1 Timothy 4:7–8 (ESV) — 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.
Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily
training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds
promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
NOTE: The context
surrounding verse 7 suggests that people were trying to attain something
(acceptance by God, favor by God, greater love?) via asceticism or Judaistic
practices. A believer in Jesus Christ cannot increase God's love for them.
Jesus died for the person, there is no greater degree of love available than
that.
There is nothing
wrong with bodily training and some people commit a lot of time to it. Bodily
training does have some value. But, in relationship to godliness, the long term
value is found in godliness. Maybe, we can live a little longer with bodily training,
but we can have much greater eternal impact by godliness.
What is godliness?
The term, eusebeia, concerns practices
and appropriate beliefs in God. People are looking for secret knowledge, also
called gnosticism. But Paul is emphasizing that the basics and sound doctrine
are where we need to place our energy.
PRAYER: Father, help
me to strike a right balance. I want to dig deep into your word, but I don't
want to violate long-held doctrines just because something sounds interesting.
Lord, I want to rightly handle the word of God.
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