1 Timothy 5:11-12

1 Timothy 5:11-12

[11] But  the younger  widows  refuse:  for  when  they have begun to wax wanton against  Christ,  they will  marry;  [12] Having  damnation,  because  they have cast off  their first  faith. 

What does 1 Timothy 5:11-12 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

It was not wise to place younger widows on this list, and Paul explained why. Younger widows" sensual desires would be stronger, and these feelings would make it very hard for them to remain committed to serving Christ wholeheartedly as single women.
"The metaphor is that of a young animal trying to free itself from the yoke, and becoming restive through its fulness [1] of life." [2]
Paul evidently assumed that this commitment to the Lord characterized those on the list (cf. 1 Timothy 5:5). If the church leaders placed younger widows on the list and they wanted to remarry, they would have to set aside this pledge of devotion to and service of Christ alone. [3] They would thereby incur some form of temporal condemnation. Perhaps this punishment came from their consciences, their church family, or elsewhere. It certainly was not eternal condemnation.
"The pledge Paul referred to was probably a more or less formal commitment, taken on joining the list of widows, wherein the woman vowed to serve Christ entirely without thought of remarriage." [4]
Another interpretive option is that perhaps these verses describe more particularly a younger Christian widow faced with the temptation of marrying an unbeliever (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:39). [5] Her sensual desires might overpower her commitment to do God"s will and lead her to live contrary to the faith that she professed. Many English translations render the Greek word pistin ("faith," 1 Timothy 5:12) "pledge." Obviously setting aside her previous pledge does not mean breaking her pledge to her husband since Paul encouraged widows to remarry ( 1 Timothy 5:14).
"The explanation for Paul"s strong words apparently lay in his view of widowhood as a spiritual commitment. He did not want younger widows to accept the calling of widowhood and then renounce that call with the appearance of any eligible man. It was better to allow them to plan for remarriage as he directed in 1 Timothy 5:14." [6]