1 Timothy 4:1-16

How to be a Leader in the Church

1 Timothy

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 4

Warning against false teachers (4:1-5)

v1 The Spirit clearly says that in the last days some people will turn from the *faith. They will follow the lies of evil *spirits and the things that *demons teach. v2 These errors come through people who tell lies. Their consciences, which decide between right and wrong, are dead as if burnt with a hot iron. v3 Such people teach that it is wrong to marry. And they teach that it is wrong to eat certain kinds of food. But God created these foods for those who believe in him to eat. They thank God for what they eat. Those who believe in him know the truth. v4 All that God has created is good. We are not to refuse anything that God has made. But we should thank him and receive it. v5 This is because by the word of God and prayer all food is made good and fit to eat.

Verse 1 Paul turns from instructions to Timothy and the church members, to give a warning. He talks about a time when many will turn away from the *Lord. These people said that they trusted in God. But then they changed their minds. They gave up their *faith and turned their backs on the *Lord. The Holy Spirit had said that this would happen in future times.

The last days here means some time after the Spirit had spoken. It is not just the final period, which is still to come. The last days here refer to the present, which began with the coming of Christ. Since the church started, there have been those who said that they believed. But later, they turned away from the *Lord. The Bible does say that there will be a time when a large number will turn away. That will be in the period just before the *Lord Jesus comes again (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

These people stop believing in the *Lord. This is because they act on lies. They turn away from the truth and believe lies. They listen to what false teachers say. These lies come from evil *spirits that lead them away from the truth. They start to accept what *demons teach.

These *spirits and *demons are enemies of God and of the *Lord Jesus Christ. Their aim is to make of no effect the work that the *Lord has done for us. They will do all that they can to stop people from trusting in Christ. They also try to turn Christians from their belief in him.

Verse 2 The false teachers whom the *demons use seem to be good. But they speak lies. They teach things that do not agree with the truth from God. It may sound good but it is false.

These teachers should have known the truth but they chose to deny it. They have allowed the *demons to persuade them that the truth is not right. They have decided to follow and to teach what is false. This has damaged their consciences. It is as if they have burned them with a hot iron. They can no longer know what is right or what is wrong.

Verse 3 Paul mentions two of the wrong things that these people taught. They forbade people to marry. And they told them that they must not eat certain foods.

The Bible teaches that marriage is a good thing. And it is from God. As for the foods, God created them for us to eat. Christians should know that they can eat all kinds of food. But they should always thank God for what they eat. They should be grateful to God for all that he has given to them.

Verses 4-5 God is good and therefore all that he does is good. He created all things. In the story of the *creation, at each stage, it says that God saw that it was good (Genesis 1). He gave all kinds of plants and fruit for food (Genesis 1:29). He told Noah that every moving thing that lives should be food for him (Genesis 9:3). So, we should not forbid any kind of food. God is not pleased with us just because we do not eat certain foods.

We should receive all things as from God and thank him for them. What God has said and our prayer of thanks to him make all food fit for us to eat. This teaches us that Christians should pray before they eat.

How to guard against what is false (4:6-16)

v6 If you advise the brothers and sisters (Christians) about these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. And you will feed yourself on the words of the *faith and of the truth that you have followed. v7 Avoid those wrong or silly stories that have nothing to do with God. Rather, work hard to be what God wants you to be. v8 If you train your body you will get some small benefit. But it is better to train to be what God wants you to be. That will benefit you in every way. That has the promise of life now and of the life that is to come. v9 These words are true. And you should accept and believe them. v10 We struggle and work hard, because we have set our hope in the living God. He is the one who can save all people. And he will save all those who believe in him. v11 Order and teach these things. v12 Do not let anyone fail to respect you because you are young. But you must be a good example to those who believe. Prove your worth by what you say and do. Show it by your love, *faith, and good living. v13 Until I come, read the *scriptures. Read them when you meet. Urge the Christians to do what it says. And teach them the truth. v14 You must not fail to use the gift that the Holy Spirit gave to you through *prophecy. The *elders also agreed with it as they laid their hands on you. v15 Be careful to do these things. Work hard at them so that everyone can see how well you are doing. v16 Be careful about the way that you live. And be careful about the things that you teach. You must keep on doing the things that I have taught you. As a result, by you, God will save both you yourself and those who listen to you.

Verse 6 Timothy should remind the Christians of the things about which Paul writes. There was nothing new in what Paul wrote. They should all have been aware of these things. Timothy should continue to teach the truth that they have received. Then he will be a good leader.

He will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. The *Lord appoints leaders as his servants to serve the church members. The task of the leaders is not to be bosses as are leaders in the world. Rather, they should see themselves as those who serve the church members. The *Lord Jesus said about himself that he was among them as one who serves (Luke 22:27). They and all who believe in Christ should have that same attitude.

Those whom he teaches are the brothers and sisters. These are the Christians in that place. All who believe in the *Lord Jesus are children of God. They are members with Paul and Timothy in the family of God. They should be to each other as brothers and sisters.

Timothy needs to look after himself by learning all that the *Lord Jesus and the *apostles taught. They are the words of the *faith. This is because their aim is to bring people to believe and trust in the *Lord. Food makes the body strong. In the same way, as Timothy studies these words, he will be stronger in his own belief. He will be more able to lead and help other Christians.

Timothy has known the truth since he was a child. He has followed it from his youth. He should continue to live and grow in that truth.

Verse 7 A good leader must refuse all that is not true. So many of the stories that people believe in are a waste of time. They are often not correct and some come from an evil source. Paul advises Timothy to have nothing to do with such things. They would cause damage to, rather than help, the work of God.

A person who runs races will train hard to be as fit as possible. He or she will take off all clothing that is not needed for the race. In the same way, Paul tells Timothy to work hard and avoid what he does not need. The aim is not a race but to be ready for the work of God. He, and all Christians, should aim to become more like the *Lord Jesus.

Verse 8 It is a good thing to exercise the body. It helps to keep the body in good health. But its benefits are only for the short time that we live here on earth. Paul does not say that we should not exercise the body. But he says that there is much more benefit if we train to be like the *Lord Jesus. This has benefit for all time and for the life that is to come.

What God gives has the promise of life. This is the life that is to come. He gives that life to all who believe and trust in the *Lord Jesus Christ. So, that life is far more important than the health of the body. Christ has promised us a different quality of life now. And it goes on when our body dies. Therefore, it should be the aim of all Christians to be like Christ. They cannot achieve it now, but they should work hard towards it. Such effort is well worthwhile because God will bless it.

Verses 9 The words and the message that Paul gives are true. This could apply to verse 8 or verse 10 or to both of them. He urges Timothy to accept what he writes and to believe it.

Verse 10 To be like Christ has the promise of life. So, Christians work hard and struggle to be like him. This is not to earn that life because it is a gift from God. They continue to hope in the God who lives. That is why they work hard. There is no doubt in this hope. They are sure of that life by their belief and trust in Christ. This hope gives them the confidence to go on and not to give up.

God, by what the *Lord Jesus has done, has made it possible for all people to receive the new life. That is life with him both now and after the death of the body. But they have to receive it from him. God has given that *salvation to all who trust in Christ.

Verse 11 Timothy should order and teach these things. Timothy was a shy and quiet man. But Paul tells him to use his authority as the leader of this church. He must be strong. And he must order people to do what the *Lord has said. He must teach them the things about which Paul writes.

Verse 12 As Timothy does give commands and teach, there may be some who would oppose him. They may claim that he is still young. He does not have the experience that they would respect. Timothy must not let this happen. He can overcome this by being mature in all that he does.

The word young here means a young man of up to 30 or 40 years of age. Timothy must have been 30 years old or even a bit older. Many of the *believers at *Ephesus would have been much older than he was.

Paul urges Timothy to be a pattern to them of how a Christian should live. He should be careful how he speaks. And he should be careful about what he says. In all that he does, he must show true Christian character. What he says and does should show that he has the basic qualities of the Christian life. The first of these is love. This is the kind of love that the *Lord has for us. Timothy should speak and act with love for God and for the Christians whom he leads. Then his words and works should always show that he believes and trusts in the *Lord. His life should be morally good before God and the people.

Timothy should live like this. Then all will see that he is fit to lead. He will prove that his age is not important. He has the authority to do as Paul urges him to do. He can order and teach the church members. And he can expect them to accept what he says.

Verse 13 Paul said ‘until I come’. But he did not want Timothy to stop doing these things when he came. While Paul was absent from *Ephesus, Timothy should continue to do these things. He writes about the meetings of the church. They should read the *scriptures. The leader should urge them to obey the *scriptures. A teacher should teach them about the truth. When the members come together, there should be those three things.

Timothy should make sure that he or someone else reads the *scriptures aloud. There would be those there who could not or did not read the Bible for themselves. All who believe in Christ should know what the Bible says. That is important. The Bible is God’s word to his people and through it he speaks to them.

James tells us to do what the word says. We should not be just those who hear it (James 1:22). As the church members hear the *scriptures, they should obey them. Timothy, as the leader, should urge them to obey what God says in the Bible.

The church members need to understand and know the truth. Timothy has to teach them all that he has learnt about the word of God and about the Christian *faith.

Verse 14 Timothy had received a gift from God when the *elders laid their hands on him. This gift was to help him do the work to which God appointed him. God gave him the gift through *prophecy. The Holy Spirit had shown one or more persons that he was giving the gift to Timothy. The *elders who were there agreed that the *prophecy was true.

Paul tells Timothy that he must not neglect that gift. God gave it for him to use. There are many gifts of the Holy Spirit. He gives them as he chooses. (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.) We do not know what this gift was. But it was to help Timothy in his life and work.

The laying on of hands was to appoint a person to a task. It was to show that the *elders agreed with the decision to chose him or her. It showed that they believed that the call to do it was from God. It was to bless and show that they supported that person. The *elders of the church laid their hands on Timothy.

Verse 15 Timothy must be careful to do all the things that Paul has written. He must give himself to the work to which God has called him. Then all will see how he is progressing. They will see how he grows in his trust in God. And grows in the authority that God has given to him.

Verse 16 Timothy must give attention to two things. They are himself and what he teaches.

He needs to be careful about his own life with the *Lord. He needs to grow in his trust in God and in his knowledge of God. It is important that he lives a good life. He must continue to live as Paul has shown him.

He must teach the truth of God. What he teaches must be true to God’s word. He must always continue to do and teach what Paul had taught him.

As Timothy does all this, he will achieve two aims. God will be pleased with what he has done. Also, the *Lord will rescue from punishment those who believe in what he teaches.

faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son. The faith is the Christian religion. It is what Christians believe.
spirit ~ spirits are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits usually called angels. Bad spirits (also called evil spirits, or demons) live in the air round us. Satan is their leader.
angel ~ a spirit person that God made; he made them to serve him and take his messages. There are angels who sinned. They now serve the devil.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
demons ~ bad or evil spirits that work for the devil.
spirit ~ spirits are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits usually called angels. Bad spirits (also called evil spirits, or demons) live in the air round us. Satan is their leader.
angel ~ a spirit person that God made; he made them to serve him and take his messages. There are angels who sinned. They now serve the devil.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
creation ~ the act of God when he made the world and everything there is; everything that God has made.
scriptures ~ the books of the Bible.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
elders ~ older men, respected men, or leaders in the church.
apostle ~ one whom God sends; especially one of the 12 that Jesus chose to be his helpers.
salvation ~ the result of God saving us from sin and punishment; the new life that God gives to those who believe in the Lord Jesus.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
believers ~ those who know and accept Christ.
Ephesus ~ the name of a city.