First
Timothy 4:3
The first part of First Timothy chapter 4 is a warning against
false teachers. Specifically what kinds of things do these false teachers teach?
Two of their false teachings are given to us in First Timothy 4:3 that says, Forbidding to
marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be
received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. There are certain
things in life that God has given to human beings. That which God has given,
let not man take away. God created marriage between a man and a woman. God said
that a man should leave His mother and father and cleave unto his wife.
Marriage between a man and a woman is good. It has always been good and it will
always be good. If anyone forbids marriage between a man and a woman in the
name of religion, then they have just identified themselves as being people who
have departed from the faith. It is always a good thing to get married. Of
course, it is also a good thing to make sure that through prayer and careful
consideration that you marry someone who will be the best possible match as a
spouse, partner, lover, and companion for the rest of your life.
There are two possible paths in life: celibacy and marriage.
Either one is a valid path to take in your walk with God. You are free to make
your own choice based upon your own preferences and what you think is Gods
will for you. But if anyone forbids marriage in the name of religion, then they
have thereby proven that they have given heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils.
The same is true concerning the eating of meat. First Timothy 4:4
says, For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if
it be received with thanksgiving. One of the reasons that God put
animals on the earth was to provide food for man. The lion has dominion over
the forest. He uses the animals there for his food. Man has dominion over the
whole earth in the will of God. You are free to be a vegetarian if you so choose,
but there is no religious reason to be one. If anyone says that you must
abstain from eating meat in order to better serve God then they have just
proven that they have given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
Whatever we eat, we should always do it with thanksgiving. First
Timothy 4:4 says that it is alright to eat meat, but only if it be
received with thanksgiving. As we walk in fellowship with Jesus in this world, there
are two primary things that make up that fellowship: God talking to us and us
talking to God. God talks to us through His Word and the Spirit and we talk to
Him through prayer. First Timothy 4:5 says, For it is sanctified by the
word of God and prayer. One of the main things that we should say whenever we
talk to God are words of thanksgiving. Of course, our goal is to make God a
part of everything we do. One of the things that we do every day is eat food.
When we eat and take in Gods daily provision, we should do it with
thanksgiving because we should acknowledge that everything that we have comes
from Him. God is the creator of all things. God is our Provider. Everything
that we have comes from Him. Psalm 100 says, Make a joyful noise unto the
Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with
singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is he that hath made us, and not
we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him
and bless his name. For the Lord is good; is mercy is everlasting; and his
truth endureth to all generations.
In First Timothy 4:6 Paul wrote to Timothy, 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 good doctrine, wherein
thou hast attained. There is no pressure in teaching the doctrines of the New
Testament. Just open up the Bible and teach them. You do not have to always
come up with something new. Simply remind the brethren of things that they have
already heard. Whoever does not remind the brethren of these things is not a
good minister of Jesus Christ. Of course, in order to remind the brethren of
the things that are important, you must already know them yourself. That is
what Paul was referring to when he said, Nourished up in the words of faith and
good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. This is one of the purposes of life:
to learn and then to teach others what you have learned.
If you are going to say things that believers need to hear, then
you need to say the words of faith. There is a way to use words that will
result in the listeners having increased faith. Faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the Word of God. There are other words that will not help the hearers to
have more faith in God and Christ. Do not use those words. If you say negative
things, then you will think negative things, and your faith will be decreased,
and you will have a negative effect on the faith of those who hear your words.
If you say positive things that are consistent with the promises of the Bible,
your very words will result in increased faith.
That is why Paul said in First Timothy 4:7, But refuse
profane and old wives fables, and exercise thyself
rather unto godliness. The key to understanding what Paul is talking about is
the word fable. Literally, it is the Greek word for myth. A myth is an
imaginary story based upon a fictitious person, place, or thing. It is too bad
that more people have not taken this commandment seriously to refuse and to
shun myths in regards to Christianity. The Bible and the Bible alone is the
source of information for our faith and practice. Beware of those who have
claimed to have discovered another book. Beware of stories about visions and
dreams concerning healing at some stream or fountain. These are myths and those
who participate in the pursuit of them will not have their faith in God through
Christ built up. They will be diverted away from true faith because the object
of their faith will not be Jesus.
If we do not chase after the myths and fables that have been
brought into organized Christianity as so many are doing, then what should we
do with my time and efforts? The Bible tells us what not to do, but it does not
then leave a void. It also tells us what to do with our time and efforts in order
to fill up the void. It says, Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. It is not the
pilgrimages that you make or the ceremonies that you attend, but it is the kind
of person that you are that is important. The goal is to become a godly person.
How can a person like you or me become a godly person? Paul used one word in
this verse to explain how to become a godly person: exercise.
First Timothy 4:8 says, For bodily exercise profits a little:
but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that
now is, and of that which is to come. There is such a thing as physical
exercise. It has certain benefits in regards to your life on this earth, but
the benefits are small in comparison to all of the things that are most
important. There is such a thing as spiritual exercise: what Paul called
exercise unto godliness. To exercise means to put into play, to operate, to
perform. Of course, we know in our day and age when so many of us sit at a desk
every day, that it can be difficult to get the proper physical exercise. You
have to have a program and a plan. You have to set priorities, and you have to
be consistent. Some people start to exercise for a while, but as soon as they
stop exercising, they lose the benefits. They things that they once had gained,
they now have lost because the exercise stops.
Spiritual exercise has many similarities to physical exercise. It
requires setting priorities. Being godly, being spiritual, living a life of
faith has to be a priority. The spiritual exercise also must be done
consistently. That is one of the reasons that going to church is not enough to
be a spiritual person. It is important to hear good messages from the Bible and
to meet with other Christians, but it requires many more things to be done much
more often than can be gained by attending all possible church services. What
does it mean to exercise your self unto godliness? Remember that godliness more
than anything else refers to your faith. It refers to your actions also, but
only as your actions are an outcome from your faith. This is the
victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. The just shall
live by faith.
Peter said a very similar thing about the fact that there is a
very definite progression to becoming a more godly
person. Second Peter 1:5-7 says, And beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness
brotherly kindness; And to brotherly kindness love. You exercise
your faith by consistently putting it into practice. If you look for them and
if you make it a priority, every day will give many opportunities to exercise
yourself unto godliness and to exercise your faith. You will have opportunities
to be thankful for all things: the good and the bad. You will have
opportunities to pray for everyone with whom you come into contact. You will
have opportunities to place your confidence in Gods promises instead of
worrying. It does not matter how many years ago you have been saved, if you
have not learned to exercise yourself unto godliness. You may have been saved
many years ago and yet still be a babe in Christ.
The Bible says in First Timothy 4:9-10, This is a
faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labor and
suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all
men, specially of those that believe. This is the second time that Paul
used the phrase, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. The first
time was in First Timothy 1:15 where Paul said, That Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Here in chapter 4 verses 8-10 Paul is
speaking of the Christian life: the importance of increasing in godliness and
serving Christ in this world. These are the two great challenges and spiritual
imperatives of life: to come to know Him as Savior and then to serve Him in a
godly and spiritual way. Concerning both we can say, This is a
faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
Notice the irony in what Paul had to say. He said in First Timothy
4:10, We both labor and suffer reproach. Paul gave his life in
spreading the gospel. He labored. He worked for the benefit of others, knowing
that their chance for salvation was partly dependent upon his efforts to spread
the gospel. What was one of the results of such efforts? He suffered reproach.
In the case of the Christians of the first century, the reproach that they
suffered could easily lead to their death. For the Apostle Paul it did
eventually lead to his death.
Paul knew that his solace and comfort was in the fact that he
served the living God. The grave did not hold Jesus, and the grave would not
hold Paul or anyone else who believes in Jesus. This Bible verse is one of the
multitude of places in the Bible that clearly declare that Jesus is God. When
Paul said, We trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, Paul was
clearly saying that Jesus the Savior is God. That is the same thing that the
Apostle John said in John 1:1: In the beginning was the word, and the
word was with God, and the Word was God.
In First Timothy
Another important point to remember when preaching from the Old
Testament is that the Old Testament should always be interpreted based upon
what has been revealed in the New Testament. There is a difference between the
Old Testament and the New Testament. John 1V17, The law came by Moses, but grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. When sermons from the Old Testament are preached without
bringing to light further revelation on a particular subject from the New
Testament, the best that can be done is to give out the information that an
Orthodox Jew would present. The law, and the requirements of the law, and the
penalties for breaking the law are what is often preached in such
circumstances. Can you imagine one of the Apostles opening up the Old Testament
and preaching a sermon without mentioning Jesus or bringing to light the things
that Jesus fulfilled and did away with? One of the reasons that many Christians
have not grown in faith is because of the number of pastors who have neglected
the instruction that Paul gave in First Timothy 4:11, These things
command and teach.
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Copyright; 2002 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved