This Week's Study

4:1 Paul exposes the true source of false teachings: demons. Though it may not seem like it, they are the driving force behind what Timothy is to combat. Demons are marked by their deceitfulness. They do, however, have the capacity to teach, and believers must be discerning. These teachings will lead others to depart from the faith. This is one of the marks of what Paul calls the later times.

4:2–3 These demons will use liars whose consciences are no longer sensitive to the things of God. Paul points out two of the false teachings that flow from such deceit. One is the forbidding of marriage, and the other is the requirement to abstain from certain foods. These are marks of asceticism, a teaching characterized by strict self-discipline and the avoidance of pleasures and comforts. At its core, asceticism is an attempt to take salvation into your own hands, using self-discipline as a means to overcome sinful desires. Sinful desires can only be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and a renewed heart that is a gift from God through repentance and faith. This false teaching was deceptive and tempting to many because it is marked by pious disciplines often encouraged in Judaism and Christianity, such as fasting, self-denial, and a life of sexual purity. The difference is that these spiritual disciplines are Spirit-led and are a response to God’s grace over our lives, not a means of achieving it. Timothy is to teach people to rely on God and enjoy the freedom that salvation provides. Paul calls us not only to believe, but also to know the truth.

4:4–5 Paul provides a basis for his admonition. He reminds Timothy by going back to Genesis, before the law ever came into existence. God is a Creator, and everything he created he called good. The means of receiving what God has made good is thanksgiving. Believers are to receive what God gives to them with thanksgiving and without doubt. The food these false teachers were forbidding is made holy and acceptable by the word of God and prayer. What God declares holy is holy, and we ought to pray with thanksgiving when receiving what he has given to us.

4:6 Paul now shows Timothy how to be a good servant of Christ Jesus: by placing everything he has taught so far before God’s people. Timothy must not be afraid, but he must teach the truth to God’s precious people, so they are not deceived. Timothy is to be trained in the words of the faith and in sound doctrine. This doctrine (or teaching) is not just to be known, but also to be lived out (followed) in our daily lives.

4:7 Paul circles back to the topic of irreverent and silly myths. This includes both the false teaching he just addressed and the endless genealogies he mentioned in chapter one. We remind ourselves that these teachings are marked by ambiguity (an enemy of faith), fruitlessness (an enemy of God-glorifying actions), and self-dependence (trusting self over God). Timothy is to avoid these, for they are both a waste of time and spiritually dangerous. These teachings do not lead people to live a faith-filled life that pleases God. We too should avoid teachings that carry these marks.

4:8–9 Timothy is not only to avoid these teachings, but also to train himself in godliness. He compares physical training, which he says has some value, to spiritual training, which has great value. Spiritual training is valuable because it impacts us in every way. Physical training impacts our bodies, and perhaps our emotions, but spiritual training affects every part of us. It carries a reward, just like physical training, but this reward is for both the present and the afterlife. Training implies that Timothy must be disciplined and endure difficulty in order to grow. He is to train himself in the right doctrine by studying it, teaching it, and living it. Paul considers what he has just said to be trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. Timothy can trust that his training will lead to benefits he cannot even imagine.

4:10 Paul and all believers toil and strive for the value of godliness in the life to come. There are benefits that believers will only experience if they are willing to labor for them. This work has an important foundation and motivation: hope. Paul has his hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people. It is this hope that leads him to toil and strive. Salvation leads to action, tangible effort, and real change.

4:11–12 Paul again asks Timothy to command and teach what he has just described to him. To command, one must be bold and confident. To teach, one must study and practice discipline. Timothy is charged with cherishing the fact that God is using him at such an early age. He is not to let others despise his youth. Though Timothy may have been young, his faith began early, passed down through his mother and grandmother. He is to set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Older people would come to respect Timothy for his lifestyle, despite his young age.

4:13 Now, Paul gives Timothy a set of disciplines he must uphold and practice. Timothy is to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture. Scriptures were still not widely distributed, so public reading held great importance in allowing others to hear what God’s Word said. Timothy was also to exhort the people of God, strongly encouraging them toward action and faithfulness. Lastly, he was to teach God’s people. God’s people needed something to hear, something to do, and something to behold.

4:14–16 Timothy was encouraged not to neglect his gift. This gift was special, given to him through prophecy when the elders laid hands on him. This shows the powerful impact that prophecy and eldership can have on the lives of believers. Prophecy unveils purpose. Timothy was to use this gift. As he immersed himself in the disciplines Paul described, others would see his progress and come to respect him. More than anyone else, he was to keep a close watch on himself and his teaching. This persistence would save both Timothy and his hearers from the damage of false teachings.

5:1–2 Paul now provides instructions for Timothy as he leads God’s people. He is not to rebuke an older man but rather show respect and encourage him as a father. He is to see younger men as brothers and older women as mothers. Younger women were to be seen as sisters. Paul adds that younger women were also to be seen in all purity—likely referring to sexual purity.

5:3–8 Paul now addresses a very common problem in the early church: the care of widows. At the heart of the matter, Paul wants widows—who were extremely vulnerable—to be cared for. The first responsibility falls on the family. God has given family as a source of love, care, and provision. Children and grandchildren were to work together to care for the needs of widows, which Paul describes as godly and pleasing in God’s sight. Paul acknowledges that some, without family, can only cry out to God in the hope that he will care for them. These are the ones the church must rally around to help. However, Paul describes some widows as self-indulgent. Paul considers these kinds of people to be dead. Suffering that leads to trust in God brings life, but suffering that leads to self-indulgence leads to death. Timothy is to command such things so that widows and their families can be pleasing in God’s sight. Paul describes those who do not provide for their families in such situations as worse than unbelievers and deniers of the faith. Salvation leads to the care of the most vulnerable, even at one’s expense.