1 Timothy 4–6

Chapter 4

Apostasy

¹But ^athe Spirit explicitly says that ^bin later times some will ¹fall away from the faith, paying attention to ^cdeceitful spirits and ^ddoctrines of demons,

²by means of the hypocrisy of liars ^aseared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

³men who ^aforbid marriage and advocate ^babstaining from foods which ^cGod has created to be ^dgratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

⁴For ^aeverything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is ^breceived with gratitude;

⁵for it is sanctified by means of ^athe word of God and prayer.

A Good Minister’s Discipline

⁶In pointing out these things to ^athe brethren, you will be a good ^bservant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the ^1csound doctrine which you ^dhave been following.

⁷But ¹have nothing to do with ^aworldly ^bfables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of ^cgodliness;

⁸for ^abodily discipline is only of little profit, but ^bgodliness is profitable for all things, since it ^cholds promise for the ^dpresent life and also for the life to come.

^9aIt is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

¹⁰For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed ^aour hope on ^bthe living God, who is ^cthe Savior of all men, especially of believers.

^111aPrescribe and teach these things.

^12aLet no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, ^blove, faith and purity, show yourself ^can example ¹of those who believe.

^13aUntil I come, give attention to the public ^breading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

¹⁴Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through ^aprophetic utterance with ^bthe laying on of hands by the ^1cpresbytery.

¹⁵Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

^16aPay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ^1bensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

Chapter 5

Honor Widows

^1aDo not sharply rebuke an ^bolder man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to ^cthe younger men as brothers,

²the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

³Honor widows who are ^awidows indeed;

⁴but if any widow has children or grandchildren, ^athey must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to ¹make some return to their parents; for this is ^bacceptable in the sight of God.

⁵Now she who is a ^awidow indeed and who has been left alone, ^bhas fixed her hope on God and continues in ^centreaties and prayers night and day.

⁶But she who ^agives herself to wanton pleasure is ^bdead even while she lives.

^71aPrescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach.

⁸But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has ^adenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹A widow is to be ^aput on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been ^bthe wife of one man,

¹⁰having a reputation for ^agood works; and if she has brought up children, if she has ^bshown hospitality to strangers, if she ^chas washed the ¹saints’ feet, if she has ^dassisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.

¹¹But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel ^asensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married,

¹²thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous ¹pledge.

¹³At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also ^agossips and ^bbusybodies, talking about ^cthings not proper to mention.

¹⁴Therefore, I want younger widows to get ^amarried, bear children, ^bkeep house, and ^cgive the enemy no occasion for reproach;

¹⁵for some ^ahave already turned aside to follow ^bSatan.

¹⁶If any woman who is a believer ^ahas dependent widows, she must ^bassist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are ^cwidows indeed.

Concerning Elders

^17aThe elders who ^brule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who ^cwork hard ¹at preaching and teaching.

¹⁸For the Scripture says, “^aYou shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “^bThe laborer is worthy of his wages.”

¹⁹Do not receive an accusation against an ^aelder except on the basis of ^btwo or three witnesses.

²⁰Those who continue in sin, ^arebuke in the presence of all, ^bso that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.

^21aI solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

^22aDo not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and ¹thereby share ^bresponsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself ²free from sin.

²³No longer drink water exclusively, but ^ause a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

²⁴The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins ^afollow after.

²⁵Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and ^athose which are otherwise cannot be concealed.

Chapter 6

Instructions to Those Who Minister

^1aAll who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so ^bthat the name of God and our doctrine will not be ¹spoken against.

²Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are ^abrethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who ¹partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. ^bTeach and ²preach these principles.

³If anyone ^aadvocates a different doctrine and does not ¹agree with ^bsound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine ^cconforming to godliness,

⁴he is ^aconceited and understands nothing; but he ¹has a morbid interest in ^bcontroversial questions and ^cdisputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,

⁵and constant friction between ^amen of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who ^bsuppose that ¹godliness is a means of gain.

^6aBut godliness actually is a means of ^bgreat gain when accompanied by ^ccontentment.

⁷For ^awe have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

⁸If we ^ahave food and covering, with these we shall be content.

^9aBut those who want to get rich fall into temptation and ^ba snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

¹⁰For ^athe love of money is a root of all ¹sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have ^bwandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

¹¹But ^aflee from these things, you ^bman of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, ^cfaith, ^dlove, ¹perseverance and gentleness.

^12aFight the good fight of ^bfaith; ^ctake hold of the eternal life ^dto which you were called, and you made the good ^econfession in the presence of ^fmany witnesses.

^13aI charge you in the presence of God, who ¹gives life to all things, and of ^bChrist Jesus, who testified the ^cgood confession ^dbefore Pontius Pilate,

¹⁴that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the ^aappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵which He will ¹bring about at ^athe proper time—He who is ^bthe blessed and ^conly Sovereign, ^dthe King of ²kings and ^eLord of ³lords,

^16awho alone possesses immortality and ^bdwells in unapproachable light, ^cwhom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

¹⁷Instruct those who are rich in ^athis present world ^bnot to be conceited or to ^cfix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, ^dwho richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

¹⁸Instruct them to do good, to be rich in ^agood ¹works, ^bto be generous and ready to share,

^19astoring up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may ^btake hold of that which is life indeed.

²⁰O ^aTimothy, guard ^bwhat has been entrusted to you, avoiding ^cworldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—

²¹which some have professed and thus ^agone astray ¹from ^bthe faith.

^cGrace be with you.