1 Timothy 6:6-8
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith
content.
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Let us first look at the Barclay commentary on
verses six through eight:
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THE CROWN OF CONTENTMENT
1 Timothy 6:6–8
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And in truth godliness with contentment is great
gain. We brought nothing into the world, and it is
quite clear that we cannot take anything out of it
either; but if we have food and shelter, we shall be
content with them.
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THE word here used for contentment is autarkeia.
This was one of the great slogans of the Stoic
philosophers. By it, they meant a complete
self-sufficiency. They meant a frame of mind which
was completely independent of all outward things,
and which carried the secret of happiness within
itself. Contentment never comes from the possession
of external things. As the poet George Herbert
wrote:
For he that needs five thousand pounds to live
Is full as poor as he that needs but five.
Contentment comes from an inward attitude to life.
In the third part of Henry VI, Shakespeare draws a
picture of the king wandering in the country places
unrecognized. He meets two gamekeepers and tells
them that he is a king. One of them asks him: ‘But,
if thou be a king, where is thy crown?’ And the king
gives a magnificent answer:
My crown is in my heart, not on my head;
Not deck’d with diamonds and Indian stones,
Nor to be seen; my crown is call’d content –
A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy.
The great men and women have always been content
with little. One of the sayings of the Jewish Rabbis
was: ‘Who is rich? He that is contented with his
lot.’ In his commentary, Walter Lock quotes the kind
of training on which a Jewish Rabbi engaged and the
kind of life he lived: ‘This is the path of the law.
A morsel with salt shalt thou eat, thou shalt drink
also water by measure, and shalt sleep upon the
ground and live a life of trouble while thou toilest
in the law. If thou doest this, happy shalt thou be,
and it shall be well with thee; happy shalt thou be
in this world and it shall be well with thee in the
world to come.’ The Rabbi had to learn to be content
with enough. E. F. Brown quotes a passage from the
great French Dominican preacher Henri Lacordaire:
‘The rock of our present day is that no one knows
how to live upon little. The great men of antiquity
were generally poor . . . It always seems to me that
the retrenchment of useless expenditure, the laying
aside of what one may call the relatively necessary,
is the high road to Christian disentanglement of
heart, just as it was to that of ancient vigour. The
mind that has learned to appreciate the moral beauty
of life, both as regards God and men, can scarcely
be greatly moved by any outward reverse of fortune;
and what our age wants most is the sight of a man,
who might possess everything, being yet willingly
contented with little. For my own part, humanly
speaking, I wish for nothing. A great soul in a
small house is the idea which has touched me more
than any other.’
It is not that Christianity pleads for poverty.
There is no special virtue in being poor, or in
having a constant struggle to make ends meet. But it
does plead for two things.
It pleads for the realization that it is never in
the power of things to bring happiness. E. K.
Simpson says: ‘Many a millionaire, after choking his
soul with gold-dust, has died from melancholia.’
Happiness always comes from personal relationships.
All the things in the world will not make people
happy if they know neither friendship nor love.
Christians know that the secret of happiness lies
not in things but in people.
It pleads for concentration upon the things which
are permanent. We brought nothing into the world,
and we cannot take anything out of it. The wise of
every age and faith have known this. ‘You cannot’,
said Seneca, ‘take anything more out of the world
than you brought into it.’ The poet of the Greek
anthology had it: ‘Naked I set foot on the earth;
naked I shall go below the earth.’ The Spanish
proverb grimly puts it: ‘There are no pockets in a
shroud.’ Simpson comments: ‘Whatever a man amasses
by the way is in the nature of luggage, no part of
his truest personality, but something he leaves
behind at the toll-bar of death.’
We can take only two things to God. We can, and
must, take ourselves, and therefore our great task
is to build up a self that we can take without shame
to God. We can, and must, take that relationship
with God into which we have entered in the days of
our life. We have already seen that the secret of
happiness lies in personal relationships, and the
greatest of all personal relationships is the
relationship to God. And the supreme thing that we
can take with us is the utter conviction that we go
to one who is the friend and lover of our souls.
Contentment comes when we escape the slavery to
things, when we find our wealth in the love and the
fellowship of others, and when we realize that our
most precious possession is our friendship with God,
made possible through Jesus Christ.
~Barclay commentary
This verse has just two phrases:
1] For we brought nothing into this world
2] And it is certain we carry nothing out.
1] For we brought nothing into
this world
For we brought nothing into this world - A sentiment
very similar to this occurs in Job 1:21 - and it
would seem probable that the apostle had that
passage in his eye. Numerous expressions of this
kind occur in the classic writers. Of the truth of
what is here said, there can be nothing more
obvious. It is apparent to all. We bring no property
with us into the world - no clothing, no jewels, no
gold - and it is equally clear that we can take
nothing with us when we leave the earth. Our coming
into the world introduces no additional property to
that which the race before possessed, and our going
from the world removes none that we may have helped
the race to accumulate. This is said by the apostle
as an obvious reason why we should be contented if
our actual needs are supplied - for this is really
all that we need, and all that the world is toiling
for. ~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse:
Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and
naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the
LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the
LORD.
Notice the commentary on Job 1:21
And said, Naked
came I out - That is, destitute of
property, for so the connection demands;
compare 1Timothy 6:7; “For we brought
nothing into this world, and it is certain
we can carry nothing out.”
And naked -
Stripped of all, I shall go to the common
mother of the race. This is exceedingly
beautiful language; and in the mouth of Job
it was expressive of the most submissive
piety. It is not the language of complaint;
but was in him connected with the deep
feeling that the
loss of his property was to be traced to
God, and that he had a right to do as he had
done.
The Lord gave -
Hebrew יהוה yehovâh. He had nothing when he
came into the world, and all that he had
obtained had been by the good providence of
God. As “he” gave it, he had a right to
remove it. Such was the feeling of Job, and
such is the true language of submission
everywhere. He who has a proper view of what
he possesses will feel that it is all to be
traced to God, and that he has a right to
remove it when he pleases.
And the Lord hath
taken away - It is not by accident;
it is not the result of haphazard; it is not
to be traced to storms and winds and the bad
passions of people. It is the result of
intelligent design, and whoever has been the
agent or instrument in it, it is to be
referred to the overruling providence of
God. Why did not Job vent his wrath on the
Sabeans? Why did he not blame the Chaldeans?
Why did he not curse the tempest and the
storm? Why did he not blame his sons for
exposing themselves? Why not suspect the
malice of Satan? Why not suggest that the
calamity was to be traced to bad fortune, to
ill-luck, or or to an evil administration of
human affairs? None of these things occurred
to Job. He traced the removal of his
property and his loss of children at once to
God, and found consolation in the belief
that an intelligent and holy Sovereign
presided over his affairs, and that he had
removed only what he gave.
Blessed be the name of
the Lord - That is, blessed be yahweh
- the “name” of anyone in Hebrew being often
used to denote the person himself. The
Syriac, Arabic, and some manuscripts of the
Septuagint here adds “forever.” - “Here,”
says Schmid, “the contrast is observable
between the object of Satan, which was to
induce Job to renounce God, and the result
of the temptation which was to lead Job to
bless God.” Thus, far Satan had been foiled,
and Job had sustained the shock of the
calamity, and showed that he did not serve
God on account of the benefits which be had
received from him.
~Barnes Notes
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Let me tell you about the miracle at Medford,
Oregon and a man by the name of Richard Schwarz.
2] And it is certain we carry
nothing out.
We can carry nothing out
- compare Psalm 49:17.
Psalm 49:17
“For when he - the rich man - dieth, he shall carry
nothing away; his glory shall not descend after
him.”
Notice the commentary...
For when he dieth
- He must die. His wealth cannot save him
from the grave. It is always to be “assumed”
of rich people, as of all other men, that
they “will” have to die. The point is not
one which is to be argued; not one about
which there can be any doubt. Of all people,
whatever else may be said of them, it may
always be affirmed that they must die, and
important inferences may be always drawn
from that fact.
He shall carry nothing
away - It is not improbable that the
apostle Paul had this passage in his eye in
what he says in 1 Timothy 6:7, “For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain that we can carry nothing out.”
His glory shall not
descend after him - His wealth, and
those things which have been procured by
wealth, as indicating station and rank,
cannot accompany him to the other world.
This is said to show that he is not to be
“feared” on account of his wealth. The
argument is, that whatever there is in
wealth that seems to give power, and to
afford the means of doing injury, must soon
be separated from him. In respect to wealth,
and to all the power derived from wealth, he
will be like the most poor and penniless of
mortals. All that he possesses will pass
into other hands, and whether for good or
for evil, it will no longer be in his power
to use it. As this “must” occur soon - as it
“may” occur in a moment - there is no reason
to “fear” such a man, or to suppose that he
can do permanent injury by any power derived
from wealth.
~Barnes Notes
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Remember what is being said in this section of
Chapter 6 and verses 6-8 and actually back to verse
3.
1 Timothy 6:3-8
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to
wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to
godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about
questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy,
strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and
destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is
godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith
content.
Verse 3: The doctrine of Christ is according
to godliness. The word, "godliness" is speaking to
our taking in the mind of Christ and being renewed
in our character. We develop the character of
Christ.
Verse 6: Two things here:
1) Godliness is great gain. Great gain meaning
eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
2) Godliness with contentment about the physical
aspects of life is great gain.
Verses 7 and 8 are further clarifying the profound
statement in verse 6. It is clarifying both what
godliness is and what our attitude toward money and
possessions should be. Therefore it is important
that after explaining what you cannot take with you
that we show what you can and will take with
you...the godliness.
From the booklet, "You
Can Take It With You"
You CAN "Take It With You" When You Die
Finally, consider: What of beloved family members
who have died, but who were never privileged to be
called into God's truth? What of those who, though
"good and decent people," were never truly converted
As you learned earlier, we human beings live in an
earthly "tabernacle," our physical bodies. But we
reside in our minds. Our memories are not stored in
our kneecaps, or our elbows, but in our minds.
The billions of human beings who will be resurrected
in the second resurrection—those who are the "rest
of the dead" who do not come up until after the
Millennium—are those who never had a real chance for
salvation.
What constitutes a chance?
From many, many scriptures, it is obvious that only
those who make a determined, conscious decision to
reject God's way of life, His wondrous love, His
gracious forgiveness—those who rebel against His
laws, and who willfully spurn His salvation will be
destroyed in Gehenna fire.
Jesus showed that the Pharisees and the majority of
the population of His time could not understand
because God had not opened their minds and hearts!
Read it! "And the disciples came, and said unto Him,
Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered
and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to
them it is not given ... therefore speak I to them
in parables: because they seeing see not; and
hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias,
which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not
perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross;
and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes
they have closed; lest at any time they should see
with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
should understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are
your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they
hear" (Matthew 13:10-16).
God has deliberately called some few from time to
time, but He has not called the masses! The churches
do not understand this. Millions assume some vast
"tug o' war" exists between Christ and Satan, Christ
trying desperately to "save the world," while Satan
struggles desperately to keep it "lost." This is a
lie of the devil, and portrays the devil as equally
strong, or stronger, than Christ.
Your Bible reveals that the vast majority are
blinded; that they are deceived. But a deceived
person does not know that he or she is deceived. A
deceived person can be completely sincere. He or she
can be honest, loyal, faithful, believing, loving,
caring, and sharing! A deceived person can be the
nicest person you ever met!
As my father was fond of saying, "What you don't
know, you don't know that you don't know!"
Now, consider the ramifications of these principles,
in the next verse: "For verily I say unto you, That
many prophets and righteous men have desired to see
those things which ye see, and have not seen them;
and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not
heard them" (Matthew 13:17).
Prophets and righteous men do not burn in Gehenna
fire simply because God, in His infinite wisdom,
chose not to reveal His plan of salvation unto them!
Such men will come up in the great, general "White
Throne Judgment" time.
Now, think!
When God resurrects the dead, it will as though they
had been dead for only a split second of time! So
far as they were concerned, they were alive one
moment: something happened, perhaps a wreck, or a
fall, or a crash, or a bullet! They felt virtually
nothing! Then, in a split second of time they are
alive again!
Their memory is intact. Their character is intact.
The kind of person they were is exactly the kind of
person they still are!
So you see, your loved ones and mine, who really
never consciously, rejected God and His salvation
will have a wonderful opportunity to repent, and to
be saved, in the Great White Throne Judgment!
Don't you believe that a person of good character
will have a running head start towards receiving
God's truth above those who had poor character? Of
course!
That is what I mean when I say, "You can take it
with you when you die," meaning your character!
In summary, then, we have seen there are THREE
resurrections revealed in the Bible. The first is
the dead in Christ. The second is the "rest of the
dead" who "lived not again until the thousand years
were finished," the dead, in the vast majority, who
come up for a one-hundred year period of judgment.
But this leaves one category of human beings not yet
resurrected: the incorrigibly wicked! They are
typified by the rich man of Luke 16, and called by
the grisly phrase "death and the grave." They come
up at the end of this phase of God's plan (2 Peter
3:12) when the earth itself is destroyed by fire.
Then, God says: Nevertheless we, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).
What of those "new heavens and new earth"?
God says: "And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed
away. And He that sat upon the throne said, BEHOLD,
I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW!" (Revelation 21:4-5).
Believe it or not, this is the true BEGINNING of the
great plan of God.
Now, every being on earth is divine. Now, all are
finally members of God's great, expanded family!
What then?
Our known universe contains countless galaxies,
Galaxies can contain hundreds of billions of stars!
Each star, of which our own sun is but an "orange
dwarf as an example, could hold in its gravitational
field any number of planets.
Why do you suppose God has created all those
galaxies, all those suns, all those billions upon
billions of planets?
Today, they are lifeless, empty, vain, waste, and
chaotic.
So was our planet earth, until the One called Elohim
said "Let there be light!"
Do you suppose He could ever do it again?
What about those who become "co-heirs with Christ"?
Could they ever be called upon to go to a distant
planet? Your God and mine is Creator. He has a
great, fathomless purpose in all He does.
Perhaps, far from the "end" time, the time of the
new heavens and the new earth are but "the
beginning." ~End
quote from the booklet~
Let us finish with some quotes on the subject of
being content...
“Any so-called material thing that you want is
merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but
because it will content your spirit for the moment.”
~Mark Twain
“Happiness consists not in having much, but in being
content with little.”
“He that deserves nothing should be content with
anything”
“Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich
men poor.” ~Ben Franklin
“If you can't be content with what you have
received, be thankful for what you have escaped”
“Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be
content in our everyday life and share with the
people the same happiness.”
"A Sabbath well-spent brings a week of contentment."
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and
be content with such things as ye have: for he hath
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Philippians 4:11-13
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have
learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to
abound: every where and in all things I am
instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me.
Psalm 16:8-11
...remembering our sermon
on
Assiduity and giving all actions, burdens and
concerns to God
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he
is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there
are pleasures for evermore.
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