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Commentary on 1 Timothy 4 verses 6–16
The apostle would have Timothy to instil into the minds of Christians such sentiments as might prevent their being seduced by the judaizing teachers. Observe, Those are good ministers of Jesus Christ who are diligent in their work; not that study to advance new notions, but that put the brethren in remembrance of those things which they have received and heard. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you knew them, Pe2 1:12. And elsewhere, I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, Pe2 3:1. And, says the apostle Jude, I will therefore put you in remembrance, Jde 1:5. You see that the apostles and apostolical men reckoned it a main part of their work to put their hearers in remembrance; for we are apt to forget, and slow to learn and remember, the things of God. - Nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. Observe, 1. Even ministers themselves have need to be growing and increasing in the knowledge of Christ and his doctrine: they must be nourished up in the words of faith. 2. The best way for ministers to grow in knowledge and faith is to put the brethren in remembrance; while we teach others, we teach ourselves. 3. Those whom ministers teach are brethren, and are to be treated like brethren; for ministers are not lords of God's heritage.
I. Godliness is here pressed upon him and others: Refuse profane and old wives' sayings, Ti1 4:7, Ti1 4:8, The Jewish traditions, which some people fill their heads with, have nothing to do with them. But exercise thyself rather unto godliness; that is, mind practical religion. Those who would be godly must exercise themselves unto godliness; it requires a constant exercise. The reason is taken from the fain of godliness; bodily exercise profits little, or for a little time. Abstinence from meats and marriage, and the like, though they pass for acts of mortification and self-denial, yet profit little, they turn to little account. What will it avail us to mortify the body if we do not mortify sin? Observe, 1. There is a great deal to be got by godliness; it will be of use to us in the whole of our life, for it has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 2. The gain of godliness lies much in the promise: and the promises made to godly people relate to the life that now is, but especially they relate to the life that is to come. Under the Old Testament the promises were mostly of temporal blessings, but under the New Testament of spiritual and eternal blessings. If godly people have but little of the good things of the life that now is, yet it shall be made up to them in the good things of the life that is to come. 3. There were profane and old wives' fables in the days of the apostles; and Timothy, though an excellent man, was not above such a word of advice, Refuse profane, etc. 4. It is not enough that we refuse profane and old wives' fables, but we must exercise ourselves to godliness; we must not only cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well (Isa 1:16, Isa 1:17), and we must make a practice of exercising ourselves to godliness. And, 5. Those who are truly godly shall not be losers at last, whatever becomes of those who content themselves with bodily exercise, for godliness has the promise, etc.
II. The encouragement which we have to proceed in the ways of godliness, and to exercise ourselves to it, notwithstanding the difficulties and discouragements that we meet with in it. He had said (Ti1 4:8) that it is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life which now is. But the question is, Will the profit balance the loss? For, if it will not, it is not profit. Yes, we are sure it will. Here is another of Paul's faithful sayings, worthy of all acceptation - that all our labours and losses in the service of God and the work of religion will be abundantly recompensed, so that though we lose for Christ we shall not lose by him. Therefore we labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Ti1 4:10. Observe,
1.Godly people must labour and expect reproach; they must do well, and yet expect at the same time to suffer ill: toil and trouble are to be expected by us in this world, not only as men, but as saints.
2.Those who labour and suffer reproach in the service of God and the work of religion may depend upon the living God that they shall not lose by it. Let this encourage them, We trust in the living God. The consideration of this, that the God who has undertaken to be our pay-master is the living God, who does himself live for ever and is the fountain of life to all who serve him, should encourage us in all our services and in all our sufferings for him, especially considering that he is the Saviour of all men. (1.) By his providences he protects the persons, and prolongs the lives, of the children of men. (2.) He has a general good-will to the eternal salvation of all men thus far that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He desires not the death of sinners; he is thus far the Saviour of all men that none are left in the same desperate condition that fallen angels are in. Now, if he be thus the Saviour of all men, we may hence infer that much more he will be the rewarder of those who seek and serve him; if he has such a good-will for all his creatures, much more will he provide well for those who are new creatures, who are born again. He is the Saviour of all men, but especially of those that believe; and the salvation he has in store for those that believe is sufficient to recompense them for all their services and sufferings. Here we see, [1.] The life of a Christian is a life of labour and suffering: We labour and suffer. [2.] The best we can expect to suffer in the present life is reproach for our well-doing, for our work of faith and labour of love. [3.] True Christians trust in the living God; for cursed is the man that trusts in man, or in any but the living God; and those that trust in him shall never be ashamed. Trust in him at all times. [4.] God is the general Saviour of all men, as he has put them into a salvable state; but he is in a particular manner the Saviour of true believers; there is then a general and a special redemption.
III. He concludes the chapter with an exhortation to Timothy,
1.To command and teach these things that he had now been teaching him. "Command them to exercise themselves unto godliness, teach them the profit of it, and that if they serve God they serve one who will be sure to bear them out."
2.To conduct himself with that gravity and prudence which might gain him respect, notwithstanding his youth: "Let no man despise thy youth; that is, give no man an occasion to despise thy youth." Men's youth will not be despised if they do not by youthful vanities and follies make themselves despicable; and this men may do who are old, who may therefore thank themselves if they be despised.
3.To confirm his doctrine by a good example: Be thou an example of the believers, etc. Observe, Those who teach by their doctrine must teach by their live, else they pull down with one hand what they build up with the other: they must be examples both in word and conversation. Their discourse must be edifying, and this will be a good example: their conversation must be strict, and this will be a good example: they must be examples in charity, or love to God and all good men, examples in spirit, that is, in spiritual-mindedness, in spiritual worship, - in faith, that is, in the profession of Christian faith, - and in purity or chastity.
4.He charges him to study hard: Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, to meditation upon these things, Ti1 4:13. Though Timothy had extraordinary gifts, yet he must use ordinary means. Or it may be meant of the public reading of the scriptures; he must read and exhort, that is, read and expound, read and press what he read upon them; he must expound it both by way of exhortation and by way of doctrine; he must teach them both what to do and what to believe. Observe, (1.) Ministers must teach and command the things that they are themselves taught and commanded to do; they must teach people to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded, Mat 28:20. (2.) The best way for ministers to avoid being despised is to teach and practise the things that are given them in charge. No wonder if ministers are despised who do not teach these things, or who, instead of being examples of good to believers, act directly contrary to the doctrines they preach; for ministers are to be ensamples of their flock. (3.) Those ministers that are the best accomplished for their work must yet mind their studies, that they may be improving in knowledge; and they must mind also their work; they are to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
5.He charges him to beware of negligence: Neglect not the gift that is in thee, Ti1 4:14. The gifts of God will wither if they be neglected. It may be understood either of the office to which he was advanced, or of his qualifications for that office; if of the former, it was ordination in an ordinary way; if of the latter, it was extraordinary. It seems to be the former, for it was by laying on of hands, etc. Here see the scripture-way of ordination: it was by the laying on of hands, and the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Observe, Timothy was ordained by men in office. It was an extraordinary gift that we read of elsewhere as being conferred on him by the laying on of Paul's hands, but he was invested in the office of the ministry by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (1.) We may note, The office of the ministry is a gift, it is the gift of Christ; when he ascended on high, he received gifts for men, and he gave some apostles, and some pastors and teachers (Eph 4:8, Eph 4:11), and this was a very kind gift to his church. (2.) Ministers ought not to neglect the gift bestowed upon them, whether by gift we are here to understand the office of the ministry or the qualifications for the office; neither the one nor the other must be neglected. (3.) Though there was a prophecy in the case of Timothy (the gift was given by prophecy), yet this was accompanied by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, that is, a number of presbyters; the office was conveyed to him this way; and I should think here is a sufficient warrant for ordination by presbyters, since it does not appear that Paul was concerned in Timothy's ordination. It is true, extraordinary gifts were conferred on him by the laying on of the apostle's hands (Ti2 1:6), but, if he was concerned in his ordination, the presbytery was not excluded, for that is particularly mentioned, whence it seems pretty evident that the presbytery have the inherent power of ordination.
6.Having this work committed to him, he must give himself wholly to it: "Be wholly in those things, that thy profiting may appear." He was a wise knowing man, and yet must still be profiting, and make it appear that he improved in knowledge. Observe, (1.) Ministers are to be much in meditation. They are to consider beforehand how and what they must speak. They are to meditate on the great trust committed to them, on the worth and value of immortal souls, and on the account they must give at the last. (2.) Ministers must be wholly in these things, they must mind these things as their principal work and business: Give thyself wholly to them. (3.) By this means their profiting will appear in all things, as well a to all persons; this is the way for them to profit in knowledge and grace, and also to profit others.
7.He presses it upon him to be very cautious: "Take heed to thyself and to the doctrine, consider what thou preachest; continue in them, in the truths that thou hast received; and this will be the way to save thyself, and those that hear thee." Observe, (1.) Ministers are engaged in saving work, which makes it a good work. (2.) The care of ministers should be in the first place to save themselves: "Save thyself in the first place, so shalt thou be instrumental to save those that hear thee." (3.) Ministers in preaching should aim at the salvation of those that hear them, next to the salvation of their own souls. (4.) The best way to answer both these ends is to take heed to ourselves, etc.
Virtues and vices are the food of the soul, which can feed on either one, turning to whichever one it wants to. If it is bent toward moral excellence, it will be fed by virtue—by righteousness, temperance, meekness, endurance. In other words, it’s just as St. Paul says, “being nourished by the word of truth.” That’s the way it was with our Lord, who said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me.”
"If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained."
What are the things here meant? The same which he had before mentioned, that "great is the mystery"; that to abstain from meats is the doctrine of devils, that they are "cleansed by the word of God and prayer."
"Putting them in remembrance," he says; here you observe no authority; but all is condescension: he does not say "commanding" or "enjoining," but reminding them: that is, suggest these things as matter of advice, and so enter into discourses with them concerning the faith, "being nourished up," he says, meaning to imply constancy in application to these things.
For as we set before us day by day this bodily nourishment, so he means, let us be continually receiving discourses concerning the faith, and ever be nourished with them. What is this, "being nourished up"? Ruminating upon them; attending ever to the same things, and practicing ever the same, for it is no common nourishment that they supply.
"Put them in remembrance of these things, meditate upon these things," for by the expression, "nourished up in the words of faith and sound doctrine," is implied that he should not only recommend these things to others, but himself practice them. For he says, "Nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables." Why does he not say, abstain from them, but "refuse"? He thus intimates that they should be utterly rejected. His meaning is, that he should not enter into any disputation with the teachers of them, but recommend to his own people the things prescribed above. For nothing is to be gained by contending with perverse men, unless where it might have an injurious effect, if we were supposed from weakness to decline arguing with them.
Having laid these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ, nourished by the words of faith and good doctrine which you have followed.
these things. What things? Those concerning the mystery, those concerning the heresies, those concerning foods, which Paul mentioned. But see, he did not say, "Commanding," but "Having laid," that is, giving counsel. For the bishop must be superior or noble.
you will be a good servant. For he serves Christ who teaches those things which Christ desires to be taught.
nourished by words of faith. As, Paul says, you do not depart from nourishment, so neither from these words. Or because you are nourished by spiritual nourishment in these things. Indeed, "Man shall not live by bread alone." (Matt. 4:4) For you must not only remind your brothers of these things, but also nourish yourself with them.
and good doctrine. For there is also the false doctrine of heretics.
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SUMMARY
First Timothy 4:6 provides a profound blueprint for effective Christian leadership, emphasizing that a faithful minister of Jesus Christ is one who diligently reminds believers of essential truths, particularly in the face of encroaching error. This verse underscores that a minister's capacity to serve well is directly proportional to their own spiritual sustenance, being continually nourished by the "words of faith and of good doctrine," truths they have personally embraced and embodied.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Paul employs several literary devices in 1 Timothy 4:6 to convey his message with clarity and emphasis. The central device is Metaphor, specifically in the phrase "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine." This vivid imagery likens spiritual growth and ministerial effectiveness to physical sustenance, implying that just as the body requires food to thrive, the spiritual life, especially of a leader, demands continuous feeding on divine truth. This metaphor highlights the vital, life-sustaining quality of sound doctrine. There is also an implicit Contrast at play, as the "good doctrine" Timothy is to be nourished by stands in stark opposition to the "doctrines of demons" and "old wives' fables" mentioned in the preceding verses, underscoring the critical choice between truth and error. Furthermore, the passage carries a strong Didactic Tone, characteristic of Paul's pastoral epistles, as he provides direct, practical instruction and commendation to Timothy, emphasizing the importance of teaching and personal integrity in ministry.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
First Timothy 4:6 profoundly articulates the theological truth that effective Christian ministry is fundamentally rooted in a deep, personal engagement with divine revelation. It posits that a minister's capacity to edify, guide, and protect the flock from error is directly proportional to their own spiritual vitality, which is sustained by the "words of faith and of good doctrine." This highlights a crucial principle: one cannot faithfully dispense what one has not first faithfully received and internalized. The verse underscores the active and ongoing process of spiritual nourishment, emphasizing that sound doctrine is not merely intellectual assent but a life-giving sustenance that shapes character, informs teaching, and empowers service. It connects the minister's personal growth to their public ministry, asserting that spiritual health is a prerequisite for spiritual leadership.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
First Timothy 4:6 offers timeless wisdom for every believer, not just those in formal ministry. It reminds us that spiritual effectiveness, whether in leading a congregation or simply living a faithful Christian life, flows from a continuous, intentional engagement with God's truth. Just as a physical body withers without proper nourishment, our spiritual lives will become anemic and susceptible to error if we neglect the "words of faith and of good doctrine." This verse calls us to be proactive in our spiritual growth, diligently studying Scripture, embracing sound teaching, and allowing these truths to deeply nourish our souls. It challenges us to not only receive truth but to embody it, so that our lives become authentic reflections of what we believe. For those in leadership, it is a powerful reminder that the best way to serve others is to first be well-served by God's Word, equipping us to discern false teachings and faithfully shepherd His flock with integrity and wisdom.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean to be a "good minister of Jesus Christ" according to this verse?
Answer: To be a "good minister of Jesus Christ" means to be a faithful, effective, and morally upright servant of Christ and His church. According to 1 Timothy 4:6, this goodness is demonstrated by two key actions: first, diligently reminding fellow believers of essential truths, particularly in contrast to false teachings; and second, being personally "nourished up" in sound doctrine and the words of faith. It implies that one's ministry is rooted in personal integrity and a deep, continuous engagement with God's truth, enabling them to rightly divide the word and lead others in spiritual health.
How does one "nourish up" in the words of faith and good doctrine?
Answer: To "nourish up" in the words of faith and good doctrine implies a continuous, active process of spiritual sustenance. This involves consistent and diligent study of the Bible, engaging with sound theological teaching (through sermons, books, and discipleship), meditation on God's Word, and applying its truths to one's life. It's not a passive reception but an active internalizing and living out of the truth, allowing it to feed, guide, and transform one's mind and spirit. This ongoing spiritual diet equips believers to grow in discernment and maturity, as highlighted in Hebrews 5:12-14.
What are "these things" that Timothy is to put the brethren in remembrance of?
Answer: "These things" refer to the truths and warnings Paul has just presented in the preceding verses of 1 Timothy 4. Specifically, they include the warnings against false teachers who promote ascetic practices and erroneous doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-5), as well as the positive truths about God's good creation and the sanctification of food through prayer. Timothy is to remind the believers of the distinction between these life-giving truths and the deceptive teachings that lead people astray, thereby safeguarding the purity of the faith and the spiritual well-being of the congregation.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
First Timothy 4:6, though a practical instruction for ministerial conduct, finds its ultimate fulfillment and deepest meaning in Jesus Christ Himself. Christ is the quintessential "good minister" because He perfectly embodied and proclaimed the "words of faith and of good doctrine." He is the very Word made flesh (John 1:14), the ultimate revelation of God's truth and the source of all sound teaching. When Paul speaks of being "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine," he implicitly points to Christ as the living embodiment of that truth. Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life", making Himself the very content of the faith. He also presented Himself as the spiritual sustenance, "the bread of life" that nourishes eternally. Therefore, a minister is "good" and truly "nourished up" when their life and teaching are saturated with Christ, for in Him "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). The faithful minister, like Timothy, is called to point not to themselves, but to the one who is the summation of all good doctrine and the very object of our faith, Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the mission of God by laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:11).