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| 1 Timothy 5:24 |
Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to
judgment; and some men they follow after.
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Note:
before doing a study on any
single verse, read all the verses from the beginning
of the chapter to this point and maybe a verse or
two beyond. Do this so you have the verse in context
before you begin. click here |
Verses 24-25 are a separate section in this
chapter.
1 Timothy 5:24-25
24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before
to judgment; and some men they follow after.
25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest
beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be
hid.
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ULTIMATE CONCEALMENT
1 Timothy 5:24–5
THIS saying tells us to leave things to God and be
content. There are obvious sinners, whose sins are
clearly leading to their disaster and their
punishment; and there are secret sinners who, behind
a façade of blameless virtue, live a life that is in
essence evil and ugly. What other people cannot see,
God does. As the thirteenth-century theologian
Thomas Aquinas said, ‘Man sees the deed, but God
sees the intention.’ There is no escape from the
ultimate confrontation with the God who sees and
knows everything.
There are some whose good deeds are plain for all to
see, and who have already won the praise and thanks
and congratulations of others. There are some whose
good deeds have never been noticed, never
appreciated, never thanked, never praised, never
valued as they ought to have been. They need not
feel either disappointed or embittered. God knows
the good deed also, and he will repay, for he is
never in anyone’s debt.
Here, we are told that we must neither grow angry at
the apparent escape of some people nor grow
embittered at the apparent thanklessness of others,
but that we must be content to leave all things to
the ultimate judgment of God. ~Barclay Commentaries
Now to the commentaries.
This verse has three obvious phrases:
1] Some men's sins are open beforehand.
2] Going before to judgment.
3] And some men they follow after.
1] Some men's sins are open
beforehand.
Some men's sins are open
beforehand - Discipline has been spoken of.
Some men's lives are fully known, and their sins cry
out, but others conceal them, and they will only be
fully manifest at judgment.
~ People's New Testament
Some men's sins are open
beforehand - “Openly plain,” “plain before
all.” ~Robertson's Word
Pictures
Some men’s sins are open
beforehand - This declaration, though it
assumes a general form, is to be taken evidently in
connection with the general subject of introducing
men to the ministry 1 Timothy 5:22-23 is to be
regarded as a parenthesis. The apostle had given
Timothy a charge 1 Timothy 5:22 respecting the
character of those whom he should ordain. He here
says, in reference to that, that the character of
some people was manifest. There was no disguise. It
was evident to all what it was, and there could be
no danger of mistake respecting it. Their conduct
was apparent to all. About such people he ought not
to hesitate a moment, and, no matter what their
talents, or learning, or rank in the community, he
ought to have no participation in introducing them
to the ministry. ~Barnes
Notes
Quoted verses:
1 Timothy 5:22-23
22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker
of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.
23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for
thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
Some men’s sins are open
beforehand - In appointing men to sacred
offices in the Church, among the candidates Timothy
would find,
1. Some of whom he knew nothing, but only that they
professed Christianity; let such be tried before
they are appointed.
2. Some of whose faith and piety he had the fullest
knowledge, and whose usefulness in the Church was
well known.
3. Some whose lives were not at all or but partially
reformed, who were still unchanged in their hearts,
and unholy in their lives.
The sins of these latter were known to all; they go
before to judgment; with them he could have no
difficulty. With the first class he must have more
difficulty; there might have been hypocrites among
them, whose sins could not be known till after they
were brought into the sacred office. The characters
of all should be fully investigated. The sins of
some, before this investigation, might be so
manifest as to lead at once to condemnation. The
sins of others might be found out after, or in
consequence of, this investigation; and those that
were otherwise could not be long hid from his
knowledge, or the knowledge of the Church. On all
these accounts the exhortation is necessary: Lay
hands suddenly on no man.
~Adam Clarke
Some men's sins are open
before hand - Some men are such open and
notorious sinners, that there is no need of any
inquiry about them, or any examination of them; or
any witnesses to be called to their character, in
order to pass judgment concerning them; they even
prevent and supersede any formal process about them.
With such persons, the apostle intimates, Timothy
could have no difficulty upon him, what to do with
them; should they be proposed for the ministry, he
would know at once what to do with them; namely,
reject them. There would be no danger of his laying
hands suddenly on such; for the following phrase.
~John Gill
Some me's sin are open
beforehand - Two kinds of sins are specified:
those palpably manifest (so the Greek for “open
beforehand” ought to be translated; so in Hebrews
7:14, it is translated “evident”; literally,
“before” the eyes, that is, notorious), further
explained as “going before to judgment”; and those
which follow after the men (“some men they, that is,
their sins, follow after”), namely, not going
beforehand, loudly accusing, but hidden till they
come to the judgment: so 1Timothy 5:25, the good
works are of two classes: those palpably manifest
(translate so, instead of “manifest beforehand”) and
“those that are otherwise,” that is, not palpably
manifest. Both alike “cannot be hid”; the former
class in the case of bad and good are manifest
already; the latter class in the case of both are
not manifest now, but shall be so at the final
judgment. ~Jamieson,
Fausset, Brown
2] Going before to judgment.
Going before to judgment
- The sins are so plain that [the sins] they
receive instant condemnation.
~Robertson's Word Pictures
Going before to judgment
- Their character is well understood. There is no
need of waiting for the day of judgment to know what
they are. Their deeds so precede their own
appearance at the judgment-bar, that the record and
the verdict can be made up before they arrive there,
and there will be scarcely need even of the
formality of a trial. The meaning here is, that
there could be no doubt about the character of such
people, and Timothy should not be accessory to their
being introduced into the office of the ministry.
~Barnes Notes
Going before to judgment
- is not to be understood of God's judgment, or of
the last and future judgment of the great day, but
of human judgment: it is true indeed that some men's
sins are manifest and barefaced, before that day
comes; while others are so private, that they will
not be known till that day declares them, and brings
to light the hidden things of darkness: and much
such a way of speaking is used by the Jews; who say,
"whoever committeth one transgression, (a notorious
one,) in this world, it joins to him, "and goes
before him" "to the day of judgment".''
But this sense agrees not with the context; and with
what propriety soever it may be said, of some men's
sins going before to judgment, it cannot be said
with any, that others follow after judgment; since
at the general judgment, every work, both good and
bad, with every secret thing, will be brought into
it; and nothing will follow after that: wherefore
the next clause. ~John Gill
Going before to judgment
— as heralds; crying sins which accuse their
perpetrator. The connection seems to me this: He had
enjoined Timothy,
1 Timothy 5:20, “Rebuke them that
sin before all”: and in
1 Timothy 5:22, “Neither be
partaker of other men’s sins,” by ordaining ungodly
men; having then by a digression at the clause,
“keep thyself pure,” guarded against an ascetical
error of Timothy in fancying purity consisted in
asceticism, and having exhorted him to use wine for
strengthening him in his work, he returns to the
subject of his being vigorous as an overseer in
rebuking sin, whether in presbyters or people, and
in avoiding participation in men’s sins by ordaining
ungodly candidates. He says, therefore, there are
two classes of sins, as there are two classes of
good works: those palpably manifest, and those not
so; the former are those on which thou shouldest act
decidedly at once when called on, whether to rebuke
in general, or to ordain ministers in particular; as
to the latter, the final judgment alone can decide;
however hidden now they “cannot be hid” then. This
could only be said of the final judgment; all
judgments before then are fallible. Thus he implies
that Timothy can only be responsible if he connive
at manifest, or evident sins; not that those that
are otherwise shall escape judgment at last: just as
in the case of good works, he can only be
responsible for taking into account in his judgments
those which are patent to all, not those secret good
works which nevertheless will not remain hidden at
the final judgment.
~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
3] And some men they follow after.
And some men they follow after
- not clearly manifest at first, but come out
plainly at last. How true that is of secret sins.
~Robertson's Word Pictures
And some men they follow after
- That is, their character is not fully understood
here. They conceal their plans. They practice
deception. They appear different from what they
really are. But the character of such people will be
developed, and they will be judged according to
their works. They cannot hope to escape with
impunity. Though they have endeavored to hide their
evil deeds, yet they will follow after them to the
judgment-bar, and will meet them there. The meaning,
in this connection, seems to be, that there ought to
be circumspection in judging of the qualifications
of men for the office of the ministry. It ought not
to be inferred from favorable appearances at once,
or on slight acquaintance, that they are qualified
for the office - for they may be of the number of
those whose characters, now concealed or
misunderstood, will be developed only on the final
trial. ~Barnes Notes
And some men they follow after
- that is, some men's sins follow after, is to be
understood of their following after human judgment;
or of their appearing in the light after judgment
has been passed upon them, which before were hid:
and the sense of the whole is this, that the
characters of some men are so well known, and it is
so plain a case, that they are destitute of the
grace of God; have not ministerial gifts; or are
unsound in the faith; or are men of immoral lives
and conversations; so that there can be no dispute
about them, whether they are to be admitted into the
ministry of the word or rejected. But there are
other persons who may be proposed, whose sins or
errors are so private, that they may not be known;
and yet may appear afterwards; wherefore it is
proper to take time, and not be too hasty, or lay
hands suddenly on men.
~John Gill
I want to end this lesson with some scriptures that
are examples of what we read in
1 Timothy 5:24.
Jeremiah 2:34
...speaking to the idolatry
of Manasseh
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls
of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret
search, but upon all these.
Acts 1:16-20
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have
been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of
David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide
to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained
part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of
iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in
the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at
Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their
proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field
of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his
habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell
therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Acts 5:1-11
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his
wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also
being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and
laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep
back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and
after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?
why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?
thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and
gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them
that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried
him out, and buried him.
7 And it was about the space of three hours after,
when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye
sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so
much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have
agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?
behold, the feet of them which have buried thy
husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and
yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and
found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her
by her husband.
11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon
as many as heard these things.
Acts 8:18
And when Simon saw that through laying on of the
apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered
them money,
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which
are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and
such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in time past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
2 Timothy 4:10
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this
present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;
Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
2 Peter 2:20-21
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with
them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than, after they have
known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered unto them.
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