Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Timothy 6:2

"And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but let them serve them the rather, because they that partake of the benefit are believing and beloved. These things teach and exhort." — 1 Timothy 6:2 (ASV)

And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren.—This situation, being in servitude to Christian masters, would naturally have occurred less frequently in the days of Saint Paul.

Let those Christian slaves who have the good fortune to serve “believing masters” not allow such thoughts as, “Shall I remain my brother’s slave?” to take root in their hearts and poison their life’s work.

They should not presume on their common brotherhood in Christ, or on their being fellow heirs of heaven, and on this account consider their earthly masters their equals, thereby refusing them the customary respect and attention. Let them remember that, although in heaven there would be no respect of persons, on earth the old class differences were not removed.

But rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit.—The Greek here is better translated as follows: but rather serve them, because believing and beloved are they who benefit from their good service.

Let these slaves of Christians, therefore, rather (or, the more) serve their masters zealously and loyally, because the masters who will profit by their true, faithful service are themselves believers in Jesus, the beloved of God.

This thought should never be absent from the heart of a Christian slave serving a Christian master: “Every good piece of work I do will be a kindness shown to one who loves my Lord.”

And that we may be delivered.—Compare Romans 15:31. This clause is an amplification of the phrase “may run along”; the impediments to the gospel's progress were (though all were overruled for good) such persecutions as these. St. Paul gives thanks for such deliverances in 2 Corinthians 1:10, 2 Timothy 3:11, and 2 Timothy 4:17. Perhaps (as St. Chrysostom suggests) one reason for inviting their prayers for himself here was to strengthen the Thessalonians by the realization that they were not the only people in the world in danger.

From unreasonable and wicked men.—The unusual word translated “unreasonable” is rendered “amiss” in Luke 23:41, “wickedness” in Acts 25:5, and “harm” in Acts 28:6, occurring nowhere else in the New Testament. It properly means something “misplaced,” hence “extravagant” or “monstrous.”

Thus, the dying robber says that our Lord had done “nothing so monstrous” as to deserve crucifixion; Festus ironically invites the priests to a serious journey for St. Paul’s trial, “if there is something so monstrous in him;” the Maltese islanders “saw that nothing so monstrous happened to him after all.” So St. Paul wants the Thessalonians to pray for his deliverance “from these monstrous and depraved people.” He is evidently referring to some particular foes whom he fears, as the original text uses the definite article. Who, then, are “these monstrous persons?”

If we turn to Acts 18:6, Acts 18:9, and Acts 18:12, and observe the circumstances in which the letter was written, we can hardly doubt that they are the unbelieving Jews of Corinth. From these Jews he was, though narrowly, delivered. It was, perhaps, in direct answer to the prayers for which St. Paul here asks that he received the vision and assurances from our Lord, and that Gallio was moved to quash the proceedings of the Jews so abruptly.

For all men have not faith.—This clause gives the reason for the alarm implied in the previous clause: “Do not be surprised at my needing help against bad men, for you know that it is not everyone who believes.” There is something a little scornful and embittered in the expression (recalling the invective against the same people in 1 Thessalonians 2:15–16), as it suggests the thought that nothing better was to be expected from such a group of unconverted Jews.

Tacitly, also, the unbelieving Corinthians are contrasted with the Thessalonians who had so readily embraced the truth. It may, however, be doubted whether this sentence is not an instance of a common Hebrew idiom, occurring more than twenty times in the Greek Testament, by which the combination of “all” and “not” amounts to “not any.” Thus, “all flesh shall not be justified,” in Romans 3:20, is rendered “no flesh shall be justified”; and “they are not all of us,” in 1 John 2:19, means “not one of them is of us.”

So here it may be, “for there is not one of them that believes”; and so also, again speaking of the Jews, in Romans 10:16, “they did not all obey” may mean “none of them obeyed”—a rhetorical exaggeration, which the writer proceeds to justify by the exhaustive question from Isaiah.

Not soon shaken.—The meaning would be clearer if we inserted “so” before “soon,” for it does not mean vaguely that they were not to be lightly shaken in the future, but that they had already been shaken, and that in an unconscionably short time since their first teaching on the subject.

In mind.—In the original it is, from your mind; from your reason.

Be troubled.—The tense of the verb “be troubled” differs in the Greek from that of “be shaken”; for the “driving out of their wits” is regarded as a single act; the “agitation,” or being troubled, as a chronic condition, into which they feared they might fall. This shaking and trouble probably brought about the disorders spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 3:0.

The instruments by which people had already partly driven the Thessalonians out of their wits were three:

1. “Through spirit,” i.e., by pretended manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s power, whether through false signs or, more probably, through “prophesyings.” (See 1 Thessalonians 5:20–22, where the fear of some abuse of prophecy is clearly marked already.)
2. “Through word,” i.e., Word of mouth, as opposed to the written letter mentioned next. Most modern commentators seem rightly to take the words “as from us” with this clause as well as with the next; some people misrepresented what they had heard the Apostles say on the topic, or pretended to have been entrusted with a message from them.
3. “Through letter;” apparently forged letters, purporting to be from (or, literally, through) St. Paul, had been circulated. (See Note on 2 Thessalonians 3:17.) “Word” and “letter” occur again in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 as his ordinary means of teaching.

As that the day of Christ is at hand—i.e., “to the effect that it is,”—giving the contents of the pretended revelation; for “as that” follows grammatically upon “spirit, word, letter,” not upon “shaken, troubled.” The word for “is at hand” implies a very close proximity indeed, the participle, in fact (like our word “instant”), being used for “present,” e.g.,Galatians 1:4.

Probably the form which the false doctrine at Thessalonica was beginning to take was that the day of the Lord had already set in, thus confusing the whole idea of a personal, visible Advent, just as, at a later period, Hymenæus and Philetus confused the true doctrine of resurrection by affirming that it was already past (2 Timothy 2:18). St. Paul not only denies vigorously that the day has come, but proceeds in the next verse to show that the signs of its approach are not yet exhibited. The best reading gives “the day of the Lord,” not “of Christ.” (See Note on 1 Thessalonians 5:2.)