Warnings against False Teachers
1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
A Good Minister of Jesus Christ
(Leviticus 21:1-17)
6If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 7But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 8For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 9This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 10For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
11These things command and teach. 12Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
A Warning against Apostasy
1 But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; 3 forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving. 5 For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
A Good Servant of Jesus Christ
(Leviticus 21:1-17)
6 If you instruct the brothers of these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which you have followed. 7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come. 9 This saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. 13 Until I come, pay attention to reading, to exhortation, and to teaching. 14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the elders. 15 Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all. 16 Pay attention to yourself, and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
A Warning against Apostasy
1 Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.
3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, 5 because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
A Good Servant of Jesus Christ
(Leviticus 21:1-17)
6 By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed.
7 But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness. 8 For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance.
10 To this end we labor and strive, a because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe. 11 Command and teach these things.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders. 15 Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
Footnotes:
10 a SBL, BYZ, and TR and suffer reproach
Warnings against False Teachers
1And the Spirit expressly speaketh, that in latter times shall certain fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, 2in hypocrisy speaking lies, being seared in their own conscience, 3forbidding to marry -- to abstain from meats that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those believing and acknowledging the truth, 4because every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, with thanksgiving being received, 5for it is sanctified through the word of God and intercession.
A Good Minister of Jesus Christ
(Leviticus 21:1-17)
6These things placing before the brethren, thou shalt be a good ministrant of Jesus Christ, being nourished by the words of the faith, and of the good teaching, which thou didst follow after, 7and the profane and old women's fables reject thou, and exercise thyself unto piety, 8for the bodily exercise is unto little profit, and the piety is to all things profitable, a promise having of the life that now is, and of that which is coming; 9stedfast is the word, and of all acceptation worthy; 10for for this we both labour and are reproached, because we hope on the living God, who is Saviour of all men -- especially of those believing.
11Charge these things, and teach; 12let no one despise thy youth, but a pattern become thou of those believing in word, in behaviour, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity; 13till I come, give heed to the reading, to the exhortation, to the teaching; 14be not careless of the gift in thee, that was given thee through prophecy, with laying on of the hands of the eldership; 15of these things be careful; in these things be, that thy advancement may be manifest in all things; 16take heed to thyself, and to the teaching; remain in them, for this thing doing, both thyself thou shalt save, and those hearing thee.
The Coming of False Teachers
¹ Now, 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 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.
A Good Minister of Christ Jesus
⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly! ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Instructions to Timothy
¹¹ Command and teach these things! ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Footnotes:
1.“Abandon the faith” (verse 1) refers to the act of turning away from core Christian beliefs. The Greek word apostēsontai means to fall away or to stand apart, indicating a deliberate departure from the truth.
2.“Seared as with a hot iron” (verse 2) uses the Greek term kekausteriasmenōn, referring to a hardened or deadened conscience. This metaphor suggests that the false teachers are no longer sensitive to moral truth, having lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
3.“God created to be received with thanksgiving” (verse 3) refers to the freedom believers have to enjoy all things God made, as long as they are accepted with gratitude. The Greek word eucharistia implies active thanksgiving.
4.“Train yourself to be godly” (verse 7) uses the Greek word gymnaze, from which we get the word “gymnasium.” Paul is urging Timothy to engage in spiritual discipline as one would in physical training, emphasizing the importance of habitual, focused effort.
5.“Holding promise for the life to come” (verse 8) points to the eternal value of godliness. While physical exercise benefits the body temporarily, spiritual discipline has benefits that reach beyond this life into eternity.
6.“Set an example” (verse 12) uses the Greek word tupos, meaning a model or pattern to follow. Paul encourages Timothy, despite his youth, to be a visible model of Christian character in every area of life.
7.“Public reading of Scripture” (verse 13) refers to a practice in early Christian worship where portions of Scripture were read aloud. The Greek word anagnōsis means the act of reading, and this was a key part of worship and teaching in the early church.
