1 TIMOTHY 4:6-10
THE FOUNDATION OF A GOOD
SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST
All Christians are called to serve
Christ to the end no matter how difficult it may be at times. In our human
pride and our natural desire to be first in everything, service is not
something we like to consider. Yet, it is a vital aspect of our faith. We are
all called to service. In considering the example of Christ, it is evident that
Jesus served people. Even as the Lord of lords, the King of kings, and creator
of all, God in the flesh was a servant. To serve is to put others before
yourself or to humble yourself. Not only was Jesus a servant, but he served the
least of these (Matt 25:40). I said hello to a person wearing a University of
Texas shirt recently; talk about loving the least of these.
The Apostle Paul was a mentor to
young Timothy who was a new minister. In the two letters we have record of Paul
writing to Timothy, he greatly encourages the young minister in his vital
kingdom work. By young, it is not meant that Timothy was a child; he was likely
in his thirties.[1] In the fourth chapter of
his first letter to Timothy, Paul admonishes Timothy and confirms the new
minister’s call to serve the Lord faithfully to the end. There are two things
we may gather from Paul’s ministry to Timothy: 1) seasoned believers have a
responsibility to mentor younger believers, and 2) all believers should serve
faithfully to the end as the Apostle Paul did until he was martyred and as
Timothy did in the local church until the day he died. In discussing the
foundation of a good servant of Jesus Christ, Paul gives three characteristics
which servants must exemplify.
1
Timothy 4:6-10 (ESV)
A
Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6 If you put these things before the
brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the
words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 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. 9 The saying is trustworthy and
deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and
strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of
all people, especially of those who believe.
A Good Servant Honors
God Despite Difficulty (v. 6)
First, a good servant honors God
despite difficulty. Paul is writing this portion of his letter in the context
of professing Christians who abandon the faith. Timothy, a new minister, would
have likely been discouraged by his congregants leaving the faith, as any
minister would be; yet, he is called to serve. The word used for servant here is the same word we get deacon from. Many people consider a
deacon to be a leadership office of the local church, but it is not; it really
describes a person who serves. In that way then, serving is something all of us
should do. The unpleasant part of that call, nonetheless, is that we are called
to serve the Lord faithfully despite difficulty. The reality is that everyone
faces difficulty, although for some, it might be more extreme than for others.
Nevertheless, we are called to serve. If we base our service to God on
circumstances in our life, we will not be faithful servants. God is worthy of
our service irrespective of the situations we face. Whether we are in a good
situation or a bad situation, we are still called to serve the same. When our
foundation is Jesus Christ, our love for him, and our satisfaction in him, we
will can faithfully serve him until the end of our days.
A Good Servant Sets
Eternal Matters above Temporal Matters (vv. 7-9)
Second, a good servant of Christ
realizes the importance of eternal issues and the futility of temporal issues.
Paul encourages Timothy to remain away from silly myths (v. 7). I dare say that
there are many silly myths in our society, and if we hear them long enough,
they might be easy to give into, which is why so many churches and professing
Christians are turning away from the truth of Scripture and creating a false
gospel that suits their own desires. To counter this though, Paul tells Timothy
to train himself (v. 7). Spiritual growth is your own responsibility and no one
else’s. Your growth in Christ is not your family’s job, your spouse’s job, or
even the church’s job; it is your own responsibility so train yourself.
To further clarify this, Paul makes clear that training for
godliness has an eternal nature to it, while training for temporal matters
might be futile (v. 8). Paul says that training the physical body might be good
(v. 8), as it may certainly increase your health, but ultimately, it is
temporal rather than eternal. In a world with a plurality of distractions
coming at us, a good servant of Christ prioritizes the eternal above the
temporal. The beauty in serving Christ is that there are eternal rewards that
far outweigh the temporal rewards we might receive. Additionally, we are told
that we can trust this saying (v. 9). It is worthy of acceptance because our
faithful and covenant God has said it; if he says it, it’s true.
A Good Servant Toils
to the End (v. 10)
Lastly, a good servant toils to the end. No one likes to
think about the toiling aspect of our faith, but the Bible is clear that being
a Christian and honoring God is difficult. We are called to toil, implying
treacherous waters in our daily lives. Our service is built on a solid
foundation though. Paul tells Timothy that our hope is set on the living God,
who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe (v. 10). If
our hope is in anything else, it will fail.
God is faithful to his people so that no matter the
circumstances we face and no matter the age we may be, we are called to toil in
joyful service to Jesus Christ till the very end. It is not a matter of
woefully serving God, but in all circumstances, no matter how dreary they may
be, if our satisfaction and joy is found in Christ alone, we can faithfully
serve him till the end. Let us then be faithful servants to our great God and
King.
[1] “How Old Was Timothy?” Evidence Unseen, accessed August 30, 2017,
http://www.evidenceunseen.com/bible-difficulties-2/nt-difficulties/1-2-timothy-titus-philemon-hebrews-james-1-2-peter/1-tim-412-how-old-was-timothy/.
