1 Timothy 4:6-10
 
1 Tim 4:6 (KJB)
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
 
Remembrance - To lay down or make known
Nourished up - Nurtured, bring up, rear, or train
Good - Excellent or beautiful
Hast attained - Followed closely
 
Paul now gives Timothy insight as to what would make him a good minister of Jesus Christ. It is not fanciful interpretations or esoteric teachings but the plain Gospel as recorded in the Scriptures whereby a person can grow in their salvation. (1 Pet 2:2 KJV) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If Timothy was to make known the principles found in Scripture to the Christians in Ephesus, then not only would the congregation be nourished or trained properly but so would Timothy. This is because the teacher is normally the first one to discover the truths of Scripture under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, then he takes what he learns and teaches the congregation. The result of Timothy following the teaching principles in Scripture would make him trained or nurtured in the words of faith which are the Scriptures themselves. And then Paul states that he has already followed them closely. Timothy had a Christian upbringing in his home and no doubt had a good foundation of learning already as a youngster. Now as a pastor in Ephesus, he can build on what he learned with what he is learning now and increased understanding of Scripture would make him a good minister of Jesus Christ. This is what we must strive for, not to create some type of personal belief system and then foist it on the Scriptures by means of scripture twisting. We teach what the Bible teaches, no more, no less and that would make us a good teacher of Jesus Christ.
 
1 Tim 4:7 (KJB)
But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
 
Refuse - Reject strongly or avoid
Profane - Worldly, common, or unsanctified
Exercise - Train
 
With Gnosticism as a contemporary religion, there would be many fables or myths which would be circulating, especially about the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is counseling Timothy to avoid them if possible and if he hears them, to reject them, especially since they would be against the teachings of Scripture. There were also many false books floating around at that time which were not part of the Bible yet some had stated that they were equal to Scripture. This is why Timothy was to reject these as well as stories such as old wives fables which would be stories that have been retold and embellished every time they were told. Timothy was to, instead of dwelling on these fables, was to train himself in the Scriptures which would keep him godly. These fables are also considered profane or worldly and would not contribute to a person’s growth in their salvation. Timothy was to know the Scriptures and to train himself in those Scriptures so he would be able to be discerning concerning any stories circulating which were not true.
 
1 Tim 4:8 (KJB)
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
 
Paul speaks of athletics in that exercising the body does have a little profit to it in that it keeps the body in shape and helps maintain health. Then Paul goes on to state that godliness is profitable unto all things, which means that those who are saved and are godly, it will affect all areas of their life which would include their testimony by the unsaved and the way they do business in the world. It also affects their outlook on the gospel. If they are godly, they will be hungrier to learn the Scriptures so they may continue to grow. The physical exercise has only to do with the physical body here on earth, but the spiritual exercise of our souls benefit is here and also in the life to come. The more spiritually active we are here, the more we desire to be with the Lord in Heaven. The godly person has the best of both worlds, here and in the one to come.
 
1 Tim 4:9 (KJB)
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
 
Acceptation - Worthy to be received with approbation or approval
 
Paul states that this is a faithful saying but it is not sure which verse he is pointing to. If we look backward, we can see that the pursuit of godliness in our life will lead to blessings in this life and the next. If we look at the next verse, it states that we will suffer reproach as Christians. So both of these statements are definitely faithful and worthy to be received. Both godly living and persecution of the believers are major teachings of Scripture.
 
1 Tim 4:10 (KJB)
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
 
Labour - Become weary, fatigued, or work hard
Suffer reproach - Scolded or reviled
Specially - Above all
 
Paul is stating that for the truth of the Gospel and seeing people saved, they continually labored. They did not only labor by doing hard work in establishing churches and helping Christians grow, they were also wearied by the many persecutions they went through. They went through hunger, whippings, shipwrecks, jail, and many other things which weaken the physical body but strengthen the inner man. They were constantly reviled wherever they went. All one has to do is read the trouble Paul had in Ephesus when he threatened the merchants who sold idols of Diana. All of these things they suffered and the reason was because they trusted in the living God. Then Paul states that God is the Savior of all men and in this part of the verse he is speaking more of a physical salvation of daily mercies since the Bible does not speak about God being the Savior of all men in a salvation sense. In the last phrase of this verse, Paul brings in the spiritual aspect of God being the Savior of all those that believe by using a word which compares the previous phrase to this one, that above all, He is the Savior of all those that believe, who are in Christ. All Christians who labor in the gospel will face the hostilities of this world because we are believers in the living God.

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