Competence and skill are not declared but demonstrated. The evidence of a workman’s competence and skill is proved over time when their work proves to be able to endure the test of time.

The primary task of every ministry of the gospel is to rightly and faithfully make God’s word known. There are temptations that work against this, but Paul warns Timothy not to swerve from the truth.

In this passage, the Bible gives two commands to keep you from swerving from the truth so that you might be an approved and unashamed workman. It also gives a test that testifies to the genuineness of your faith and approval before God.

In the concluding words of 1 Timothy, Paul addresses Timothy as a man of God. From this passage, the Bible commands Christians to be set apart for God and called to faithful obedience because God is worthy of all the glory and honor.

The Bible recognizes the sinfulness of man and man’s nature of rebellion. Recognizing the destructive nature of this rebellion, the Bible recognizes the need for rulers to establish and enforce the law. And the need for oversight for leaders because they, too, are sinful. 

In these final verses of the chapter, Paul gives testimony to Titus and the two brothers he is sending back to the Corinthian church. Here we find helpful teaching on the goodness of leadership and how to respond to those God has given such responsibility to.

This parable is unsettling. And I believe the more we understand it, and the more we rightly identify with the characters in it, the more unsettling it will become. Jesus tells this story to teach major themes about eternity, heaven, and hell. This parable is intended to teach, warn, and to encourage the wayward to repent.