1 Timothy 4:1-16
Instructions to Timothy
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 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 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 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.
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 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. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Paul gave Timothy many instructions and lessons about our Father, His Son, and the Spirit...Paul tells Timothy that the Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by the evil one...Such teachings are coming from hypocritical liars, whose consciousness has been as seared as a hot iron...These false teachers forbid people to marry, and they tell some people to abstain from certain foods, which God Himself created to be received by us with thanksgiving...For those who believe in Him, know the Truth...For everything God created is good and nothing is to rejected that He created...And if you believe these things you, Timothy, will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, our Savior and LORD...
It seems that the evil one lives on...There is evil in this world this very day...Thousand of years after Paul writes to Timothy sin, temptation, and heresy still exist...Evil still fights Good, and Good still must fight evil...The driving force behind all sin is the evil one...Even today, we must not let our guard down, and be ignorant of the evil natures in our world and the evil one, himself...
Paul is not only giving advice to Timothy as a minister, but also to us...We need to read God's word...We must realize the importance of His holiness and Godliness...Believers put their hope in the Living God, who is Savior to the world...Paul tells Timothy (and us) that we are to be examples of the Spirit, the holiness, in our speech, and the way we conduct our lives...
Timothy has a gift of teaching the gospel...He has a way about him, a charisma...This was seen by Paul when the elders first laid their hands on him...Paul could see this gift Timothy has, and even though he is young, he can devote himself to teaching the Word of God to others with the same conviction he has...
The believer believes that three of the strongest and most meaningful things in life is love, hope, and faith...It is easy to get tripped up in life, and even drift from the LORD...We must be diligent to these matters and think regularly about them...So we must watch ourselves and our doctrines closely and persevere through the hard times...The Christian life is sometimes not easy...Even after we learn and love Jesus, life just doesn't become happily ever after...So we must learn to persevere in faith, hope, and love...The believer's life can be a struggle, with regular opposition...But Jesus brings us hope in this world, and this hope, His hope is the anchor to our soul...