1 Timothy 4 is one of those chapters that, if you read through it too quickly, you might miss the minor plot twist tucked into its verses.
In this chapter, Paul continues his counsel to Timothy by warning against false teaching, and exhorting him to preserve the integrity of his ministry. In doing so, Paul prepares Timothy for the reality that some “will depart from the faith,” having been taken in by “the teachings of demons” (1Timothy 4:1), and deceived by the “hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared” (v.2). It’s serious language! Which immediately leads us to wonder what sort of false teachers was Paul referring to in this chapter. Power-hungry preachers? Money-swindling hucksters? Immoral Christians who excused their sin under the banner of cheap grace?
As it turns out, none of the above. In this chapter, Paul is not warning against ethical corruption or sexual lawlessness, but quite the opposite. In verse 3 we discover he is warning against asceticism, an extreme form of self-denial that forbids certain foods and sex.
Historians have all sorts of guesses about where this false teaching originated. It might have been an extreme overreaction to their previously pagan lifestyles, or it might have been an early form of gnosticism, a common philosophy that elevated the spiritual over the material. The truth is, we cannot know for sure, but Paul makes it clear that this false teaching has infiltrated the church and distorted their theology.
What makes this form of false teaching so surprising, is that it is rather different from the other forms of false teaching Paul has warned about elsewhere. In 1 Corinthians, for example, Paul rebukes the Christians’ rampant debauchery, and in Galatians he confronts Peter’s religious duplicity, which means “false teaching” and “hypocrisy” can take many, many forms. It can look like sexual immorality or the abuse of power, or it can look like the religious piety of these extreme ascetics, which is why he urges Timothy to be discerning.
We face the same varied forms of false teaching today, and so Paul’s advice to Timothy remains as relevant as ever. Rather than get bogged down in the controversies or “silly myths” of our day, and rather than give all our time and energy to reacting to the latest hot button issue, our task as faithful Christians is a rather simple one: “train yourself in godliness” (v.7). Be a good example “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (v.12). And “persevere in these things” (v.16).
That is not to say we should be silent in the face of false teaching—Paul himself was not—but it means our primary work of resistance is modest, and often hidden. In a loud world of competing opinions and warring convictions, this quiet, humble work might seem pointless and ineffective, but in reality, it will save our witness.
Praying for your friend and her family! ❤️
Well said, Churchmouse, well said!
GWINETH52 – I can definitely relate to what the Lord is telling you right now, He’s telling me something similar as I’ve been working on moving our family business forward but have been “clenching my fists” and refusing to let go of things that aren’t serving me, and which will only make the journey tougher. He’s been telling me, like the Good Father He is, to let go because He has something much greater in store. Praying for your situation and mine, that we can learn to truly trust Him and obey, He has the timing and details worked out. I long to have the faith that is walked out even if I don’t understand how or when.
PamC – praying for your sister and her coworker
Jendi – praying for your friend and her family
Praying for the other requests as well, I’ve been adding them to my prayer list. Blessings and prayers of safety for all of the precious mothers this weekend and your families.
Thank you for praying for my Uncle!
Jeremiah is very inspiring. How many excuses do we use because we don’t trust God? Well, NO MORE EXCUSES! God has a mission for everyone in life and we must trust Him in giving us what is needed to fulfill it before it is too late!
Don’t let excuses run your life!
Good evening all- It strikes me that the issue of asceticism Paul is warning against in I Timothy 4 is yet another example of trying to earn your salvation. Remaining unmarried or abstaining from things that distract us from God is not a problem in itself, but believing that we have earned salvation by doing so is a huge problem. It’s even more problematic if we pass on our incorrect beliefs to others.
Remaining in the Word, as always, stands as a simple way to test our beliefs.
Jendi- I will be praying for your friend. This describes my situation for years up until a little less than a year ago. We are moving forward by the grace of God, medication, and lots of therapy for all involved. I will pray that God will keep her family safe, will bring about His will for her family, and will give her His strength to follow wherever He takes her.
JENDI, praying for your friend , her husband and their 10 y.o daughter. May God sustain their family and deliver them from the issue. May self-control be granted to overcome wrath and angry communication, may peace, calmness and healing come.
Amazing devotional today. I love Sharon’s last sentence so much. How we combat false doctrines and false teachers is the humble and gentle way. Not like Vikings charging full force with warring opinions and heated debates. A verse we read a while ago, let your gentleness be made known to all men. Note to self. I need to be known for my gentleness. Someone used to tell me in a debate, sometimes you can win if you are so adament but you might as well at the end lose the person’s heart. It is okay to lose the debate sometimes, so as to win the heart of the witness.
Sending prayers to you and your sister. That is absolutely horrible and terrifying that that man would do such a thing. I’ll be praying for all the victims and their families as well.