Of some men the sins are manifest beforehand, going before to judgment, and some also they follow after.
Paul has just told Timothy to be careful about sharing in other people's sins. Verse 24 gives the reason: some sins are obvious at once, while others stay out of sight for a long time.
Verse 24 is not a stray remark about human nature. Writers tie it back to verse 22, where Paul tells Timothy not to lay hands on anyone too quickly.
As to 1 Timothy 5, verses 24 and 25 relate to verse 22. Timothy was not to lay hands on anyone too quickly. Suppose the life of a man on whom hands had been laid turned out badly. Timothy would then share in the evil, even without meaning to, because he had placed the man in a position that carried his approval… Such sins are clear to everyone. Like heralds, they announce in advance the judgment awaiting those who commit them. The sins of other men were more hidden, but they too would come out into open day. It is the same with good works.
Writers explain what that sign means, and what a careless use of it costs.
In Scripture, to lay hands on another is the sign of fellowship. It is not the passing on of authority, as the wider Christian world teaches. False generosity may pretend to be big-hearted by carelessly giving fellowship to people who are on a wrong course. In this way we may put our approval on evil and share in other men's sins. We are to keep ourselves pure. That instruction proves we can be defiled by the company we keep.
The difference between the two groups is timing, not guilt. Some sins reach the judgment ahead of the sinner; others surface much later.
"The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment," the apostle continues — they come to light in this present life. "But the sins of others appear later" — unknown now, hidden away, yet they will come to light at the judgment seat of Christ.
A hidden sin is not a lost sin. It travels with its owner.
The sinner will be joined at death to his sins and their consequences.
Commentators differ on the kind of judgment in view. Some read it as the plain assessment any careful observer can make.
The sins of some people are conspicuous: their character is like an open book, and very easy to see. We can judge their sins without difficulty. The apostle is not speaking of God's judgment here, but of the judgment others can easily and rightly form after very little acquaintance.
Others read it as God's final judgment, and warn that a good appearance makes the end worse, not better.
The sins of some men are notorious. They point to that solemn judgment where there is no mercy to soften the just doom of people who despised mercy and treated God's truth and grace with contempt. The sins of others follow after. That is no less dreadful in reality, even when appearances are kept up. Such a deception traps not only other people but the guilty themselves. It makes the end still more bitter, though the end is completely righteous.
Because the timing differs, an easy life proves nothing. Comfort now is not a sign of God's approval.
Many evil men go on for years in outward prosperity. They pass, with little visible change, to their account in another world… God varies His dealings with men, so that in every possible way they are left without excuse. He has tried swift judgment, long patience, chastening and prosperity, in case men might somehow be led to repentance.
So the guard is simple. Take time before you commit yourself to someone you have only just met.
But the sins of others appear later: such people may be skilled at hiding their true character if you do not know them. Only later do their sins come out for proper judgment. This is a warning. We do not know every man's character on first meeting, and we must be on guard not to be deceived.
Verse 25 balances the warning. Good works come to light just as surely as hidden evil does
- Context. Verses 24–25 belong with verse 22: they give Paul's reason for telling Timothy not to lay hands on anyone too quickly.
- Association. Laying on hands is the sign of fellowship, so a careless welcome makes a man a sharer in sins he never committed.
- Two timings. Some sins run ahead like heralds and announce the verdict early. Others trail behind, unknown now and exposed later.
- No escape. Concealment only postpones. The hidden sinner fools others and himself. Death joins him to his sins and their consequences.
- Take time. You cannot read a person's character at first meeting. And since God varies His dealings, a delay in exposure is patience aimed at repentance, never acquittal.
In like manner good works also are manifest beforehand, and those that are otherwise cannot be hid.
Paul has just warned Timothy not to be hasty in laying hands on anyone (v. 22). Verse 25 turns from hidden sins to hidden goodness, and asks how far one person can read another's character.
These closing verses are not stray proverbs. They belong to the instruction about appointing people to service. A wrong choice involves the man who made it.
Verses 24 and 25 relate to verse 22. Timothy was not to lay hands hastily on anyone. Suppose a man on whom he had laid hands later walked badly. Timothy would share in the evil, though he never meant to, because he had put the man in a position that carried his own approval... The sins of other men were more hidden, but they would still come out into open day. It is the same with good works. Because sins can stay hidden, Timothy had to be careful about laying hands on people who offered themselves for this.
This verse does not send anyone hunting through other people's faults, and it does not excuse being easily fooled. The same balance shapes how we read good works.
A holy mind does not busy itself with the sins of others, except when duty plainly demands it. But there is no excuse for carelessness that leaves a man deceived again and again... The same difference appears in what grace produces. The works that are fitting stand out in plain sight. The works that are not noticed at once can no more stay hidden than He could Who is their source (Mark 7:36).
The verse sorts people by what is seen, not by what they are worth. A quiet life is not a lesser life. Its fruit has just not surfaced yet.
This may be true of those in whom grace has worked. With some it is obvious that their good works proclaim their true character. Others may be equally the subjects of grace and yet their works may be less public. In due time all will come to light.
Commentators differ here. Kelly takes "they that are otherwise" as the good works that are simply less visible. Another reading takes it of works that are not good at all — and adds the warning that even visible good deeds are not proof by themselves.
The good works of some are clear in advance. These may point to a good character, but they are not enough proof until you know the person better. What looks good at first may still hide evil motives. Another man's goodness may not show until he is well known, and people may be surprised at how much good is there when none appeared at first... But works that are not good cannot stay hidden. It does not take long before a man's works make him known.
Kelly passes on another writer's paraphrase, which turns the verse into a working rule for anyone who appoints others to service. Kelly then says the verse reaches further than that.
The good works and holy conduct of some who offer themselves for this holy calling are well known and approved beforehand. So you need not hesitate to lay your hands on them. As for those who are otherwise, if you enquire carefully into their behaviour and way of life, they cannot stay hidden from you, and you may refuse to admit them... Yet limiting the verse this way pulls the thought far below the plain force of the words, which reach on to the Lord's judgment in the day to come.
The verse ends by pushing the reader's eyes forward. Time and the coming day settle what present appearances cannot.
Some people pass through life with a true character quite different from the one others give them — and this holds for good works as much as for sins. In some cases they are plain and before the eyes of all. But a day is coming when those unrecognised here will find full recognition.
- Occasion — Verses 24 and 25 belong with the warning of verse 22. Character can stay hidden, so Timothy had to be slow to lay hands on anyone. A wrong choice would make him share in the evil he had approved.
- Caution — The verse forbids both extremes. A holy mind does not busy itself with others' faults, yet nothing excuses carelessness that leaves a man deceived again and again.
- Grace — Visible and invisible service can flow from the same source. Some believers' works announce them. Others share the same grace with less to show in public.
- Difference — Commentators read the second half in two ways: good works not yet noticed, or works that are not good at all. Either way, nothing stays hidden for long.
- Day — What appearances cannot settle, time and the coming day will. Those unrecognised here will find full recognition then.