1 Timothy 4:1-16

 

(1 Timothy 4:1-16)

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.These things command and teach.Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

 

At the time of Paul, there was a heresy called Gnosticism that had an influence on the early church. Gnosticism advocated extreme asceticism to liberate the spirits in the human body. In particular, the Gnostics taught that sex was evil and that they should not marry, and that they should not eat certain foods. So, regarding this false teaching of Gnosticism, the apostle Paul says in verse 3, “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

Marriage is an institution established by God. In Genesis 2:18 we read, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” The Bible tells us to realize through marriage that human beings are apart from God. Also, as the food regulations of the Old Testament passed into the New Testament era, Christ set the believers free. The Apostle Paul said, “Everything that God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

Therefore, true faith is to realize what God intends for mankind. God's will is to believe in the Son. The Son is Christ. Christ came into the world to atone for all sinners in the world. He realizes that he is a sinner, and he who dies with Christ as in marriage becomes the redeemer. Romans 6:7 says that the dead are freed from sin.

Paul is admonishing Timothy, a young pastor of the Ephesian church. 『But refuse profane and old wives 'fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.'' he exhorts.

First, speculative and vain myths mean things related to Gnosticism. And 『exercise』is the Greek word for 『Gyunnazein』, which means 『training』. In other words, Paul is admonishing Timothy to exercise oneself for the sake of godliness, without being distracted by foolish claims such as gnosticism.

“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” he says. The apostle Paul compared physical exercise with godliness. While physical exercise may be beneficial to some extent, the benefits are not permanent, because the body will eventually disappear. However, since spiritual exercise for godliness brings eternal benefits up to the present and the future life, Paul emphasizes the “exercise of godliness” more.

Also, Paul says, For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. People who believe in God can endure and endure the circumstances of their lives because they have hope in God and are living consciously that God is watching.

When Timothy was ministering at the church in Ephesus, Timothy was approximately in his mid-30s. In ancient societies, old age was one of the virtues of a leader, as the elderly were respected. So, Paul said to Timothy, who was relatively young, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Paul tells Timothy that those who preach the word of God must agree with what they say and do. The most painful thing for those who preach the word of God is telling the saints to do what they cannot do. True leadership as a leader comes from a life in which words and deeds are consistent.

Paul also exhorted Timothy to "concentrate on reading, exhorting, and teaching the saints." To read here means to read the Bible in front of the congregation, to exhort means to preach and exhort, and to teach means to teach the basic truths of the gospel. Paul tells Timothy to devote himself to these three things, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”In today's church, people like to exhort, but the word of truth is disappearing. They like to present their own experiences and are reluctant to teach about the kingdom of God.

Therefore, there are many cases where they make the mistake of trying to interpret what the Bible says in the light of their own experiences. This is spiritually immature. In particular, Paul said to Timothy, “Give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”. This exhortation applies not only to Timothy, but to all Christians. Christian maturity is to understand God's will accurately, interpret it biblically, and communicate it to people. The meaning of the words of the Bible can be found in the Bible. To become a spiritually mature person, you must find the answer in the Bible, not human experience.