1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon

Image: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Paul-the-Apostle

 1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon

Chronological Order: 

Philemon - 62-63 AD

First Timothy – 65 AD

Titus – 65 AD

Second Timothy – 66 AD

Philemon 1-25 - From Slave to Brother

Meaning of the name Onesimus: useful, profitable

Q: Why is this letter included in our canonized scripture?

Scripture Citation Index - Philemon is the least quoted book of scripture in our canon of scriptures - 7 times

General Conference - Elder Renlund and Elder Condie - 4 from Joseph Smith

Philemon 1:1,9, whose only desire is to do the Lord’s will. Nothing more. Nothing less. And nothing else.

Philemon 1:6 - By acknowledging that every good thing comes from Jesus Christ, we will communicate our faith more effectively to others.

Philemon 1:9 - Joseph Smith Your humble servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., a prisoner for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake - quoted by Joseph Smith many times in his writings

Paul shows a soft heart and a sense of humor in his personal letter to Philemon on behalf of a runaway slave, Onesimus. The letter reads like something out of Shakespeare. One can actually hear the dialogue right down to the name Onesimus. Philemon, a fellow Christian, has been wronged by his former slave through possibly a financial issue or work not done, and Paul writes, urging Philemon to take him back without penalty. Paul has converted Onesimus, whom he considers like a son. He asks Philemon to forgive and accept Onesimus back into his household, and if he is still irritated about whatever loss he incurred, to put it on Paul’s tab. Paul reminds Philemon in a good-natured way that he owes Paul. The beautiful statement is that despite being a runaway slave, Paul considers Onesimus “a brother beloved.” There is much in Paul's letter to Philemon that relates to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His payment of our debt. 

1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus 

Modern-era scholars have questioned the authorship of the Pastoral Epistles because they use a significant number of words that are not found in Paul’s other letters. The style of writing is markedly different from Paul’s other writings. However, each of the three letters also specifically refers to Paul as author. The doctrinal position is about the same—someone may have gathered Paul’s known writings and composed them as representations of what Paul counseled Timothy and Titus to do while noting that he did not likely write them in the same way he wrote his other letters. (Thomas Wayment).

Authorship: The questions in this book won’t be concerned with authorship. They will assume that the Christian tradition is correct in assuming that the Gospels, Acts, the letters, and Revelation were inspired by the Holy Ghost and authentically testify of Jesus Christ. In that case, questions of authorship are less important. As we study, our question will be, “What do these materials say to believers, and, in particular, what do they say to me?” James Faulconer

1 Timothy 6:16 - “no man hath seen, nor can see” Joseph Smith’s First Vision is a favorite target of critics of the LDS Church. Evangelical critics in particular, such as Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, seek to discredit the First Vision on biblical grounds. (Look at JST 1 Timothy 6:16)

Q: How would you respond to someone who quoted you this scripture in relation to the First Vision?

“God the Father dwells behind a curtain or veil of unapproachable light and glory, which is not penetrable by the eyes of unaided mortal man. Only in rare instances of grace is a mortal strengthened by God’s power to the point that he or she can pass through this barrier and endure the vision of God. Paul’s doxological description of God’s transcendence over man in 1 Timothy 6:16 should be interpreted in that context. God is capable of revealing his physical self to man. Such was the case with Moses and other ancient prophets, and such was the case with Joseph Smith.”

“Can a Man See God? 1 Timothy 6:16 in Light of Ancient and Modern Revelation”

James Stutz

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 8 (2014)

Titus 1:2 - “before the world began” 

“One of the important doctrines in this chapter is the doctrine of pre-mortality (verse 2). Few, if any, Christian religions in the world today teach that we had a premortal existence before coming to earth. Jeremiah 1:5 teaches the same doctrine.”

Thessalonians

THESSALONICA

“It would be useful to just talk about this place, because it is unique. Today it's Thessaloniki, but it's one of the longest continuously inhabited parts of the Roman Empire, and founded by a Macedonian king named Cassander who named it after his wife, Thessalonike, meaning the victory of Thessaly.

It's situated in an interesting spot. It's on the north shore of a beautiful, large, deep, well-protected harbor. It sits at the foot of a mountain. Going immediately north are trade routes into Europe, and it straddles a very important Roman highway,

It also has this really interesting history. Through its rises and falls in Roman history, it ends up being granted the status of a free city, which is really significant in Rome. Probably the most practical thing that comes from that was, it was tax-free. They didn't have to pay Imperial tax. And they were self- governing. They didn't have a Roman procurator, they didn't have Roman policing, via Roman military. They governed themselves via a town council.

They really cherished this status and the privileges that they got from being a free city. There was a sense there, that in order to maintain this independence and this liberty, they have to show great loyalty to the emperor. Public meetings would begin with the offering of a pinch of incense to the emperor. They were expected to do it regularly, personally, but also, anytime they gathered as a municipality,

there would be some emperor worship. Of course, this is really hard for the Jewish people there, and those who will become Christian. Much of the difficulty the new Christians are going to experience there, is the notion that because they worshiped another ‘emperor’ they could be a threat to the status of the city.”

Dale Strum, Follow Him Podcast, Episode 43

1 Thessalonians Chapter 1

“Let’s be brave. Let’s give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to win. Let’s be an example to the rest of the believers. Let’s rediscover then, the joy of receiving God’s word, let’s be inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And let us, in this community, find a work of faith, and a labor of love, and let us put our hearts to it even in the midst of a very challenging situation. For we do have a steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. And that hope is a threat to evil everywhere. If nothing else, we are learning from our present situation that the ministry and mission of the church is less inside of it’s walls than it is outside of it’s walls. And probably we should have learned this a long time ago.”

Reverend Wayne Sawyer, https://thomastonbaptist.org/2020/11/10/a-work-of-faith-a-labor-of-love-and-a-steadfastness-of-hope/

SUFFERING

“In the Garden story, good and evil are found on the same tree, not in separate orchards. Good and evil give meaning and definition to each other. If God, like us, is susceptible to immense pain, He is, like us, the greater in His capacity for happiness. The presence of such pain serves the larger purposes of God’s master plan, which is to maximize the human capacity for joy, or in other words, ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.’ He can no more foster those ends in the absence of suffering and evil than one could find the traction to run or the breath to sing in the vacuum of space. God does not instigate pain or suffering, but He can weave it into His purposes. God’s power rests not on totalizing omnipotence, but on His ability to alchemize suffering, tragedy, and loss into wisdom, understanding, and joy.”

Givens, Terryl; Fiona Givens. The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life . Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.

WHY CHURCH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?__s=6h0a9vfnbd9bo5mi4sd5&v=bdVo3UgNjaQ&feature=youtu.be

Philippians and Colossians

 

The Assumption of the Virgin by Francesco Botticini (1475–76) at the National Gallery London shows three hierarchies and nine orders of angels, each with different characteristics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption_of_the_Virgin_(Botticini)

John Hilton

Philippians 2:6-11

"Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians was written in approximately 60 AD. Many scholars believe that a portion of this epistle was an early Christian hymn or poem. If this is correct, then Philippians 2:6-11 is one of the earliest Christian messages. Anglican scholar N. T. Wright notes that “the poem consists of three three-line stanzas, and the line in the middle, as it were, holds its arms out in both directions. . . . The poem is clearly telling the story of Jesus with the cross at its center.”

https://johnhiltoniii.com/teaching-helps-for-come-follow-me-philippians-and-colossians/

When Enos received forgiveness for his sins, he poured out his whole soul for the welfare of the Lamanites. Harris categorizes this selfless consecration as a form of kenosis, expanding on the traditional Christological definition. Kenosis comes from the Greek word κενόω, “to empty.” In New Testament theology, kenosis primarily refers to a facet of Christology, derived from Philippians 2:5–11, which describes Christ’s condescension into mortality. Kenosis conveys how Jesus Christ, a fully divine being, nonetheless “emptied” himself of certain divine qualities to become like man. This extreme condescension ultimately enabled Christ to become exalted above all. This has led to vigorous debate in Christian history as to the exact nature and extent of this “emptying.” Because Philippians 2:5 invites readers to emulate Jesus Christ in this way, Harris seems to extend the concept of kenosis to any “emptying of power that increases power.”

"Itty Bitty Books with Big Lessons:
Enos, Jarom, Omni by Sharon J. Harris"

Reviewed by Jasmin Gimenez Rappleye

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/itty-bitty-books-with-big-lessons-enos-jarom-omni/

Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

“(in traditional Christian angelology) the fifth-highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy.” Oxford Reference. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100346109

Fifth-highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy

Highest orders. Seraphim · Cherubim · Thrones 

Middle orders. Dominions · Virtues · Powers 

Lowest orders. Principalities · Archangels · Angels

Jesus certainly participated in the creation of all created things—but He worked with preexisting chaotic materials. The angelic ranks of "thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers" were also created by Christ, for these beings did not assume their angelic status or form without divine creative power, even though some aspect of their "intelligence" pre-dated God's creative acts in their behalf.

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Does_Colossians_1:16_teach_that_Jesus_created_all_things_out_of_nothing%3F

Angels are of various types and perform a variety of functions to implement the work of the Lord on earth. They exist as a part of the whole family in heaven. All people, including angels, are the offspring of God. There are several types and kinds of beings, in various stages of progression, whom the Lord has used as angels in varying circumstances. 

Dionysius, who purports the existence of nine angelic orders called choirs, one of which is called archangels. In the literature of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an archangel is a chief angel, holding a position of priesthood authority in the heavenly hierarchy. Discussion of specific positions or functions in the celestial hierarchy beyond the scriptures cited above is conjectural.

Angels in Encyclopedia of Mormonism by Oscar W. McConkie.

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/534

Colossians 2:4

Paul’s point is that even though the arguments seem to make sense (sound reasonable), they are in the end false. Paul is not here arguing against the study of philosophy or serious thinking per se, but is arguing against the uncritical adoption of a philosophy that is at odds with a proper view of Christ and the ethics of the Christian life. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%202&version=NET

Colossians 2:20-23 - Asceticism 

"Instead, Paul advocated, “put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:14-16). Paul knew that internal conversion would lead to positive external Christian works, while external religion may simply be the manifestation of skin-deep conversion." Thomas Wayment, From Persecutor to Apostle.

Ephesians - Video from Class

 Here is the video shown in class--starting at the 20:24 mark:

Ephesians

We will be holding class next week even though it is October break for the schools. Reading for next week is Philippians and Colossians.

PREDESTINED

“Greek makes no distinction between foreordain and predestine. The two words have taken on nuanced meanings in theological discussions which are foreign to Paul’s writing and Paul uses the word in a sense of preplanning or preparing. These verses (5-6) promote the ideal that God foreordained the saints to follow him in order that they would praise his grace. Although this statement simplifies the complexity of righteousness and a life in Christ, it highlights the importance of grace.

The concept of the administration of the fullness of time refers to the idea that God had a plan for a certain time or age to administer it according to his will.”

Thomas A. Wayment, The New Testament, A Translation for Latter-day Saints, pg 341

 DISPENSATION

“The term dispensation is translated from the Greek oikonomia, which is the common root for our modern term economy. By our standards, economy is generally defined as the ‘management of affairs’ and as such fits nicely with other earlier translations of oikonomia, rendered ‘administration’ or ‘stewardship.’ By understanding the historical meaning of dispensation, we quickly see that Paul’s emphasis was not on a period of time per se but on the economy or administration of a time.

Paul creates a mutual dependence between mysteries and the administration of the fulness of times. In other words, we see that mysteries are revealed for (or by) the administration so all things can be gathered in one.”

“Without the revelation of mysteries, it is apparent that the ‘fulness of times’ could not come to pass. The type of administration that could bring about such unparalleled results is exposed with further review of the term oikonomia. The literal translation of oikonomia is ‘house-distributor’ or ‘overseer.’ Thus, it is by the house- distributor or overseer that the restoration and revelation of all things in the fulness of times will transpire. Throughout the history of man, prophets have been recognized as the Lords servants and overseers.

Thus, the administration that will bring about the fullness of times is through authorized stewards who manage the affairs of Gods house.”

Matthew O. Richardson, Ephesians: Unfolding the Mysteries through Revelation

BELONGING

“Belonging is being part of something bigger than yourself. But it’s also the courage to stand alone, and to belong to yourself above all else.”

Dr. Brené Brown.