1 Timothy

Becoming a Christian in the modern Western world typically doesn’t entail significant personal sacrifice. Sure, we must repent of our sins and make lifestyle changes to follow Jesus. Nevertheless, this usually doesn’t create personal hardship in occupations. This hasn’t always been the case. In the early days of the church, the demands of the gospel required many Christians to sacrifice personal freedoms. Following Jesus may sometimes demand a significant sacrifice for the kingdom.

“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Tim. 5:23 ESV).

This parenthetical comment seems to interrupt the flow of the passage. Perhaps after Paul’s comment about Timothy keeping himself pure, he wanted to assure him that drinking wine appropriately would not negate his purity. His motive for abstaining may have been to set a good example in light of the drunkenness that seems to have been a part of the Ephesian problem.

“Paul tells Timothy to μηκέτι, “no longer,” drink only water. It is interesting to ask why Timothy was abstaining since it obviously was detrimental to his health. The answer lies in the Ephesian situation. Paul’s opponents were drunkards, and to disassociate himself totally from them and their teaching, Timothy apparently had chosen to abstain to the point that it was hurting him physically. His abstinence was an example of not exercising his Christian liberty when it might damage another’s faith (cf. 1 Cor 8:13; Rom 14:15, 21). While this was admirable, Paul did not want Timothy to think that the preceding statement was an endorsement of his decision to abstain, and in fact Paul thought that Timothy should change his habit and use a little wine because of his physical problems.”²