hotcoffee
New Member
1 Timothy 4:1 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.
Boy, these are some jam packed verses.
Verse 1 says that in the times after Christ left, some people would just give up on the gospel and believe the lies that Satan puts out there. IMHO this is never more true than today. I mean, look at ISIS. While claiming to be godly, promoting the idea that people have turned rotten and need to turn their attention back to God, they are reportedly lopping off the heads of people who don't follow them while kidnapping young women to become their wives in caveman fashion.
Verse 1 is talking about people who believe and then for whatever reason leave the faith. According to the plain English commentary:
These people stop believing in the Lord. This is because they act on lies. They turn away from the truth and believe lies. They listen to what false teachers say. These lies come from evil spirits that lead them away from the truth. They start to accept what demons teach.
These spirits and demons are enemies of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their aim is to make of no effect the work that the Lord has done for us. They will do all that they can to stop people from trusting in Christ. They also try to turn Christians from their belief in him.
These spirits and demons are enemies of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their aim is to make of no effect the work that the Lord has done for us. They will do all that they can to stop people from trusting in Christ. They also try to turn Christians from their belief in him.
Then in Verse 3 Paul talks about Marriage and Food, coincidently two of the loves of my life.
Apparently back in Ephesus there were people who were saying you shouldn't get married because to do so would take your mind away from the Lord. I learned this scenario at the Methodist Church in that class that was taught by the Nazarene. I also heard it in a sermon one time. I wondered then and I wonder now, what sense does that make? I guess if your head is all wrapped around learning to love the Lord and someone tells you that you shouldn't let your desires get in the way.... well that would make sense the lie a little more believable. But let's not forget why people get married in the first place.
I mean God Himself came up with the idea of marriage. Sure, the idea of a certificate is manmade, but the idea that two people should be joined as one... that's all God. I can surely say that the years I have been with my hubby are the best in my life. I have someone to share everything with. Without hubby.... well I'd have just drifted through life with no real direction. I certainly wouldn't be getting up every morning and looking into the Word.
Then there was the attack on Food. On the matter of food the commentary says this.
The Bible teaches that marriage is a good thing. And it is from God. As for the foods, God created them for us to eat. Christians should know that they can eat all kinds of food. But they should always thank God for what they eat. They should be grateful to God for all that he has given to them.
I love bacon! Recently I've learned that I also love jowls. Yet there were people back in Ephesus [and there are still some around now] that say that eating these delightful crispy treats in moderation is forbidden because God didn't like it. What?
Jesus talked about this when He was here. The Pharisees were talking about eating without washing your hands [which some people think is a lot more dangerous than frying up some bacon]. Check out Matthew 15:10-20
10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
In Verse 5 Paul straightens it all out. Not only should we marry and eat the foods God made for us to eat, but we should thank God for providing them for us. I am thankful that God planned for me to meet my husband. I'm just as thankful that God put lettuce, tomato, grain, eggs, and even pigs for bacon on this earth. It gives me something to enjoy and allows me put searching for joy behind me. It allows me to enjoy the finer things in life, like getting up in the morning and looking at the Word.
