Introductory remarks:
In this chapter Paul warns Timothy of the coming apostasy that will erode the fellowship of the assembly. "Paul warns that it was foretold that lies would creep into the church, so Timothy will do well to remind people of this. Practicing godly living is like exercising to build up the body, but better because it is effective now and in the future. He tells Timothy to be an example of godly living and give himself wholly to his studies and his work" (A Survey of 1 Timothy - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: Prediction of Apostasy vv. 1-5: A good minister of Christ Jesus vv. 6-16.
Prediction of Apostasy
Verse 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."
LGT "But the Spirit expressly speaks, that in latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons."
But the Spirit expressly speaks: Paul uses the conjunction "but" to contrast the previous confession of the norm of faith in the final verse of chapter three. The Holy Spirit clearly warns of the coming apostasy, that is, a falling away from grace doctrine. Paul is warning the believers in Ephesus in the person of Timothy. That in latter times: Paul is not thinking of the latter days just before the Parousia, second coming of Christ, but it is relative, meaning some time in the future. Some shall depart from the faith: I believe this seed of apostasy was planted in the first century, when certain false teachers crept in and tried to deceive the genuine believers, such as the Gnostic heretics, denying the Deity of Christ, and the Judaizers teaching that conversion to Judaism, with all their traditional restrictions, is the only hope for salvation, and when certain leaders in the church insisted that they make the church an organization; and this tore the church apart; we are still reaping the unsavory results of denominationalism. The apostasy today can be identified in the way the genuine believers leave the denominational churches for simple Bible study in the homes, just as they did in the first century.
McGee courageously admits that the church began its apostasy in the first century:
"Elsewhere in my writings on 1 Timothy I have said that this expression, that in the latter times, refers to the last days of the church on the earth, but I want to change my mind on that. I now feel that this refers to the days of the church beginning immediately after the life of Paul. The apostasy of the church had begun even at that time. You remember that when Paul was at Ephesus he warned them that there would come wolves in sheep's clothing who would deceive the believers. John said, 'Already there are many antichrists' - already error had entered the church. The first great church was the Coptic Church in Africa; it was way ahead of the others. North Africa produced some of the greatest saints [this is another area that McGee and I part ways - there are no great saints] in the early church, including Augustine, Tertullian, and Athanasius, but the church went into heresy and departed from the faith." [As did the church in Rome, and the Orthodox Greek Church, as well as the Church of England]
Giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons: all false cults are inspired by the devil, and are aptly called teachings of demons. Any doctrine that is contrary to the grace of God is false doctrine and can be attributed to Satan. The way the falling away has taken place in our contemporary society is that in most all the denominations today have opened their doors to the world, and they have altered their services to appeal to the world in order, they say, to win the world to Christ. This is not the way to win souls; the Word of God is the only Word that can win souls. By allowing the world to come in, the church has not changed the world, the world has changed the church; true believers have left denominations, because they cannot stand the direction the church is heading; the church is in an apostate condition today, playing worldly noise they call music, and dressing the same way the world dresses. Paul said, 'Come apart and be separate,' but the so-called organized church thought that meant to come apart from believers, and separate themselves from them, and join in with the world, because they do not want to be thought of by the world as being odd or anything. I will stop my ranting now and get back to Bible study.
Verse 2, "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron."
LGT "In hypocrisy of speakers of lies, being cauterized [as to] their own conscience:"
In hypocrisy of speakers of lies: the ones who speak lies in the connection of doctrine do so intentionally, and that is why Paul condemns them as pathological liars, that is, lying for the purpose of deceiving. Being cauterized as to their own conscience: these deceivers are cauterized, that is branded with the mark of Satan, just as Paul was branded with the mark of Christ. "The metaphor is from the practice of branding slaves or criminals, the latter on the brow. These deceivers are not acting under delusion, but deliberately, and against their conscience. They wear the form of godliness, and contradict their profession by their crooked conduct (2 Tim. 3:5). The brand is not on their brow, but on their conscience" (Vincent). In the first chapter verse 5, Paul said that the visible church should be characterized by love, faith and a good conscience. All one has to do is get into a conversation with a churchgoer today, and it won't take long for you to realize just how stupid in grace doctrine the average church member is. Bible doctrine is not taught today in denominational churches; what is being taught is how to be politically correct, and how to get along with all people, races, and religions. They are being taught how to love everyone, and that by exuding this façade of love, they will be able to win the world to religion; and it is religion that is being taught, not the grace of God.
Verse 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."
LGT "Forbidding to marry, [bidding] to abstain from meats, which God created for reception with thanksgiving for the faithful, and who know the truth."
Forbidding to marry, and bidding to abstain from meats: "The ascetic tendencies indicated by these prohibitions developed earlier than these Epistles among the Essenes, an ascetic Jewish brotherhood on the shores of the Dead Sea, who repudiated marriage except as a necessity for preserving the race [something homosexuals care nothing about], and allowed it only under protest and under stringent regulations. They also abstained strictly from wine and animal food. This sect was in existence in the lifetime of our Lord. Strong traces of its influence appear in the heresy assailed in Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. The Christian body received large accessions [taking over by] from it after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.). The prohibition above named were imposed by the later Gnosticism of the second century" (Vincent). Which God created for reception with thanksgiving for the faithful, and who know the truth: for the believer who knows grace doctrine fully. This reminds me of Peter at Cornelius' house, refusing to eat what the Lord had provide, and Christ put an end to that in a hurry by saying, "what God has cleansed, call that not thou common or unclean" (Acts 10:15). This verse describes the Roman Catholic silly regulations concerning Priests and Nuns not marrying, and forbidding of the eating of meat on Friday. "Hence it follows, that to no purpose do the Papists point to the ancient heretics, as if they alone were censured; we must always see if they are not guilty in the same manner. They object, that they do not resemble the Encratites and Manichaeans, because they do not absolutely forbid the use of marriage and of flesh, but only on certain days constrain [restrict] to abstinence from flesh, and make the vow of celibacy [forbidding to marry] compulsory on none but monks and priests and nuns. But this excuse also is excessively frivolous; for first, they nevertheless make holiness to consist in these things; next, they set up a false and spurious worship of God; and lastly, they bind consciences by a necessity from which they ought to have been free" (Calvin).
Verses 4, 5, "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."
LGT "Because every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be rejected, with thanksgiving being received: for it is sanctified by God's Word and communication with Him."
Because every creature of God is good: for food, that is. All animals that were intended for food man may eat with a clear conscience. And nothing to be rejected, with thanksgiving being received: all that God has created for man is not to be rejected on the grounds of religion, but received with thanksgiving. If a person wants to be a vegetarian so be it; but it does not make that person superior in God's eyes. For it is sanctified by God's Word and communication with Him: God has said in His Word that the animals are sanctified for man; that is, set apart for man's use. Accepting the meat as from God, and communicating to God your thankfulness for its provision consecrate the meat to your bodies use, and no man shall restrict the use of it. "By prayer we are enabled to receive it with gratitude, and every thing we eat or drink may thus be made a means of grace" (Barnes). Calvin adds: "it is a beastly thing not to thank God for providing the meat to us."
A Good Minister of Christ Jesus
Verse 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."
LGT "These things laying before the brethren, a good servant thou will be of Christ Jesus, being nourished with the words of the faith, and the good doctrine which thou hast closely followed."
These things laying before the brethren: the things mentioned in verse 4, 5. Paul warns them that the false brethren were going to come into the church, and he wants Timothy to warn them about these men who have a false confession. A good servant thou will be of Christ Jesus: Paul says this to motivate Timothy, not simply as a compliment, but to encourage Timothy that he is a good minister, and that he has confidence in him. What better motive could we have than to know that we are pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ? What Timothy is going to teach the Ephesian believers is in contrast to what lies the false teachers teach. Being nourished with the words of faith, and the good doctrine: "This is how the believer is to grow in the Word of God. We are not to go off on tangents about diet or some other aesthetic program as if it would commend us to God. Instead our diet is to be nourished up in words of faith and good grace doctrine" (McGee). Which thou hast closely followed: Paul certifies Timothy as a good disciple of grace teaching, and that he has closely kept them. Paul says that Timothy not only was a good learner, but he was also very wise, because he practiced what he learned; remember, knowledge is the gathering together grace doctrines, and wisdom is putting grace doctrine into every day experiences, that is, by adjusting the life to the Word of God.
Verse 7, "But refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."
LGT "But the profane and old wives fables reject, but exercise thyself to faithfulness."
But the profane and old wives fables reject: these are fables not based on fact; Judaism was crammed full of fables that were introduced in their traditions. Paul told Timothy to reject them completely. But exercise thyself to faithfulness: Paul tells Timothy not to waste his time trying to figure out these old wives fables, but to occupy his time wisely in the study and teaching of the gospel of grace. "Timothy is told that he must feed his life on the words of faith. No one can give out without taking in. Those who teach must be continually learning. It is the reverse of the truth that when people become teachers they cease to be learners; each day they must come to know Jesus Christ better before they can bring Him to others" (William Barclay). I would apply this advise to every Christian, for we are all in full time service and teachers, that is, we all have those who seek advice from us; whether it be children, or a wife or husband, or brother or sister; we all have the challenge of knowing Christ better, and that takes serious daily Bible study, and then and only then are we prepared to give out with sound doctrinal advice.
Verse 8, "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."
LGT "For bodily exercise is for a little time, but faithfulness is profitable for all time, having promise of life, of that which [is] now, and of that which [is] coming."
For bodily exercise is for a little time: Paul is making reference here to actual physical exercise. Now, he is not down grading exercise, for we all need that, but it was the emphasis that was being place on it in Ephesus, as well as the emphasis that is put on it today. "Paul's emphasis on godliness rather than on physical exercise is because the Ephesians were a people given over to games and athletics. We are also that kind of a nation. Many of our cities have coliseums where great spectacles are conducted, and many believers put more emphasis on athletics than they do on the things of God. There are church officers who spend more time during the summer in the ballpark than they spend in meetings. Paul is not saying bodily exercise is wrong. He is saying, 'Let's hold things in correct perspective'" (McGee). But faithfulness is profitable for all time: fellowshipping with the Father in Bible study is having the Holy Spirit equip you with Grace Doctrine in daily Bible study and these truths He teaches us are eternal truths. Having the promise of life: physical exercise profits our bodies here and now, but it will end in the life to come because we will receive a new body that will not need exercise. Of that which is now: Bible Doctrine is profitable as we journey through this life, and we will be able to stand the tests of time, if we are equipped with God's Word. And of that which is coming: faithfulness in Bible study will benefit us in eternity, for we will have already learned some of the mysteries of God's grace, and we will be able to appreciate eternity even more.
Verse 9, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation."
LGT "Faithful [is] the Word and worthy of all acceptation."
What he has just written to Timothy about the Word of God being eternal and spiritually beneficial to the Ephesian church, and also to the believers in the twenty-first century, is worthy of acceptance by all serious believers.
Verse 10, "For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those who believe."
LGT "For this we both labor and we combat, because we have set our hope in a living God, who is Savior of all men, personally of believers."
For this: making known the gospel of grace. We both labor and we combat: labor in getting the Word of God out to all who desire it, and combat the false teachers who are trying to distort it. Because we have set our hope in a living God: this is not the reason for their suffering, it is the strength they maintain through all their trials and tribulations. Who is Savior of all men: Christ is the central figure in the gospel of grace, and it is this fact that He has been offered by God the Father to all men, that is, He is the Savior of the world (John 4:42). Personally of believers: He is the personal Savior and big brother of all who have put their trust in him. Christ is potentially the Savior of all men, but only those who believe on Him have everlasting life (John 3:16:1 John 2:2).
Verse 11, "These things command and teach."
LGT "Charge these things and teach."
Paul is charging Timothy to teach the entire gospel of grace, that is, all that Paul had taught Timothy; he was, as the overseer in Ephesus to teach the same.
Verse 12, "let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
LGT "Let no man despise thy youth, but keep on becoming thou a pattern for the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
Let no man despise thy youth: Timothy was between the ages of 38-40 (Vincent). The word despise means "to look down on." There are those in every assembly that regard youth as a detriment in the teaching ministry, so Paul gives Timothy some guidelines to follow. But keep on becoming thou a pattern for the believers: set an example how all should behave. In word: in his everyday conversation with them. In conduct: the Authorized Version has the word "conversation: which is literally "conduct" in the Greek. Paul is telling Timothy that he must always conduct himself, as a Christian man should. In love: he must always show love for the brethren by regarding them as joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. In faith: he must show the confidence in God that he possessed. In purity: he was to live above reproach. There are certain gray areas in the life of grace that he was to be aware of and not allow himself to be a stumbling block to the weaker brother; we covered this in 1 Corinthians.
Verse 13, "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."
LGT "Till I come, apply yourself to reading, to exhortation, to teaching doctrine."
Till I come: Paul says till he comes and teaches them personally. Apply yourself to reading: the Greek word for 'reading" is anaginosko, and it means to extract exact knowledge (AGL). It does not mean just to stand up and read the Bible; Paul is telling Timothy to dig deep and study diligently before he stands up and teaches; this is a big problem even today; men do not study, and when they do study, it is from a denominational bias, and they become speculating philosophers, instead of grace teachers. To exhortation: study comes first than exhortation. This exhortation includes not only giving spiritual advice, but also giving comfort to the bereaved. To teaching doctrine: Paul lists this last but it is not the least important, as a matter of fact, it is the most important, for without grace doctrine the assembly will never grow, and they will never grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth.
Verse 14, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of hands of the presbytery."
LGT "Be not negligent of the spiritual gift in you, which was given through prophecy with laying on of the hands of the overseers."
Be not negligent of the spiritual gift in you: Paul is telling Timothy not to be uncaring and careless about his spiritual gift as a teacher. Timothy evidently had the gift of teaching and exhortation, and he was to use it for the edification of the entire Ephesian Church. We do not possess these spiritual gifts today, for they are not needed now that we have the completed Word of God. If God's Word is not sufficient in Itself, spiritual gifts could not possibly be sufficient, otherwise, God would never have had to complete His Word. Which was given through prophecy: Paul was given through the medium of prophecy directly from the Holy Spirit, of conferring on Timothy the gift of teaching and exhortation. With the laying on of the hands of the overseers: the laying on of hands from the elders was simply identifying Timothy as one of them; it did not confer the spiritual gift. One part of McGee's comment on this verse I agree with is "The laying on of hands never communicated anything, my friend. There are those who believe that something will be transferred to the person by the laying on of hands, but the only thing that will be transferred is a disease germ - that's all! Laying on of hands indicates partnerships in the ministry." The rest of his statement I disagree with because He believed certain spiritual gifts are operative today in this age of grace, so I leave them out.
Verse 15, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them: that thy profiting may appear to all."
LGT "Meditate on these things; be in them: in order that thy advancement may be manifest to all."
Meditate on these things: Paul says, consider these things I have given you Timothy, about not allowing anyone to despise thy youth, and studying grace doctrine, and using your gift of teaching and exhortation to edify the assembly, seriously in your mind. Be in them: Paul says work hard at Bible study, otherwise it will not profit you, and in turn it will not profit the assembly. This exhortation is meant for all believers, for as I have said before, we are all in full time service. McGee comments: "Paul is saying in effect, 'I will not accept a daily devotional time as a substitute for reading and studying the Word of God'." McGee goes on to add his own comments, "It will not work to open your Bible to read a chapter at night when you have one eye closed and both feet already in bed. Nor will it work in the morning when you are half awake, or at the breakfast table when you are about to take off for work. My friend, you couldn't study geometry, higher mathematics, or science like that. The Word of God is worthy of all that you and I can give to it, and we can never give as much as it should have." In order that thy advancement: Paul says that Timothy's advancement in his studying Bible doctrine: May be manifest to all: that as Timothy advances in his studies, it will be manifest to the assembly in his teaching, and they will be edified thereby. The highest compliment a teacher can receive is to see his pupils grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth.
Verse 16, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."
LGT "Give heed to thyself and to the teaching; continue in them: for doing this, thou shalt save both thyself and those that hear thee."
Give heed to thyself and to thy teaching: Paul says that Timothy must give special care to his preparation and his teaching. Continue in them: Paul tells him that he not only should teach them grace doctrine he must also live grace doctrine. For doing this: teaching the assembly the truth about the grace of God. Thou shalt save thyself and those that hear: we know that salvation is a free gift of God imparted to us by the Holy Spirit because we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, Paul could not be using the word "save" as the salvation of the soul. I believe what he is saying in the context is that if Timothy persevere in diligent Bible study, he will not become a failure in God's service, and he will be delivered from the disgrace of loosing out at the judgment seat of Christ; remember, salvation means deliverance, and it does not always refer to salvation from hell; for if we interpret it in an incorrect way we will be guilty of "illegitimate totality transfer". That is making the word save always mean saved from hell. The salvation of the hearers will be along the same line, for they will understand the grace of God, and will be able to apply grace teaching to their lives and go to heaven winners. The reason I take this point of view is that Timothy is already saved, and so are the brethren he is teaching. I hope you know that I am not speculating on this verse, but I am attempting to apply grace logic, for if Paul had any other thought, I am completely unaware of his design; but I do know for a fact that he is not using the word saved to mean salvation from hell, thank you very much.
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