references will show. We have no knowledge of the exact chronological relationship of these two epistles but we

place all the references in Titus first because of the greater number.

Lover of hospitality, philoxenos.

A Titus 1:8.

Lover of the good, philagathos.

B Titus 1:8.

Lover of husband, philandros.

C Titus 2:4.

Lover of children, philoteknos.

D Titus 2:4.

C Titus 3:4.

Lover of mankind, philanthropia.

B Titus 3:15.  Lover of those in the faith, phileo ... en pistei.

A 1 Tim. 3:2.  Lover of hospitality, philoxenos.

Is it accidental that the apostasy of 1 Timothy 4 is associated with forbidding marriage, and commanding to

abstain from meats, and the antidote to the false love of the last days, should stress hospitality, husband and child,

and link such homely love with the love that embraces `the good' and `the faith', and which reaches up to the

majestic philanthropy of God Himself? The root of true doctrine thrives in the home life of the believer, and where

the home is a place of light and love, the church will thrive, but whenever church going, church meetings, or that

which can be comprised under the term `churchianity', takes the place of home there the rot sets in, and the root

withers. Such will have exchanged `the mystery of godliness' (1 Tim. 3:16) for `the form of godliness' (2 Tim. 3:5).

But the fact that a form is retained is an indication that professing believers are still before us.

In the first epistle to Timothy, the safeguard on either side of the mystery of godliness is expressed thus:

`If I tarry long ... behave thyself in the house of God' (1 Tim. 3:15).

`The mystery of godliness' (1 Tim. 3:16).

The apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1).

`Till I come, give attendance to reading' (1 Tim. 4:13).

In 2 Timothy the corrective is the Inspired Word and its preaching. While Timothy is warned that `evil men and

seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived', his own safeguard was to `continue' in the

things he had learned and had been assured of, knowing of whom he had learned them remembering that all

scripture was given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction, and

that he could only hope to stand against the swelling tide of apostasy by preaching `The Word'.

`The time will come' (2 Tim. 4:3). Here is a resumption of the apostle's revelation concerning the last days.

Men will not endure sound doctrine. The word translated `endure' anechomai, is a compound of the verb echo `to

have', and the meaning of the apostle is well expressed in the colloquial expression in use today: they will not `have'

it. The word means `to suffer' anything, or `to bear with' anything, and so indicates an intolerance of the truth.

There are several compounds of echo `to have' in these three Pastoral epistles which should be considered together

as they all have a bearing upon the attitude which different men will adopt at the time of the end. We have already

learned that the initial departure from the truth started with `giving heed' (1 Tim. 4:1) and this word is prosecho.

Over against this the apostle says `give attendance' to the reading of the Word, and uses prosecho again.

The apostle had already warned Timothy against `giving heed' to fables, which were antagonistic to the

dispensation which he had received from God (1 Tim. 1:4) where once again prosecho is employed. A similar

passage is that of Titus 1:14. These fables, added the apostle, but `minister' or `occasion' questionings, and here the

word used is parecho. The word `to abstain' in 1 Timothy 4:3 is apecho. Over against this we have the `holding

fast' the faithful Word (Tit. 1:9) antechomai; and the advice to Timothy `take heed unto thyself and unto the

doctrine' (1 Tim. 4:16) where epecho is found. The complete safeguarding of the truth and the only true means of

stemming the apostasy and preserving the trust and truth of the mystery, is summed up in a passage where the

apostle uses the simplest form of the word echo, `hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me'

(2 Tim. 1:13). Here we have seven words, echo `to have or to hold' and six combinations of that word with

prepositional affixes. The collection of this series must not be considered as an interesting trifle, it is supplying the