Chapter 4

1 Timothy 4:1 - Paul says that the Holy Spirit was very specific about indicating a particular thing. What was it? That in the "latter" days people would be lead astray by deceptive teachings and doctrine of demons. There appears to be a difference between the Greek word for "latter" (usteron) and "end" (eschatos). By reading the English, one might think the word Paul uses in 1 Timothy 4 is eschatos, but it is not. He uses usteron. After examining the NT usage of these two words, it seems to me that usteron and eschatos refer to two different points on a scale of time. If you had a time line with a definite end point, that last point on the time scale would be called eschatos in Greek. By contrast, the period of time encompassing the last quarter span of the timeline would be called usteron in Greek. Thus, in 1 Timothy 4, Paul is not referring to the end times, per se. Rather, he is speaking of the period of time preceding the end times, which he calls the "latter" days.

I believe we are seeing in our time this verse come to fruition. However, there have always been sects rising up to lead people astray, even from the inception of Christianity. There were Gnostics, Arians, Manichaeism, Mormans, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. However, there are a few differences between these heresies and what is happening today: (1) Paul specifically identifies "deceptive spirits," which implies a spiritual dimension added to the theological ("doctrines of devils"). What takes place today are displays of spiritual "power" and a definite "spirit" will overtake the congregation. Prior to our generation, I am not aware of instances of "spirit" delusions. Theological delusions were plenty previously, however. (2) Also, this delusion is leading Christians astray. Most of the time, the targets of cult groups are the un-churched and unsaved. The target of these deceptions are believing people, because Paul says they will "depart from the faith."

The falling away from the faith does not have to be a complete denial of the faith, but rather a failure to persevere until the end. E.g., A man I know is in great danger of falling away from the faith. He is relying on past experiences for his present faith. He is not keeping the commandments, reading, praying, etc. The circumstances press on him, and he does not obey the Lord in casting his cares on him. He is not prepared for the hardships he is facing now. Many Christians are not prepared for the hardships that are coming, and they too will fall away from the faith. As financial, political, and social pressures begin to fall in on us, those who are unprepared will fall away. They will not be able to continue to walk with the Lord. Modern Christianity is doing them no favors with the Me-Church mentality. Revelations says we must persevere until the end to gain our crown of life. There are degrees of falling away, and I believe as things get worse, we will see more and more people fall away. May the Lord grant to us the ability to persevere.

1 Timothy 4:6 - "...being trained in the words of faith..." (ESV). This is a tragic translation of the Greek word that literally means "to live on" or "be nourished by." The KJV reads, "Nourished up in the words of faith." The "words of faith" in this context would be the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. Translating the word as "nourished" demonstrates the dependant nature of a believer on the word of God. To say "being trained" does not convey this dependant nature.

1 Timothy 4:7 - The ESV rightly translates this verse using the word "train yourself for godliness." However, the Greek word for "train" in this verse is not the same as the one used in verse 6, though you might think it was based on the English. This strengthens my argument that the ESV translators missed the meaning of the Greek word in vs. 6.

1 Timothy 4:10 - Our understanding of this verse may benefit from some explanation. A cursory readying of this verse may lead one to the conclusion that Paul is teaching universal salvation. But he is not. When he says, "who is the savior of all men..." this is in potential only. How do we know this? Look at the next word: "especially" (GK = malista). This word is an adverb of specialization. Paul makes a general statement "God saves all men" and qualifies it by saying, "chiefly those who believe."

1 Timothy 4:15 - The Secret to Spiritual Progress - "Practice these things, devote yourself to them" (ESV). How do you make significant spiritual progress? Paul answers this question in this verse. Practice is only the first step of rote obedience. Devotion to the teachings of the Scripture is how you progress. In modern colloquial speech, there is little place for the word devotion. What is devotion? It means to place a thing as the highest priority in your life. To devote yourself to the teachings of the Bible means that your consuming goal is conformity to Christ, as He is revealed in the Scriptures. It therefore means that your personal likes and dislikes take a back seat.

1 Timothy 4:16 - Why does Paul tell Timothy to take so much care with his teaching? Paul knows how easy it is to fall into error. He had seen so many others error and then fall away from the faith.