Note 19 at 1 Tim. 5:7: Paul wanted these instructions, that sum up everything he said from verse three onward, to be stated publicly. These instructions, when put into practice, will cause people to walk blameless and above reproach.

Not all widows are godly. Paul says that a widow who gives herself to sensual pleasures is spiritually dead even though she is physically alive. The church is not to support this kind of sinful lifestyle.