Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy 5:6-8 - Confronting Widows & Their Families

The church’s reputation, and that of her Lord, are at stake. According to Paul, by supporting those widows who are deserving, and refusing to support those who are not, the church, as well as its pastors, will be above criticism and God will be honored.Paul flipped over the coin and showed them the negative side of his admonition to be certain to care for the godly widows in their family and in their church family. His bluntness shines forth when he declared that failure to do so is to deny the faith and become worse than an unbeliever. Even unbelievers naturally care for their aged family members. Evidently, there refusing to care for one’s godly parent or grandparent was a problem for some in the church at Ephesus.