1 Timothy 4:1

The Church is a pillar and ground of the Truth, and yet even in her bosom error arises. This is the force of the adversative δέ in 1 Timothy 4:1; it refers back to 1 Timothy 3:15. Despite the privileges and graces of the Church, ‘the Spirit expressly (ῥητῶς) says that in later times some shall fall away from the faith,’ τῆς πίστεως being here objective. See note on 1 Timothy 1:19. The meaning of ῥητῶς λέγει is a question. It is possible that St Paul had in his mind some now forgotten prophecy of an ‘Apocryphal’ book like the Sibylline Oracles or the Book of Enoch; but it seems better to refer the phrase to some forecast of the Christian prophets, whose words were overruled by a power not their own, for prophecy was a gift of the Holy Spirit. Cp. Acts 20:23; Acts 21:11.

ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς‚ i.e. in times future to the speaker (as opposed to προτέροις; cp. 1 Chronicles 29:29), not ‘the last times,’ which would require ἐσχάτοις. See 2 Timothy 3:1; 2 Peter 3:3; Jude 1:18.

ἀποστήσονται signifies a more complete apostasy than ἀστοχεῖν τῆς π. (1 Timothy 1:6) or ναυαγεῖν περὶ τὴν π. (1 Timothy 1:19). For the word cp. Luke 8:13; Hebrews 3:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ἡ�.

προσέχοντες κ.τ.λ. Giving heed to seducing spirits and to doctrines of devils. St Paul had an ever present sense of the power and the activity of evil spirits (Ephesians 6:12, &c.). They are the ultimate, the false teachers of the next verse being the proximate, cause of the errors about to appear in the Church. The πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης (1 John 4:6) is ever opposed to the πνεῦμα τῆς�.

διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων. Gen. subj., ‘the doctrines taught by devils’; cp. σοφία δαιμονιώδης (James 3:15). There is a false as well as a true διδασκαλία. See on διδασκαλία at 1 Timothy 1:10.

1 John 2:14 κεὶ ὁ λόγος [τοῦ θεοῦ] ἐν ὑμῖν μένει.

1 Peter 1:23 ἀναγεγεννημένοι … διὰ λόγου ζῶντος θεοῦ καὶ μένοντος.

1 Corinthians 14:36 ἤ�ʼ ὑμῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν, ἥ εἰς ὑμᾶς μόνους κατήντησεν;

1 Thessalonians 2:13 ἐδέξασθε οὐ λόγον�.

1 Timothy 4:5 ἁγιάζεται γὰρ διὰ λόγου θεοῦ καὶ ἐντεύξεως. In this verse it is difficult to explain the context on any hypothesis save that λόγος θεοῦ is here used of the Scriptures of the O.T.

The result of this investigation tends to confirm the legitimacy of the title ‘the Word of God’ as commonly applied to Holy Scripture. It seems to have the authority of the N.T. (Matthew 15:6 || Mark 7:13 and 1 Timothy 4:5). It is nevertheless remarkable that the title is but rarely so applied in early Christian literature. Clement of Rome comes near it when he introduces an O.T. quotation (as he does twice, §§ 13, 56) with the phrase φησὶν ὁ ἅγιος λόγος. But Origen is the earliest writer in whom I have succeeded in finding the full title ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ applied to Scripture. After quoting Jeremiah 4:5-6 he goes on: εἰς� (Hom. v. in Jerem. § 16; cp. also Hom. 13: in Exod.). The phrase is frequent by the time we get to Chrysostom, and Augustine has it also (in Ps. cviii. 1, cxxix. 1). But this is not the place to trace its history further. It has been thought desirable to state fully the usage of the N.T., as it is interesting in itself and important in its bearing on the interpretation of 1 Timothy 4:5.