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Taking Care Of Widows In The Church
Topic Started: May 11 2008, 05:25 PM (57 Views)
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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.

eaglevision.com.my
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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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