1st Timothy Chapter Four Commentary by
Ron Beckham
Audio Bible Study - 1 Timothy 4:1-5
Verse 1. "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times
some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and
doctrines of demons,"
It is likely that every person on
earth is curious about what is going to happen next. "What does the future
hold - for me?" we wonder. The problem is that every
human being who lives is blind, though this "blindness" is about the
future.
The future exists, but we cannot see it. God sees tomorrow, next week, five years ahead; He sees infinitely into
your future, whereas we see - nothing of what is to come. But if you really want to
see what the future
holds, here in these verses is the Holy Spirit of God, who does see,
giving us glimpses about the end of all things. What is going to happen?
Faith in the Lord, which is our only way of becoming right in
the sight of God, is lessening in today's world. "Modern" people don't
want to trust in Jesus Christ. In this verse we find that exactly such a lessening
of faith is a sign of the end of all things. And there's more - people
will be "paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,"
expressed in astrological forecasts, séances, new age belief systems and false
religions that take people away from simple faith in our Lord.
Verse 2. "by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their
own conscience as with a branding iron,"
The "hypocrisy of liars" is very much like the "denial" of an
alcohol-addicted person. Such a person is indeed an alcoholic, but they
deny that they are, even to themselves. The person who is in "hypocrisy,"
as in this verse, knows the truth down deep inside themselves, but they don't
want "the faith" mentioned in Verse 1, and therefore become "liars" to
themselves and to other people. The person who does not want faith, first
lies to themselves and then something even more terrible happens, as seen in the
second part of this verse.
They become "seared in their own conscience as with a branding
iron." Historically, severe wounds have often been treated by cauterizing
the injury with a hot iron. The idea has been to stop the bleeding with an
initially painful act that will prolong life. And that's what is
happening in our world today. People have heard the truth, that faith in
Jesus Christ is necessary to find God, but they would rather try to save themselves
through religious acts that are like the "doctrines of demons" in Verse 1.
At first it is painful, but the wound in the soul that comes from rejecting the
Lord must be stopped from bleeding and all too many choose to become "seared in their own
conscience," eventually no longer feeling the pain of rejecting God.
Verse 3. "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from
foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and
know the truth."
At the present time, outspoken advocates are attempting to
redefine marriage. No longer, in their minds, is marriage to be
defined as one man, one woman, joining together as one, forsaking all others
"until death do us part." It has already been redefined because matrimony
is for the most part considered to be a temporary state in which marriage lasts "until we
get tired of each other." Now advocates are attempting to dispose of the
idea that marriage is between a man and a woman. And where will the
advocates go next? - The final step is that they will "forbid marriage"
altogether, as though something is wrong with those who marry.
Paul discusses those who "advocate
abstaining from foods" in Romans Chapter 14. "One person," he said, "may eat
anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats
despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on
the one who eats, for God has welcomed him" (Romans 14:2-3). In other
words, to eat or not eat certain foods is not the point. In the future, a group
that forbids certain food
substances will gain prominence in the church. Whether we eat certain foods or
not does not matter, except that such
insistence will be another sign that the end of all things may be near.
Verse 4. "For everything created by God is good, and nothing
is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;"
Those who trust in Christ will not all be the same in
doctrinal beliefs, but if we receive Him, we should love one another, for "God is love" (1 John 4:16). We
should NOT all doctrinally be the same because Scripture is clear that believers in Christ
will have different gifts. As to those "spiritual gifts" given to the
church, Paul asked the question, "Are all apostles? Are
all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing?..." (1 Corinthians 12:29). The implied answer to
each of those questions is "No." Someone will have one of those or other
gifts from God, and another person will be gifted in a different way. Our
doctrinal perspective will not be the same either, and yet God loves and
receives people of all kinds who have honest faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As to those who "advocate abstaining from (certain) foods," as
we saw in Verse 3, it was a considerable issue in the Early Church. Meat
market owners would go to a non-Christian temple and have a pagan priest bless
the meat before it was sold. Many Christians would not eat meat because of
that practice, but Paul said this: "Now concerning food
offered to idols, we know that all of us possess knowledge. This 'knowledge'
puffs up, but love builds up... (1 Corinthians 8:1 & forward). "Knowledge" is partial for us at best, and much better than
knowledge is love. We are to receive one another in the love of God.
Our love or the lack of it, shows who we really are.
Verse 5. "for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and
prayer."
In Verse 4 it says, "Everything created
by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude."
You may worship one way, and someone else presents it another way. The
problem comes when you dislike and reject the other person for not being quite the same as you in their
outward worship. Rejecting
another Christian is, of course, your privilege, but it is not God's choice for your life,
nor is it Scriptural! The Apostle John said, "Beloved, if God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another," even when that other
person is not precisely like we are in expressing love for our Lord.
There are only two kinds of people in the world - those who
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and those who have NOT
believed in Him.
When we trust in the Lord, it is no longer precisely how we express that faith,
but rather our honest worship of the Lord is "sanctified
by means of the word of God and prayer," as it says in this verse.
To be "sanctified" is a process in which our
thoughts and actions are set apart for the purposes of God, leading to a life of
holiness. "Word" in this verse is the "logos" of God. "Prayer"
here is a special word for approaching a king with a request. Through the
"word of God" and "prayer,"
the process in which we are "sanctified" will
grow in our lives.
Father, we open ourselves to You, trusting that You will
show us the way we should live. Especially, Lord, enable us to love one
another. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - 1 Timothy 4:6-10
Verse 6. "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you
will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the
faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."
Paul, in these verses, is instructing the younger man,
Timothy, to encourage and instruct others who are led to enter service to the
Lord. In ministry, you become a person who has a gift from the Lord
and is willing to prayerfully share it with other people as God leads. You have
received a
certain God-given understanding that others need. On the other hand, it's
always good to remember that the people you speak to have gifts that you don't
have. All are gifted in the body of Christ and the purpose is so that we
will need each other. All are meant to share what we have, what we are.
It's anticipated by everyone that a human baby will be
nourished with wholesome milk or its equivalent, and at the right time, graduate to solid foods. We who come to Christ are like that.
When we are "born again" (John 3:3), we are birthed into the world of the Spirit
and are given first the sweet milk of the Word of God and then we begin to
digest the solid food which is also found in His Word. Having been given
so much, it is reasonable that we as ministers will be "good
servant(s) of Christ
Jesus," sharing with others "the words of the faith
and of the sound doctrine" of our Lord.
Verse 7. "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only
for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of
godliness;"
In Verse 6, Paul, the writer of this letter, encouraged all
who would read these words to be "nourished on the words of the faith and of the
sound doctrine," that we find in Scripture. In Jewish thought, and Paul
was very Jewish, teaching others, particularly when instructing young people, was often
done by contrasts which are designed to make us think and understand. An example of
teaching by contrast is
Proverbs 12:15 - "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds
counsel is wise." And here the words of Verse 6, tell us to have "faith
and... sound doctrine," which is contrasted with "worldly fables fit only for old
women."
Then as it is now in many cultures of the earth, "worldly
fables" abounded, often taught by a grandmother to her little grandchildren.
"But you are no longer children," Paul is saying, "Christ is in you!"
Instead of wasting your time with stories, become the kind of person who daily
studies the Word of God and prays to our Lord. The acts of study and
prayer are not unlike bodily discipline, which will enable a small muscle, a small
prayer to become something empowered by God Himself. The more you study God's Word
and pray, the stronger you become.
Verse 8. "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but
godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present
life and also for the life to come."
When Paul, the writer of this letter to Timothy, spoke of
"bodily discipline," he was making a reference to the Olympic Games, which were
famous in that place and time. The word for "discipline" can also be
translated "exercise," and it primarily meant "to exercise naked," which was the
way competitors participated in the Olympic Games of his day. And in this
verse, Paul makes a stark comparison in order to help Timothy and the rest of us
understand:
He compares participants in the Games to those who look to the
Lord. Everyone of his time knew of the intense efforts made by Olympic
athletes to achieve bodily perfection. He is saying: imitate the
intensity of famous athletes, but do it in pursuit of "godliness,"
which can be translated, "piety." He was telling his readers to look
intensely to the Lord Himself.
We are to respond to Him in a very focused manner. Everyone has seen
that athletes may do well, but then they grow older and finally die. "Godliness,"
on the other hand, not only makes life better right now, but it will also
benefit you forever.
Verse 9. "It is a trustworthy statement deserving full
acceptance."
We get a lot of advice in life; some of it is good; other
advice is not so good, and a lot of what we hear is actually bad for us.
What we need is to become able to discern the difference and that is a place where the Bible is
extremely important to our lives. As we have been observing in this chapter, we are to
look to the Lord and His Word in simple faith, not trusting only in religious activities,
attractive though they may be.
Instead we are to pursue and find "godliness" (Verses 7-8),
looking to the Lord in all that we do, say and think. His Word, the Bible
will guide us, but when we read it, we also need to pray for understanding,
recognizing that the Holy Spirit of God is the ultimate Author and disseminator of Scripture.
He is our resource for understanding, which is a "trustworthy statement
deserving full acceptance."
Verse 10. "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we
have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially
of believers."
What do you "labor" for in life? Much of what we
"strive" for can be valuable, such as safety, good health, knowledge, sufficient
income and a positive reputation. Those things may be important, but the
problem is, they aren't lasting. Knowledge fades in our later years, as
does health. Safety, income and reputation can be gone in a moment.
But Paul here is continuing the idea from Verses 7-8, that what we need most in life is "godliness," in which the very nature of God Himself is planted
within us through Jesus Christ.
Our "heroes" in this world tend to let us down. We elect
them to office or attend their church and inevitably everyone turns out to be
merely human after all. But if "we have fixed our hope on the living God,"
He will not let us down. He died for the sins of all mankind. Our "Savior"
is given to "all men (all
mankind), especially...
believers. Even those who do
not have faith in Him benefit from what He has done. The statement "all
men" is like electrical power. The electricity is there, but you have to
plug it into the electrical socket in order to benefit from it. We need to personally
be plugged into the Lord through faith, trusting in Him.
Lord, we fix our attention on You. We trust in You,
Lord Jesus. Fill us with Your
Holy Spirit and enable us to understand and apply Your Word in our lives.
Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - 1 Timothy 4:11-16
Verse 11. "Prescribe and teach these things."
The word "prescribe" here is better translated as "command,"
which it is in the King James Version. It is literally someone who is
appointed over others, to direct people, to order someone to act in certain
ways. Paul was directing the younger man, Pastor Timothy, to command and
teach other pastors to present the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, in
a clear, simple, lucid manner. We are to have FAITH in the gospel of our Lord and not
waste our time or the churches time with mere "fables" (Verse 7).
Verse 12. "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but
rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of
those who believe."
Far too many people, perhaps all of us at times, tend to
reject others for superficial reasons. In Paul's day, to be older in age
was considered an advantage. In many places, 2000 years ago, the implication of gray
or white hair was that the person had a certain wisdom based on experience.
In today's world, the reverse is often true. Youth is admired and the
elderly are thought to have little to offer. The lesson of this verse is
that we should not let our prejudices rule us. We are not to "look down" on
anyone. We all need to learn for we know much less than we think we do.
When we trust in Jesus Christ, something, Someone wonderful is
planted within the center of our being. That lonely place, deep inside, is
filled with the Holy Spirit of God. The cross of Christ and the gift of
the Holy Spirit bring innocence to the guilty and the healing power of God
to the soul-sick. If you use the analogy of medicine, a dose of God Himself is
planted within us and He begins to heal us from the inside. Paul had seen in Timothy
that the younger man had profoundly received the Lord, and that, as a result,
"love, faith and purity" emanated from him, which was reflected in his "speech
(and) conduct." Just like Timothy,
you are intended to become "an example of those who (truly)
believe."
Verse 13. "Until I come, give attention to the public reading
of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching."
"The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"
(Hebrews 4:12). The Bible, which is the "Word of God," is indeed "living
and powerful." The written Word, by the way, should be approached with prayer, for it
is God who gives understanding. Timothy, who stayed behind in Ephesus when
Paul left for Macedonia, needed to know, in Paul's absence, what was important in the conducting of
a church service.
Paul's answer? - "The public reading of Scripture," the Word
of God. All of "Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It's ALL valuable, from Genesis
to Revelation. Remember that when Paul wrote the words of these verses,
the only Bible he had was the Old Testament. "Exhortation" here was
actually "encouraging" someone. "Teaching" is a gift of God in which the
teacher helps others understand the written Word of God.
Verse 14. "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which
was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands
by the presbytery."
There are those who don't believe in the concept of a
"spiritual gift." Others think that such things are only for certain persons in the
church, usually the pastor. Many have believed that the gifts were somehow
for the Early Church only and are not for today. Scripture teaches,
however, that "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).
And Moses said this about the way God does things: "God is not a man, that He
should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He spoken, and will He
not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19). If you have trusted in Christ, "do not
neglect the spiritual gift within you" for whether you know it or not, you have
surely been given a "gift" to benefit others.
The phrase, "laying on of hands by the presbytery" means that
Timothy received his "gift" or "gifts" through prayer. The men laid their
hands upon him, called out to the Lord in prayer, and the prayer was answered.
A "gift" of the Holy Spirit of God was discernibly given to this young man.
Evidence of that gift was immediately received in the form of a "prophetic
utterance" given through one of the men who was known to have the gift of
prophesy (1 Corinthians 12:28). About such gifts, Paul said, "Do not
despise prophesies," though note that he also said, "Test all things" (1 Thessalonians
5:20-21).
Verse 15. "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them,
so that your progress will be evident to all."
People don't change, not by themselves. Education can be
helpful and it will
affect us, but not in the manner described in these verses. "All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God," Paul said in Romans 3:23.
Education might give us important information, but it does not bring us the
"faith, love (and) purity" glimpsed in Verse 12. Neither does physical
exercise. If you, as a Christian, remain hard-headed in business and
continue to cheat your way through life, others will see what you have done and may
decide to NOT trust in the Lord for themselves.
One of the cruelest acts you can inflict upon your children is
to resist the healing power of God in your own life. If you want your
children to trust in the Lord, then give yourself to Him. "Your progress (or
the lack of it) will be evident to all."
Paul said in another place, "You are manifestly an epistle
(a
letter) of Christ... written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God,
not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart" (2
Corinthians 3:3). Give yourself utterly to the Lord, to His purposes, to
His call. Let His love live in and through you, "so that your progress
will be evident to all." Everyone around you will benefit from
what you have done.
Verse 16. "Pay close attention to yourself and to your
teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure
salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."
"Teaching" is a gift from God.
The ability to teach is not some "natural" gift that you can feel proud about.
It is an opportunity to give praise to the God who gave you that ability.
But since the teacher has such a profound influence in and over the lives of
those they teach, it is important to "pay close attention
to yourself and to your teaching." 2 Corinthians 13:5 urges, "Examine
yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves..."
That statement applies to the spiritual gifts that all in the church are supposed to have.
Don't assume you are right and everybody else is somehow
wrong, "but test everything" (1 Thessalonians 5:21);
not only testing the work of others, but especially look to the Lord and examine
with Him all that YOU do and say. "Persevere in these
things," keep on teaching that which leads to "Godliness"
(Verses 7-8), and also keep a close eye on what it is that you do. Keep close
to the Lord, which will "ensure salvation both for yourself
and for those who hear you."
Father, we open ourselves up to You in the Name, the
authority, the power and the love of Jesus Christ. Gift us so that we
might truly become a letter sent from God to those around us. We surrender
to You, to Your Will. Use us, Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen.
