Day #224: 1 Timothy 4:1-5

So What? (What will you do with what you read today?)

As the guardian of the truth, the church must be aware of the strategies of the truth’s enemies. It is crucial then for the church to understand what God has revealed about these enemies. According to this teaching the situation will degenerate as Christ’s return approaches. In later times which Paul viewed as still future though casting their shadow already, some people will abandon the faith to follow after the false teaching of deceiving spirits and… demons. Spiritual error is seldom due to innocent mistakes. It is more often due to the conscious strategies of God’s spiritual enemies. But God’s spiritual enemies do not directly confront their victims with error. Instead they work through hypocritical liars. This is Satan’s standard operating procedure. He selects likely representatives and renders their consciences beyond feeling, seared as with a hot iron. In this condition they are ready to do Satan’s bidding. The false teachers plaguing the Ephesian church were the forerunners of the Gnostics of the second century. Even at this relatively incipient stage, the strong dualism of the Gnostics is clear: spirit is good; matter is evil. They believed all appetites relating to the body are therefore evil and should be rooted out, including normal desires for sex and food. Thus the false teachers forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods. But Paul went to the heart of the dualistic error by stating that matter is not inherently evil; it is rather part of what God created. Now those who believe and who know the truth can gratefully receive and use the things God created, which were designed to be received. Contrary to the false teaching, everything God created is good. Here Paul echoed God’s own verdict.

Genesis 1:31 (NIV)
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…

Where the false teachers were intent on “forbidding” and “abstaining”, Paul said that nothing is to be rejected—nothing, that is, that God created. Man can abuse what God has created, as adultery is an abuse of the marital sexual relationship, and gluttony is an abuse of a normal appetite for food. Such abuses should certainly be rejected. But God’s creations themselves are all good and should be received with thanksgiving, not with taboos. All the seemingly “ordinary” things of life can then become extraordinary as
they are consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. In the light of the Scriptures a
Christian recognizes God’s good hand behind the things provided, and offers
thanksgiving to the Lord. In this way the ordinary things so easily taken for granted become sanctified as occasions for worship and praise.

As you move forward today remember this verse from the Apostle Paul.

1 Cor. 10:31 (NIV)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Make It Happen!