20250717 [새벽묵상] 그러나 너, 하나님의 사람아, 영생을 취하라 | But as for you, O Man of God, Take Hold of Eternal Life (딤전/1Tim 6:11~21)

6:11 오직 너 하나님의 사람아 이것들을 피하고 의와 경건과 믿음과 사랑과 인내와 온유를 따르며

6:12 믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸우라 영생을 취하라 이를 위하여 네가 부르심을 받았고 많은 증인 앞에서 선한 증언을 하였도다 

6:13 만물을 살게 하신 하나님 앞과 본디오 빌라도를 행하여 선한 증언을 하신 그리스도 예수 앞에서 내가 너를 명하노니

6:14 우리 주 예수 그리스도께서 나타나실 때까지 흠도 없고 책망 받을 것도 없이 이 명령을 지키라

6:15 기약이 이르면 하나님이 그의 나타나심을 보이시리니 하나님은 복되시고 유일하신 주권자이시며 만왕의 왕이시며 만주의 주시오

6:16 오직 그에게만 죽지 아니함이 있고 가까이 가지 못할 빛에 거하시고 어떤 사람도 보지 못하였고 또 볼 수 없는 이시니 그에게 존귀와 영원한 권능을 돌릴지어다 아멘

Final Charge to Timothy

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

6:17 네가 이 세대에서 부한 자들을 명하여 마음을 높이지 말고 정함이 없는 제물에 소망을 두지 말고 오직 우리에게 모든 것을 후히 주사 누리게 하시는 하나님께 두며

6:18 선을 행하고 선한 사업을 많이 하고 나누어주기를 좋아하며 너그러운 자가 되게 하라

6:19 이것이 장래에 자기를 위하여 좋은 터를 쌓아 참된 생명을 취하는 것이니라

17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

6:20 디모데야 망령되고 헛된 말과 거짓된 지식의 반론을 피함으로 네게 부탁한 것을 지키라

6:21 이것을 따르는 사람들이 있어 믿음에서 벗어났느니라 은혜가 너희와 함께 있을 지어다

20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

Grace be with you all.

                  성경에는 하나님이 직접 그 이름을 지어주시거나 바꿔주셔서 그 이름의 뜻대로 삶을 살아간 사람들이 있습니다. 대표적으로 ‘높으신 아버지’라는 뜻을 가진 아브람이 ‘열국의 아버지’ 라는 뜻을 가진 아브라함으로 이름이 바뀌었고 ‘요나의 아들, 시몬,’ 이라는 뜻의 바요나 시몬이 ‘반석’ 이라는 뜻을 가진 ‘게바’ 또는 ‘베드로’ 라고 그 이름이 바뀌었던 것을 기억하실 것입니다. 그 들은 하나님께서 주신 새 이름대로 완전히 다른 삶을 살았습니다. 아브라함은 그 이름대로 열국의 아버지가 되었고 베드로는 초대교회가 세워지는 반석 그 자체의 삶을 살았습니다. 오늘 본문에서 바울은 그의 영적인 아들 디모데를 ‘하나님의 사람’이라는 호칭으로 부릅니다. 이는 앞에서 바울이 비판했던 다른 교훈을 가르치던 ‘어떤 사람들’과는 정반대되는 호칭이지요. 우리도 마찬가지입니다. 예수님을 영접하고 제자된 우리는 그리스도인이라는 호칭을 받았습니다. 그 호칭을 받은 성도들은 어제의 말씀처럼 세상의 다른 교훈이나 돈을 사랑함이 아닌 세상과 구별된 하나님의 사람으로 살아가야 할 것입니다. 우리는 세상을 보고 사는 사람이 아니라 우리에게 생명을 주시는 하나님의 영생을 바라며 사는 사람이기 때문입니다. 오늘은 “그러나 너, 하나님의 사람아, 영생을 취하라” 라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever noticed in the Bible how God sometimes directly renames people, and in doing so, transforms their lives to match the meaning of their new name? Think of Abram, whose name meant "exalted father." God changed it to Abraham, "father of many nations," and Abraham indeed became the father of a multitude. Or remember Simon Bar-Jonah, "Simon son of Jonah." Jesus renamed him Cephas or Peter, meaning "rock." And what a rock Peter became, the very foundation upon which the early church was built! These individuals lived lives radically different from their past, embodying the very essence of the new names God gave them.

In our text today, Paul addresses his spiritual son Timothy with a powerful title: "Man of God." This title stands in stark contrast to the "certain people" Paul criticized earlier for teaching false doctrines. And it's the same for us. When we receive Jesus and become His disciples, we are called Christians. As Christians, as yesterday's message reminded us, we are not to live by the world's false teachings or by the love of money. Instead, we are to live as people set apart for God, distinct from the world. We are not people who live by what we see in this world, but people who live with our eyes fixed on the eternal life given to us by God, who is our very life.

Today, I want to preach on the theme: "But as for you, O Man of God, Take Hold of Eternal Life."

                  하나님의 사람으로의 부르심 그 첫번째, 믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸워야 합니다. 앞에서 말씀드렸듯이 바울은 11절에서 디모데를 하나님의 사람으로 부릅니다. 개역개정에는 ‘오직’ 이라고 부드럽게 번역하고 있지만 원문에 좀 더 가깝게 번역한다면 이는 “그러나 너 하나님의 사람아” 라고 번역할 수 있겠습니다. 이것은 매우 강한 대조를 의미하지요. 무엇으로부터의 대조입니까? 어제 말씀 기억하십니까? 바로 다른 교훈을 말하며, 경건을 이익의 방도로 생각하고 돈을 사랑하는 거짓 선생들과의 직접적인 대조인 것입니다. 그래서 그러나 너, 하나님의 사람. 구약에서 주로 모세, 다윗, 선지자들과 같은 하나님의 특별한 종들을 가리키는데 사용했던 ‘하나님의 사람’ 이라는 말로 디모데가 더 이상 세상이 아니라 하나님께 속한 자로서 그리스도의 몸된 교회를 위해 살아가는 자라는 것을 선포하고 있는 것이지요. 그렇게 디모데를 하나님의 사람으로 부른 바울은 11절과 12절 말씀을 통해 믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸우라 라고 명령하고 있습니다. 그 싸움이란 무엇입니까? 의와 경건과 믿음과 사랑과 인내와 온유를 따르는 것입니다. 그런데 그보다 먼저 말씀하신 것이 있습니다. 믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸우라 라고 말씀하셨는데 그 첫 시작은 싸움이 아니라 “이것들을 피하고” 라고 말씀하고 계십니다. 이것들은 앞에서 말씀드렸던 다른 교훈, 돈을 사랑함, 거짓 선지자들입니다. ‘이것들과 논쟁하여 이겨라,’ ‘싸워서 무찔러라’ 하지 않고 이것들을 피하라고 말씀하십니다. 20절도 마찬가지입니다. 여기서는 디모데의 이름을 직접 언급합니다. 그리고는 “망령되고 헛된 말과 거짓된 지식의 반론을 피함으로 네게 부탁한 것을 지키라” 라고 명령합니다. 심지어 21절에서는 “이것을 따르는 사람들이 있어 믿음에서 벗어났다” 즉 실패 사례를 언급합니다. 이 싸움이 만만치 않다는 얘기지요. 오죽하면 “은혜가 너희와 함께 있을지어다” 라며 마치 힘에 부치는 싸움에 나가는 사람들을 격려하듯이 디모데와 이 편지를 받는 사람들을 격려하며 첫번째 편지를 마무리 하고 있습니다. 만만치 않은 싸움이지만 그러나 이 싸움은 너무나 중요한 싸움입니다. 12절 말씀에 바울은 이 싸움을 통해 영생을 취하라고 명령하고 있기 때문입니다. 그리고 17-19절에 그 싸움의 구체적인 예를 들어 설명하고 있습니다.

The First Call: Fight the Good Fight of Faith

Our first calling as people of God is to fight the good fight of faith. As I mentioned, Paul calls Timothy a "man of God" in verse 11. While some translations render it gently as "But you, O man of God," the original Greek carries a stronger sense, emphasizing a direct contrast. A contrast from what? Do you remember yesterday's message? It's a direct contrast from those false teachers who promote different doctrines, who see godliness as a means to financial gain, and who love money.

So, "But as for you, O man of God." This phrase, "man of God," was primarily used in the Old Testament to refer to special servants of God like Moses, David, and the prophets. By using this title, Paul declares that Timothy no longer belongs to the world but to God, called to live for Christ's body, the church. Having called Timothy a "man of God," Paul then commands him in verses 11 and 12 to fight the good fight of faith.

What does this fight entail? It's about pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. But before he mentions these, Paul says something crucial: the fight begins not with battling these things head-on, but with fleeing from them. Flee from what? From the "different doctrines," "love of money," and the influence of "false prophets" that he spoke of earlier. He doesn't say, "Debate them and win," or "Fight and conquer them." He says, "flee from these things."

Verse 20 echoes this. Here, he directly mentions Timothy's name and commands him to "guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge." He even gives a warning in verse 21, stating that "by professing it some have swerved from the faith" – a clear example of failure. This fight is not easy. That's why Paul concludes his first letter to Timothy by encouraging him and his readers, "Grace be with you," as if bracing them for a challenging battle. It's a tough fight, but it's an incredibly important one, because in verse 12, Paul commands us to take hold of eternal life through this very struggle. And in verses 17-19, he gives concrete examples of what this fight looks like.

                  하나님의 사람으로의 부르심 그 두번째, 우리에게 주어진 재정을 가지고 참된 생명을 취해야 합니다. 어제와 오늘 계속해서 거짓 교사들의 특성과 재물에 대한 사랑을 피하라고 말씀하고 계십니다. 그렇다면 우리에게 이미 주어진 재물은 어떻게 사용해야 할까요? 17-18절의 말씀은 재물에 대해 네 가지를 말씀하고 계십니다. 첫번째 마음을 높이지 말아야 합니다. 두번째, 재물에 소망을 두지 말아야 합니다. 재정은 우리에게 안정감을 줍니다. 그것은 사실입니다. 우리가 따로 저축을 해서 노후 대책을 마련하는 것도 그것이 나중에 누군가에게 짐이 되지 않으려 하는 것이 아니겠습니까? 재정이 없을 때에 다른 사람에게 아쉬운 소리를 해야하는 그 심정은 겪어보지 않은 사람은 알 수 없는 실로 참담한 것이지요. 그러나 바로 그렇기 때문에 우리는 재정이 우리에게 주는 안정감을 포기할 수가 없습니다. 그래서 이 재정과의 싸움은 늘 쉽지가 않은 것입니다. 재정은 우리의 안정감이며 우리의 아이덴티티이기도 합니다. 그렇기에 우리는 재정이 많을 때에 남보다 나를 낫게 여기기 쉬운 것입니다. 그런데 오늘 말씀은 재물이 정함이 없다고 말하고 있습니다. 정함이 없는 재물에 소망을 두지 말라고 말씀하십니다. 그렇다면 우리의 소망은 어디에 두어야 합니까? “오직 우리에게 모든 것을 후히 주사 누리게 하시는 하나님께 두라”고 말씀하십니다. 13-16절의 말씀은 그 하나님이 어떤 분이신지 설명하고 있습니다. 그 첫마디가 바로 만물을 살게 하신 하나님이십니다. 우리의 생명을 주신 분이 바로 하나님이시고 16절에 오직 그에게만 죽지 아니함이 있습니다. 우리는 소망을 재물이 아니라 하나님께 둠으로 영생을 취해야 합니다. 18절, “선을 행하고 선한 사업을 많이 하고 나누어 주기를 좋아하며 너그러운 자가 되게 하라” 이것이 소망을 재물이 아니라 하나님께 둔 성도들이 해야 할 일입니다. 그렇게 할 때에 19절과 같은 결과를 우리는 누릴 수 있습니다. 함께 읽겠습니다. “이것이 장래에 자기를 위하여 좋은 터를 쌓아 참된 생명을 취하는 것이니라” 이것이야 말로 참된 생명, 즉 영생을 취하는 길이라는 말씀입니다.

The Second Call: Use Our Resources to Lay Hold of True Life

Our second calling as people of God is to use the resources given to us to lay hold of true life. Both yesterday's and today's passages consistently warn against the characteristics of false teachers and the love of money. So, how then should we use the wealth we already possess?

Verses 17-18 give us four instructions regarding wealth. First, we are not to be haughty. Second, we are not to set our hopes on wealth. Financial stability often provides a sense of security. It's true! We save for retirement because we don't want to be a burden on others later in life. The feeling of needing to ask for help when you have no finances is truly disheartening, something those who haven't experienced it may not understand. But precisely because of this, it's hard to let go of the sense of security that money provides. This is why the struggle with wealth is never easy. Money can be our security; it can even define our identity. That's why it's easy to feel superior to others when we have more of it.

However, today's passage tells us that wealth is uncertain. It commands us not to set our hopes on uncertain riches. So, where should our hope be placed? It says, "but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy." Verses 13-16 describe who this God is. The very first statement is that He is the God "who gives life to all things." He is the one who gave us life, and in verse 16, it says that "He alone has immortality." We are to take hold of eternal life by placing our hope not in wealth, but in God.

Verse 18 tells us: "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share." This is what believers who place their hope in God, not in wealth, are called to do. When we do this, we experience the results described in verse 19. Let's read it together: "thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." This is the way to lay hold of true life—that is, eternal life.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 하나님의 사람으로 부름심을 받은 사람들은 믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸워야 합니다. 그것은 세상이 말하는 성공과 돈을 사랑함을 피하는 것입니다. 그것이 우리가 싸워야하는 선한 싸움입니다. 불확실하고 일시적인 재물에 우리의 마음을 두지 말고 하나님께 우리의 소망을 두어야 합니다. 이것은 쉬운 싸움이 아닙니다. 그래서 이 싸움을 하기 위해서는 하나님의 은혜가 있어야 합니다. 우리에게 모든 것을 후히 주시며 누리게 하시는 하나님께 소망을 둠으로 나누어 주기를 좋아하며 너그러운 자가 되어 영생을 취하시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.

Conclusion

To conclude, those of us called as people of God must fight the good fight of faith. This means fleeing from the world's definitions of success and the love of money. That is the good fight we are called to wage. We must not place our hearts on uncertain and temporary wealth, but rather place our hope in God.

This is not an easy fight. And to fight this fight, we need God's grace. My prayer for you all is that you will place your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy, that you will be generous and ready to share, and in doing so, take hold of eternal life. Amen.