Bible Commentaries
1 Timothy 4

Verses 1-5

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Timothy 4:1

We're there! We have been there for quite a while in the US. It became especially clear in the rebellious 1960s and 70s, as demons and demonic teachings began to infiltrate and take over the power centers as well as many of the people in the US. Unfortunately, some of this type teaching began to filter into the church. Paul says here that they will apostatize (apostesontai) from the true faith. This verse was written in the future tense, but in the verses that follow Paul switches into the present tense, indicating that the "later times" are upon us.^(F1) The word apostesontai is taken from the Greek aphistemi and it means to "stand off" or "to fall away." We get our English word "apostatize" from this.^(F2)

It is important that we understand what Paul is saying here. The background for his teaching is taken from the Old Testament prophets. They clearly taught that things would get a lot worse before they would get better. The prophet Daniel made clear that in the last days, the governments of all nations would degenerate until finally, the godless Beast or antichrist would rule over the whole world (Daniel 8:23-25; 9:27; 12:1-3). This would bring a short reign of godlessness and horror unseen before in all human history (Daniel 12:1-3; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; 1 John 2:18).

In this last time, people themselves will degenerate along with the world governments. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul gives a listing of these folks. He says:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

There are several things we should notice about these people. They are totally self-absorbed. They are totally given to greed and they love and seek after pleasure. The interesting thing about them is that they are religious and some are likely even called "Christians." Paul says that we should have nothing to do with them. In saying this, he places us all right in the middle of the last days. Thus, he contradicts much that is taught today that all Christians are going to fly away to glory and miss the last days entirely.

We should note here that the Spirit is speaking expressly about this situation. There is nothing obscure about these words. The Greek rētōs (in words, expressly) means that this information is open and plain for all to see. It is not given in hints, symbols or shadowy images.^(F3)

"Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (4:2). Although these are the teachings of demons, we should note that they still must come through flesh and blood people. They are hypocritical liars but they are people nonetheless. Since demons are spiritual disembodied beings, they must still recruit people to do their dirty work.^(F4) Many of these people will probably have the name "Christian" attached to them but they are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15ff). These are false prophets and false teachers (2 Peter 3:3-5). Peter says of them, "In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping" (2 Peter 2:3).

One great gift the Lord has given to humanity is the gift of conscience. Like a compass it points us to the truth and to the right way. However, we see here that these false teachers had their consciences branded or cauterized (Gk. kausteriazo) as with a hot iron. It seems likely that Paul is using this word more in a medical sense.^(F5) The word probably had its origin in the branding of slaves or criminals. Of course, the branded person would lose feeling in the area of his body affected. The false teachers were thus without feeling or sensitivity. They were also without the truth. We see in 2 Timothy 2:18, that some of them were teaching the erroneous idea that the resurrection had already passed.

"They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth" (4:3). It is obvious that in the early church there was a strong tendency toward an extreme asceticism. It seems that much of this tendency came from the Greek world and at least some of it was inherited from the Jews. For instance, while the Jews as a whole had a strong belief in marriage and family, the Essenes tolerated marriage only for preserving the race, and allowed it only under stringent regulations.^(F6) Of course, there was much emphasis among the Jews regarding what foods were kosher and what foods were not. This food issue caused much tension, even in the apostolic era (Galatians 2:11-14). The Greeks with their ideas that the world and the flesh were hopelessly defiled, placed an undue emphasis upon the spiritual world while disregarding the natural world.

The forbidding of marriage had a great impact on the church. In early Christian times some monks retreated to the desert, shunning marriage and also depriving themselves of most normal foods. In early patristic theology virginity began to be exaggerated and later celibacy was encouraged among the clergy and religious orders. This trend happened in spite of the fact that marriage was encouraged in the New Testament (Hebrews 13:4), and even some of the apostles themselves were married (1 Corinthians 9:5).

It is clear that these false teachers had an argument with God. They were in fact demeaning God and his original plan for humanity. It was God who invented marriage and who said that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). From that point, it seems that Satan began to launch his great attack upon marriage. We see his attack manifesting itself in several ways today. It is seen in the pervasive emphasis upon homosexuality, lesbianism, promiscuous sex, abortion and numerous other deviations.

Not only did God invent marriage, but he also provided food for humankind to eat and enjoy. Under Jewish law, food was somewhat restricted and certain things, like pork, were deemed unclean. It is clear that these legalistic restrictions were but types and shadows designed to teach people the difference between clean and unclean. According to New Testament teaching these food restrictions were fulfilled and ended. Jesus declared all foods clean and good (Mark 7:14-23). He reiterated the lesson with Peter in Acts 10 and later he reaffirmed it through Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33.

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer" (4:4-5). We need to remember that God in the beginning declared all his creation to be "good." (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25). The Anglican commentator, John Trapp (1601-1669), remarks here, "He made the grass before he made the beasts, and the beasts before man, that all might have food convenient for them."^(F7) So, all food is created by God and is good. We can eat anything that does not eat us first. Some foods are more nutritious and some are more tasteful than others.

In our Christian walk it is perfectly permissible for us to fast from some food or all food for a period of time (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23). It is also permissible for husband and wife to abstain from sexual intercourse for a time in order that they might pray more effectively (1 Corinthians 7:4-5). However, it is not permissible for us to shun these things that God has declared "good." Such an attitude is an insult to the Creator.

We must also remember that our Christian asceticism is not done to gain God's approval. We already have that through the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 1:6 NKJ). It is done to sharpen our spiritual senses and make us more effective in God's work.

Long ago the church father Origen expanded our idea of fasting when he said:

Do you still want me to show you what kind of fast it is appropriate for you to practice? Fast from every sin, take no food of malice, take no feasts of passion, do not burn with any wine of luxury. Fast from evil deeds, abstain from evil words, hold yourself from the worst evil thoughts. Do not touch the secret loaves of perverse doctrine. Do not desire the deceptive foods of philosophy which seduce you from truth. Such a fast pleases God.^(F8)

It is clear that all food, even that which was once forbidden in the law, is sanctified by the word and by prayer. It is sanctified by the word, in that through the word all food is now declared clean and good for us. It is sanctified by prayer in this sense, "The very fact that we thank God for it makes a thing sacred. Not even the demons can touch it when it has been touched by the Spirit of God."^(F9) As we can note, prayer or grace before meals is taught throughout the scripture (Matthew 14:19; 15:36; Acts 27:35).

Verses 6-10

TIMOTHY, BEING A GOOD MINISTER

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 1 Timothy 4:6

In a real sense, the remainder of this chapter simply contains exhortations that are made to Timothy in view of the threatening apostasy. Paul instructs Timothy on how these dangers may be combated and remedied.

Timothy had experienced a very good background in Christian teaching from his mother and grandmother. Now, as a minister of the gospel, it was his turn to establish others in a similar background and understanding of scripture. It is unfortunate, that today in the midst of heresy on all sides, our ministers no longer have the time to give their congregations a good foundation in Christian doctrine. Towner laments, "…reports from an alarming percentage of pastors and missionaries, among other Christian workers, show that under the weight of ministry responsibilities time spent in the Word of God (and in prayer) becomes irregular and haphazard."^(F10) If the minister is not fed, he cannot feed his people.

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly" (4:7). The Greek word myths (muthos) meant fictions, fables and falsehoods.^(F11) The early church did not have a monopoly on these. As we have mentioned previously, myths are very much a problem that we have in the church today. Christianity is still struggling on all sides with myths, both the theological kind and the secular kind. In the theological realm there are the numerous theological myths that have been spun out by some in the schools of higher criticism. Ironically, higher criticism has branded much of the Bible itself as mythology. There is the myth of the secret rapture of the church that we have mentioned. In the last half century it has worked havoc with our understanding of the end times. There is also the myth of the prosperity gospel – believe in Jesus and grow rich! In the secular realm we are fighting a life and death battle with humanism, with Darwinism, Freudianism and several other isms. As we also mentioned earlier, we are in a great struggle with the postmodern concept that all truth is relative. These are all modern and postmodern myths that are taking a terrible toll on the church.

Paul calls these myths "old wives' tales." We have all probably heard plenty of these tales when we were growing up. As we get older we realize that there is really no truth in these stories. Paul challenges Timothy to refute them. Of course, this can be done easily if one is skilled in the Word of God. Stott describes a lot of these stories as "spiritual
junk food."^(F12)

The spiritual antidote for all this is training in godliness (Gk. eusebia). This is an important concept for Paul in this book. It has within its meaning reverence for God and piety toward God. Stott says of such people, that "they have experienced the Copernican revolution of Christian conversion from self-centeredness to God-centeredness."^(F13)

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (4:8). In the US we are living at a time when great emphasis is being placed on physical training. It is an interesting paradox that many of our "health nuts" today continue to do things with their bodies in the moral realm that will in time totally destroy them both physically and spiritually. Paul does concede that there is "some value" in physical training and that all the pain does bring a little gain. The word for physical training used here is the Greek gumnazia. We realize that we get our English word gymnasium directly from this Greek word. Paul makes clear that training in the moral and spiritual realm is much more profitable than physical training. This is a lesson that is almost unknown by millions in the West today.

The scripture is clear that our physical bodies are meant to be the temples of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are meant to use them in his service and to bring glory to him. Of course, it is important that we take care of our bodies. In this respect some exercise is good. It is also good in disciplining ourselves to push away from the table and not destroy ourselves with obesity. Recent reports show that 35.7 percent of US adults are obese (grossly overweight), and that medical costs associated with obesity in one recent year were estimated at $147 billion.^(F14) Another 33.3 percent of Americans are just overweight.^(F15)

Along with obesity we should also avoid dangerous and addictive substances. Of course, we should follow Paul's advice and keep our bodies pure and holy for the Lord. Paul is really challenging Timothy and the Ephesian church to be as devoted to godliness as the Greek athletes were devoted to their sports. Guthrie says here, "The race of godliness demands every ounce of energy a person possesses."^(F16)

"This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe" (4:9-10). Commentators are divided as to whether verse 9 applies to verse 8 or to verse 10. Coffman sees it as applying to verse 8 and perhaps this is correct.^(F17) Paul says that he labors and strives in the race for godliness. The first Greek word he uses is kopiao (labor), which suggests strenuous toil. He uses this word in Philippians 2:16, to describe the fatigue of an athletic contest.^(F18) The second Greek word is agonizomai (strive). We have talked about this word before and it is from this word that we get our words agony and agonize.

The apostle says here that God is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. This is in no sense a teaching of universalism, or that all people everywhere will be saved. He is saying that God is the Savior of those who believe and the potential Savior of the unbelievers.^(F19) All the unbeliever has to do is call out in faith to God in order to be saved (Romans 10:13).

Verses 11-12

A TEACHER AND EXAMPLE

Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:11-12

Paul is once more using the military term parangello or "command" as he instructs Timothy. He seems to want young Timothy to be a lot like a drill sergeant in the Army. He certainly does not want him to be "timid" Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7). "The example which Christian leaders set, whether in their life or their ministry, should be dynamic and progressive. People should be able to observe not only what they are but what they are becoming, supplying evidence that they are growing into maturity in Christ."^(F20)

Timothy was certainly not expected to bow down or get pushed aside just because he was young. This reference to Timothy's youthfulness (Gk. neotes) in the ancient world could indicate that he was probably under forty years old.^(F21) Others have guessed him between thirty and forty. He was young but as Matthew Henry says, "Men's youth will not be despised, if they keep from vanities and follies."^(F22)

In the annals of Christian history some young men have accomplished remarkable things. From the journals of Francis Asbury, we realize that this outstanding young Methodist missionary actually began the Methodist work in America. He was sent by John Wesley to preach in the Eastern Colonies when he was only twenty-six years old. He rode on horseback throughout the Colonies, preaching everywhere he went. It is estimated that he rode some 250,000 miles (402,250 km.) during his American ministry. It is a record that has not been equaled in history.^(F23)

Timothy would not be despised but instead, he also left an outstanding record. His name has been written down in glory. He lived up to his name of one who honors God. Paul instructed that he be an example (Gk. tupos) "…in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." It is very likely that the special spiritual gift given to Timothy had to do with speech, including preaching and teaching. He thus should use his gift to the maximum. But what good is speech, even the most powerful preaching, if one's life does not back him up? As the old saying goes, a sermon is more caught than taught. Paul charged his young helper to also display love (Gk. agape). Barclay properly defines this Greek word as "unconquerable benevolence."^(F24) He is also to display faith and purity (Gk. hagnos). This word is defined as moral purity or chastity. "The qualities in which Timothy is to excel are those in which youth is so often deficient."^(F25)

Verses 13-14

GIFTS OF MINISTRY

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 1 Timothy 4:13

We see here that the earliest Christian worship services were somewhat different than ours today. The preacher, writer and broadcaster, Warren Wiersbe, had exposure to a vast number of churches in his long ministry. He laments, "I have noted that many churches have dispensed with the public reading of God's Word."^(F26)

In the early church, the public reading of the word held a very important place. The centrality of the word was of course much a part of Jewish worship. We see that the Bible was read publicly from the days of Ezra. It was also very important to synagogue worship. Jesus reflected this custom as he read the scripture publicly at the Nazareth synagogue. By the second century such reading was much a part of accepted liturgy.^{Luke 4:16-20; Acts 13:15; Acts 15:21; 2 Corinthians 3:14)…I think that while public reading is the prominent thought, the Spirit intended also to teach that Scripture reading in private should be "the fountain of all wisdom from which pastors ought to draw whatever they bring before their flock" [Alford]. (Faussett, v. 4:13).">(F27)}

The church father Justyn Martyr remarks upon the custom of his day (c. AD 170). He describes a normal worship service saying, "All who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray."^(F28)

We see the same pattern reflected in this verse. The Greek words are paraklesis and disaskalia. Paraklesis is a word that means exhortation, [preaching] while didaskalia means teaching.^(F29) It is much to our loss that we have veered from this blessed pattern of reading the Bible, making exhortations based on the Bible and continuing with Bible-based teaching. Such a pattern brings forth truths that are both new and old as Jesus said (Matthew 13:52).

"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you" (4:14). Young Timothy certainly had an important spiritual gift. It had come from the laying on of hands of Paul and the presbytery (cf. 2 Timothy 1:6). We see in 1 Timothy 1:18, that the gift was granted through a prophetic message. As we have said earlier, this spiritual gift may have been in the realm of teaching. Others, looking at 2 Timothy 4:5, think it might have included evangelism.

Timothy was ordered not to neglect his special gift. It is clear in scripture that God does not change his mind about gifts that are given to people (Romans 11:29). However, people can allow their gifts to shrivel and atrophy if they are not used. The early commentator John Trapp says of this, "God's gifts groan under our disuse or misuse."^(F30)

Verses 15-16

PERSEVERING TO THE END

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 1 Timothy 4:15

The development and use of our gifts, and the Christian life in general, is a lot like riding a bicycle. Either we go on, or we go off Timothy is told to be diligent and to wholly give himself to these things. Jesus once warned his followers saying, "By your patience possess your souls" (Luke 21:19 NKJ).

The word "diligent" (Gk. meletao) in the text above has an array of meanings. It means to carefully attend, to practice, to give yourself wholly, but it also has the meaning, "to meditate."^(F31) The concept of biblical meditation has almost escaped us today and people who are interested in meditation almost have to flee to the eastern cults. However, it was a very important thing in Bible days for people to quietly meditate or ponder the things of God. No pastor is too busy to find time to meditate. The Great Israelite commander Joshua took time to meditate as he and his armies were conquering the land. He advised us, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8). Paul gives Timothy some similar advice.

Faussett says, "As food would not nourish without digestion, which assimilates the food to the substance of the body, so spiritual food, in order to benefit us, needs to be appropriated by prayerful meditation."^(F32) The Hebrew word behind the Greek is ha-ga and it is a picture of a cow chewing her cud. We should continue to chew on God's word and turn it over in our minds until the deeper meaning is revealed to us. I must confess that most of the truths I have gained from the Lord over the last half-century have come in the quiet times, even in the wee hours of the night, as I have quietly meditated on the word of God.

Another important Greek word Paul uses here is prokopen (progress). It has the meaning of cutting forward, blazing the way or making a pioneer advance.^(F33) Obviously, Paul wanted young Timothy to "move on" and make an enormous amount of spiritual progress with himself and with the church at Ephesus.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (4:16). This is an important verse especially for pastors and leaders. Long ago I decided to write this verse in the fly leaf of my Bible, so it could be a constant reminder. It is easy for a pastor to become overconfident, especially if the church awards him too much praise. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:12, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" When we watch our character and conduct as well as our doctrine and teaching we will avoid such a disaster. Jesus in Matthew 10:22 promises pastors and the rest of us, "…he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Many are the famous pastors and leaders whose conduct and poor theology have made them a laughingstock. Such activity, often published widely by TV, has brought much disgrace to Christianity. Other dear pastors have quietly nurtured their flocks as they themselves have grown spiritually. Most of these will only be famous in the world to come.