TEXT: 1 Timothy 4:1-6
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “Contrary to the teaching of the errorists, everything God created is good. Here Paul echoed God’s own verdict. Whereas the false teachers were intent on “forbidding” and “abstaining”, Paul said that nothing is to be rejected—nothing, that is, that God created. Man can abuse what God has created, as adultery is an abuse of the marital sexual relationship, and gluttony is an abuse of a normal appetite for food. Such abuses should certainly be rejected. But God’s creations themselves are all good and should be received with thanksgiving, not with taboos. All the seemingly “ordinary” things of life can then become extraordinary as they are consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. In the light of the Scriptures a Christian recognizes God’s good hand behind the things provided, and offers thanksgiving to the Lord. In this way the ordinary things so easily taken for granted (some of which are forbidden by errorists) become sanctified as occasions for worship and praise. From his warning of the apostasy to come Paul turned to Timothy, and exhorted him to pass along these same warnings to others in the church. One of the works of a good minister of Christ Jesus is that he is a faithful conduit of the truth to other Christians. To do this, however, Timothy first had to keep himself “nourished” (not brought up) by (a) the objective truths of the faith which, as Jude 3 puts it, were “once for all entrusted to the saints,” and (b) the truths of the good teaching that you have followed. This latter phrase probably refers to Paul’s own instructions to his young disciple, which Timothy had faithfully carried out.”