Summary of 1 Timothy, Chapter 4

The Spirit foretells that in the last times some will give up the faith, and give themselves to lying spirits, to the teaching of demons. They will speak falsely in hypocrisy, they will be branded in their consciences. They will forbid marriage, and order abstention from foods which God created to be eaten with thanks. For every creature God has made is good, and nothing should be rejected that is taken with a prayer of thanks to Him. For the food is made holy by the word of God and by prayer.

In proposing these things to the people, Timothy will be a good servant of Jesus Christ, nourished by the words and faith, and by the good teaching he has followed. He must avoid profane, old-womanish fables. Go into training for piety. Bodily exercise is useful for a little, but piety is useful for everything since it contains the promise of life, the present life, and the future life. What Paul has just said is dependable, and worthy of all belief. It is for this reason that we labor and struggle, because we have had hope in the living God, who is the savior of all, especially the savior of the faithful.

Timothy must command this and teach it. He should not let anyone look down upon him because he is young. Rather, he should become a model of the faithful in word, in his way of life, in love, faith, and purity. While Paul is on the way to him, he should apply himself to reading, exhortation, and teaching. He should not neglect the grace he has received by prophecy with the imposition of the hands of the presbyterium. He must train himself in this, be involved in this, so his progress may be evident to all. He should attend to himself and to doctrine, and persevere in these things, for by doing this he will save himself and those who hear him.

Comments on Chapter 4

This is not the first time Paul warns of false teachers to come. In Acts 20:29-30 he predicted savage wolves would come and distort the truth. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 he foretells a great apostasy before the end. In 2 Timothy 3 and 4 there are more predictions, even stronger than the present lines. When he says the false teachers will be branded in their consciences, he is alluding to the practice of branding criminals and fugitive slaves.

The prohibitions against marriage, and restrictions on food need not come from Gnostics -- there were various other groups that said these things.

In verse 6 he says if Timothy teaches the truth he will be a good diakonos, servant. Again as we saw in chapter 3, the words bishop and priest have not yet become precise.

Paul tells him not to let anyone make light of him because of his youth -- he was about 35 at the time.

Just as in 1:18, there is mention of "prophecies" about Timothy. In view of this verse, 4:14, it seems Paul refers to the prayers of ordination said with the imposition of hands. We recall from 1 Corinthians 12-14 that Paul's use of the word prophecy did not usually mean directly predictions of the future. Rather it referred to a moving exhortation to the people.