Train Yourself in Godliness

Happy New Year

On New Year’s day my niece told me that I could no longer use my 2020 joke.

How many have goals for this new year?

gyms and churches should be packed right now.

I believe this is where God has led me. I’ve wrestled with this and I’ve prayed about this.

Question

What are you going to do this year to keep those goals in front of you and to accomplish them?

Text

In the scripture leading up to vs. 6 Paul is pointing out some information about false teachings going on. This is where we pick it up in verse 6 and on.

1 Timothy 4:

1 Timothy 4:6–10 CSB

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed. 7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. 8 For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. 10 For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 4:6–7 CSB

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed. 7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness.

We have all received advice that was old wives tells or fables. Some of it I’m sure is great advice. I’m positive that much of it is also non-sense.

That’s not really the “pointless and silly myths” that Paul is talking about here. What Paul is focused on in the truth of God’s Word and not mixing it with something.

I remember hearing that it was “bad luck” to be baptized twice. Please show me that in scripture.

How can we recognize these false teachings?

When my wife worked at a bank she caught some fraudulent checks and some fake bills. How did she do it? She did it by knowing exactly what the real thing looked liked. Not by studying all the different fakes.

How do we learn to recognize the truth? By training yourself in Godliness.

“Train yourself in godliness”

Please pay attention to the word “yourself.” Personal responsibility.

The best way you can start this new year is taking personal responsibility with your relationship with the Lord. No one else can stand for you on judgement day. You and you alone with stand before the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:8 CSB

8 For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

As valuable as training the body is, it has limited benefit.

Training ourselves in godliness is profitable and beneficial and every way. Not just for what your daily life brings you here on earth but in eternity.

Bodily exercise will help you with your current body but when you get a new body, the exercise you did on earth will make no difference for your new body.

1 Timothy 4:9 CSB

9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.

This truth was trustworthy and beneficial in Paul’s day and it is trustworthy and beneficial in our day today.

1 Timothy 4:10 CSB

10 For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

1 Tomthy

We must train ourselves in Godliness for our benefit and for those around us that we are to reach. God is the Savior of all people.