I Timothy 3:14-4:5
Dear RTB’ers,
Only eight verses today. Before reading I wondered what content could be so “important?” as to warrant only eight verses. Only three verses in and I can see the blessing of this shortened reading – Paul’s “mystery of godliness” benediction:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.I Timothy 3:16
Not much to say about that verse, but the first verse in the next chapter jumped out at me: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons… (v. 4:1) Paul says it probably more harshly than I would in speaking of our modern church, but no doubt he and Timothy were dealing with deceitful spirits and teachings of demons in that early church, forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from certain foods… (v. 3a) We have different marriage issues today – same-sex marriages, LGBTQ+ issues, transgender controversies. Are these deceitful spirits and teachings of demons? Is there some truth is what I feel are misguided teachings? Where is God in all this? I assure you, He is not unaware of what is going on in our world. He will act when He will act. He is God and I am not.
Blessings!