But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
World English Bible
1 Timothy 5:8
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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Should Christians be concerned with material things?
Matthew 6:31, 34 has Jesus instruct disciples to take no thought (*mē merimnēsēte*) for food, drink, clothing, or the morrow. 1 Timothy 5:8 then says if anyone *tōn idiōn kai malista oikeiōn ou pronoei, tēn pistin ērnētai* — 'does not provide for his own, especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.'
Critical scholarship: Genuinely disputed among scholars.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Is improvidence okay?
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and parallel Lukan material tells his followers to take no thought for tomorrow, to give to everyone who asks, to lend without expecting return, and to consider the lilies of the field who neither toil nor spin. 1 Timothy 5:8 condemns anyone who fails to provide for his own household as "worse than an infidel," and Proverbs 13:22 praises the good man who leaves an inheritance to his children's children.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
Within each section, grouped by shared field or question type — not a cross-section comparison.
Cite this page
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"1 Timothy 5:8 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/1-timothy/5/8?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).