Methodist Foundation. (.pdf)
- "First Thoughts on Year C Epistle Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 19, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  - "The author does not envisage preaching which rebukes the rich and then leaves them with unreal choices which their intelligence knows are wrong and from which they then switch off, innoculated against future challenges. Rather 6:17-19 speaks about using one's wealth effectively."
- "Avoiding Pornography's Mess," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Pornographic Culture," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2002.
- "The Personal Life of a Child of God," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
  - "Discuss, in practical terms, what it means to fight the good fight in our daily Christian life. How do we do it and what are the results?"
- The Meaning of peirasmos in 1 Tim 6:9 by Jeffrey B. Gibson. Pre-print article at Corpus Paulinum. (Not to be cited without permission of the author.)
- "'First', 'Only', 'One of a Few', and 'No One Else': The Rhetoric of Uniquenes and the Doxologies in 1 Timothy," Jerome H. Neyrey, SJ, Biblica, 2005.
  - "...we are prepared to interpret the doxologies in 1 Timothy 1,17 and 6,15-16 where the language of uniqueness is used in praise of God. The result should be a greater appreciation of the influence of epideictic rhetoric on the way Christians shaped their God-talk."
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Brueggemann, Walter, "A Choice Amid Doxologies," The Christian Century, 1992.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Rollefson, John, "Eye of the Needle," The Christian Century, 2004.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Wood, Ralph, "A Passion for Lesser Things," The Christian Century, 1995.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Sermons:
- "Living the True Life," Lori Claudio, Day 1, 2001.
With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 21, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2013. 2010.
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," September 29, 2013, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: 1 Timothy 6:6-19 and The Shaking Bag by Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert. 2010.
Drama:
- "Exasperating Daryl," Glenn A. Haskall, dramatix.
- "Money Is No Object," Joanne Miller, dramatix.
- "A Will To Give?" John McNeil, dramatix.
Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art, 1 Timothy 6:12, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
- 1 Timothy 6:10, Heartlight - Free Christian PowerPoint Backgrounds.
Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: 1 Timothy 6:12. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
- "Fight the Good Fight," Brenton Prigge, NewHymn, a new, relevant hymn set to traditional tunes.
- At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
  - Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
Study Links and Resources for the Book of 1 Timothy