1 TIMOTHY 4:1-9 - ESCHEW FALSE TEACHING: EXERCISE FAITH

1 Timothy 4:1-9

ESCHEW FALSE TEACHING:

EXERCISE FAITH

1 Timothy 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;

Susie: The Holy Spirit made it clear to Paul, to Timothy, and through this scripture to us, that people will increasingly leave true Christianity for counterfeit religion.

Susan: A prime example from modern times is the New Age movement.

Susie: When any religion or philosophy purports to have another way to have a relationship with God other than through trust in Jesus, run away! The scary thing about some “spiritualism” is the idea of a “spirit guide” sought by meditation. This is nothing short of giving a demon control of your mind. The only guiding Spirit needed is the Holy Spirit who will always lead you to find the truth in the word of God, the Bible. Beware of any spiritual exercise that asks you to empty your mind. Your mind should be filled with the word of God by which the Holy Spirit can transform you.

Romans 12:1-2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

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

Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

Susan: Our minds need to be aiming toward the bullseye of Jesus and His word, laser focused on the Truth.

Susie: When we have internalized God’s word, memorized and meditated on His scripture, we are much less vulnerable to the deception of Satan through false teachers.

1 Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Susan: These false teachers tell so many lies that they get to a point where they can no longer distinguish between right and wrong, or to differentiate between righteousness and deception, truth and falsehood.

1 Timothy 4:3 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.

Susie: Paul then gives Timothy a couple of examples of false teaching going on in Ephesus where Timothy is pastor. Remaining single can be a definite calling of the Lord, but these teachers were presenting it as necessary for salvation. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 7 for Paul’s discourse on marriage and singleness.

Susan: The dietary restrictions laid out in the Old Testament were lifted when God gave Peter the vision of the unclean animals and commanded him to kill and eat (Acts 10).

Susie: Elsewhere, Paul teaches about refraining from certain things so as not to harm another believer who does not share the freedom you have (1 Corinthians 8). However, he does not make refraining from certain foods a prerequisite of salvation.

Susan: These false teachers that Paul, Timothy, and the early church were combatting were putting forth a works based faith. They were presenting salvation as dependent upon the fulfillment of certain prerequisites, deeds or actions, of a person.

Susie: These teachings were directly opposite of the true Gospel message of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

1 Timothy 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Susan: God gives things intrinsic value. God as Creator made everything good. Only the Creator can give the creation significance.

Susie: Since God created food for our nourishment and enjoyment, we may eat it with gratitude. God established marriage beginning with Adam and Eve. Both food and marriage are necessary for mankind to continue. If every Christian abstained from marriage, we would soon die out.

Susan: As Susie was typing the previous paragraph about physical nourishment, I was reminded that we as believers also need to be consuming the spiritual nourishment found in the Bible. We must see it as essential to sustaining our intimacy with God.

Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

1 Timothy 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.

Susan: Paul tells Timothy to remind the people to pay attention and keep their compass pointed to true north which is Jesus.

Susie: He is referencing the things in the letter thus far concerning both godly character and not listening to false teaching.

Susan: Timothy would be a good pastor if he instructed those in his congregation in the same manner in which he had been taught, the teachings of Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Susie: Paul knows Timothy was discipled well because he taught him himself. He praises Timothy because it is evident he is living and teaching as he was taught.

Susan: Even prior to learning from Paul, Timothy learned at the knees of his mother and grandmother.

2 Timothy 1:5 What strikes me most is how natural and sincere your faith is. I am convinced that the same faith that dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, abides in you as well.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 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.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

Susie: Paul urges Timothy to steer clear of all false teaching comparing it to myths.

Susan: Instead, he should be immersed, saturated, and infused with the scripture.

Susie: It is not “in vogue” to speak of spiritual discipline—daily Bible study, consistent prayer life, moral purity—lest we be accused of being legalistic. However, legalism requires these things in order to be saved, and spiritual discipline is doing these things because we are saved and desire to know more and more of Jesus.

Susan: I’ve never been really good at keeping my physique in order although I am a petite, lean, mean machine. LOL. I find that my forte is in the spiritual discipline of mining out the jewels we can discover within the word of God.

Susie: Although you cannot tell it by looking at me, I once completed a course to become a personal trainer. In order to keep the human body functioning at optimum, exercise and healthy diet must be a consistent lifestyle. In order to keep spiritually fit, we must be in the word much more than in Sunday morning Bible Study and listening to the occasional sermon, and we must discipline ourselves in prayer and obedience.

Susan: I sure did give myself a spiritual workout this week in studying 1 Timothy 3. LOL. Praise the Lord, mine and Susie’s different viewpoints do not negatively affect our familyship. Spiritual fitness takes diligence and perseverance just like physical fitness.

Susie: Keeping physically fit enables us to enjoy life here and now on earth, but spiritual fitness brings joy both now and in our forever home with the Lord.

QUESTIONS

1.               What two “red flags” of false teaching are addressed in 1 Timothy 4:3?

2.               Spiritual nourishment is essential to the growth of our relationship with Jesus. What do we need to consume to be healthy spiritually?

3.               Describe some spiritual disciplines or exercises we should engage in daily in order to be healthy spiritually.