Note 19 at 1Ti 5:7: Paul wanted these instructions--which sum up everything he said from 1Ti 5:3 onward--to be stated publicly. These instructions, when put into practice, will cause people to walk blamelessly and above reproach.

Not all widows are godly. Paul said that widows who give themselves to sensual pleasures are spiritually dead even though they are physically alive. The church is not to support this kind of sinful lifestyle.