1 Timothy 4–6

The Coming Apostasy

4Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ²by the hypocrisy of liars, who are seared in their own conscience, ³who forbid marrying and insist on abstaining from foods that God created for sharing in with thankfulness by those who believe and who know the truth, ⁴because everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is^* received with thankfulness, ⁵for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

The Good Servant of Christ

⁶By^* teaching these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, trained in the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed faithfully. ⁷But reject those worthless myths told by elderly women^a, and train yourself for godliness. ⁸For the training of the body is somewhat^b profitable, but godliness is profitable for everything, because it^* holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. ⁹The statement is trustworthy and deserving of complete acceptance. ¹⁰For to this end we labor and suffer reproach,^c because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.

¹¹Command these things and teach them. ¹²Let no one look down on your youth, but be an example for the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³Until I come, pay attention to the public reading,^d to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect the gift that is in you, that was granted to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. ¹⁵Practice these things. Be diligent^e in these things, in order that your progress may be evident to everyone. ¹⁶Fix your attention on yourself and on your teaching. Continue in them, for by^* doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Instructions About Widows

5Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father, younger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. ³Honor widows who are truly widows. ⁴But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to show profound respect for their own household first, and to pay back recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵But the widow who is one truly, and is left alone, has put her hope in God and continues in her petitions and prayers night and day. ⁶But the one who lives for sensual pleasure is dead even though she^* lives. ⁷And command these things, in order that they may be irreproachable. ⁸But if someone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹Let a widow be put on the list if she^* is not less than sixty years old, the wife of one husband, ¹⁰being well-attested by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has helped those who are oppressed, if she has devoted herself to every good work. ¹¹But refuse younger widows, for whenever their physical desires lead them away from Christ, they want to marry, ¹²thus incurring condemnation because they have broken their former pledge. ¹³And at the same time also, going around from house to house, they learn to be idle, and not only idle, but also gossipy and busybodies, saying the things that are not necessary. ¹⁴Therefore I want younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage a household, to give the adversary no opportunity for reproach. ¹⁵For already some have turned away and followed after Satan. ¹⁶If any believing woman has widows, she must help them, and the church must not be burdened, in order that it may help those who are truly widows.

Honoring Worthy Elders and Dealing With Sinners

¹⁷The elders who lead well must be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor by speaking and teaching. ¹⁸For the scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox while it^* is threshing,”^a and “The worker is worthy of his wages.”^{b 19}Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁰Reprove those who sin in the presence of all, in order that the rest also may experience fear. ²¹I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality. ²²Lay hands on no one hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. ²³(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent illnesses.) ²⁴The sins of some people are evident, preceding them to judgment, but for some also they follow after them. ²⁵Likewise also good works are evident, and those considered otherwise are not able to be hidden.

Slaves and Masters

6All those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, lest the name of God and the teaching be slandered. ²And those who have believing masters must not look down on them because they are brothers, but rather they must serve, because those who benefit by their service are believers and dearly loved.

False Teachers and the Love of Money

Teach and encourage these things. ³If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, ⁴he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a morbid interest concerning controversies and disputes about words, from which come envy, strife, slanders, evil suspicions, ⁵constant wrangling by people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who consider godliness to be a means of gain. ⁶But godliness with contentment is a great means of gain. ⁷For we have brought nothing into the world, so that neither can we bring anything out. ⁸But if we^* have food and clothing, with these things we will be content. ⁹But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they^* desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

Renewed Charge to Timothy

¹¹But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³I command you, in the sight of God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴that you observe the commandment without fault, irreproachable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which he will make known in his own time, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of those who reign as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, ¹⁶the one who alone possesses immortality, who lives in unapproachable light, whom no human being has seen nor is able to see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.

Instructions to the Rich

¹⁷Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment, ¹⁸to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely, ¹⁹storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, in order that they may take hold of what is truly life.

Final Charge and Benediction

²⁰O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless empty talk and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, ²¹which some, by^* professing it, have deviated concerning the faith. Grace be with you all.