1 Timothy 4:1–5

4:1 When Paul refers to the Spirit’s speaking, it is not clear whether he means that the Spirit has revealed something directly to him or whether he is drawing on what the Spirit has said through Christian prophets elsewhere in the church at that time (we cannot rule out the possibility that Paul refers to OT prophecies; cf. 2 Pet. 2:1). What is clear is the identity and the content of the speech: the Spirit is warning God’s people that some will fall away from the faith. They will no longer follow Christ. The English term apostasy is derived from the Greek term for “falling away” (Gk. apostēsontai) that Paul employs here.

For Paul, the “last days” were inaugurated by the coming of Christ, are characterized by the Spirit’s presence among God’s people, and will be consummated at Christ’s return in glory.¹ Thus Paul believes he is ministering in the last days, which are characterized by great godlessness in the world (cf. 2 Tim. 3:1–5). Jesus himself predicted that godlessness and apostasy would mark the last days (Matt. 24:10–13). In this way he prepared his church for the time in which people would listen to false teaching and fall away from him. Paul expresses the same concern for the Ephesian church in Acts 20:28–30.

The warnings from Jesus and Paul both describe how such apostasy comes about. People begin to listen to false teaching, and heeding this teaching shipwrecks their faith. Apostates are turned away from Christ because they are turned away from his Word. They forsake his Word in order to listen to the spirit of the age, which is demonic.

4:2 Paul says that false teaching comes into the church “through the insincerity of liars.” “Insincerity” refers to hypocrisy—these false teachers have created a public impression at odds with who they really are (BDAG, s.v. ὑπόκρισις). They give the impression of being faithful Christians. They speak the language and understand and operate very comfortably within church culture. They may even have a reputation for a certain level of piety—perhaps they are gifted communicators. They give a public impression that puts congregants at ease and draws them in. But they are not really who they are pretending to be. They may look and sound like Christian teachers, but they are not. And this is what makes them so dangerous.

4:3–4 The exact beliefs of the false teachers at Ephesus are unclear. From this verse, however, we see that these false teachers tell God’s people that they should not marry and not eat certain kinds of food. We cannot be certain why the false teachers would forbid these things. Abstaining from certain kinds of food sounds like it might be an OT-related error, but that would not explain the prohibition of marriage. All we can be certain of is what Paul says here.

Paul brushes aside these prohibitions by appealing to the Bible. God has created both marriage and food to be enjoyed gratefully. The false teachers’ prohibitions contradict the doctrine of creation taught in Genesis 1–2, which declares that God created everything and called what he created “good.” The only evaluation of “not good” is when God notes that it is not good for man to be alone; in response, God creates the woman and gives her to the man in marriage. Thus Paul is simply applying the Genesis creation account to the error propagated in Ephesus. The contrast is stark: the false teachers claim that marriage and some kinds of food are bad, but Scripture makes clear that both marriage and food are good. Christians should base their evaluation on what God says, not on what false teachers claim.

Paul then clarifies that it is possible to pursue marriage and food in a way that is sinful. It is possible to make an idol out of sex or food in such a way that one enjoys it for its own sake and not for the Lord’s sake. So Paul clarifies that everything created by God is good “if it is received with thanksgiving.” Those who enjoy God’s good gifts without rendering thanks to God are sinning. The sin occurs not because the gifts themselves are bad but because the recipient is an idolater.

4:5 Paul now summarizes his reasoning to this point. In this context “made holy” means suitable for use (BDAG, s.v. ἁγιάζω). Marriage and food are made suitable by God’s spoken word (because he spoke them into existence and declared them to be good) and by our prayerful thanksgiving (by which we worship the Giver and not the gifts).

The false teachers are leading the Ephesian Christians away from good things. They may be promising the good life, but they lie. They are taking away God’s Word and his good gifts to his people.