1Timothy, chapter 4, comments

 

1Timothy 4:1 ¶  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; 2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 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. 4  For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5  For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

He is talking about God’s Spirit, the very mind of God, not the human spirit. For contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be synonymous with the mind of God or man please see the following;

 

Romans 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

 

1Corinthians 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

Ephesians 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

 

Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 

2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

 

God is warning us through Paul that in the end times, called the latter times here, Christians will depart from the simple faith in Christ and cling to seducing spirits, disembodied minds of an evil nature perpetuating the doctrines of devils. Paul explains what that means, them speaking lies in hypocrisy with a seared conscience shut to the truth. They will preach things like abstaining from marriage and abstaining from either flesh in particular or perhaps this is a reference to strict diets that try to adhere to the Law given to Moses.

A certain group of Christians has forbidden their priests to marry. This began officially in the 12^th century. The Christian bishop or pastor, as discussed previously, is at liberty to take a wife and there is no restriction against doing so.

It should also be pointed out that there are no dietary restrictions under New Testament Christianity other than the eating of blood. This admonition is here before the Law given to Moses, within that Law for the Hebrews (Leviticus 3:17), and after that Law for the Gentile church (Acts 15:20). All food is sanctified by the word of God plainly read and prayer if received with a thankful heart. Remember what the Lord told Peter in Acts, chapter 10, about not calling unclean that which God has cleansed.

Acts 10:9 ¶  On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10  And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11  And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12  Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14  But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16  This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

These restrictions, these impositions on the body of Christ, are called doctrines of devils. These restrictions make a church a cult rather than the church of Christ.

1Timothy 4:6 ¶  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. 7  But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 8  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. 9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 10  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. 11  These things command and teach. 12  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. 13  Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14  Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15  Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.  16  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.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church;

1Corinthians 4:17 ¶  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

Paul’s desire is for Timothy to nourished in God’s words of faith and belief and the good doctrine that he has been taught and has understood, the meaning of attained, Biblically, in this particular context.

Psalm 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Proverbs 1:5  A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

He warns Timothy about profane and old wives’ fables telling him to prefer to exercise himself unto godliness. Jewish fables and mythologies, Gnostic heresies about good and evil gods and demiurges, and Greek and Roman stories about the gods, magic, witchcraft, all things that create a mystical illusion opposed to the simplicity of the gospel of Christ and ultimately God’s sovereignty over all matter and energy and events proceeding from them are in opposition to the gospel and are not good doctrine.

The contrast here is not to denigrate the value of physical exercise but in the long view of eternity it is of little value compared to the exercise of spiritual wisdom. Godliness will bless you in this life as my study on Proverbs makes very clear and the promise of eternal life with our Creator is of far more value than tending to our physical existence, particularly obsessively. Paul reinforces that this is indeed the truth and worthy of being accepted by the hearer.

Psalm 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

1Peter 3:10  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

While a brisk walk may be good for you in this life it pales in comparison to what is promised in the two passages I just quoted.

An important note in verse 10 is that Paul has suffered and been spoken ill of for believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Saviour of the whole world but especially of those who will believe and have faith in Him. Like a gift at Christmas that the recipient refuses to open and tosses in the fire salvation will do no good to the one who refuses to receive the Lord.

Paul desires that Timothy command and teach these things Paul has taught him. He also is to not let himself be held in contempt because he is a young man. He is to be an example to the believers over which he has spiritual oversight in word, behavior, in love of the brethren, in purity, in faith, and spirit. Conversation typically refers to our behavior.

Galatians 1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Ephesians 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Paul gives him three tasks to do until Paul comes to visit. He is to read the scriptures. This is fundamental to our walking closer with God. See how a king was commanded to do so under the Law.

Deuteronomy 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

We need to read the Bible and let God speak to us through His words, which are very important to Him.

Psalm 138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

He is to exhort; encouraging, preaching, convicting his congregations of sin and leading them by example. He also must study because doctrine, particularly good doctrine is fundamental to a preacher’s role as a leader of men and women in Christ.

Timothy has had hands laid on him by the elders and Paul confirming the authority he bears and the gifts that God has given him and he should not neglect these gifts. We all have gifts to exercise for God. All of us have been given something that we can use for God and we must not neglect that gift. The gift that qualified Timothy for the ministry must not be forsaken, but exercised constantly.

Finally, Paul tells Timothy to think about what Paul has said. He is to meditate on these things, giving himself 100% completely to them, letting his light shine before everyone who sees him. They should see his dedication and see what God is doing in his life and work.

If he will just do this he will not only save himself but those who hear him, in this context, from all of the contradictions of false doctrine, fables and mythologies, ungodliness, and the pollution of the world. There is no indication in this passage that Timothy’s eternal salvation is dependent upon his works. This is an admonition that has immediate and very temporal consequences.