Speaking of Basics

1 TIMOTHY 4

Timothy had to deal with false teachings, strange doctrines, and apostasy in general. At such a time in the very early church, few people had copies of scripture, and many have made their own “gospel”, either from ignorance of truth or from a selfish motivation of monetary profit. Paul, of course, warns against this. How would such a warning apply today?

However you answer that question, a foundational truth must be recognized. It takes discipline to be a good minister. And I don’t mean “minister” as in that man preaching on Sundays, though it certainly applies there as well, and is the formal position Timothy was in. Yet, we as Christians should all be able to say that we are ministers, we proclaim God’s truth in defense of Him.

Such discipline, according to this passage comes as a result of specific practices. First, one must be constantly nourished spiritually by the Word. A daily reading of Scripture is a great place to start, and eventually a more constant nourishing should lead to more and more decisions being made with Biblical truth in mind.

Second, one must hold to sound doctrine, or teaching. If we boldly and faithfully proclaim something false, obviously the result is nonsense.

Third, Paul mentions bodily discipline. Getting enough sleep, eating well, getting exercise are all very simple and basic ways we can do this today. I doubt the early church-goers worried about exercise; their lifestyle would have demanded hard work anyway, so to them, this might have been more closely tied to discipline against temptation, fleshly desires, since Paul follows his statement up with the point that godliness is much more of a concern than the bodily discipline. In short, bodily discipline should be easier, and thus minor, compared to overall godliness.

Prescribe these things. I can’t help but think of a pharmacy script, necessary for one who is ill, either acutely or chronically. People get sick, they need medicine. Paul is essentially saying that people are ailing spiritually, and they need the prescribed treatment of the Word, doctrine, and godliness.

I must personally strive to remember to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Easy to say, tough to do, and those who know me best will know that the consistent life sometimes eludes us, more often than it should, for sure. And I pray that I can see the best in everyone, and hope that those same people see the best in me, overlooking where I fail. I pray I can overlook failures in others and see the hearts of God’s servants.

Timothy was no different than us in this way: he was a sinner, of course. So was Paul (he reminds us of that in several places). And yet they got so much work done for the Lord, and we get to read a brief glimpse of that.

Paul mentions the public reading of Scripture. When someone opens God’s Word and proclaims it for all to hear, we ought to pay some reverence to that happening. For such a reason, I believe, as simple as this sounds, that the Bible should be read aloud to a church congregation whenever that church meets. Not earth-shattering, but of vital importance.

Finally, we are to take pains to accomplish all this, sort of like strenuous exercise. Working hard in these areas will produce great results in the body of Christ. We are to be absorbed in them, and our progress should be evident. Not necessarily on display for show, but certainly not hidden.

Being a Christian brings with it a very large responsibility. And God is gracious enough to remind us of the basics in order to live it properly.