The Role of the Church in Caring for Widows: A Social-Historical Investigation of 1 Timothy 5:3–16

Abstract

The message of 1 Timothy 5:3­­–16 on widow-care remains a significant mandate to the church today. The study explores the role of the church in taking care of widows. In this pericope, Paul gives guidance on caring for genuine widows, instructs believers whose parents or grandparents are widows to care for them, and counsels younger widows to remarry. He further gives criteria for determining genuine widows to be cared for by the church. The study first focuses on the original message of Paul to his audience in 1 Timothy 5:3–16. Second, it looks at the category of widows Paul recommends as worthy of the church’s support. Third, the paper examines whether the younger widows seeking remarriage were viewed as ignoring prior faith in God. The final section of this paper applies Paul’s teaching to the modern church context. Paul’s mandate to the church to look into the welfare of widows still stands, and widows with able children should be supported by their families. Finally, the younger widows seeking remarriage could only cast off their first faith if they married an unbeliever. This research uses the social-historical method.