Las Vegas, Nevada Church
Affiliated with the Intercontinental Church of God and the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association

 
 
 Survey of the Letters of Paul:  1 Timothy 6:07  
  
                                                                                                                                                                                    
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1 Timothy 6:07
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
 
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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
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
 

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
 

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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Las Vegas Church of God - part of The Intercontinental Church of God and The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association - Tyler, Texas