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Taking Care Of Widows In The Church
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Topic Started: May 11 2008, 05:25 PM (57 Views)
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Stace
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May 11 2008, 05:25 PM
Post #1
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1Q 1 Timothy 5:9, Paul mentions some kind of "roll" for widows, is this referring to the church's registering of widows to give financial support for those who qualify? If so, should every local church today also has a widows roll?
Widows, orphans, and the poor are always groups that every genuine charitable ministry should reach out to (Deuteronomy 10:18; 14:29; 24:17, 19; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isaiah 1:17).
2Q Paul mentions that qualified widows need to be at least sixty years of age, is this minimum age requirement still valid in today's church and world context? In other words, do they have to be at least 60 years old to receive support no matter the widows' particular circumstances? Can this age qualification be flexible?
This is only particular to Paul's situation for a specific church and group. The principles involved though are universal: that a widow does not have any other person or family taking care of them and that they are not too young to be looking towards another marriage. I believe that each group, culture and society must decide the specifications unique to each.
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Stace
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May 11 2008, 05:27 PM
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3Q In 1 Tim 5:11, how is "growing wanton against Christ" necessarily related to "desire to (re)marry," which in itself doesn't seem to be wrong? Is Paul referring to the specific situation at Ephesus where the women there are especially carnal so it'd be better for them to remarry instead of sitting idly and gossiping as the context suggests?
Paul was not against the re-marriage but he was against those who abuse the charity of the church; for every insincere widow fed, it takes (robs) the place of another potentially genuine and needy widow who might need it more than the younger one. Don't forget that Paul himself was never married and his statement that one marry rather than burn (1 Corinthians 7:9) is a bit limited view of the joys of marriage and marital fellowship. Historical records seem to show that Paul was very pro-celibacy rather than pro-marriage. Rather than just blame the women of Ephesus, I think the language of Paul is coloured by his personal pro-celibacy views.
4Q Some believe that 1 Tim 5:9-8 refers to qualification for a class of widows needing financial aid, which they do not need to be at least 60 years old, while 5:9-16 refers to another class of widows and that the "roll" is registering for service in the local church, and not referring to receiving financial support, and so in this latter category of qualified widows for service, they need to be at least 60 years old. What are your thoughts? Or does 1 Tim 5:9-16 all referring to the one same class of widows in need of financial support and their qualifications?
All of 1 Tim 5:9-16 refers to a specific group of widows (two different categories) of which Paul was giving Timothy advice. We need not take this as the 'only' biblical qualification of widows. The bible overall (looking at every occurrence of the word for widow) is more generalise and it more emphasizes their deep poverty, which should be the main qualification. The overall sense of the mention of the fatherless, the widows and the strangers in the land of Israel is more the emphasis on their deep poverty. Thus the main guiding principle is still the principle of helping the poor and needy. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
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