1 Timothy 4

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.