1All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. 2Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.

Approaching the end of this epistle, Paul turned his attention towards those who were slaves within the community. When we encounter the concept of slavery or service in the Bible, we would do well to remember that it does not refer to type of slavery that was common in American history. Abuses aside, slavery is never condemned by any Biblical writer. In the ancient world, specifically within the culture of Israel, slavery was an acceptable and perhaps even beneficial mode of employment. First of all, we should note that the word translated here as "slave" ("doulos") can just as easily be translated as "servant." In that sense, it's easy to see why those who were poor or had unpaid loans could offer themselves as servants. Much of the time, masters would treat their servants as well as they treated their children. Likewise, the common servant would, more often than not, love their master and count it as a privilege to serve them with their whole lives. This is why it is common for the Apostle Paul to refer to himself as a "slave of Messiah." In this way, the term slave or servant should be taken in a completely positive light.

With that said, Paul here instructed those who were servants within the community, advising them how they should treat their masters. Firstly, he addressed the servants as those “who are under the yoke.” It’s possible that with this phrase Paul simply meant to refer to the fact that they were bond-servants but the imagery of being under a yoke could also refer to being under the yoke of the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matthew 11:29-30). So, in other words, he's referring to the fact that they are believing servants. Regardless, those who were servants in the community were to regard their masters as worthy of all honour. Since in verse 2 of this chapter Paul specifically makes raises a contrast by specifying how they should act towards a believing master, the implication is that in verse 1 he referred to how a believing servant should treat an unbelieving master. To regard a master as worthy of all honour is to essentially serve them and provide for them with all one's ability. Honour, as alluded to in chapter 2 in reference to widows and elders, refers not just to a sense of respect but also to physical provision. In other words, a believing servant is to respect and provide for their master in all things. In this way, God's reputation is upheld and the truth of the Scriptures is held in high regard. Paul then, using a bit of hyperbole, exhorted that servants should serve their believing masters with even more honour. Knowing full well that in Messiah there is neither slave nor free (Galatians 3:28), the temptation for the servant is to become lax in his service, assuming that their believing master would tolerate such behaviour; this is actually disrespect towards their master. While there is spiritual equality in the Messiah, this equality does not abolish the distinctive roles of human society. A servant should instead serve their master with even more vigour, since by their service they are bringing benefit to those who are in the family of God. This was apparently an on-going issue in Ephesus because Paul emphasized that Timothy teach and proclaim these principles. Since these verses can easily be applied to our modern employment situations, we would do well in taking these principles to heart.

3If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Master Yeshua the Messiah, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

Paul then addressed those who advocated false teaching, explaining to Timothy what kind of people they were. Here Paul gave us a working definition of what "different doctrine" is, namely, anything that does not agree with the words of the Messiah and with the teaching conforming to godliness. In practical terms, false teaching is anything that does not match up with the Scriptures. False teaching will always deviate, distort or ignore the commandments of the Torah and/or the teachings of the Messiah and His Apostles. The person who advocates false teaching, according to Paul, is conceited and understands nothing. They are conceited because they are placing themselves and their supposed higher knowledge above God Himself and His word. They understand nothing because usually their teaching is based upon an incorrect interpretation of Scripture. Too often false teaching is simply a result of a lack of Biblical knowledge as well as a deficient hermeneutic. Those who advocate false teaching will usually have an unhealthy interest in questions that the Bible does not explicitly answer. Also, they will be interested in disputes about words, usually in ways that fall outside the normal realm of Biblical study. If all that was not enough, false teaching produces fruit that is completely detrimental to the growth of the community. Firstly, it causes envy, which refers to a sense of discontentment. Secondly, it causes strife, which produces an environment where quarrelling is encouraged not peace. Thirdly, it leads to abusive language, which is an interpretive translation of the Greek word “blasphemia,” from which we derive the word “blasphemy.” We can’t be certain what kind of words were being spoken that Paul considered blasphemy but if they were disputes about words, it’s possible that the pronunciation of the name of God was one of the many issues causing controversy. Fourthly, as a result, there were evil suspicions. All too often, when there are disputes about debateable matters, there is usually at least one person who believes there is a conspiracy brewing. It’s unfortunate but not much as changed over the past two millennia. All that ever results from such things is a sense of constant friction. In reality, these men are simply showing themselves to be depraved men and are simply without the truth. Finally, perhaps the most telling sign that these men are not genuine believers is that they that their supposed higher truth will grant them monetary gain.

6But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Contrary to what the false teachers believe, godliness is of great gain but only when it is rooted in contentment. What most don’t understand, especially unbelievers, is that if one aspires to simply get rich, there will never be a point where they will be content. As soon as someone has reached whatever goal of richness they have set for themselves, they will want to go even further. The believer, however, should understand the truth that humans beings can bring nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it either. Only when a person is content with having food and clothing will they ever experience genuine peace. God has not promised us abundant riches in This World but there is a promise for food and clothing (Matthew 6:25-34). True gain is living an obedient life and being content with what God has given us in our life. 

9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

There is great danger awaiting those who wish to get rich for the sake of getting rich. When getting rich is the goal, there will always be a temptation to do so by sinful means. Usually the desire becomes so consuming that not only will there be a temptation to gain riches by sinful activity, but also through foolish and harmful methods as well. One thing is certain: “the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.” People will commit theft, murder, lie, fornicate and a whole host of other kinds of sins just for the sake of gaining wealth. The results is not contentment but, in fact, ruin and destruction, that is, eternal punishment. This is made evident by those who, for the sake of gain, have left the faith and brought nothing but numerous griefs upon themselves.

11But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Every time Paul addressed false teaching and false teachers, he then made sure to exhort Timothy to stand firm and fight for the truth. The fact that Paul called Timothy a “man of God” indicated that Timothy had the responsibility to uphold the truth because he was commissioned by God through the existing elders (cf. 1:18 and 4:14). The first thing Timothy was to do was to “flee from these things.” In other words, the man of God flees from sin, specifically in this context, false teaching and the love of money. Instead, the man of God should run to righteousness, that is, practical righteousness. As we’ll see in verse 14, this refers to keeping the commandments of God. Similarly, godliness refers to the general attitude of wanting to serve God in truth. Also, the man of God must have faith, which refers to an unwavering confidence and trust in God. The man of God must also be characterized by love and, as always, genuine love is expressed through a continual, sacrificial choice to put the good of others above your own desires. He must also display perseverance, for what good will come from a spiritual leader giving up when trials and difficulty arise. Throughout it all, the man of God stand firm on the truth but he must do it with a kind and gentle demeanour.

To be clear, fighting the good fight is not with flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12) but is instead defending the truth. Not only is it defending but it's also gaining ground. God's word should be defended and it should also be taught so that it takes root in people's lives resulting in growth. When a believer does this, he is taking hold of the eternal life to which we are called. Salvation is a gracious and free gift from God, which He sovereignly bestowed upon us but there is still a responsibility to live it out in this life. Otherwise our confession that Yeshua is Master is all for nought. In Biblical terminology, a confession refers to an oath and almost always refers to a promise of action. When we make a confession to follow Yeshua, we are declaring that He is our Master and that we are going to endeavour to do what He has commanded.