1Ti 4:1-5. BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach,
Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized),
Who forbid people to marry and [teach them] to abstain from [certain kinds of] foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and have [an increasingly clear] knowledge of the truth.
For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be thrown away or refused if it is received with thanksgiving.
For it is hallowed and consecrated by the Word of God and by prayer.
If you lay all these instructions before the brethren, you will be a worthy steward and a good minister of Christ Jesus, ever nourishing your own self on the truths of the faith and of the good [Christian] instruction which you have closely followed.
But refuse and avoid irreverent legends (profane and impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers' tales) and silly myths, and express your disapproval of them. Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping yourself spiritually fit].
For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.
This saying is reliable and worthy of complete acceptance by everybody.
With a view to this we toil and strive, [yes and] suffer reproach, because we have [fixed our] hope on the living God, Who is the Savior (Preserver, Maintainer, Deliverer) of all men, especially of those who believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to Him).
Continue to command these things and to teach them.
Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Till I come, devote yourself to [public and private] reading, to exhortation (preaching and personal appeals), and to teaching and instilling doctrine.
Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to you [by the Holy Spirit] by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you [at your ordination].
Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.
Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1 Timothy 4:1-5
APOSTASY IN THE CHURCH (4:1-16)
Warning Against the Impending Apostasy (4:1-5)
4:1-16. There are two ways in which the Spirit might be thought of as speaking expressly. First of all, what Paul is about to say was certainly given to him by divine revelation. But it might also mean that throughout the Scriptures, and particularly in the NT, it is expressly taught that the latter times will be characterized by departure from the faith.
Latter times means “in later times,” periods of time subsequent to that time when the apostle was writing.
Some will depart from the faith. The word some is characteristic of 1 Timothy. What was a minority in this Epistle seems to have become the majority in 2 Timothy. The fact that these people depart or fall away from the faith does not mean that they were ever saved, but simply that they had professed to be Christians. They knew about the Lord Jesus Christ and had been told that He was the only Savior. They professed for a time to follow Him, but then they apostatized from the faith.
One can scarcely read this section without thinking of the rise of cults in our own day. The way these false systems have spread is accurately described here. A great part of their membership is made up of persons who were formerly in so-called Christian churches. Perhaps at one time these churches had been sound in the faith, but then they drifted toward the social gospel. The cultist teachers came along offering a more positive message, and these professing Christians were ensnared.
They give willing heed or assent to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Deceiving spirits is used here in a figurative sense to describe the false teachers, indwelt by evil spirits, who deceive the unwary. Doctrines of demons does not mean teachings about demons, but rather doctrines which are inspired by demons or have their source in the demon world.
The word hypocrisy suggests “wearing a mask.” How typical this is of the false cultists! They try to hide their true identity. They do not want people to know the system with which they are identified. They masquerade by using Bible terms and singing Christian hymns. Not only are they hypocrites, but they are liars as well. Their teaching is not according to the truth of God's word; they know this, and purposely deceive the people.
Their conscience is seared with a hot iron. Perhaps early in their lives their conscience had been tender, but they suppressed it so often and sinned against the light so much that now their conscience has become insensitive and hardened. They no longer have any scruples about contradicting the word of God and teaching things they know are untrue.
Two of the doctrines of demons are now stated. The first is the teaching that it is wrong to marry. This is directly contrary to the word of God. God Himself instituted marriage, and He did this before sin ever entered the world. There is nothing unholy about marriage, and when false teachers forbid marriage, they are attacking what God ordained.
An illustration of this teaching is the law forbidding certain priests and nuns to marry. However, even more directly, this verse refers to the teaching of spiritists called spiritual affinity by which, according to A. J. Pollock, “the marriage tie is derided, and in its practical working, men and women are seduced from their lawful partners to form unholy and unlawful links with their so-called spiritual affinities.” We might also mention the attitude of Christian Science toward marriage. Its founder, Mrs. Eddy, thrice married, wrote:
Until it is learned that God is the Father of all, marriage will continue. ... Matrimony, which was once a fixed fact among us, must lose its present adherence.
The second teaching of demons is to abstain from certain foods. Such teaching is found among spiritists, who claim that the eating of animal flesh hinders one in contacting the spirits. Also, among Theosophists and Hindus, there is a horror of sacrificing any kind of life because they believe that the soul of a man may come back and live in an animal or other creature.
The pronoun which may refer to marriage and to foods. Both were created by God to be shared by us with thanksgiving. He did not intend them only for the unregenerate but for those who believe and know the truth.
Every creature (or creation) of God is good. Both foods and marriage are creations of God, and are not to be refused if ... received with thanksgiving. He instituted marriage for the propagation of human life (see Gen 1:28), and food for the sustaining of life (Gen 9:3).
The word of God sets apart both food and marriage for man's use. Food is thus sanctified in Gen 9:3; Mar 7:19; Act 10:14-15; and 1Co 10:25-26. Marriage is set apart in 1 Corinthians 7 and Heb 13:4.
They are also sanctified through prayer. Before partaking of a meal, we should bow our heads and give thanks for the food (see Mat 14:19; Act 27:35). By this act we are asking the Lord to sanctify the food to strengthen our bodies so that we might serve Him more acceptably. Before entering into marriage we should pray that God will bless the union for His glory, for the blessing of others, and for the good of the bride and groom.
It is a good testimony for Christians to give thanks for meals when in the presence of unsaved people. The blessing should not be showy or long, but neither should we try to conceal the fact that we are thanking God for our food.
1 Timothy 4:6-16
Positive Instructions in View of the Impending Apostasy (4:6-16)
By instructing the brethren about these things mentioned in verses 1-5, Timothy will be a good minister of Jesus Christ. As mentioned previously, the word minister means “servant.” He will be a servant, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which he has carefully followed up to this time.
In this section, Paul is thinking of Christian service as a form of athletic contest. In verse 6, he spoke of the suitable diet for one who is serving Christ—he should be nourished in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine. In verse 7, he speaks of exercise that has godliness as its aim.
The apostle advises Timothy to reject profane and old wives' fables. He is not to combat them or spend a lot of time on them. Rather, he is to disdain them, to treat them with contempt. Old wives' fables make us think of Christian Science, which was founded by a woman, seems to appeal especially to elderly women, and teaches fables instead of truth.
Instead of wasting time on myths and fables, he should exercise himself to godliness. Such exercise involves reading and studying the Bible, prayer, meditation, and witnessing to others. Stock says, “There is no such thing as drifting into godliness; the ‘stream of tendency’ is against us.” There must be exercise and effort.
Here two kinds of exercise are contrasted. Bodily exercise has certain values for the body, but these values are limited and of short duration. Godliness, on the other hand, is good for man's spirit, soul, and body, and is not only for time but for eternity as well. As far as this life is concerned, godliness yields the greatest joy, and as far as the life which is to come is concerned, it holds promise of bright reward and of capacity to enjoy the glories of that scene.
It is generally agreed that this verse refers back to the saying about godliness. The fact that godliness is of widespread and eternal value is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. This is the third faithful saying in this Epistle.
For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach. The end mentioned is the life of godliness. Paul states that this is the great goal toward which he exerts his finest efforts. This would not seem a worthy aim in life to unbelievers. But the Christian sees beyond the passing things of this world and sets his hope on the living God. This hope can never be disappointed for the very reason that He is the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. God is the Savior of all men in the sense that He preserves them in the daily providences of life. But He is also the Savior of all men in the sense pointed out previously—that He has made adequate provision for the salvation of all men. He is the Savior of those who believe in a special way because they have availed themselves of His provision. We might say that He is the potential Savior of all men and the actual Savior of those who believe.
These things probably refers to what Paul has been saying in verses 6-10. Timothy is to command and teach such precepts, continually bringing them before the people of God.
At the time of this Letter, Timothy was probably between thirty and thirty-five years of age. In contrast with some of the elders in the assembly at Ephesus, he would be a comparatively young man. That is why Paul says here, “Let no one despise your youth.” This does not mean that Timothy is to put himself on a pedestal and consider himself immune from criticism. Rather, it means he is to give nobody occasion to condemn him. By being an example to the believers, he is to avoid the possibility of justified criticism.
In word refers to Timothy's conversation. His speech should always be that which should characterize a child of God. He should not only avoid such speech as is distinctly forbidden, but also such as would not be edifying for his hearers.
In conduct refers to one's entire demeanor. Nothing about his deportment should cause reproach on the name of Christ.
In love suggests that love should be the motive for conduct, as well as the spirit in which it is carried out and the goal toward which it strives.
In spirit is lacking in most modern versions and commentaries that follow the critical text. However, the words do occur in the traditional and majority texts. Guy King decries the fact that enthusiasm, his insightful understanding of the phrase, is a:
... quality strangely lacking from the make-up of many Christians. Plenty of enthusiasm for a football match, or for an election campaign, but so little of it for the service of GOD. How the magnificent enthusiasm of the Christian Scientists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Communists should put us to shame. Oh, for the flaming zeal again that once the church knew. This fine spirit will greatly help Timothy as he seeks to consolidate the position and to advance the line.
In faith probably means “in faithfulness,” and carries the idea of dependability and steadfastness.
Purity should characterize not only his acts but his motives as well.
This verse probably refers primarily to the local church, rather than to Timothy's personal life. He should give attention to the public reading of the Scriptures, to exhortation, and to doctrine or teaching. There is a definite order here. First of all, Paul emphasizes the public reading of the word of God. This was especially necessary at that time, since the distribution of the Scriptures was very limited. Few people had a copy of the word. After reading the Scriptures, Timothy was to exhort the believers on the basis of what had been read, and then he was to teach the great truths of the word of God. This verse reminds us of Nehemiah 8, and especially verse 8: “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.”
However, we should not leave out the thought of private devotions from this verse. Before Timothy could exhort and teach the word of God to others, he should first make it real in his own life.
We are not told exactly what gift had been given to Timothy—whether evangelist, pastor, or teacher. The general tenor of these Epistles would lead us to think that he was a pastor-teacher. However, we do know that the gift ... was given to him by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. First of all, it was given along with or by prophecy. This simply means that a prophet in a local church at one time stood up and announced that the Spirit of God had imparted some gift to Timothy. The prophet did not confer the gift, but announced it. This was accompanied by the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Again we would emphasize that the presbyters, or elders, did not have the power to bestow the gift on Timothy. Rather, by laying their hands on him, they signified public recognition of what the Holy Spirit had already done.
The process is seen in Acts 13. In verse 2, the Holy Spirit singled out Barnabas and Saul for a specific work. Perhaps it was through a prophet that this word was transmitted. Then the local brethren fasted and prayed and laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them away (v. 3).
This same policy is followed by many local Christian communities today. When it becomes evident to the elders that a man has been given some gift of the Holy Spirit, they commend that man to the work of the Lord, indicating their confidence in him and their recognition of the Spirit's work in his life. Their commendation does not bestow a gift on him but merely recognizes that this has already been done by the Spirit of God.
There is a difference between what happened when the elders laid their hands on Timothy, as mentioned here, and when Paul laid his hands on Timothy, as described in 2Ti 1:6. In the former case, the action was in no way official, nor was it responsible for Timothy's gift. It only expressed fellowship with him in his work. In the latter case, Paul was actually the apostolic channel through whom the gift was imparted.
The words meditate on these things can be translated “cultivate” or “take pains with these things.” This may well be the meaning here, since the next words are give yourself entirely to them. Paul is encouraging Timothy to give himself undividedly and undistractedly to the work of the Lord. He should be all-out in his efforts. In this way, his progress will be evident to all. Paul does not want Timothy to hit a plateau in his Christian service and then settle down into a comfortable rut. Rather, he wants him to be always advancing in the things of the Lord.
Notice the order here. Timothy is first to take heed to himself and then to the doctrine. This emphasizes the importance of the personal life in any servant of Christ. If his life is wrong, he might be ever so orthodox in his doctrine, but it is of no avail. A. W. Pink has well said: “Service becomes a snare and an evil if it be allowed to crowd out worship and the cultivation of one's own spiritual life.”
By continuing in the things Paul has been writing about, that is, reading, exhortation, and instruction, Timothy would save both himself and those who heard him. The word save here has nothing to do with the salvation of the soul. The chapter opened with a description of the false teachers who were causing havoc among the people of God. Paul is telling Timothy that by faithful adherence to a godly life and to the word of God, he will save himself from these false teachings and he will also rescue his hearers from them as well
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