SSL 4 - 1 Timothy 4:1-13
LAST WEEK: In 1 Tim. 3:1-13, we studied Paul's instructions to Timothy about the qualifications in two categories of church leadership: (1) Overseers, which includes pastors, elders, and bishops (in some denominations), and (2) deacons, which might even extend to women in servant ministries. The principle we learned was that the qualifications required (note imperative-not optional) to be eligible for church leadership positions have very little to do with giftedness, spiritual or natural, but everything to do with godly character as demonstrated at church, at home, and at work. While no candidate can hope to fit every criterion perfectly, it must be someone who conspicuously makes an effort to live up to these godly standards.
THIS WEEK: In 1 Tim. 4:1-13, Paul transitions his letter toward a discussion of false teaching. In these verses, Paul is especially concerned about teachers who encourage the practice of asceticism, which was the belief that a person can achieve a higher spiritual and moral state of being by practicing self-denial of the comforts and normal things of life. Paul counters this, saying that everything that God created can be "good" and "holy" when used as God intended. Next in vv. 6-13, he gives Timothy his perspective on the right way to lead as a church elder/pastor. Since Timothy has been warned about false teachers, to contradict them, he needs to be vigilant in living, teaching, and defending the truth.
Read 1 Tim 4:1-5 - FALLING AWAY-APOSTACY
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, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 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. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
v. 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" - What Paul means by "the Spirit explicitly says" isn't clear, whether it's direct revelation to him by the Holy Spirit or a reference to a prophecy not recorded in Scripture. By "later times," Paul isn't referring to the end times per se but a forward-looking time up until the eventual return of Christ. The "faith" he speaks of isn't losing the ability to believe but losing the truth of what Christian should believe. He predicts that certain people associated with the church will "fall away" from the true faith and points to demonic influence as the source of this error. We have certainly seen evidence of this in our time with cults like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and the Church of Scientology (if you really want to see an extreme example).
v. 2: "by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron" - Here, Paul continues his description of false teachers. Their "hypocrisy" is not that they fail to follow what they teach but "liars" who teach things they really don't believe to throw people off-con men. When a patch of skin is seared with a branding iron, the burned area, when healed, loses all feeling, is desensitized. Thus, the consciences of the false teachers are desensitized-completely indifferent -toward the damage they cause.
v. 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" - This is a reference to the ascetics, who taught that everything in the material world was evil-a central belief of the Gnostics, who rejected marriage and forbid the eating of certain foods. According to Paul, the material things God created for our benefit, sustenance, and procreation should not be rejected. Paul's reasoning here-i.e., Biblical truth-isn't based on the early church but goes back to God's creation in Gen. 1.
v. 4: "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude" - Continuing his reasoning from v. 3, Paul asserts that everything created by God has some good purpose, as opposed to false teachers who seem to measure holiness by what is denied. But anything can be abused: too much wine, too much food, and sex outside of marriage. We show "gratitude" toward God when we accept His blessings with responsibility and self-restraint.
v. 5: "for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer" - "Sanctified" means that God set these things apart for humankind. Paul doesn't quote them, but "by means of the word of God," is apparently referring to Gen. 1:29: Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;" and Gen 9:3: "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant." Then Paul says we should give God thanks for His great provision to us in prayer, which has been a longstanding Christian practice before meals up to this very day.
TRUTH 1: Those whom Paul describes as "falling away" (i.e., apostasy) are people who are not enjoying God and the blessings He provides. Misled by false teachers, these people have fallen into an outward form of religion in which they think they are achieving a higher level of "holiness" when they deny themselves things like marriage, certain foods, and other material provision. Paul corrects this false notion on the Biblical ground that everything was created by God for a good purpose. Moreover, Paul identifies demonic influence as the source of this error. These errors come into the church by men, but behind these professing Christians who are teaching falsehoods were demonic forces, which Paul refers to as "deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." This tells us that we must understand and be on our guard against the fact that the demonic forces names are not just "out there," but can creep in and corrupt people already inside the church. This is Paul's main point.
Read 1 Tim. 4:6-10 - A GOOD PASTOR'S/ELDER'S DISCIPLINE
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. 7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline your-self for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profi-table for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 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.
v. 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" - Here we see Paul shift his focus to Timothy's line of attack against these false teachers as a pastor. The "things" he's to point out refers the false teaching identified in vv. 1-5, and it's the pastor's primary job to teach these things to the "brethren" as "a good servant of Jesus Christ." A good servant, as used here, can be defined as a person who is both knowledgeable and experienced in the truths of the Christian Faith. And two weeks ago we learned that "sound doctrine"-what we believe as our articles of faith-is wholly defined according to Apostolic Teaching and Interpretation." For Christians today, this means that the Bible, both OT and NT, and any doctrines derived from it.
v. 7a: "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline your-self for the purpose of godliness" - After telling Timothy to prepare himself and his church to defend the truth against false teaching, Paul now offers practical advice on how to do it. The "worldly fables" are man-made superstitions (i.e., like "wives tales") concocted by Gnostics and other false teaching. This really includes anything based purely on human opinion.
v. 7b-8: "On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 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" - By "discipline yourself," Paul is referring to teaching and instruc-tion to train both himself and his church for godliness; and the training wasn't intended just to gain knowledge but put into action to promote godly living-something that can be seen and noticed. Godly living doesn't make life more comfortable, or materially richer, or easier, yet it is the most fulfilling and contented way to life in this present world. Physical exercise, which keeps the body fit in this life, is not nearly as important as godliness-"spiritual exercise"-which carries eternal value. The main point is that bodily fitness, success and wealth, fame and beauty, and achievements in learning offer nothing in the life to come, but spiritual growth, learning, and fitness last forever.
v. 9-10: "It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 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" - In v. 9, Paul reemphasizes the importance of godliness and pushes Timothy to reach "full acceptance" in his church-no one left behind. The "this" for which Paul "labors and strives" are the points he made-discipline, teaching, instructing-for achieving godliness in vv. 7-8. The "living God" is a name often associated with God the Father in the OT, yet when coupled with phrase "who is the Savior of all men," Paul acknowledged Jesus and the Father as one. The phrase "Savior of all men" is curious, as it seems to adopt the universalist idea that everybody goes to heaven, but this is wholly inconsistent with Paul's teaching throughout his writings of salvation by grace alone by faith in Jesus Christ alone. A possible interpretation is that the term "all men" was a reference to the fact that salvation has been made available to both Jew and Gentile alike. True then and true today, yes?
TRUTH 2: Like Paul's advice to Timothy, we need to continually discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. Similar in principle to the discipline of exercising and eating properly to maintain a healthy body, Paul tells us it's far more important to strive to maintain godliness through "spiritual" exercise and nourishment. Paul recommends two things: (1) That we constantly nourish ourselves on the "words of faith" and "sound doctrine." All of us should be familiar with the Baptist Faith & Message, which explains what Paul refers to as "sound doctrine" in the form of eighteen articles. This isn't something that Southern Baptists just dreamed up but a concise statement of beliefs based wholly on the Bible, both OT and NT, according to apostolic teaching and interpretation. You can access a copy at this website: http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp. Or if you don't have computer access, ask me and I'll run a copy for you. (2) We should have nothing to do with any belief system-i.e., the "fables or myths" that Paul refers to-that add to, subtract from, or in any other manner departs from what we understand as "sound doctrine." The key word is "understand."
Read 1 Tim. 4:11-13 - THE PRESCIPTION
11 Prescribe and teach these things. 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. 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.
v. 11: "Prescribe and teach these things" - Paul uses two emphatic imperatives. The word for "prescribe" (Gk. paragelle) is an action verb that can mean to command or charge, like a military order, to execute it boldly and fearlessly. The word for "teach" (Gk. didasko) literally means teaching with application, what we might call the "how-to" method. Paul gets to that in the next verse.
v. 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" - This verse can be seen from two perspec-tives: (1) Timothy was estimated to be in his early-30s at this time, and it was unusual for a man his age to be elevated to a top leadership position, in a church or elsewhere. For all time, it has been the tendency of the older generation to dismiss the wisdom and abilities of younger men. Rather than simply trying to be assertive, Paul encourages Timothy to live a life that's so godly in terms of personal lifestyle and behavior, together with his ability to instruct in the truth (i.e., "sound doctrine") of the Christian faith, to such an extent that no one, young or old, could object on the basis of his appearance. And (2) at the same time, his youthful vitality, enthusiasm, and obvious competence could be used to draw younger people. Paul's command to "show yourself as an example" really applies to every Christian everywhere-that's me and you-in terms of our: (1) speech-what we say; (2) conduct-what we do; (3) love-what we show; (4) faith-how we are seen; and (5) purity-how we live.
v. 13: "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching" - Paul's journey had taken him from Ephesus into Macedonia, but he hoped to rejoin Timothy soon. This verse tells Timothy to devote his energies to three areas: (1) To be committed to the public reading of Scripture; (2) to be faithful to exhortation, which is preaching the Gospel; and (3) to teach (Gk. didasko), which carries with it the understanding and application of sound doctrine-this how disciples are made who will, in turn, make disciples.
TRUTH 3: All of us should take the same prescription for spiritual medicine that Paul gave to Timothy and be careful to refill it whenever we're running low. Paul's prescription (vv. 11-12) to Timothy instructed him to live a life that's so godly in terms of personal lifestyle and behavior, together with his ability to instruct in the truth of the Christian faith that nobody, young or old, could object on the basis of his appearance. The way to accomplish this, according to Paul, is to do our utmost to "show yourself as an example" (v. 12) in terms of our: (1) speech-what we say; (2) conduct-what we do; (3) love-what we show; (4) faith-how we are seen; and (5) purity-how we live.
