1 Timothy 4.4-The Judaizers' Dietary Restrictions Are Demonically Inspired Because All Creatures Produced By God The Son Are Undefiled
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday June 7, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:4-The Judaizers’ Dietary Restrictions Are Demonically Inspired Because All Creatures Produced By God The Son Are Undefiled
Lesson # 77
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 4:1.
In 1 Timothy 4:4, the apostle Paul explains the reason why the Judaizers’ insistence upon adhering to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law are demonically inspired, namely all food created by God is inherently clean.
He goes on to teach that no food is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.
1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. (NASU)
“For everything created by God is good” is composed of the conjunction hoti (ὅτι) (owe-tee), “for” and the nominative neuter singular form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “everything” and the nominative neuter singular form of the noun ktisma (κτίσμα) (keh-teez-mah), “created” and the genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός) (thay-oce), “by God” and nominative neuter singular form of the adjective kalos (καλός) (kah-loce), “good.”
The conjunction hoti is causal presenting the reason why the Judaizers’ adherence to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law is demonically inspired and thus false doctrine.
Some expositors teach that this hoti causal clause is alluding to Genesis 1:31 but this is incorrect.
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (NASU)
Notice that God does not say that He gave to mankind every beast of the earth for food.
Rather, He only gave mankind every plant yielding seed on the earth and every tree which has fruit yielding seed as food.
He also gave the animal kingdom every green plant for food.
So both man and beast were originally vegetarians.
Mankind did not become a meat eater until the Noahic covenant.
Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth 2 The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. 4 Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” (NASU)
Notice that God said to Noah and his sons that every moving thing that is alive will be food for them just as He gave them every green plant, which implies that mankind did not eat meat during the antediluvian period.
Therefore, it is incorrect to interpret Paul as alluding to Genesis 1:31 in 1 Timothy 4:4 since there is no reference to God decreeing that mankind could eat all types of animals because this did not take place until the establishment of the Noahic covenant after the flood as recorded in Genesis 9:3.
So the adjective kalos is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching that all foods are clean, which is clearly indicated by the explanatory gar clause in verse 5.
So in verse 4, Paul presents the reason why the Judaizers’ teaching that one must not partake of unclean animals as stipulated in the Mosaic Law is wrong and demonically inspired.
Then, in verse 5 he gives an explanation for the hoti causal statement in verse 4 that everything created by God the Son is good.
Therefore, in verses 4-5, Paul is teaching that the Judaizers’ teaching that one must abstain from eating unclean animals as stipulated in the Mosaic Law is demonically inspired because everything created by God is good or inherently clean because it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God taught that all foods are clean and thus abolished the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law for believers.
His teaching sanctified all foods.
The gospels and Acts both record that the Lord Jesus taught no food is unclean (Matthew 15:10-20; Mark 7:14-19; Acts 10:1-15).
Paul taught the churches throughout the Roman empire that all foods were fit for consumption (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 10:25; Titus 1:15).
The adjective pas refers to the individual members of the animal, insect, bird kingdom and marine life, which God ordained as food for the human race.
The noun ktisma means “creature” and refers to the animal, insect, bird kingdoms and marine life, which are the product of God the Son’s creative activity and ordained by Him as food for the human race.
The noun theos refers to the Lord Jesus Christ since the Scriptures present Him as the Creator (John 1:3, 10; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:3, 10).
It is a genitive of production meaning that the word produces the noun ktisma to which it stands related indicating that God the Son produced these creatures.
The adjective kalos is used with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching that all foods are clean and that no animal is inherently unclean.
This is indicated by Paul’s statement in verse 5, “for it is sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer,” which refers to this teaching.
Therefore, the adjective kalos means “undefiled” since it is used with respect to the Lord’s teaching in response to the Jews’ strict adherence to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law.
The term “undefiled” refers to that which is pure for ceremonial use.
1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. (NASU)
“And nothing is to be rejected” is composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” and the nominative neuter singular form of the adjective oudeis (οὐδείς) (oo-theese), “nothing” and the nominative neuter singular form of the adjective apobletos (ἀπόβλητος) (ah-poe-blee-stoce), “to be rejected.”
The conjunction kai is epexegetical meaning that it is introducing a statement that “explains” in another way the previous hoti causal statement that each and every creature produced by God the Son is undefiled.
The word is introducing a statement that expresses the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching from a negative sense whereas the previous hoti causal statement expresses this teaching in a positive sense.
Thus, Paul is saying that each and every creature produced by the God the Son is undefiled “in other words,” nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.
The adjective oudeis emphatically negates the idea that any land animal, bird, insect or marine life is rejected or considered unclean or defiled.
The adjective apobletos means “rejected” and refers to food which under the dietary restrictions of the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic Law would be rejected due to ceremonial uncleanness.
The term actually is referring to the Son of God’s assessment of each and every one of His creatures.
It means that He has not rejected any of His creatures as a provision for food for mankind.
1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. (NASU)
“If it is received with gratitude” is composed of the preposition meta (μετά) (meh-tah), “with” and the genitive feminine singular form of the noun eucharistia (εὐχαριστία) (ef-ha-dee-stee-ah), “gratitude” and the nominative neuter singular present passive participle form of the verb lambano (λαμβάνω) (lahm-vah-noe), “if it is received.”
The verb lambano means, “to receive” in the sense of eating all types of food.
The participle form of the verb is overwhelmingly considered by expositors of this passage and by the majority of English translations as being a conditional participle.
Rendering the word as a conditional participle is incorrect for the simple reason that when the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples all foods were clean, He did not attach any conditions to it and neither did Paul (Mark 7:14-19; Acts 10; cf. Romans 14:14).
It is actually a result participle indicating the actual outcome or result of our Lord’s teaching.
Namely that all food is to be received, i.e. eaten with thanksgiving expressed to the Father through Him by the power of the Spirit.
Therefore, Paul is saying that absolutely nothing is rejected by the Lord “with the result that” all foods are to be received with thanksgiving.
The noun eucharistia means “thanksgiving,” which is to be offered up by the believer in prayer before, during and after eating.
The word is the object of the preposition meta, which functions as a marker of accompaniment indicating that when the Christian partakes of food he or she is to do so “accompanied by” thanksgiving.