17 Jan 2024
“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” (1 Timothy 4:7 NIV)
I have wondered why the Apostle Paul wrote the above to his spiritual son and fellow worker. Was not Timothy Paul’s companion and colabourer in Christian ministry? Paul himself had expressed unreserved confidence in Timothy and even expressed that he had no one like Timothy who is reliable and dependable; and he also sent Timothy to various churches to represent him. Paul still felt it necessary to write the above to Timothy – and if Timothy needed this exhortation, we also need it today.
Another passage may be helpful to help us understand why Paul paid so much emphasis on the above subject:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corin. 9:24-27).
What is common in these two passages is the word ‘Train or Training’. In the second passage, Paul wrote about the prize that Christians pursue – it is a crown that will last forever, in contrast to the competitors in the games who will receive a temporary crown. But what is needed in both groups of competitors is training and discipline – and Paul even went to the extent of saying that if he himself did not hearken to this requirement, he might even be disqualified himself (imagine the great apostle ‘disqualified’ in the Christian race).
In urging Timothy to train himself in godliness, Paul borrowed a term from the realm of athletics; and this he also applied it to himself.
There are several principles in the exhortation to train himself to be godly:
The first is personal responsibility – Timothy was personally responsible for his progress in godliness. He was not trust the Lord for that progress and then relax though he certainly understood that any progress he made was only through divine enablement. Timothy would have understood that he was to work out this particular aspect of his salvation in confidence that God was at work in him. But he would see Paul’s message that he must work at the matter of godliness; he must pursue it.
We believers may be very disciplined and diligent in our careers, business, our studies, our home, or even our ministry but we tend to be lazy when it comes to exercise in our own spiritual lives. We may pray and ask God to make us godly but God does not do this apart from the fulfilment of our own personal responsibility – we are to train ourselves to be holy.
The subject of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy is that the object of this training was growth in Timothy’s personal spiritual life. Elsewhere, Pau did encourage Timothy to progress in his ministry but here the object is Timothy’s own devotion to God and the conduct arising from that devotion. Even though he was an experienced, well-qualified Christian minister, Timothy still needed to grow in the essential areas of godliness: the fear of God, the comprehension of the love of God, the desire for the presence and fellowship of God (i.e. delighting in God) and the conduct in godliness (from the fruit of the Spirit).
Over the years as a Christian, I have come across many talented and capable Christians, but I think I have met fewer godly Christians. The emphasis today is on serving God, accomplishing goals for God, managing objectives and vision for the church and ministry – but are we training ourselves only in Christian activity, as good as that may be, or are we training ourselves first of all in godliness.
There are certain minimum requirements necessary for training, even in the field of athletics:
First of all – commitment – commitment to pay the price of rigorous daily training. Remember what Paul wrote that he struck a blow to his body and made it his slave in training to finish his Christian race. No one becomes godly without a commitment to pay the price of the daily spiritual training which God has designed for our growth in godliness (Philip. 3:12; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV). The word “train” implies persevering, painstaking, diligent effort. Paul was aware of the total commitment the young athletes made to win a crown that would not last; Christians are committed to gain the crown that would last – the godliness that has value for all things, both in the present life, and the life to come.
The second requirement is a good and competent teacher or coach (for athletes). We cannot train ourselves to be godly without the teaching and training ministry of the Holy Spirit. He holds us to the highest standard of spiritual excellence as He teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains us. But He teaches and trains us through His Word. Therefore we must constantly expose ourselves to the teaching of the Word of God if we are to grow in godliness. We cannot grow in godliness without the knowledge of the truth (Titus 1;1). This truth is to be found only in the Bible, but it is not just academic knowledge of Bible facts (which can be found in commentaries and books) but it is spiritual knowledge taught by the Holy Spirit as He applies the truth of God to our hearts. When He reminds us to exercise self-control, for instance, do we ignore Him and continue to vent our anger and rage on those who wronged us? When He instils in our conscience to repent and to do what is right, do we ‘drown’ Him with all our excuses and arguments, presumably from our Bible knowledge?
It is possible to be orthodox in one’s doctrine and very upright in one’s behaviour and still not be godly. There are many who are orthodox and upright but they are not devoted to God; they are devoted to their orthodoxy and their own standards of moral conduct. Only the Holy Spirit can pry us loose from such positions of false confidence, so we must sincerely look to Him for the training ministry as we seek to grow in godliness. Our exposure to the Word must be accompanied by a sense of deep humility regarding our ability to learn spiritual truth, and a sense of dependence upon HIs ministry in our hearts.