Day 33 September 11 - I Timothy 6 - Hebrews 1

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2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith

Elder Alma Sonne

“I think of Paul, the apostle. We are told he was a little man, like the soldier boy, but intellectually he was a giant. He towered head and shoulders above his fellows. He shook the very foundations of skepticism and complacency in the cities and provinces which he visited. He carried light and truth to a heathen people. He appeared on the scene fourteen or fifteen years after the crucifixion of the Savior. The unbelievers and the cynics found it very difficult to dispose of him. He had no ulterior motives. He laid his worldly treasures and his earthly ambitions on the altar for the gospel's sake, as he put it.

“His penetrating testimony has baffled his foes, past and present. It is reverberating throughout the world and is rankling in the souls of those who deny and will not believe in the true and living God. Finally, he stood before the bar of Nero, a blood-thirsty tyrant who had murdered his own mother, his wives, and his best benefactors. The scene illustrates the irony of human life. On the judgment seat sat the wickedest man in a wicked world. Before him stood the prisoner Paul, the servant of God, probably the best man the world contained. The execution was ordered and carried out, but how empty, after all, was the victory.

“Paul still lives in the hearts of millions. His light still shines. His letters and admonitions are still read. They are the very heart and center of the Christian faith. His valedictory, my friends, is magnificent:

‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness . . .’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)

“That is not the strain of the vanquished. It is a triumphant shout of victory. Paul lives. His testimony lives, and the light which emanated from him and from God is still shining in the world.”

Marvin J. Ashton
“Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved. Sometimes we are inclined to put up with a situation rather than endure. To endure is to bear up under, to stand firm against, to suffer without yielding, to continue to be, or to exhibit the state or power of lasting.

“Day by day we can make the effort to gain the power to last and to suffer without yielding. Inspiration and motivation are found in many places…I pray that God will help us to endure well, with purpose and power. When we so do, the meaningful declaration in "2 Timothy 4:7 will take on a new dimension:

’I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.’

“When heartaches, tragedies, disappointments, injury, unusual attention, fame, or excessive prosperity become part of our lives, our challenges and responsibilities will be to endure them well. God will assist us in our quest to conquer, triumph, and continue if we humbly rededicate ourselves to the meaningful declaration ‘We have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.’ (Articles of Faith 1:13.)” (Be of Good Cheer [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], 22.)

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Titus Historical Background


“Sent from: Paul, possibly in or near Greece.
Sent to: Titus, directing the Church in Crete.
Date: Probably between A.D. 63 and 66.

“Titus was an early convert from the Greek world who became a trusted associate in Paul's missionary work and direction of the Church…

“Out of many inevitable conflicts over the gospel, Titus's trial at the Jerusalem Council stood out. Jewish brethren teaching circumcision insisted that Titus become a full Jewish proselyte in addition to becoming a Christian. But Paul would not even consider such a compromise for a Gentile (Gal. 2:3), and Titus was not ‘compelled to be circumcised’ (Gal. 2:3). Further presiding or missionary assignments surely followed, though there is no record of such service. But Titus emerges as a seasoned assistant in disciplining the Corinthian branch of the Church. The story is found here and there in 2 Corinthians. Paul had expected to meet Titus to hear his report in Asia Minor (2 Cor. 2:12-13) but crossed to Northern Greece, where his fears were replaced with the comforting news that the branch as a whole had repented (2 Cor. 7:7). Titus obviously had done his work with courage and capacity, but Paul goes further to show another critical ingredient in his success—his love for the people that he sought to help. ‘And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, and the fear and trembling with which you received him’ (2 Cor. 7:15,). Paul says literally that Titus was not covetous toward the Corinthians—that he sincerely worked for their interests and not his own (2 Cor. 12:18).

“…The opening chapter of Titus shows that confused conditions in Crete demanded strong leadership and that Paul had complete confidence that Titus would measure up to the task. Some five years earlier, Titus had well earned Paul's solid description of him as ‘my partner and fellow worker’ ("2 Cor. 8:23).” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 341-342.)

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Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete


“After many years of Titus's proving and growing, Paul assigned him to direct the work in the branches on the large island of Crete. His choice obviously rested on Titus's faithful experience but no less on the ‘earnest care’ for the Saints that continued in ‘the heart of Titus’ ("2 Cor. 8:16). The opening chapter of Titus shows that confused conditions in Crete demanded strong leadership and that Paul had complete confidence that Titus would measure up to the task…

“On his Roman voyage Paul inched around the eastern point of Crete and sailed slowly past the high cliffs of the southern side of that long island (Acts 27:7-8). While debating about whether to winter there, he no doubt learned more about Crete and its people. The decision was made to put in to a harbor in Crete protected from winter gales, but sudden winds overruled and forcibly sped the apostle west to shipwreck at Malta (Acts 27:12-15). But after Roman release, he evidently revisited Crete. He ‘left’ Titus in Crete ‘that you might straighten out what was left unfinished’ ("Titus 1:5), which opens a clear possibility that Paul first labored with Titus there and built up Church membership but not the full Church organization. Missionary work there would resemble that in Greece, inasmuch as early migrations to Crete had established cities with the same proud traditions of the mainland. Moreover, there were Jewish groups in the major centers of the island…

“When Titus was assigned to ‘set in order’ or ‘straighten out’ Church affairs, a great part of his job was to choose strong bishops or presiding elders: ‘Appoint elders in every city as I commanded you’ ("Titus 1:5). The Church had been in Crete long enough to have branches in many cities, but it was under attack of the ‘gainsayers,’ an archaic King James term meaning literally those ‘speaking against’ or ‘opposing.’ They were so combative that Paul said not to continue to debate with them—‘after the first and second admonition’ they were to be ignored ("Titus 3:10). In this verse the opposer is a ‘heretic,’ which word ties to the ‘heresies’ Paul opposed in the Corinthian and Galatian branches (1 Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20). All these words adapt the Greek for ‘divisions,’ and Paul used ‘heretic’ in that exact sense of a believer causing factions within the faith. At the end of Paul's life these reorganized Christians were everywhere. In Crete there were ‘many unruly’ (Titus 1:10) or ‘many insubordinate’ ("Titus 1:10), the latter translation exactly mirroring the Greek. The apostates would not stay in the ranks or submit to authority. In 1 Timothy such conditions were rampant around Ephesus as Paul directed Timothy to take vigorous measures to defend the faith. An island might be thought to be immune to such trends, but identical conditions in both places show that apostasy was the major problem everywhere at the end of Paul's life. So he wrote Titus not merely to have bishops appointed but to ensure that men would be called who would face the cross fire of the most dangerous enemies of the apostles—the rebels against their teaching and authority.

“Priesthood organization is clearly behind the letter to Titus, though not as obviously as in 1 Timothy. Direction by the general authority is evident in Paul's assignment of Titus to Crete, and regional authority is evident in Titus's appointment of the elders to direct congregations as bishops.” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 344 - 345.)

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Titus 2:14 that he might… purify unto himself a peculiar people

Russell M. Nelson

I looked [peculiar] up in a modern dictionary. It is currently defined as “unusual” or “eccentric”; “strange,” “queer,” “odd”; “standing apart from others”; “exclusive” or “unique.” But the term peculiar as used in the scriptures means something quite different. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term from which peculiar was translated is cgullah, which means “valued property,” or “treasure.” In the New Testament, the Greek term from which peculiar was translated is peripoiesis, which means “possession,” or “an obtaining.”

With that understanding, we can see that the scriptural term peculiar does not mean “queer” or “odd” at all. It signifies “valued treasure,” “made” or “selected by God.” Thus, for us to be identified by servants of the Lord as his peculiar people is a compliment of the highest order. (“A More Excellent Hope,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 62–63)

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Titus 3:9 avoid foolish questions… and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain

Dean L. Larsen

Jacob speaks of people who placed themselves in serious jeopardy in spiritual things because they were unwilling to accept simple, basic principles of truth. They entertained and intrigued themselves with “things that they could not understand” (Jacob 4:14). They were apparently afflicted with a pseudosophistication and a snobbishness that gave them a false sense of superiority over those who came among them with the Lord’s words of plainness. They went beyond the mark of wisdom and prudence, and obviously failed to stay within the circle of fundamental gospel truths, which provide a basis for faith. They must have reveled in speculative and theoretical matters that obscured for them the fundamental spiritual truths. As they became infatuated by these “things that they could not understand,” their comprehension of and faith in the redeeming role of a true Messiah was lost, and the purpose of life became confused. A study of Israel’s history will confirm Jacob’s allegations.

It seems to me that every generation faces its challenges with “looking beyond the mark.” The Apostle Paul worried about those whom he had helped to develop a testimony of Jesus Christ. Paul advised Titus to “avoid foolish questions … and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain” (Titus 3:9). (“Looking beyond the Mark,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 11)

Dallin H. Oaks

At some time or another, most Latter-day Saints have been involved in an argument over a gospel subject. But, as Professor Richard Lloyd Anderson has said, “Argument is a poor tool for discovering truth because it defends a narrow position but usually lacks breadth. Anyone can make a 'case' for or against anything.”

Argument is never an appropriate way to resolve differences about the content or application of gospel principles. It is Satan who stirs up the hearts of people to contend over points of doctrine. (D&C 10:63.) Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught, “Divine doctrine of the Church is the prime target of attack by the spiritually contentious. . . . Dissecting doctrine in a controversial way in order to draw attention to oneself is not pleasing to the Lord.” (The Lord's Way [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], 148.)

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Hebrews Introduction


“Sent from: Paul, in Italy and probably at Rome.
Sent to: ‘The Hebrews,’ possibly those who helped Paul in the Judean imprisonment.
Date: Possibly A. D. 62.
Purpose: To warn Jewish Christians against falling from the faith and to reconvince them that Christ and his gospel are above the law of Moses.
Main themes: Christ's authority and mission; faithfulness and first principles; Melchizedek priesthood; Christ's atonement; faith and endurance.
Background: Reason for Writing


“…Who were these Jews who first read this letter? The answer must come from the letter itself, since no information on the circumstances of writing is in Acts or early Christian sources…Like the Corinthians, the Hebrews had to go back and relearn the ‘first principles’ at a time when their gospel growth should have been advanced (Heb. 5:12-14). They were ‘dull of hearing’ (Heb. 5:11), which shows that Paul had particular information that worried him. What were their problems? One was living the gospel, a problem common to most branches of the Church in the letters. But the long arguments of reconversion center around Jewish ritual. The Hebrews overstressed the Levitical priesthood that operated the temple and the daily sacrifices that were superseded by Christ's great sacrifice. Chapters 7 through 10 are written for Jews who did not believe that Christ's coming outdated temple sacrifice. After the third journey Paul returned to Jerusalem and shared in temple sacrifice to show that he respected his Hebrew heritage (Acts 20). But it was another thing to believe that sacrifices were part of Christ's gospel, the Jewish heresy that this book combats.” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 195 - 196.)

Bruce R. McConkie

“Paul is at his theological best in Hebrews…as an inspired theologian, Paul takes the revelations of the past, the dead letter of the ancient law, and ties it into the living Christianity of the present. He shows how the gospel grew out of the preparatory law which prevailed in Israel and which in fact had as its purpose the preparing of the way before the coming of that Prophet who led Israel of old and was the Author of both covenants.

“…In Hebrews we learn that Jesus was made a little lower than Elohim; that he has precedence over the angels; that he took upon himself mortality to bring salvation to man.

“In Hebrews our understanding is refreshed with the knowledge that salvation is available through his intercession; that he sacrificed himself for the sins of the world; that by his blood the saints are sanctified.

“In it we are taught that the Mosaic ordinances prefigured his ministry; that his gospel was offered to ancient Israel; that he is the Mediator of the new covenant.

“There is no other Biblical source for detailed knowledge of the Holy Priesthood; of Christ's status as the great High Priest and the Apostle of our profession; of the oath which God swore that his Son would be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

“And nowhere else in the Bible do we find the oath and covenant of the priesthood set forth; or that through this priesthood the gospel is administered; or that it is the power whereby eternal life is gained.” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 3: 133-135.)

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Hebrews 1:2 by whom also he made the worlds

Neal A. Maxwell

“John and Paul tell us that before His mortal ministry, Jesus was the Creator of this and other worlds. (See John 1:3, 10; Eph. 3:9; Heb. 1:2.) …It is interesting that some sincere Christians do not think of Christ in those, perhaps galactic, terms, thus ignoring this dimension of Jesus’ divinity.” (“The New Testament—A Matchless Portrait of the Savior,” Ensign, Dec. 1986, 22)

Bruce R. McConkie

“We are blessed with the knowledge that ours is not the only inhabited earth. Rather, Christ acting under the direction of the Father is the Creator of worlds without number. Moses was permitted to see many of these earths, to learn that they are inhabited by the spirit children of the Father, and to receive the revelation that it is the Lord's work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of the inhabitants of all these earths. (Moses 1:27-41; D. & C. 76:22-24; John 1:1-5; Heb. 1:1-4; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 72-74.)” (Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966], 212.)

Neal A. Maxwell

“The Restoration gives us few details concerning the universe, of course, but from what we are given we know that we are not alone, and that we are in the midst of meaning and of unfolding, divine purposes.

“Though understandably desiring to know more, we do not presently possess the capacity to absorb more. Nor do we have an adequate ‘security clearance.’ This was the case with Moses: ‘But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.’ (Moses 1:35.)

“Physicist Paul Horowitz of Harvard University is paraphrased as saying that ‘if the recent discovery of a planet circling a nearby star is a normal, mundane consequence of the ordinary star-making process, it is likely that millions of stars within our own Milky Way galaxy have Earthlike planets.’ Enoch, we remember, in speaking of God's creations, mentioned ‘millions of earths like this’ (Moses 7:30).” (If Thou Endure It Well [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], 81.)

Neal A. Maxwell

“’Worlds without number’ have been created (Moses 1:33; see also John 1:3; Heb. 1:2; Heb. 22:3; D&C 93:10). These gospel truths are very significant assurances for us, situated as we are on this tiny ‘speck of sand’ at the outer edge of a minor galaxy, the Milky Way. Without the gospel's fulness, we would appear to be living during one tick of the geological clock and in the midst of unexplained vastness.

“Nevertheless…a universal God is actually involved with our small, individual universes of experience! In the midst of His vast dominions, yet He numbers us, knows us, and loves us perfectly (see Moses 1:35; John 10:14).” (Ensign, November 1987, p. 30.)

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Hebrews 2:6 What is man, that thou art mindful of him?


Boyd K. Packer

“There is a question in both the Old and the New Testaments: ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?’ (Psalm 8:4; see also Hebrews 2:5-7.)The answer is taught most simply in the song we sang together at the intermission of the meeting:

I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.

I am a child of God,
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will
I'll live with him once more.
-Hymns, no. 301

“Those lyrics teach a basic doctrine of the Church. We are the children of God. That doctrine is not hidden away in an obscure verse. It is taught over and over again in scripture. These clear examples are from the Bible: ‘All of you are children of the most High’ (Psalm 82:6), and ‘We are the offspring of God’ (Acts 17:29).” (Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991], 288.)