1 Timothy 6:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

1 Timothy 6:1.— Whether the law, "that the Jews should none of them remain slaves for life, withouttheirownconsent,"(Exod.xxi.2-6.) might, through the devices of Satan, give occasion to introduce something like it into the Christian church, or whatever gave rise to it, it appears, that the Judaizers absolved men from civil duties, and would have increased their party, by drawing slaves into the Christian church under the notion of their being thereby rendered freed men: in opposition to which the apostle enjoins slaves to continue to respect, and faithfully to serve, their own masters, whether Christians or not, unless they could obtain their freedom in a fair and legal manner. Timothy was to warn the Judaizers not to teach differently from the apostle in this particular; nor in any other to gratify the humours of their hearers in order to enrich themselves, 1 Timothy 6:1-16. That this discourse was levelled against such false teachers, appears not only from the beginning of 1 Timothy 6:3 but also from 1 Timothy 6:10-11 where he dehorts Timothy from following their example.