His Word Today

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)

The following essay is by Pastor John Piper. He preached this message January 1, 2020. It is entitled He Took Up Arms Against Liberalism: J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937).

On New Year’s Eve, 1936, in a Roman Catholic hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, J. Gresham Machen was one day away from death at the age of 55. It was Christmas break at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, where he taught New Testament. His colleagues had said he looked “deadly tired” at the end of the term. But instead of resting, he had taken the train from Philadelphia to the 20-below-zero winds of North Dakota to preach in a few Presbyterian churches at the request of pastor Samuel Allen.

He had pneumonia and could scarcely breathe. Pastor Allen came to pray for him that last day of 1936, and Machen told him of a vision that he had had of being in heaven. “Sam, it was glorious. It was glorious,” he said. And a little later he added, “Sam, isn’t the Reformed faith grand?”

The following day — New Year’s Day, 1937 — he mustered the strength to send a telegram to John Murray, his friend and colleague at Westminster. It was his last recorded word: “I’m so thankful for [the] active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.” He died about 7:30 that evening.

Insubordinate Presbyterian

Machen was cut off in the midst of a great work — the establishment of Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He hadn’t set out to found a seminary or a new church. But given who he was and what he stood for and what was happening at Princeton, where he had taught for 23 years, and in the Presbyterian Church in the USA, it was almost inevitable.

Westminster Seminary was seven years old when Machen died. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was six months old. The occasion for starting a new Presbyterian church over against the huge Presbyterian Church in the USA was that on March 29, 1935, Machen’s Presbytery in Trenton, New Jersey, found him guilty of insubordination to church authorities and stripped him of his ordination.

The reason for the charge of insubordination was that Machen had founded an independent board of foreign missions in June 1933 to protest the fact that the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions endorsed a laymen’s report (called Rethinking Missions) that Machen said was “from beginning to end an attack upon the historic Christian faith” (J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir, 475).

He pointed out that the board supported missionaries like Pearl Buck in China, who represented the kind of evasive, noncommittal attitude toward Christian truth that Machen thought was destroying the church and its witness. She said, for example, that if someone existed who could create a person like Christ and portray him for us, “then Christ lived and lives, whether He was once one body and one soul, or whether He is the essence of men’s highest dreams” (474).

Thus, Machen was forced by his own conscience into what the church viewed as the gravest insubordination and disobedience to his ordination vows. Hence the beginning of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

‘Princeton Seminary Is Dead’

A few years earlier, Machen had left Princeton Seminary to found Westminster Seminary. This time he wasn’t forced out, but chose freely to leave when the governing boards of the seminary were reorganized so that the conservative board of directors could be diluted by liberals more in tune with the denomination as a whole.

Princeton Seminary died, in Machen’s eyes, and out of the ashes he meant to preserve the tradition of Charles Hodge and Benjamin Warfield. So when he gave the inaugural address of Westminster Seminary on September 25, 1929, to the first class of fifty students and guests, he said,

No, my friends, though Princeton Seminary is dead, the noble tradition of Princeton Seminary is alive. Westminster Seminary will endeavor by God’s grace to continue that tradition unimpaired. (458)

Machen’s most enduring response to what he called modernism was the founding of these two institutions: Westminster Seminary (which today is a major influence in American evangelicalism) and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (which now, over eight decades later, bears a witness disproportionate to its small size).

Faith and Doubt

Machen met modernism face to face many years earlier, while spending a year in Germany after seminary. As he studied New Testament with well-known German scholars, Machen was shaken profoundly in his faith. Almost overpowering was the influence of Wilhelm Herrmann, the systematic theologian at Marburg, who represented the best of what Machen would later oppose with all his might. He was not casting stones over a wall when he criticized modernism. Machen had been over the wall and was almost lured into the camp.

In 1905 he wrote home,

I have been thrown all into confusion by what [Herrmann] says — so much deeper is his devotion to Christ than anything I have known in myself during the past few years. . . . Herrmann affirms very little of that which I have been accustomed to regard as essential to Christianity; yet there is no doubt in my mind but that he is a Christian, and a Christian of a peculiarly earnest type. (107)

His struggle with doubt gave him patience and sympathy with others in the same situation. Twenty years later, he wrote,

Some of us have been through such struggle ourselves; some of us have known the blankness of doubt, the deadly discouragement, the perplexity of indecision, the vacillation between “faith diversified by doubt,” and “doubt diversified by faith.” (432)

Nevertheless, Machen came through this time without losing his evangelical faith and was called to Princeton to teach New Testament, which he did from 1906 until he left to form Westminster in 1929. During that time, he became a pillar of conservative, Reformed orthodoxy and a strong apologist for biblical Christianity and an internationally acclaimed New Testament scholar.

Duplicity in the Classroom

Machen’s experience in Germany made a lasting impact on the way he carried on controversy. He said again and again that he had respect and sympathy for the modernist who could honestly no longer believe in the bodily resurrection or the virgin birth or the second coming, but it was the rejection of these things without openly admitting one’s unbelief that angered Machen.

For example, he said once that his problem with certain teachers at Union Seminary was their duplicity:

There is my real quarrel with them. As for their difficulties with the Christian faith, I have profound sympathy for them, but not with their contemptuous treatment of the conscientious men who believe that a creed solemnly subscribed to is more than a scrap of paper. (221–22)

He wanted to deal with people in a straightforward manner and take his opponents’ arguments seriously, if they would only be honest and open with their constituents and readers. As it was, however, many modernist professors and pastors were not honest and open.

More to come.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)

Why are we to toil and strive for the biblical truth of godliness? Why does God call believers to work hard in sharing the gospel of godliness? Why is it believers share the gospel of godliness amidst mockery, hate and rebuke be the unconverted?  

The reason Paul gave an answer to these questions is found in the latter portion of today’s featured biblical text. The church toils and strives for the biblical gospel of godliness “because we have our hope set on the living God.” The phrase we have set our hope (ἠλπίκαμεν; elpikamen) means to place our confidence on God and His promises of truth. God’s truthful promises are based upon His truthful character and nature (Titus 1:2).

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

The believers’ hope and confidence is on the living God. Living (ζῶντι; zonti) refers to eternal, without beginning or end. God (θεῷ; theo) means the One, True God of the Bible. The Lord of heaven and earth. The creator and sustainer of all He created (Heb. 1:1-3).

He is not only the living God but He is also the Savior of all people. This is a specific reference to God the Father as Savior. Savior (σωτὴρ; soter) means deliverer and rescuer. From what has God delivered all kinds of sinners? God delivers sinners from the penalty, power and eventual presence of their sin and sin’s consequences, guilt and shame. The Bible defines sin as crime (Isaiah 53:5-6), a debt (Matt. 6:12; Col 2:13-15), and an alienation (Rom. 5:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:21-22). God the Father, through the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross, justifies the sinful criminal, redeems the sinful debtor, and reconciles the sinfully alienated.

God is the only hope for all kinds of people in general. “The general call to repentance and salvation is extended to all people (Matt. 11:28, for we do not know whom God has chosen to save but we do know that He has elected people from every tribe and tongue (Rev. 7:9-17),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

The phrase especially of those who believe is referring to the specific call unto salvation. The word especially (μάλιστα; malista) means above all and particularly. The phrase those who believe (πιστῶν; piston) refers to the individual who trusts in, depends upon, commits to and worships Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Salvation is God’s gift, in particular to those who trust in His provision in Christ (Matt.22:14; Rom. 8:30). In this case, Paul clarifies that, by all people, he means those who come to believe in Christ. God focuses special, justifying, redeeming, and reconciling grace on those who believe. Those who believe are those God gives the gift of faith (John 6:35-66; Acts 13:48; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 1:29; 2 Peter 1:1-2).

“What the apostle teaches amounts, accordingly, to this, “We have our hope set on the living God, and in this hope we shall not be disappointed, for not only is he a kind God, hence the Soter (Preserver, Deliverer) of all men, showering blessings upon them, but he is in a very special sense the Soter (Savior) of those who by faith embrace him and his promise, for to them he imparts salvation, everlasting life in all its fulness (as explained in connection with 1 Tim. 1:15),” states Dr. William Hendriksen.^[1]

“It is this living God who in Jesus Christ is the Savior! In classical and in Koine Greek the term Soter was used as a designation of various gods (Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, Ascelepius), Roman emperors, and leading officials, inasmuch as these were viewed as delivering men from this or that calamity, supplying this or that physical need, or bestowing general health or “well-being.” But according to Paul, back of every real deliverance stands God, the living One. The most glorious “well-being” of all (for the soul but in the end also for the body), and that everlasting, is promised and given by him to all who believe. For them, for them alone, God is the Soter in the sense in which the term is also used in 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4. Them he rescues from the greatest evil, and upon them he bestows the greatest good. It is in that full, evangelical sense that the term is applied to God also in Jude 25 (and, according to some, also in Luke 1:47).”^[2]

“Though as a title for God Paul did not use the term until he wrote the Pastorals, the idea that God is the Soter is certainly present in his earlier writings, as has been shown (see on 1 Tim. 1:1). It is probable that the closer Paul and believers in general came into contact with the Roman world and with the epithet Soter as applied to its gods and leaders, the more they began to make use of that same term Soter as a designation for the true and living God, basing the contents of this conviction not on anything which the world round about them offered but upon special revelation as given in the Old Testament and in the teaching of the Lord.”^[3]

Has God saved you from the penalty, power and the eventual presence of sin? Has the Lord saved you from the consequences of your crimes, debts and alienation against Him? If so, remember and rejoice. If not, repent and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 1:12-13).

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 156.

^[2] Ibid., 156.

^[3] Ibid., 156.

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)

What is most important in the life of the local church? What is most important in the life of the individual believer? Is it unity within the church and within the family? Or is biblical truth to be pursued at all costs, perhaps at the expense of unity?

When instructing His Twelve Disciples, Jesus said some provocative words to them, which are found in Matthew 10:34-39.  

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34–39 (ESV)

In the context, Jesus spoke of the divisions the Gospel causes between the unconverted and the converted. This extends to all manner of people groups, and gatherings, including churches.

“Faith not only creates division between one race and another, one people and another, one church and another; it even brings about division in the family, in fact often the sharpest division of all,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.^[1]

It is for the sake of biblical truth believers in Christ toil and strive, even at the expense of superficial, shallow and artificial unity. True unity among believers in Christ is based upon biblical truth. There can be no alternative.

To toil (κοπιῶμεν; kopiomen) means believers are to presently, actively and collectively work hard in the pursuit of godliness (4:6-9). The task will not be easy. This is because true godliness is rooted in the truth of the Gospel, which is attacked and compromised by many; even by those within the church.

To strive (ὀνειδιζόμεθα; oneidizometha) means to presently and collectively work hard for godliness in the midst of insults, reproach, mockery, and other people’s reviling. This also happens within the church. Remember other instructions Jesus gave His disciples.

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ (John 15:18–25 (ESV)

“It is true that we are deeply convinced of the truth expressed in the faithful saying, for otherwise we missionaries (I, Paul, and you, Timothy) would not be toiling and striving so hard. That seems to be the connection between verses 7b, 8, 9, on the one hand, and 10, on the other,” continues Dr. Hendriksen.^[2]

“The end or purpose for which Paul and Timothy are toiling and striving is, of course, this, that men from all over the world, be they Jews or Gentiles, shall hear the blessed gospel of salvation, and better still, shall accept it and obtain everlasting life. It is this life, that is, salvation, that God has promised (verse 8).”^[3]

These missionaries labor or toil. They exert themselves to the utmost in the work of bringing the gospel, applying it to concrete situations, warning, admonishing, helping, and encouraging, generally amid great difficulties. Paul uses this word labor or toil with reference to manual labor (1 Cor. 4:12; Eph. 4:28; 2 Tim. 2:6; cf. the noun in 1 Thess. 1:3; 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8) and also in connection with religious work (Rom. 16:12 twice; 1 Cor. 5:10; Gal. 4:11; Phil. 2:16; 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17; and in our present passage). They strive, that is, in the spiritual arena they struggle against the forces of darkness, in order that they may bring men out of the darkness into the light. They suffer agonies. Cf. 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7; then Col. 1:29; 4:12. See N.T.C. on 1 Thess. 2:2.^[4]

Why are we to toil and strive for the biblical truth of godliness? Isn’t it much to do about nothing? Are there not greater goals to pursue as a Christian and for a church congregation? Why did the Apostle Paul place such importance upon this doctrine to his young protégé Timothy?

The answers to these questions are found in the biblical text. It is the latter portion of I Timothy 4:10 we will examine when next we meet. Until then, may the Lord’s truth and grace be found here and in us. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew, vol. 9, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 475.

^[2] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 152-153.

Ibid., 152–153.

^[3] Ibid., 152-153.

^[4] Ibid., 152-153.

⁶ “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.” (1 Timothy 4:6–9 (ESV)

What did the Apostle Paul mean when he wrote, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance?”  Variations of this expression occur throughout, and only in, the Pastoral Epistles of Paul.

¹The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV)

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” (1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV)

“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;” (2 Timothy 2:11 (ESV)

^“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” (Titus 3:8 (ESV)

First, there is a general meaning applicable to all of these mentioned biblical texts. Second, there is a specific meaning related to today’s featured biblical text. Our goal is to understand both intended meanings.

The word saying (λόγος; logos) refers to the spoken or written word. It is a message, statement or an announcement. To be trustworthy (πιστὸς; pistos) means to be dependable, reliable and faithful. Deserving (ἄξιος; axios) means worthy, valuable and proper. Full (πάσης; pases) means to possess completeness. Acceptance (ἀποδοχῆς; apodoches) means to believe something to be true.

Within the overall scope of Scripture, everything the Bible says is trustworthy and serving of full acceptance. Within the particular scope of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, and in the immediate context of 4:1-8, what the apostle wrote was trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

“A problem arises over the trustworthy saying in v 9, for it is not certain whether this relates to v 8 or v 10. V 10 contains the more theological statement and could well have formed a proverbial saying. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that the second half of v 8 has the nature of a proverbial statement and that v 10 is really a development of this. The two verbs labour and strive are both strong verbs and suggest that godliness deserves the utmost effort in its pursuit. ^[1]

The trustworthy saying formula can point forward, as in 1:15, or backward, as in Titus 3:8. Here it is probably best to see it as reinforcing the proverbial impact of 1 Timothy 4:8.^[2]

“Over against the widely proclaimed value of physical training, the church confessed its faith in the infinitely superior value of spiritual training. Hence, with reference to the significant declaration which we have just studied—namely, “While physical training is of some benefit … godly living is of benefit in every way, as it holds promise of life both for the present and for the future”—believers were constantly saying, Reliable is that saying and worthy of full acceptance.^[3]

God says the pursuit of godliness is a reliable, worthy, complete and truthful goal to pursue in this life as a believer in Christ. All worship, relationships, ministry, and service are to be rooted in this pursuit.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed and godly day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] Donald Guthrie, “1 Timothy,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 1300.

^[2] A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 740.

^[3] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 152.

⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.” (1 Timothy 4:8–9 (ESV)

The following brief excerpt is from Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. He preached this message June 19, 1870. It is entitled The Profit of Godliness in this Life.

YOUR attention will be the more readily given to this passage, because Paul declares it to be a “faithful”—a most true and certain saying, and “worthy of all acceptance,” that is to say, worthy to be received and practiced by us all.

Paul has four of these faithful sayings. The first occurs in 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

The second is our text (I Timothy 4:9).

The third is in 2 Timothy 2:12, “It is a faithful saying, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”

The fourth is Titus 3:8. “This is a faithful saying that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.”

We may trace a connection between these faithful sayings. The first one lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in the free grace of God, as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the double blessedness which we obtain through this salvation—the blessings of the upper and nether springs—of time and of Eternity. The third shows one of the duties to which the chosen people are called, we are ordained to suffer for Christ with the promise that “if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” The last sets forth the active form of Christian service, bidding us diligently to maintain good
works.

Thus, we have the root of salvation in free grace. Next, we have the privileges of that salvation in the life which now is, and in that which is to come. And we have also the two great branches of suffering with Christ, and serving with Christ, loaded with the fruits of the Spirit.

Let us treasure up these faithful sayings. Let them be the guides of our life, our comfort, and our instruction. The apostle of the Gentiles proved them to be faithful, they are faithful still, not one word shall fall to the ground. They are worthy of all acceptance, let us accept them now, and prove their faithfulness. Let these four faithful sayings be written on the four corners of your house.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁷ “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7–8 (ESV),

The Apostle Paul frequently used the metaphor of physical athletics to provide principles for the disciplined Christian life. The thoughts contained in today’s text from I Timothy 4:7-8 are also found in other epistles by the apostle. See 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Galatians 2:1–2; Philippians 2:14–16; Philippians 3:12–14; 2 Timothy 2:5.

It is not surprising Paul invoked the athletic metaphor in his first epistle to Timothy. He wrote, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” There are two commands in this one sentence; one negative and the other positive.

Paul transitioned from spiritual training to bodily training. He wrote, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way.” Godliness (εὐσέβεια; eusebeia), referring to right beliefs and behavior, is of value (ὠφέλιμός; ophelimos) or benefit in every way (πάντα; panta) or in its entirety.

Why is this the case? The Apostle Paul does not leave believers in Christ to wonder. He immediately provided the answer; “as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Godliness remains the main subject. Godliness provides two lasting benefits.

First, godliness holds promise for the present life. The phrase as it holds (ἔχουσα; echousa) is a present, active participle. It means to presently and actively possess and have something. The something the apostle had in mind was the word promise. Promise (ἐπαγγελίαν; epangelian) refers to the content of what is promised or agreed upon the present life here on earth. Second, godliness holds promise for the life to come in heaven.

“As valuable as physical fitness (training is gymnasia, “exercise,” used only here in the NT) may be (and Paul did not disparage it), spiritual fitness, or godliness, is much more valuable. Physical fitness is profitable only, literally, “for a little.” But godliness is profitable for all things, not merely in this present transient life but in the life to come, that is, for eternity. Godliness colors all aspects of temporal and eternal life, bestowing its blessing on all it touches.^[1]

“The essence and contents of the promise is life, fellowship with God in Christ, the love of God shed abroad in the heart, the peace of God which passes all understanding. Complete devotion, godliness, or godly living, itself the fruit of God’s grace, results in the increasing possession and enjoyment of this reward, according to the teaching of Scripture throughout (Deut. 4:29; 28:1–3, 9, 10; 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 1:1–3; 24:3–6; 103:17, 18; 1 John 1:6, 7; 1 John 2:24, 25; Rev. 2:10, 17; 3:5, 12, 21). God has promised this, and he always fulfils his promise. And this life which God bestows, and which surpasses all other blessings in value, is both for the present and for the future, for the age that now is and for the coming age. It can never cease.^[2]

Rev. Aaron L. Garriott concludes, “Christian, your physical body is united to Christ and is the sacred dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. What you will be is shrouded in mystery, but know that you will be like Christ in body and soul (1 John 3:2; see Phil. 3:21). Live accordingly. The destructive lie of gnosticism has undeniably led to all sorts of bad fruit. But a recovery of the holiness of the body will surely bear the good fruit of pure and undefiled piety that cares for the body and the soul (James 1:26–27). God cares about our soul and body. We must not sever what God has bound together. As we belong with body and soul to our faithful Savior (Heidelberg Catechism 1), so we are wholeheartedly willing and ready to devote ourselves with body and soul to Him, both in life and in death.”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 740.

^[2] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 151–152.

⁷ “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7–8 (ESV),

The Apostle Paul frequently used the metaphor of physical athletics to provide principles for the disciplined Christian life. The thoughts contained in today’s text from I Timothy 4:7-8 are also found in other epistles by the apostle. See 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Galatians 2:1–2; Philippians 2:14–16; Philippians 3:12–14; 2 Timothy 2:5.

It is not surprising Paul invoked the athletic metaphor in his first epistle to Timothy. He wrote, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” There are two commands in this one sentence; one negative and the other positive.

The Paul transitioned from spiritual training to bodily training. He wrote, “for while bodily training is of some value.” Let’s exegete this statement to understand what the apostle meant by what he wrote.

For while (γὰρ δὲ; gar de) are two conjunctions. They mean because and on the other hand. Paul used these words to express a contrast from what he previously stated. The words bodily training (σωματικὴ γυμνασία; somatike gymnasia) refer to the physical exercise of the human body. This is done to improve the body’s strength and stamina. This is a common and extensive priority in the contemporary culture.

Paul stated such physical exercise is of some value. Is (ἐστὶν; estin) is a present, active, indicative state of being verb. It indicates a present existence for physical exercise. Physical exercise’s existence is of some value. Some (ὀλίγον; oligon) means a little of small amount. Value (ὠφέλιμος; ophelimos) refers to usefulness, benefit and profitability. In comparison to spiritual exercise, physical has little value in promoting godliness.

“ In light of Paul’s later words that “bodily training is of some value, [while] godliness is of value in every way” (1 Tim. 4:8), some get the impression that he has a low view of the body. What matters is the spirit, not the body. To be sure, Paul is adamantly opposed to mere externalism (e.g., 1 Tim. 6:6–10; see also 1 Peter 3:3–4). But he’s not positing a dichotomy between body and spirit; rather, he’s using athletic imagery to show that godliness in all of life is of comprehensive, eternal value. Further, a robust Pauline theology of the body will take into account all of Scripture, including Paul’s forceful dictum in 1 Corinthians 6 that the Christian’s body is holy,” writes Rev. Aaron L. Garriott from his article Holiness of Body and Soul in the July 2024 issue of Tabletalk Magazine.

“Paul says that we are to glorify God in our bodies (v. 20) for two reasons. First, our bodies are members of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 15). Second, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (v. 19). Contra gnostic conceptions of the body, there could hardly be a greater degree of holiness assigned to our bodies or a greater responsibility to keep our bodies blameless (1 Thess. 5:23). Notice the Trinitarian dimension of our bodily holiness: we are to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness for God, by virtue of our bodily union with Christ and by the residential indwelling of the Holy Spirit. United to Christ, the Christian’s body has been bought with a high price (1 Cor. 6:20) and serves as the abode of the Spirit of God. My body—united to Christ’s body—is sacred, and the Spirit is within me wherever I go and whatever I do. Joined together in vital union to the holy Son of God; a living, walking, sacred temple of God—do you see your body that way, Christian?”

Dr. William Hendriksen comments, “It is not at all surprising that the apostle, with this figure of the gymnasium or its less pretentious substitutes in mind, now draws a comparison between the value of physical training (literally “bodily gymnastics”) and training for godly living. He states that the former is of some benefit. It is useful for something. The latter, however, is of benefit in every way. It is useful for all things. He is by no means belittling the value of physical exercise. He is saying two things: a. that the boon which bodily training bestows, however great it may be, is definitely inferior to the reward which the godly life promises. The former at best bestows health, vigor, beauty of physical form. These things are wonderful and to be appreciated. But the latter bestows life everlasting! b. that the sphere in which bodily training is of benefit is far more restricted than that in which godly living confers its reward. The former concerns the here and now. The latter concerns the here and now but also reaches far beyond it.”^[1]

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 151.

⁷ “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7–8 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul frequently used the metaphor of physical athletics to provide principles for the disciplined Christian life. The thoughts contained in today’s text from I Timothy 4:7-8 are also found in other epistles by the apostle.

²⁴ “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27 (ESV)

“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. ² I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.” (Galatians 2:1–2 (ESV)

¹⁴ “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:14–16 (ESV)

¹² “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12–14 (ESV)

⁵ “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” (2 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)

⁷ “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7–8 (ESV)

It is not surprising Paul invoked the athletic metaphor in his first epistle to Timothy. He wrote, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” There are two commands in this one sentence; one negative and the other positive.

First, Paul commanded Timothy to “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.” The phrase have nothing to do with (παραιτοῦ; paraitou) is a present, middle imperative verb. Timothy was to continuously, personally, and obediently reject, refuse, and avoid irreverent, silly myths. Irreverent (βεβήλους; bebelous) means pointless and worthless. Silly (γραώδεις; graodeis) literally means to be an elderly woman who tells fairy tales and mythological stories. Myths (μύθους; mythous) are legends and fables.

Dr. William Hendriksen writes, “Timothy must be nourished. Of course he must use the proper victuals. He must not feed on trash. So, Paul continues: But profane and old-womanish myths shun. Note that the apostle definitely continues to tell Timothy what the latter should do in order to be and remain an excellent minister. The expressions: “being nourished on the words of the faith,” “shun profane and old-womanish myths,” “train yourself in godly living,” belong together. Doing the one and shunning the other is, of course, a contrast. Hence, the translation “but” (for δέ) here at the beginning of verse 7 fits excellently.” ^[1]

“The profane and old-womanish myths which the apostle tells Timothy to shun are the “endless myths and genealogies” mentioned in 1 Tim. 1:4. In contrast with the heresy against which Paul warned Timothy in the section which has just been discussed (1 Tim. 4:1–5), a heresy which had reference largely, though not exclusively, to the future, these inane Jewish anecdotes, by means of which errorists were trying to embellish the law, pertained to the present. Timothy should refuse to be bothered with them (cf. 2 Tim. 2:23). He should “beg off.” These myths are profane, fit to be trodden under foot (see on 1 Tim. 1:9). They are nothing but drivel, and belong to the category of silly superstitions which old women sometimes try to palm off on their neighbors or on their grandchildren.”^[2]

Second. Paul’s positive command was “Rather train yourself for godliness;” Rather (δὲ; de) is a contrasting conjunction. It means but, on the other hand, or instead. What Timothy ought to do is train (γύμναζε gymnaze). Train is a present, active imperative verb. Timothy is to continuously, actively and obediently discipline himself. The English word gymnasium comes from this Greek word. Yourself (σεαυτὸν; seauton) makes this command emphatic.

The obedient and personal training Paul’s protégé must discipline himself for is godliness (εὐσέβειαν; eusebeia). Godliness is personal piety, accurate beliefs and biblical behavior toward God and others.

“The figure which underlies the passage is, of course, that of the Greek gymnasium (or its popular imitation), comprising grounds for running, wrestling, etc. It was a place where stripped youths by means of physical training would try to promote the grace and vigor of their bodies. Timothy, then, is told to gymnasticize. But, in keeping with the immediately preceding context, which pictured him as being nourished on the words of faith and as shunning profane myths in order that thus he may be (and may continue to be) “an excellent minister of Christ Jesus,” he is told to train himself with a view to godliness or godly living. The exercise which he is urged to take is to be of a spiritual character.”^[3]

What Paul had in mind, accordingly, must have included one or more of the following comparisons:

(a) Just as a youth in the gymnasium exerts himself to the utmost, so you, too, by God’s grace and power, must spare no efforts to attain your goal.

(b) Just as that youth discards every handicap or burden in order that he may train the more freely, so you, too, should divest yourself of everything that could encumber your spiritual progress.

(c) Just as that youth has his eye on a goal—perhaps that of showing superior skill on the discus range, that of winning the wrestling match or boxing-bout in the palestra, that of being the first one to reach the post which marked the winning-point on the running track, at least that of improving his physique—so you should be constantly aiming at your spiritual objective, namely, that of complete self-dedication to God in Christ.^[4]

It is the goal of godliness which all believers in Christ are to train for and pursue. How are your spiritual workouts going? Are you getting stronger, healthier, and increasingly disciplined in God’s Word? I urge you to press on to the goal of godliness of faith and faithful living.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 150.

^[2] Ibid., 150.

^[3] Ibid., 150–151.

^[4] Ibid., 151.

^“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6 (ESV)

What does God promise for believers in Christ who seek to glorify Him by using all things God created for His glory? What results when followers of Christ reject their own self erected altar, which is being the master of their own self-importance?

The Apostle Paul shared encouraging words to Timothy. These self-same words are also for our encouragement. They are explicitly formed and fashioned into three precious promises but they all include an implicit warning.

The apostle began with the phrase “If you put these things before the brothers.” If you put…before (ὑποτιθέμενος; hypotithemenos) means to presently and personally make known or give instructions. These things (Ταῦταl tauta) refer to an entire previous discourse (I Timothy 4:1-5). The brothers (ἀδελφοῖς; adelphos) are fellow believers in Christ.

This future promise for doing so is the individual in question will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.  Good (καλὸς; kalos) means to be praiseworthy and fine in God’s sight. Servant (διάκονος; diakonos) refers to a servant minister who helps believers. The English word deacon originates from this Greek noun. The phrase of Christ Jesus (Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ; Christou Jesou) refers to the servant belonging solely to the only Savior and Anointed One for the believer’s salvation; Jesus Christ.

As a good servant minister brings biblical truth to their fellow believers, they themselves are being trained in the words of the faith.  The phrase being trained (ἐντρεφόμενος; entrepphomenos) refers training of a skill in practical knowledge God provides the servant minister. It is an instruction God gives the servant minister.

Pastors and lay persons who preach and teach God’s Word often learn more than their students. Their preparation to bring God’s truth to the church, Bible college and seminary students, small groups, or any gathering for biblical instruction results in the preacher and teacher growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord as much, or even more, than those they teach.

What God is training the servant minister in are the words of the faith. Words (λόγοις; logois) refers to a message, a statement or treatise. These words are solely of the faith (πίστεως; pisteos). The words, message, and treatise solely originate and are solely centered on God’s trustworthy, dependable and worshipful revelation of His person and work of creation and salvation.

Paul also referred to these words of the faith as “the good doctrine that you have followed.” Good (καλῆς; kales) means praiseworthy and morally fine. Doctrine (διδασκαλίας; didaskalias) refers to biblical instruction and teaching. Timothy followed this good doctrine and the words of the faith. The word followed (παρηκολούθηκας; parekolouthekas) is a perfect, active verb. This means a past completed action with continuing results. To follow means to faithfully conform to sound, biblical doctrine. Timothy did this and so should we.

“The words” are the ones which embody “the faith” and “the excellent teaching” of the church, true Christian doctrine. The apostle may be thinking of certain summaries of doctrine which (perhaps in the form of current “reliable sayings” and other fixed formulations of truths) could be considered good spiritual nourishment. Timothy had been and is still following this excellent doctrine or teaching. If he is to remain a highly qualified minister of Jesus Christ, he must be constantly nourished by (or “on”) this kind of food. A minister who neglects to study his Bible and the doctrine based upon it atrophies his powers by disuse.^[1]

“The good servant must be continually nourished by true doctrine in order to nourish others in the same truth,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.  

For those of us who teach God’s Word, in whatever setting it may be, are we nourishing ourselves by the biblical truth by which we nourish others? Are we ourselves growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)? The preacher and the teacher must never stop being a student.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 149–150.

^“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6 (ESV)

What does God promise for believers in Christ who seek to glorify the Lord by using all things God created for His glory? What results when followers of Christ reject their own self erected altar, which is being the master of their own self-importance?

The Apostle Paul shared encouraging words to Timothy. These self-same words are also for our encouragement. They are explicitly formed and fashioned into three precious promises but they include an implicit warning.

The apostle began with the phrase “If you put these things before the brothers.” If you put…before (ὑποτιθέμενος; hypotithemenos) means to presently and personally make known or give instructions. These things (Ταῦταl tauta) refer to an entire previous discourse. The brothers (ἀδελφοῖς; adelphos) refer to fellow believers in Christ.

If the faithful steward of God continues to present to fellow believers the truth God reveals in His written Word, especially concerning His creative goodness, then the Lord stated such an individual will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. The phrase you will be (ἔσῃ; ese) is a future, middle indicative verb. To hold to the truthfulness of God’s word results in a personal promise from the Lord to be realized in the future.

This future promise is the individual in question will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.  Good (καλὸς; kalos) means to be praiseworthy and fine in God’s sight. Servant (διάκονος; diakonos) refers to a servant minister who helps believers. The English word deacon originates from this Greek noun. The phrase of Christ Jesus (Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ; Christou Jesou) refers to the servant belonging solely to the only Savior and Anointed One.

“Timothy must warn against coming danger. He must point out what will be the outcome of certain errors which in their initial form were manifesting themselves even now but which as to their further development belonged to the future. He must make plain to the leaders and to the people of Ephesus and surroundings what the Spirit has distinctly revealed as to the nature of the approaching falsehood and as to the way in which it should be combated. Hence, the expression “these matters” refers to the things touched upon in verses 1–5. Timothy must submit these things to the brothers, that is, he must place a firm foundation under their feet (note the verb ὑποτίθημι only here and in Rom. 16:5),” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.^[1]

“The apostle writes that these things must be submitted to “the brothers” (cf. 5:1; 6:2; 2 Tim. 4:21). Paul is fond of this term (see 1 Thess. 1:4). Though he is never afraid to assert his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, nevertheless, he places the emphasis on love. Believers in the Ephesus-community are brothers, members of Paul’s (and of God’s!) spiritual family. Paul loves them. God loves them.^[2]

Now, by submitting these things to the brothers, Timothy will prove himself to be “an excellent minister of Christ Jesus.” For “minister” the original uses the term “diakonos,” from which we have derived the word “deacon.” In 1 Tim. 3:8, 12 its meaning is “deacon.” But in 1 Tim. 1:12 the closely related “diakonia” does not mean deaconate but ministry, and it is probable that the related verb, wherever it is used in the New Testament (see 1 Tim. 3:13), does not mean “to function as deacon” but “to minister,” or “to supply by ministering.” “An excellent minister” is one who, in loving devotion to his task, to his people, and above all to his God, warns against departures from the truth and shows how to deal with error. Such a man truly represents (and belongs to) Christ Jesus.^[3]

God calls each believer to this task: pastors and lay persons. No believer in Christ is exempt. We all share this responsibility and the resulting praiseworthiness from God.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 149.

^[2] Ibid., 149.

^[3] Ibid., 149.

⁴ For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:4–5 (ESV)

 “The Bible never sugarcoats the painful realities of living in a fallen world. Sin is portrayed in all of its dark hues, and the best of men are acknowledged to be at best, mere men. Similarly, the church is portrayed as in a constant state of conflict until the Lord Jesus returns. The church in the world is the church militant—always engaged in warfare, under attack and advancing doggedly onward through enemy territory. As is true with any army, the church is not immune to the loss of some of her members. In fact, the skill and tenacity of our enemies are intent on destroying as many as they can.” – Dr. R. C. Sproul

The Apostle Paul set forth a significant biblical truth in I Timothy 4:4. It is a major doctrine or teaching from Scripture. The truth is God created everything good. Therefore, nothing He created is to be rejected. This applies to the relational or physiological areas of life and living. All God created the believer in Christ should receive with thanksgiving and praise as long as what He created the believer in Christ uses for the Lord’s honor and glory.

^“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36 (ESV)

 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

^“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

¹⁰ “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10–11 (ESV)

When believers in Christ use for His glory the physical and relational gifts God created for His glory, then these items are consequently set apart. In other words, they become holy.

To be made holy (ἁγιάζεται; hagiazetai) is a present, passive verb. To be made holy means to become dedicated, consecrated, and sanctified. An object is no longer common but becomes uncommon. It is no longer secular or earthly but becomes spiritual. It is no longer profane and blasphemous but becomes holy and sacred. This applies to marriage as it also does to food. It also applies to the believer.

This consecration of godly, created relationships and foods is not left up for believers to figure out by their own ideas and instincts. Consecrated marriages and physical appetites come from a knowledge of God’s Word on these matters and the resulting prayers to be obedient and to use all God created for His glory.

One author writes, “Weeks after my conversion to Christ, many of my friends had questions for me, particularly related to what this meant for my nightlife moving forward: Would I still be going out? Was I “allowed” to drink? One question that stood out in those early days came from my friend’s father. He approached me and asked, “What is it like knowing that for the rest of your life, everyone will be out having fun and enjoying life while you are stuck going to church?” Looking back now, I chuckle at such a question, but at that moment it made me quietly ask: Was I ready (and able) to give up my “party” life? Was I ready to spend Sunday at church? Was I, paraphrasing the Apostle Paul, willing to forget what lay behind and strain forward to what lay ahead? (Phil. 3:13).”

“When we truly encounter God’s holiness, we are changed. Consider Isaiah 6. Isaiah is overwhelmed by the display of God’s holiness. He is completely undone, crying, “Woe is me!” (Isa. 6:5). Encountering God’s holiness humbles us, exposes our sinfulness, and reshapes our minds and hearts, compelling us to align our desires and will with His desires and will. And God’s desire and will for us is to be holy because He is holy: “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16). Recognizing our need for Him, we are set apart for His purposes and transformed into His likeness”

“A growing knowledge of our holy God in and through Christ derails that drift, puts us on the path to holiness, and promises us a life of lasting pleasure and delight. So, the next time someone asks you, “What is it like knowing that for the rest of your life, everyone will be out having fun and enjoying life while you are stuck going to church?” smile and say: “If you only knew my holy God, if you only knew Jesus, you wouldn’t ask that. Going to church to worship Him is my delight, for He alone can fill my heart with gladness and an overabundance of joy!” (Ps. 16:11; Isa. 35:10; John 16:24

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” (1 Timothy 4:4 (ESV)

“The Bible never sugarcoats the painful realities of living in a fallen world. Sin is portrayed in all of its dark hues, and the best of men are acknowledged to be at best, mere men. Similarly, the church is portrayed as in a constant state of conflict until the Lord Jesus returns,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“The church in the world is the church militant—always engaged in warfare, under attack and advancing doggedly onward through enemy territory. As is true with any army, the church is not immune to the loss of some of her members. In fact, the skill and tenacity of our enemies are intent on destroying as many as they can.”

Apostates depart from God’s truth and desire to control others with their lies. To control means to govern, regulate, and rule. They reject and seek to supplant the Lord’s sovereign rule and replace it with their own. Not only do they want to rule their own lives, but also the lives of individuals with whom they come into contact.

Manipulation is their ministry philosophy. This extends to the basic necessities of life and living. Apostates not only regulate the marriages but also what food and drink may be consumed by the members of their congregation (I Timothy 4:3). Nothing is off limits. While denying others God’s goodness, apostate leaders rarely deny themselves anything.

“Apostates are people who have been deceived. They have been duped into believing lies rather than the truth and, as a result, are not standing firm but are falling away,” explains Dr. Sproul.

However, what apostates reject are God’s many blessings for which humanity should be thankful. Rather than asceticism, believers in Christ should partake in thanksgiving for the Lord’s relational and physiological blessings. Thanksgiving to God and devotion to His Word is the antidote to apostasy.

The Apostle Paul stated “For everything created by God is good.” The word for (ὅτι; hoti) means because. Paul’s words in today’s featured text stems from what he previously stated to Timothy in 4:1-3. The reason why believers are to be thankful to God for everything is because God created everything. Everything (πᾶν; pan) means all, of every kind, and the whole. Created (κτίσμα; ktisma) refers to all God spoke into being from nothing and sustains (Gen. 1-2; Psalm 33:6-7; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:1-3). God alone created everything good. Good (καλόν; kalon) is what is beautiful, pleasant, orderly, and moral excellent.

Consequently, nothing God created is to be rejected. Rejected (ἀπόβλητον; apobleton) means to throw away. It means to view what God created as worthless. Rather, instead of rejecting what God created believers in Christ to receive God’s provision with thanksgiving. Received (λαμβανόμενον; lambanomenon) is a present, passive participle. Believers are to constantly be thankful for what God has graciously given.

“This sentence confirms the preceding passage. Foods that were created for consumption with accompanying thanksgiving are excellent,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“The false teachers’ asceticism contradicted Scripture, which teaches that since God created both marriage and food (Gen. 1:28–31; 2:18–24; 9:3), they are intrinsically good (Gen. 1:31) and to be enjoyed with gratitude by believers. Obviously, food and marriage are essential for life and procreation,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

“The antidote to apostasy, then, is a rigorous devotion to the truth of God’s Word. It is in the Word that the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ is revealed. Becoming increasingly grounded in the gospel is what gives stability to a believer. As Psalm 1 says, the blessed and stable man is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates in it day and night (vv. 2-3),” concludes Dr. Sproul.

“Pastors must be radically committed to teaching the Word of God in all of its fullness and simplicity. This is why Paul repeatedly emphasizes the importance of sound doctrine in his letters to Timothy and Titus on pastoral ministry (1 Timothy 1:3, 10, 4:6, 16, 6:3; 2 Timothy 3:16, 4:3; Titus 1:9, 2:1). This is also why no Christian should settle for anything less.”

I encourage you to memorize Psalm 1. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, ³ who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1–3 (ESV) 

Thus far, the Apostle Paul instructed his protégé Timothy concerning the reality of apostates, and the character of apostates. The apostle then explained to Timothy about the teachings of apostates. Close to 2,000 years of church history has not changed the nature, behavior and doctrine of these false teachers.

What exactly do apostates teach and why. Paul did not provide an exhaustive list but he did focus on two primary needs of humanity: family relationships and physical nourishment. Without these, humans struggle to survive and eventually die.

Paul began by saying apostates forbid marriage. To forbid (κωλυόντων; kolyonton) is a present, active, genitive, plural participle. What this means is apostates continuously, actively, possessively, and collectively hinder, prevent, and restrain those they teach from certain behaviors and covenants. In this case, they prevent people from getting married.

Marriage (γαμεῖν; gameo) is a spiritual, moral, social, and physical covenantal relationship between a binary heterosexual husband and wife. It is a covenant God created (Gen. 1:26-27).

However, apostates not only seek to prevent people from marriage, but also from enjoying certain foods. They require abstinence from foods. To require abstinence (ἀπέχεσθαι; apechesthai) means to continuously, personally, and infinitely keep people from eating certain foods. Why do apostates seek to invoke these man-made restrictions?

“How a person lives is determined by what he believes. Those who fall away do so because they become devoted to the “teachings of demons.” This does not mean that they get caught up in the occult. Rather, they come to believe notions that originate in hell and are consequently led away from the faith,” explains Dr. R.C. Sproul.

“This is what causes people to make up rules that God’s Word does not teach (“Do not get married” or “Do not eat”) and to become convinced that by following them they are spiritually safe. In reality, they have fallen prey to “deceitful spirits” who use liars with seared consciences to spread their spiritual poison (1 Timothy 4:2).”  

“A sample of the false teaching at Ephesus typically contained elements of truth, since Scripture commends both singleness (1 Cor. 7:25–35) and fasting (Matt. 6:16–17; 9:14–15). The deception came in making such human works a prerequisite for salvation—a distinguishing mark of all false religion. This ascetic teaching was probably influenced both by the Jewish sect known as the Essenes, and contemporary Greek thought (which viewed matter as evil and spirit as good). Paul addressed this asceticism in Col. 2:21–23. Neither celibacy nor any form of diet saves or sanctifies,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

“Principles bear fruit. The false teachers who are here described, probably accept as one of their starting principles the thesis: Anything physical or sensuous is contaminating. It is not difficult to see how such a principle would in course of time cause the errorists to frown on marriage. Foods, too, would be condemned, though, of course, not absolutely. Fasting would be praised,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

The problem Paul said with this type of apostate thinking is God created both marriage and food (Gen. 1-2). The apostate’s anti-God thinking conflicts with proper godly theology. Both created concepts, marriage and physical nourishment, are to be received with thanksgiving; along with everything else God created. This thankful attitude is possessed by those who truly believe the Lord and understand His biblical truth (Rom. 1:18-23; I Cor. 1:18-25).

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,” (1 Timothy 4:1–2 (ESV).

The Scriptures do not teach a departure from the Christian faith might happen sometime in the future, but rather it certainly will happen. The Apostle Paul affirmed this truth by invoking the person of the Holy Spirit. Paul said the Spirit expressly says (ῥητῶς λέγει; rhetos legei), which means the Spirit explicitly, presently, actively and singularly stated a departure from biblical faith would occur. 

To depart from the faith means to fall away, to forsake and to turn away. The root word is aphistemi, from which we derive the English word apostasy and apostate. Faith refers to what believers in Christ are to trust in, commit to, depend upon and worship according to Scripture.

To fall away from biblical teaching results in individuals falling into apostasy and heresy. They become personally committed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. This does not mean apostates necessarily teach about deceitful spirits or doctrines of demons, but rather deceitful spirits and demons influence their heretical teaching.

What becomes of the character of these individuals of whom Paul speaks? Having expounded on the godly character of elders and deacons, what does the apostle say about the ungodly character of apostates?

To begin with, they are insincere liars. Insincerity (ὑποκρίσει; hypokrisei) refers to hypocrisy, pretense and play-acting. It is the word used to identify theater actors in the ancient world who pretended to be someone, or something, they were not in reality. Our English word hypocrisy and hypocrite comes from this Greek word.

These individuals pretend to be committed Christians. However, in reality they are nothing of the kind. They are merely playing a part rather than truly living the Christian life. The adjective Paul used for these people was liars (ψευδολόγων; pseudologon) meaning lying and speaking falsely. They literally are hypocritical lie-speakers.

“As Satan made use of a serpent to deceive Eve, and this by means of an insincere utterance (Gen. 3:1-5), so these seducing spirits or demons make use of men who speak lies and who talk piously and learnedly in order to cover up their own arrogance and immorality,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

Additionally, these people possess seared consciences. They possess such a conscience because demons possess them. Conscience (συνείδησιν; syneidesin) refers to an individual’s moral and ethical thinking and understanding. In other words, one’s sense of right and wrong.

The apostate’s conscience is seared (κεκαυστηριασμένων; kekausteriasmenon). The word is a perfect, passive, plural participle. The word means a branding or scarring. This means the damaging of the apostate’s moral and ethical thinking occurred in their past, and continues to impact their present life.

“By constantly arguing with conscience, stifling its warnings, and muffling its bell, they at last have reached the point where conscience no longer bothers them. Grieving the Holy Spirit has led to resisting Him, and resisting Him to quenching Him. Then, through their own rebellion and obstinacy, their conscience will have been rendered seared. It will have been made callous. A good example is Balaam (Num. 22:12-32; 25:1-3; 2 Peter 2:15; Rev. 2:14),” states Dr. Hendriksen.

“To be seared is “a medical term referring to cauterization. False teachers can teach their hypocritical lies because their consciences have been desensitized (cf. Eph. 4:19), as if all the nerves that make them feel had been destroyed and turned into scar tissue by the burning of demonic deception,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.  

Do you know of such individuals? These are they who once professed love for the Lord and His Word, and who walked away from their faith, friends, and family. I remember one such individual. I’m thinking about him as I write this blog. I wonder where he is and what he is doing. I wonder if he is even alive.

Dear heavenly Father, I pray for those in are lives who have walked away from faith in Christ resulting in their consciences becoming callous and scarred. May you rescue them for your glory and the honor of your name. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1 (ESV).

The words the Apostle Paul expressed at the beginning of I Timothy 4 are sobering. He did not say a departure from the Christian faith might happen sometime in the future, but rather it certainly would happen. He affirmed this by invoking the person of the Holy Spirit. Paul said the Spirit expressly says (ῥητῶς λέγει; rhetos legei), which means the Spirit explicitly, presently, actively and singularly stated a departure from biblical faith would occur.  

What does it mean to depart from the faith? The verb depart (ἀποστήσονταί; apostesontai) is a future, middle, plural verb. It means to fall away, to forsake and to turn away. The root word is aphistemi, from which we derive the English word apostasy and apostate.

“Those who fall prey to false teachers will abandon the Christian faith. The Greek word for ‘depart’ is the source of the English word ‘apostatize,’ and refers to someone moving away from an original position. They are professing or nominal Christians who associate with those who truly believe the gospel, but defect after believing lies and deception, thus revealing their true nature as unconverted,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

Rev. Caleb Cangelosi, senior pastor of Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church in Ridgeland, Miss. writes, “It’s difficult to visit the internet these days without seeing another story about someone’s “deconstructing” his faith or undergoing a “deconversion.” The process these fancy terms describe once went by a simpler name: apostasy. The English word apostasy comes from the Greek apostasia.”

“Derived from a verb meaning “to withdraw, depart, desert, fall away,” the noun refers to abandonment of and defiant rebellion against authority. It is used twice in the New Testament. In Acts 21:21, Jewish Christians had been told that Paul was teaching apostasia from Moses—that is, he was supposedly teaching Jews to forsake and reject their Jewish culture. And in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul declares that the day of the Lord will not come until the apostasia (here indicating a general rebellion or falling away from the Christian faith) happens first”

“When theologians speak of apostasy, they are referring to those who once declared an allegiance to the Lord but then turned away from Him and His people. The Israelites in the exodus generation “turned back from following the Lord” at Kadesh-barnea (Num. 14:43). The people of God in the days of the divided kingdom were frequently denounced by the prophets for their apostasy (e.g., see Jer. 2:19).”

“Under the new covenant, apostates rejected Jesus and His church, deserting their previous profession of faith in Him. Jesus paints a word picture of apostasy in the parable of the sower,” states Rev. Cangelosi.

“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Matt. 13:20–21).”

Paul initially declared professing believers in Christ would depart from the true gospel. However, with what would they replace the true gospel? The apostle, and the Holy Spirit, do not leave us with an answer. The apostles would be “devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”

Devoting themselves (προσέχοντες; prosechontes) means to presently, actively and collectively pay attention to, consider carefully, and continually believe deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. Deceitful spirits (πλάνοις πνεύμασι; planois pneumasi) mistaken demonic spirits. This is to “whom” they devote themselves. Doctrines of demons (διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων; didaskaliais daimonian) is to “what” they devote themselves. This is not teaching about demons but rather teaching originating from demons.

“The reality is that not everyone who professes faith in Jesus actually possesses genuine saving faith in Jesus. Not every member of the visible church (“a society made up of all such as in all ages and places of the world do profess the true religion, and of their children”; Westminster Larger Catechism 62) is in fact a member of the invisible church (“the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head”; WLC 64). The visible church is always made up of wheat and weeds, the elect and the nonelect (see Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43). As John goes on to explain: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). Only those who have been granted saving faith from the Father and are therefore “of us” will persevere in faith to the end,” concludes Rev. Cangelosi.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God honoring day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

Today’s text is an early church creedal confession, containing three couplets, by the Apostle Paul setting forth the person and work of Jesus Christ as the core truth of the Gospel. These were truths Paul’s young protégé, Timothy, needed to know and preach as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. These truths are what every evangelical pastor needs to know and preach to the congregations they shepherd.

Paul began this doctrinal discourse with the following introductory statement: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:” As previously noted, these nine words contain an important perspective for the church; then and now. This brings us to the following six statements referring to Jesus Christ:

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit,

seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

Paul used a literary structural format known as a Chiastic Arrangement. A chiasm is a literary device where the first part of a phrase or sentence is repeated in the second part, but in reverse order. The pattern is A-B, B-A, A-B. This format emphasizes contrast, balance and a central idea. Regarding this particular text from I Timothy, the chiastic pattern is as follows, reading them left to right. The A statements in the text parallel each other in their focus on the earthly, while the B statements focus on the heavenly.

He was manifested in the flesh, – A.                vindicated by the Spirit, – B.

seen by angels, – B.                                          proclaimed among the nations, – A.

believed on in the world, – A.                          taken up in glory. -B

“He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16). If you had been a follower of Christ in first-century Ephesus, you would have probably recited or sung those words. Those six phrases were recorded poetically by Paul as either a confession often repeated by Christians or as part of a hymn of praise sung about Jesus,” states one commentator.

Having seen how each of these statements relate to each other, what do they mean individually? It is imperative to study them individually in order to understand them collectively regarding the person and work of Jesus Christ.

He was manifested in the flesh. The personal pronoun he (Ὃς Hos) points us back to the subject found in I Tim. 3:13; Christ Jesus. It was the incarnate Son of God who was manifested (ἐφανερώθη; ephanerothe) or made visible. The manifestation took place when the second person of the Godhead came to earth in the flesh (ἐν σαρκί; en sarki) referring to Christ Jesus’ human nature and physical body.

Vindicated by the Spirit. Vindicated (ἐδικαιώθη; edikaiothe) means Christ was declared righteous and proven to be right. This declaration was done by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-36).

Seen by angels. Seen (ὤφθη; ophthe) means to pay attention. The angels did this when Christ ascended (Acts 1:10-11) and witnessed the Lord’s vindication in the heavenly realm.

Proclaimed among the nations. Proclaimed (ἐκηρύχθη; ekerychthe) is from the word kerysso meaning to preach and announce. Nations (ἔθνεσιν; ethnesin) refers to Gentile peoples who were called pagans and the heathen. The apostles proclaimed the person and ministry of Jesus Christ to an international audience. So is the church today (Matt. 28:19-20).

Believed on in the world. The phrase believed on (ἐπιστεύθη; episteuthe) means to trust in, depend upon, commit to and worship Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The world (κόσμῳ; kosmo) refres to all kinds of people groups within the fallen world system which hates God (Eph. 2:1-3).

Taken up in glory. The statement taken up (ἀνελήμφθη; anelemphthe) means to be carried away into glory (δόξῃ; doxe) to receive honor, praise and splendor (John 17:1-5; Acts 7:56).   

Jesus referred to His completed mission in His High Priestly Prayer. The Aposlte John wrote, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:1–5 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian believers, “⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11 (ESV)

“In the book of Revelation, Jesus is represented with many different symbols: the Lamb, the warrior King, the Lion of Judah. No matter the symbol or title, where do you find Him — where is He located? He is always on the throne, reigning and ruling. The book of Revelation was written to a persecuted and suffering church to remind her that Jesus was, right then, King of kings and Lord of lords. One of the major themes of the book of Revelation is: “Jesus reigns.”

“In His incarnation, the Son descended into gross humiliation. He left heaven for a hovel on earth. He came as a baby to a feed trough and was forced to flee to Egypt from a petty, paranoid king. He endured a farce of a trial and was crucified on a Roman cross (too ignominious for Roman citizens) while men mocked Him and spat on Him. Such a battle had never been fought previously nor has been since. So, when the King returned home, He received a name that was above every name, and all of heaven rang with praise. The Lion of Judah ascended and took the scroll, and heaven cried, “Worthy are you to take the scroll.” You can spend some time in Revelation 5 if you want to read about the triumphant homecoming in more detail. However, Paul only needed four words: “taken up in glory.”

May we seek to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ today. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit,

seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

Systematic and Biblical Theology is the systemized and biblically contained doctrine or teachings of the Christian faith. Christology is the biblical doctrine of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Within the New Testament, there are several Christological passages containing important and fundamental truths believers in Christ confess (Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-4).

Today’s text is an early church creedal confession, containing three couplets, by the Apostle Paul setting forth the person and work of Jesus Christ as the core truth of the Gospel. These were truths Paul’s young protégé, Timothy, needed to know and preach as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. These truths are what every evangelical pastor needs to know and preach to the congregations they shepherd.

Paul began this doctrinal discourse with the following introductory statement: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:” As previously noted, these nine words contain an important perspective for the church; then and now. This brings us to the following six statements referring to Jesus Christ:

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit,

seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

Paul used a literary structural format known as a Chiastic Arrangement. A chiasm is a literary device where the first part of a phrase or sentence is repeated in the second part, but in reverse order. The pattern is A-B, B-A, A-B. This format emphasizes contrast, balance and a central idea. Regarding this particular text from I Timothy, the chiastic pattern is as follows, reading them left to right. The A statements in the text parallel each other in their focus on the earthly, while the B statements focus on the heavenly.

He was manifested in the flesh, – A.                vindicated by the Spirit, – B.

seen by angels, – B.                                           proclaimed among the nations, – A.

believed on in the world, – A.                          taken up in glory. -B

“By drawing connecting-lines between the words which indicate realities that belong to the same realm, flesh, nations, and world are linked; and so are Spirit, angels, and glory. Thus, the X—which is the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet and is called chi—is drawn twice. We may say, therefore, that the six lines are arranged chi-astically.”^[1]

“The six lines of this Hymn in Adoration of the Christ begin with a line about Christ’s lowly birth and end with a reference to his glorious ascension. It is clear that if in such a humiliation-to-exaltation hymn the chiastic thought-movement is to be maintained, there must be not less than six lines.”^[2]

“The contrasts are clearly drawn:

Weak flesh (line 1) contrasted with strength-imparting Spirit (line 2)

Heavenly angels (line 3) over against earthly nations (line 4)

The world below (line 5) over against glory above (line 6).”

“Yet, the beauty of it is this, that though the hymn pictures these regional contrasts, the thought is throughout that of glory and adoration. To be sure, the word flesh in line 1 indicates Christ’s humiliation; but the expression “manifested in the flesh” (“veiled in flesh the Godhead see”) points to his exalted, glorious nature. His glory is also indicated by the expressions “vindicated by the Spirit,” “seen (with adoration) by angels,” “heralded (joyfully) among the nations,” “believed in (unto salvation) by the world,” and “taken up (for exaltation) in glory.” Hence what we have in these six lines is not antithetic parallelism (in the sense in which that term is usually employed), but chiastic, cumulative parallelism.”^[3]

“Paul gives the standard of faith his readers were to uphold in the form of a creed or hymn (which Timothy probably already knows). If “taken up in glory” refers to Jesus’ return (cf. Dan 7:13–14) rather than to his ascension, then the lines are in chronological order; but not all scholars think this proposal likely. “Justified” or “vindicated” in the Spirit refers to the resurrection, God’s acquittal after the human judicial condemnation of the cross.”^[4]

Next time, we will separately examine the meaning of each of the six lines of this hymn. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

---

^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 139.

^[2] Ibid, 139.

^[3] Ibid, 139.

^[4] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Ti 3:16.

A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1878, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON

“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”  (1 Timothy 3:15 (ESV)

PAUL’S design in this epistle was to instruct young Timothy how he should behave himself in the church of God, so as to discharge his office as minister, evangelist and pastor with honor to himself and profit to the people. He reminds him that the church is the house of God and in God’s own house a man ought to be upon his best behavior, for it is no light thing to draw near unto the Lord. A poor man who is called to visit a prince or king will anxiously inquire how he ought to act. We, poor creatures that we are, when we are admitted into the church which is the house of God, should inquire what conduct will be decorous and comely in those who are admitted into the presence of the great King, and permitted to dwell within His palace gates.

Especially should each of us, endeavor to behave himself aright in the house of God, if we know that we are looked up to and imitated. All who teach the young, all who are parents, all who are persons of age and experience, all who occupy influential positions and especially all deacons, elders and preachers, should pray the Lord that they may know how they may behave themselves in the house of God, lest inadvertently their misbehavior should be injurious to the weaker sort. Such need to learn how they should behave to their brethren, to the Elder Brother, and to the great Father of all. We need to learn the ways of the house, the customs of the palace. Part of the objective of the sermon this morning, will be that those of us who are in the house of God may learn how we should behave in it. But special prominence will be given to steadfastness in the faith which makes a man not only a dweller in the church but a pillar of it.

First, I shall at some length expound the text, and then try to enforce the lesson from it. In expounding it, I see three things to note, and the first is THE GLORIOUS NAME OF THE CHURCH—“The Church of the living God.” First, it is called the church. What is a church? It is an assembly. And a Christian church is an assembly of faithful men, of men who know the truth, believe it, affirm it, and adhere to it. The Greek word signifies an assembly summoned out of the whole population to exercise the right of citizenship. An ecclesia, or church, is not a mob, nor a disorderly gathering rushing together without end or purpose, but a regular assembly of persons called out by grace and gathered together by the Holy Spirit. Those persons make up the assembly of the living God.

In order to be a church, there must be a selection and a calling out, and that calling must come from God, who alone can call effectually. Touching all the members of this select assembly there is an eternal purpose which is the original reason of their being called, and to each of them there is an effectual calling whereby they actually gather into the church.

The church is not a number of unregenerate people coming together entirely of their own notion to defend such-and-such dogmas. Such persons may form a club, but they cannot make a church. There must be a coming together of renewed men, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and these must meet for purposes which God Himself ordains, and be joined together after His own fashion. Jesus must be the uniting cornerstone, and His Spirit the indwelling power, as it is written, “In whom you also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Secondly we will consider HER DESIGN IN REFERENCE TO GOD. The Apostle speaks of the church of the living God as the house of God. This is a very beautiful and instructive figure. “The Most High dwells not in temples made with hands,” whether they are called cathedrals, churches, or meeting houses. Today there is no consecrated shrine, no appointed building where we must resort if we would meet with God, for behold the Lord is to be found everywhere by those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. True hearts view the entire universe as a temple wherein everyone speaks of the glory of God. Yet there is a shrine and a temple, but it is living and spiritual, the called-out assembly, the church of the living God is the special abode of Deity.

Thus, have we spoken upon the design of the church in reference to God—the tug of war comes in the third place, THE DESIGN OF THE CHURCH IN REFERENCE TO THE TRUTH. Paul compares it to a pillar and its pedestal or basement, for that, I think, would be a fair translation.

What does the expression mean—the pillar and basement? I think it means, first, that in the church, the truth should abide. In the church of the living God it always does abide, even as a pillar stirs not from its place. In the confession of the church made by each one of her members, in the teaching of her ministers, and in the witness of the whole body, truth will be found at all times. The church of God is not the quicksand of the truth, but the pillar and pedestal of it. She is not the floating island of the truth, but the eternal column of it. The church stands steadfast and unmovable as a pillar of truth fixed on its base.

If you find not the truth anywhere else, you will find it in the church of the living God, which is truth’s castle and stronghold. “In which church?” you ask. I said in the church of the living God. I did not say in the Church of England, or in the Church of Scotland, or in the Wesleyan church, or in the Baptist church, or even in the assembly of Exclusive Brethren. But I did say that the truth of God is as a treasure in the church of the living God, and it is never removed from her keeping.

Therefore, if the truth is not maintained by any so-called church, it is not the church of God. When the truth is given up, everything is given up. The very idea of a church involves the retaining of the truth with constant steadfastness, and if this is neglected, the so-called church has nothing left in it but the name. As a pillar and its base are always in one place, so must the church be a fixed, permanent and unalterable column of gospel truth, and woe to her if she is not. It means that in the true church the truth is lifted up as upon a pillar. Truth not only rests there as on a pedestal, but it stands upright as a pillar. It is the duty and the privilege of the church of God to exalt the truth into the open view of all mankind.

Once more, it is the Church’s business to maintain the truth with all her might. She is set as a bronze wall and an iron pillar against all error. However men may cringe or bow, there stands the column fast and firm, fixed on its pedestal, set on its base. So should the church in all ages stand fast to truth and yield to no error, nor concealment of doctrine, nor change of ordinance. The church of the apostles is the model of the church of today.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁴ I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, ¹⁵ if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:14–15 (ESV)

Having provided Timothy with specific instructions on prayer, worship, and church officers, the Apostle Paul then stated his reason for writing to the young pastor in the first place. It was to set forth the nature of the church and the mediatorial ministry of Jesus Christ.

The historical context indicates Paul was confident he would soon come to see his young protégé. In anticipation of this reunion, he reminded Timothy of this letter’s purpose.

First, Paul wanted Timothy to know how to conduct himself as a church’s pastor. In other words, the apostle wanted Timothy to be a leader and to know how to be a leader. Paul set forth the character and behavior of church leaders in I Timothy 1:1-3:13.

To behave (ἀναστρέφεσθαι; anastrephesthai) refers to how believers in Christ are to conduct themselves in life and living. The emphasis is on an overt daily behavior. See 2 Cor. 1:12; Eph. 2:3; 1Tim. 3:15; Heb. 10:33; 13:18; 1 Peter 1:17; 2 Peter 2:18.

Second, Paul wanted Timothy to also know the nature of the church he pastored, and the nature of churches all other men pastor.

This overt, daily behavior by believers in Christ is to be seen within the fallen world (Rom. 12:1-2). However, it most importantly is to be seen in the household of God. Household (οἴκῳ; oiko) in the context refers to family. This is the family of God.

The text speaks of this household as the church of the living God. Church (ἐκκλησία; ekklesia) is the congregation, and not a building. The church is God’s called out ones. The church is God’s sole possession. Believers are to display godly, daily behavior among each other. This is to be the norm. Often times, it is not.

Paul also identified the church as the pillar (ζῶντος; stylos). A pillar is an upright shaft or structure used as a building support. “στῦλος is also used in speaking of the leaders of the Jerusalem church (Ga 2:9; see 36.7).

“In a number of languages pillars may be described as ‘those poles which support the house’ or ‘those logs which hold up the roof.’ Usually, however, there are rather specific terms to designate these important parts in the construction of houses or halls.” ^[1]

“στῦλος is also used in speaking of the leaders of the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9). In Ga 2:9 the focus is upon the important role of such persons in supporting and maintaining the church. In a number of languages such a figurative meaning may be expressed as ‘very important persons in the church.”’^[2]

The church, and its leaders, are also metaphorically identified as a buttress (ἑδραίωμα; hedraioma). “It is that which provides the basis or foundation for belief or practice— ‘support, foundation, basis.’ στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας ‘pillar and support of the truth’ 1 Tm 3:15.” ^[3]

“The church, which met in homes, was modeled on the household, just as pagan political theorists compared the household to society in general (3:4–5). Paul’s prior admonitions to Timothy, especially in 3:1–13, thus serve a function analogous to the household codes of many ancient writers: providing a specific framework of wisdom for administrating the family unit and society. “Pillars” were used to uphold structures, and support for the truth was needed given its challenge by false teachers” (1:3–7).^[4]

“Believers are God’s house or sanctuary (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16) because God dwells in them. Hence, Paul continues: which is the church of the living God (not the temple of dead idols! 1 Thess. 1:9, 10), the pillar and foundation of the truth. Having been called “God’s house,” we now note that the church is next compared to a pillar and foundation. As the pillar supports the roof, even better (note the climax!) as the foundation supports the entire super-structure, so the church supports the glorious truth of the gospel (2 Tim. 2:19; Matt. 16:18),” explains Dr. William Hendriksen

“It supports the truth by:

Hearing and Heeding it (Matt. 13:9)

Handling it rightly (2 Tim. 2:15)

Hiding it in the heart (Ps. 119:11), and

Holding it forth as the Word of Life (Phil. 2:16).

Or, if one prefers, by:

Digesting it (Rev. 10:9). That takes study and meditation.

Defending it (Phil. 1:16)

Disseminating it (Matt. 28:18–20)

Demonstrating its power in consecrated living (Col. 3:12–17).”^[5]

Take the opportunity to evaluate your church, and yourself, by this biblical rubric. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!   

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^[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 87.

^[2] Ibid. 87.

^[3] Ibid. 377.

^[4] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Ti 3:14–15.

^[5] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 136–137.

The following article is by Rev. Kevin Dr. Gardner. He is associate editor of Tabletalk magazine, resident adjunct professor at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Fla., and a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. This essay, entitled Defining our Terms, appeared in the March 2015 issue of Tabletalk.

The doctrine of Scripture is foundational to the Christian faith. But there is more to say about Scripture than simply, “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.” If you don’t grasp what the Bible is and how it came to be, you’ll never fully grasp its meaning. Since the meaning of the Bible is vitally important to our faith and life, we will here briefly define a few key terms that relate to the doctrine of Scripture as the study of God’s Word written.

Authority: The power the Bible possesses, having been issued from God, for which it “ought to be believed and obeyed” (Westminster Confession 1:4). Because of its divine author, the Bible is “the source and norm for such elements as belief, conduct, and the experience of God” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms).

Autographs: The original texts of the biblical books as they issued from the hands of the human authors.

Canon: The authoritative list of inspired biblical books. Within a short time after Jesus’ death, the New Testament canon was affirmed by evaluating the Apostolicity, reception, and teachings of books, but ultimately, the canon is self-authenticating, as the voice of Christ is heard in it (John 10:27; WCF 1:5).

Inerrancy: The position that the Bible affirms no falsehood of any sort; that is, “it is without fault or error in all that it teaches,” in matters of history and science as well as faith (Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy). Inerrancy allows for literary devices, such as metaphors, hyperbole, round numbers, and colloquial expressions.

Infallibility: The position that the Bible cannot err or make mistakes, and that it “is completely trustworthy as a guide to salvation and the life of faith and will not fail to accomplish its purpose” (Westminster Dictionary). As the Christian church has traditionally taught, this doctrine is based on the perfection of the divine author, who cannot speak error.

Inspiration: The process by which God worked through the human authors of the Bible to communicate His revelation. The term derives from the Greek theopneustos, meaning “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), and refers to God as the ultimate source of the Scriptures.

Organic inspiration: The process by which God guided the human authors of Scripture, working in and through their particular styles and life experiences, so that what they produced was exactly what He wanted them to produce. The text is truly the work of the human authors—God did not typically dictate to them as to a stenographer—and yet the Lord stands behind it as the ultimate source.

Necessity: Refers to mankind’s need for God’s special revelation in the Scriptures in order to obtain knowledge of the gospel and the plan of salvation, which cannot be learned through the general revelation of nature and conscience.

Perspicuity: The clarity of the Bible; that is, that which is necessary to know and believe regarding life and salvation is “so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or the other,” that anyone may understand them (WCF 1:7).

Scripture: From the Latin scriptura, meaning “writings”; refers to sacred texts, but more specifically, the Bible as the Word of God written.

Special revelation: The things that God makes known about Himself apart from nature and conscience (general revelation; cf. Rom. 1:19–21). These things, having to do with Christ and the plan of salvation, are found only in the Bible.

Sufficiency: All that is needed to know and believe regarding salvation and what pleases God is found in the Bible.

Verbal, plenary inspiration: The extending of God’s superintendence of the writing of Scripture down to the very choice of words, not merely to overarching themes or concepts; that is, “the whole of Scripture and all of its parts, down to the very words of the original,” were inspired (Chicago Statement).

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

What is the result of God’s Word in the lives of believers in Christ. The benefits of Scripture include teaching, or doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. What are the results of these biblical benefits? Do these benefits have any practical and positive consequences or outcomes?

The Apostle Paul indicated there are practical effects from the causal benefits of Scripture. If so, then what are they?

First, Paul wrote, “that the man of God may be complete.” When Paul used the phrase the man of God, he certainly meant his protégé Timothy to whom he was writing. However, it may also refer to an individual human being solely belonging to God alone. The text could correctly be translated person of God. To be complete (ἄρτιος; artios) means to be capable, proficient, and qualified to perform some function.

“The man of God (see 1 Tim. 6:11) is the believer. Every believer, viewed as belonging to God, and as invested with the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king, is here given this title,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen. ^[1]

Second, Paul stated “equipped for every good work.” To be equipped (ἐξηρτισμένος; exertismenos) means to be completely furnished and fully qualified. This equipping from God is for every good work. Every (πᾶν; pan) means all or the whole. Good (ἀγαθὸν; agathon) refers to what God determines is morally good. Work (ἔργον; ergon) means a task of deed.

“To function properly in this threefold office the believer must become equipped (note the emphasis of the original; literally, “… that equipped may be the man of God”); yes, once for all thoroughly equipped (cf. Luke 6:40) “for every good work” (1 Tim. 5:10; 2 Tim. 2:21; Titus 3:1). Paul (and the Holy Spirit speaking through him) is not satisfied until the Word of God has fully accomplished its mission, and the believer has reached “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12, 13).^[2]

“Passages such as 2 Timothy 3:17 affirm the sufficiency of Scripture. Having affirmed that God’s Word is profitable for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (v. 16), Paul explains that Scripture is enough to make us “complete, equipped for every good work,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Scripture in its totality is all that is needed so that we will be completely prepared to serve the Lord. A good work is anything that is pleasing to God, so this text covers everything from determining sound doctrine to knowing the deeds the Lord requires of us as proof of our faith in Him (see James 2:14–26). Being equipped for every good work requires understanding the doctrinal foundations of God-pleasing actions and the actions themselves, as is seen in how the New Testament Epistles typically move from presenting doctrine that must be believed to practical application and moral instruction.”

John Calvin comments on today’s passage that to be complete means to be “one in whom there is nothing defective.” To avoid being defective regarding faith and life, we must daily study Scripture and apply its teachings.

“We are tempted to look for God’s will in places other than the one place He has revealed it—His Word. As we ponder the will of God for our lives, we must be careful to follow the guidance of Scripture. It is sufficient to give us the principles we need to know to please God wherever we are and whatever we are called to do,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 303.

^[2] Ibid. 303–304.