1 Timothy 4 - Are You Working Out At God's Gym?

1 Timothy 4 - NIV

4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

As we have seen, one of Paul's major concerns is the false teaching that is infiltrating the church in Ephesua. Though the teaching may come from false teachers, the source of it was "deceiving spirits and things taught by demons". It is strange to think that demons can teach. But whether they teach in a way we normally think of or not, they are the ones who are influencing the church in a negative way. 

We know the devil has been a liar from the beginning (John 8:44), and he hates the truth. He especially hates the truth. The bible says, "The devil came to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly" John 10:10  In this case the demons were influencing these false teachers in a very cunning way. The demons were distorting the truth about things God had created which were good. But they needed a mouthpiece and this was the false teachers come in. 

The word we use for this type of false teaching is called "legalism". Legalists teach that we become "holier" or have a better with relationship God when we abstain from a laundry list of things. In this case it was a pretty big one. They forbid people to marry. Possibly they taught that since Jesus was coming soon, they shouldn't be caught up in earthly matters like being married and having a family. They also urged the Ephesians to abstain from certain foods. 

We all know that anything we eat or drink can become bad for us. But in the right context and in moderation most anything which has been created by God can be enjoyed. For instance, we know Jesus drank wine, and Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine. So we know in essence alcohol is "amoral" (meaning not by itself right or wrong). But we also no that alcohol can be abused and it can cause many problems. So legalism would be that you can never drink alcohol in any situation, whereas through grace and moderation it can be enjoyed in thanksgiving to God in fellowship with others.  

The same is true with food. If one eats McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries every day, it might become a problem. But there is nothing amoral about cheeseburgers and fries. If someone gets addicted to fast good, become obese, and has an addiction to food that is another matter. 

David Guzik has some great commentary on this matter of legalism. 

i. There have always been those in the church who regard themselves as more spiritual than God Himself, and have a stricter set of rules for living than God does.

ii. In the early centuries of the church, there were monks who went out to desolate desert places to show how spiritual they were by torturing themselves. One never ate cooked food. Another stood all night leaning on a sharp rock so that it was impossible for him to sleep. Another neglected his own body and allowed it to become so dirty that bugs dropped dead from his body. They did this because they thought it would win favor with God and show everyone how spiritual they were.Paul says that greater thing is to be focused on God's Word and to pursue godliness. True godliness has to do with our love of God and otters. Paul also told Timothy to focus on faith and the teaching which had been passed on to him through Paul and the apostles.   

Rather than getting caught in all of these "do's and don'ts", Paul urges Timothy to be trained in godliness. He compares pursuing godliness to physical training. He acknowledges that working out your body is a great thing, but training to be a better disciple of Christ has value for now and for eternal life. We don't often think about "training" to be godly. 

So what does "training in godliness mean?" 

By “training in godliness,” Paul means deliberately practicing a life that becomes increasingly shaped by faith in God, obedience to Christ, and love for others. Think of it like physical training: you don't become physically fit from one workout. Likewise, godliness develops through repeated spiritual practices and choices. - Chat.GBT

The term we typically use for this is "discipleship".  Discipleship is all about training. It is not about "trying" but "training" to be the type of people who will naturally do what Jesus did if he were us. We might call it "cross training". At the heart of Jesus' call to his disciples and to us is, "Pick up your cross and follow me."  

When we become a Christian we receive a lifelong membership to "God's Gym"!  Instead of barbells, curling bars, treadmills, and the sit-up decline, at God's gym we practice prayer, pick up the bible, breathe in the power of the Holy Spirit, show up for church, and invite others to become members of God's gym. 

While we don't earn our salvation, but we can work it out. Paul says this, 

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," Philippians 2:12

Obviously Paul is not talking about earning your salvation, as that goes again everything else he teaches. This is why it is important to interpret this properly. I think one of the best measure of our spiritual growth is the evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. 

The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-cointrol. Galatians 5:22. Importantly Paul says, "Against these there is no law" 

The fruit of the Spirit does not come from legalism (what we do), but through abiding in Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit. 

Are you in need of a spiritual workout? When is the last time you have "hit God's gym"?

Father, thank you for your grace which saved us from our sin. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who works in us to help us become the type of people who will be an example of godliness and grace. Amen.