«Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort as a father, younger men as brothers» (l Timothy 5:1).
IF THERE IS A PRACTICAL CHAPTER, it is 1 Timothy 5. There, following advice in verses 1 to 22:
Elderly men should be treated respectably as fathers, and elderly women as mothers,
Young men should be treated as brothers, and young women as sisters.
Older widows, who are pious and have no children, should be honored and taken care of.
Widows with children and grandchildren should be cared for by their families.
Older leaders and elders are doubly worthy of honor and should never be wrongly accused. They must be impartial and pure. They must be tested before being appointed as church leaders.
Verse 23 is intriguing: «No longer drink only water but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.»1 Some argue that Paul here authorizes the moderate use of fermented wine for medicinal purposes. They argue that wine has been used for that purpose for centuries. Others claim that Paul refers to unfermented grape juice.
The truth is that the apostle Paul would not give counsel which did not agree to the rest of Scripture, which warns against intoxicating drinks (see Provers 20:1 and 23:29-32). Paul himself says that we should take care of our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor. 3: 16 and 2 Cor. 6:16) and that everything we do, including eating food and drinking, must be done for the glory of God (see 1 Cor. 10:31).
The purpose of Paul’s counsel was for Timothy to be physically fit for the great responsibilities that rested upon him as administrator of the churches of Asia Minor. Mental clarity and morality are closely related to physical fitness. Those who serve God, need to maintain a healthy body, because a healthy life is an excellent witness.
«Strength is a talent, and is to be used to glorify God. Our bodies belong to Him. He has paid the price of redemption for the body as well as for the soul…We can serve God better in the vigor of health than in the palsy of disease; therefore, we should cooperate with God in the care of our bodies. (Counsels on Stewardship, p. 115).
1 Translations that follow the original Greek the closest convey the wine with water in order to eliminate germs and parasites, thereby is not the same as drinking wine by itself, because the alcohol content render it healthful.— Editor’s note.