1 Timothy 5:8 — But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

I thought that my first devotion when I returned from being out for my brother’s funeral would be about church unity but it turns out that I need to talk about something else first.

Myra and I met a large part of my family for the first time. It’s somewhere between ten and twenty people. Add that to other close family members and I suppose there might be forty people that, if I was a really good family man, I’d be in fairly regular touch with.Well, shame on me. I’m really not that good of a family man … but I mean to do better.

Here’s the thing. Of those forty people, there are very few of whom I can say with any degree of confidence, “there is a saved follower of Jesus Christ”. You might wonder what that has to do with me. It’s that verse from 1 Timothy that convicts me. 

Paul tells Timothy that he expects a believer to look after “his own” and especially “those of his household”. “His own” are all the members of the extended family and “those of his household” are those he lives with. A believer that doesn’t fulfill this basic requirement is “worse than an infidel”.

It’s not clear what “worse than an infidel” really means. For myself, I think it’s about how outsiders will look at this neglect. Even those who don’t believe commonly take care of their own! Some believe that the condemnation is much stronger — suggesting that in “denying the faith” the uncharitable “believer” is no believer at all, having rejected God.

I don’t know how often I’ve been reminded of my duty to be a witness, as preachers and teachers bring me back to Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8. I know, as all Christians must, that I should never be ashamed of the Gospel or Him who gave it to me. I don’t remember being reminded so often of my duty to my own family. I’m glad to say that there’s no problem with those “of my own household”. That would be me, and my beloved wife. I’m a Christian, and she’s a better one. But when it comes to “my own” — my extended family — I guess I’m in danger of that fearsome condemnation. I don’t want to be “worse than an infidel”, so I have some catching up to do!