1 Timothy — Chapter 4
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1Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
2influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.
3They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
4For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
5because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed.
7But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness.
8For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.
9This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance.
10To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.
11Command and teach these things.
12Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.
14Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
15Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
16Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3Forbidding 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.
4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6If 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.
7But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
8For 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.
9This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10For 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.
11These things command and teach.
12Let 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.
13Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
1But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
2through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
3forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth.
4For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
6If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed [until now]:
7but refuse profane and old wives` fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness:
8for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.
9Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation.
10For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.
11These things command and teach.
12Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.
13Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.
14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.
16Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.
1Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings,
2influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.
3They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
4For every creation of God is good, and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
5For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
6By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
7But reject those myths fit only for the godless and gullible, and train yourself for godliness.
8For “physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”
9This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.
10In fact this is why we work hard and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.
11Command and teach these things.
12Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.
13Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
14Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.
15Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see your progress.
16Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
1But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
2through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
3forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
4For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving.
5For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
6If you instruct the brothers of these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which you have followed.
7But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness.
8For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come.
9This saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance.
10For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11Command and teach these things.
12Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity.
13Until I come, pay attention to reading, to exhortation, and to teaching.
14Don’t neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the elders.
15Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all.
16Pay attention to yourself, and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
Summary
Paul warns that in later times some will abandon the faith, following deceptive spirits and demonic teaching that forbids marriage and certain foods — things God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who know the truth (vv. 1-5). He tells Timothy that pointing these things out to the believers will mark him as a good servant of Christ, and urges him to train himself in godliness rather than chase godless myths, since godliness holds promise for both this life and the one to come (vv. 6-10). Timothy is told not to let anyone look down on him for his youth but to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, and to devote himself to public reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching (vv. 11-13). Paul closes by telling him not to neglect the gift he was given, to give himself fully to these things, and to watch his life and doctrine closely for the sake of both himself and those who hear him (vv. 14-16).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the apostasy warning, false asceticism, training in godliness, Timothy's youth, and the charge to watch life and doctrine.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Timothy -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- A Warning About Apostasy (v.1) — Paul says the Spirit has explicitly warned that some will abandon the faith by following deceptive teaching. What keeps you rooted enough that drifting away wouldn't happen without you noticing?
- Everything God Made Is Good (vv.3-4) — Paul rejects false teachers who forbid marriage and certain foods, insisting that everything God created is good when received with thanksgiving. Where might you be treating something God calls good as if it were suspect or forbidden?
- Training Yourself in Godliness (vv.7-8) — Paul compares spiritual growth to athletic training, valuable for this life and the next, unlike physical exercise, which only helps for now. What would a real training plan for your spiritual life look like, versus how you're actually living?
- An Example, Not Just Waiting Your Turn (v.12) — Paul tells young Timothy not to let anyone dismiss him because of his age, but to lead by example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Are you using whatever season of life you're in as an excuse to wait, or as an opportunity to lead now?
- Don't Let Your Gift Sit Unused (v.14) — Paul reminds Timothy of the gift God placed in him and tells him not to let it go idle. What ability or calling has God given you that you've let sit unused?
- Watching Both Life and Doctrine (v.16) — Paul charges Timothy to pay close attention to both how he lives and what he believes, since either one can go wrong on its own. Which of the two needs more of your attention right now — your daily conduct, or what you actually believe?