1 Timothy 1:10

1:5-11 Whatever tends to weaken love to God, or love to the brethren, tends to defeat the end of the commandment. The design of the gospel is answered, when sinners, through repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, are brought to exercise Christian love. And as believers were righteous persons in God's appointed way, the law was not against them. But unless we are made righteous by faith in Christ, really repenting and forsaking sin, we are yet under the curse of the law, even according to the gospel of the blessed God, and are unfit to share the holy happiness of heaven.

The two next terms express violaters of the seventh commandment, whether by fornication, adultery, incest, sodomy, or any beastly lusts. Men-stealers; the word signifieth such as carry men into captivity, or make slaves of them in the first place; it signifies also any stealing of men. It is probable the first of these is the man-stealing principally intended, being the most common sin by pirates at sea, and soldiers at land; yet not excluding any other stealing of men from their relations, which he instanceth in, as one of the highest violations of the eighth commandment. By liars he meaneth such as knowingly speak what is false, especially to the prejudice of others. By perjured persons he means such as swear falsely. And cause it would be too long to reckon up all kinds of sinners, he comprehends them all in a general phrase, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, that is, the holy and pure truth of God, that is not corrupted, but judges aright of good and evil: for these he saith the law is made, that is, to deter from such crimes, or to condenm for them; but not to terrify such who either never were guilty of such flagitious crimes, or if they have been guilty, yet are now washed, and sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God, as the apostle speaks, 1 Corinthians 6:11 .

1 Timothy 1:10 . Ἀνδραποδισταῖς ) who make free men ἀνδράποδα , slaves , by violence. They do not differ far from these, who do not levy (legally enlist) soldiers, but take them away by allurements, fraud, violence.— ἓτερον , any other thing ) inconsistent with the ninth and tenth commandment.[9]— τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ , to sound doctrine ) So 2 Timothy 4:3 ; Titus 1:9 ; Titus 2:1 ; and wholesome words , ch. 1 Timothy 6:3 ; 2 Timothy 1:13 ; and to be sound in regard to believers, Titus 1:13 ; Titus 2:2 . The contrary is, νοσῶν , morbid [“ doting ”], ch. 1 Timothy 6:4 ; a canker , 2 Timothy 2:17 . [9] i.e . Our tenth divided into two, ninth and tenth . The ἐπιόρκοις and ψεύσταις answer to our ninth , Bengel’s eighth.—ED.

Them that defile themselves with mankind (ἀρσενοκοίταις) Only here and 1 Corinthians 6:9. olxx, oClass. Menstealers (ἀνδραποδισταῖς) N.T.o. Once in lxx. Ellicott remarks that this is a repulsive and exaggerated violation of the eighth commandment, as ἀρσενοκοιτεῖν is of the seventh. The penalty of death is attached to it, Exodus 21:16. Perjured persons (ἐπιόρκοις) N.T.o. Once in lxx, Zechariah 5:3. See Leviticus 19:12. Is contrary to (ἀντίκειται) Lit. Lies opposite to. Used by Paul and Luke. See Luke 13:17; Galatians 5:17. The sound doctrine (τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ) A phrase peculiar to the Pastorals. Ὑγιαίνειν to be in good health, Luke 5:31; Luke 7:10; 3 John 1:2. oP. Quite frequent in lxx, and invariably in the literal sense. Often in salutations or dismissals. See 2 Macc 1:10; 9:19; 2 Samuel 14:8; Exodus 4:18. In the Pastorals, the verb, which occurs eight times, is six times associated with διδασκαλία teaching, or λόγοι words, and twice with ἐν τῇ πίστει or τῇ πίστει in the faith. The sound teaching (comp. διδαχή teaching, 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:9) which is thus commended is Paul's, who teaches in Christ's name and by his authority (2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 2:8). In all the three letters it is called ἀλη.θεια or ἡ ἀλήθεια the truth, the knowledge (ἐπίγνωσις) of which is bound up with salvation. See 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Timothy 3:7; Titus 1:1. As truth it is sound or healthful. It is the object of faith.

To be sound in the faith is, practically, to follow (παρακολουθεῖν) sound teaching or the truth. The subjective characteristic of Christians is εὐσέβεια or θεοσέβεια godliness or piety (1 Timothy 2:2, 1 Timothy 2:10; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:7, 1 Timothy 4:8; 1 Timothy 6:6, 1 Timothy 6:11); and the teaching and knowledge of the truth are represented as κατ' εὐσέβειαν according to godliness (1 Timothy 6:3; Titus 1:1). Comp. εὐσεβεῖν to show piety, 1 Timothy 5:4. εὐσεβῶς ζῇν to live godly, 2 Timothy 3:12; Titus 2:12; and βίον διάγειν ἐν πάσῃ εὐσεβείᾳ to lead a life in all godliness, 1 Timothy 2:2. The contents of this sound teaching which is according to godliness are not theoretical or dogmatic truth, but Christian ethics, with faith and love. See 1 Timothy 1:14; 1 Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 3:10; Titus 2:2. Ἁλήθεια truth is used of moral things, rather than in the high religious sense of Paul. Comp., for instance, Romans 3:7; Romans 9:1; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:10; Galatians 2:5; Ephesians 4:21, Ephesians 4:24; and 2 Timothy 2:25,2 Timothy 2:26; 2 Timothy 3:7 (comp. 2 Timothy 3:1-9); 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Timothy 4:4; Titus 1:12 (comp. Titus 1:11, Titus 1:15); Titus 2:4 (comp. Titus 2:1, Titus 2:3); Titus 3:1. Whoever grasps the truth has faith (2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:18; 2 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:3 f.).

10. whoremongers, &c.—sinners against the seventh commandment. men-stealers—that is, slave dealers. The most heinous offense against the eighth commandment. No stealing of a man's goods can equal in atrocity the stealing of a man's liberty. Slavery is not directly assailed in the New Testament; to have done so would have been to revolutionize violently the existing order of things. But Christianity teaches principles sure to undermine, and at last overthrow it, wherever Christianity has had its natural development (Mt 7:12). liars … perjured—offenders against the ninth commandment. if there be any other thing—answering to the tenth commandment in its widest aspect. He does not particularly specify it because his object is to bring out the grosser forms of transgression; whereas the tenth is deeply spiritual, so much so indeed, that it was by it that the sense of sin, in its subtlest form of "lust," Paul tells us (Ro 7:7), was brought home to his own conscience. Thus, Paul argues, these would-be teachers of the law, while boasting of a higher perfection through it, really bring themselves down from the Gospel elevation to the level of the grossly "lawless," for whom, not for Gospel believers, the law was designed. And in actual practice the greatest sticklers for the law as the means of moral perfection, as in this case, are those ultimately liable to fall utterly from the morality of the law.

Gospel grace is the only true means of sanctification as well as of justification. sound—healthy, spiritually wholesome (1Ti 6:3; 2Ti 1:13; Tit 1:13; 2:2), as opposed to sickly, morbid (as the Greek of "doting" means, 1Ti 6:4), and "canker" (2Ti 2:17). "The doctrine," or "teaching, which is according to godliness" (1Ti 6:3).

Verse 10. - Fornicators for whoremongers , A.V.; abusers of themselves with men for them that defile themselves with mankind , A.V.; false swearers for perjured persons . A.V.; contrary for that is contrary , A.V.; the sound for sound , A.V. Πόρνοις ἀρσενοκοίταις . The latter word is only found in the New Testament here and 1 Corinthians 6:9 . and nowhere else; but the reference is to Leviticus 18:22 , where the two words ἄρσενος and κοίτη occur, though not in actual composition. Ἀνδραποδισταῖς , men-stealers; only here in the New Testament, but very common, with its many kindred forms, ἀνδραποδίζειν ἀνδραποδισμός , ἀνδράποδον , etc., in classical Greek. The last word is found once in the LXX., viz. in 3Macc. 7:5. The crime of man-stealing is denounced Exodus 21:16 ; Deuteronomy 24:7 . Ψεύσταις ἐπιόρκοις , liars, false swearers . The latter word only occurs here in the New Testament - the verb ἐπιορκέω in Matthew 5:33 - and twice in the LXX., where ἐπιορκία is also found (Wisd. 14:25); all are common in classical Greek. The reference is to Leviticus 19:11, 12 . The order of the offences, as above noted, is that of the Decalogue. The sound doctrine. The article is better omitted, as in the A V. This is one of the many phrases peculiar to the pastoral Epistles. Though the verb ὑγιανίνειν occurs three times in St.