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1 Timothy 4:4a – Strange Stories

A boy reads the Bible wide-eyed. (Grok)

For everything God created is good…

Summary: “Good,” it is said, “is relative.” That can mean a lot of things, but mostly it means we need to see things as God sees them.   

“If everything God created is good, why is there so much evil in the world?”

The existence of evil presents an obvious question and one that is bantered about by the faithful and skeptics alike. How should we answer it? In fact, how do we reconcile Paul’s claim about God’s creation being “good” when it obviously isn’t? 

I say creation “obviously isn’t” good because from my perspective, there is a lot of evil in the world. But you know what? The only real “evil” that I have seen comes from one source — people. 

God’s commands for us are simple: Love God (agapē) with all your heart, and love (agapē) your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). Evil is what happens when we ignore God’s commands and love our “self” above all else. 

From God’s perspective, his creation is good. The stars in the sky twinkle just the way they’re supposed to. The Earth rotates around the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth like parts of a giant, perfect clock. 

The animals, too, function as God intended. Plants and animals that God created for food are good for food. A lot depends on whether we bother to listen to God’s instructions about life. If we do, things tend to go better for us. 

Which brings us to things like sickness, accidents, deformities, and death. What causes these? 

This is a huge topic and contains much more than we can address here. However, we can look at three interesting examples that will give us something to think about. 

First is the strange story of Jeroboam’s son. Jeroboam was the ruler of the northern kingdom after Solomon died. Instead of honoring God, he defied God and made idols for the people to follow. For his effort, God caused Jeroboam’s son to die. What is strange is that the son is the only one in the family that God “has found anything good” (1 Kings 14:13). 

The second strange story has to do with a man who was blind from birth. When asked who sinned to cause the man’s blindness, Jesus answered, “‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9:3). 

Finally, the strange story of some people who died when a tower fell on them. Were they more guilty than other people? The text suggests the answer is “No” (Luke 13:4-5). Apparently, accidents happen. I can only guess that if God had built the tower, it wouldn’t have fallen. 

Application: Trust God, even in hard times.  

Food for Thought: How do human failings affect the world we live in? 

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

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1 Timothy 4:3 – Secret Decoder Ring

A picture of a 'decoder ring' (Grok)

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 

Summary: Paul’s message in this passage might seem complicated to some, but to those who know God’s Word, he is pointing the way to the answers to our questions.   

Before we dive too deeply into this passage, let’s review the larger context. 

To begin with, Paul summarized the Gospel in a beautiful passage that describes Jesus’ mission here on earth (1 Timothy 3:16). Then he says that “in later times” people will abandon their faith in God and follow things taught by demons (1 Timothy 4:1). Finally, he gives an example of the things that “hypocritical liars” teach. This includes forbidding people to marry and ordering people to abstain from “certain foods.”

So the question that comes to mind is this: Did Paul just give us the ‘secret decoder ring’ we need to find the ‘hypocritical liars’?

Sadly, the answer is that we don’t know. 

Paul was drawing his examples from the hypocritical liars that existed in his day. There are a number of theories about who he had in mind, but since we don’t have the secret decoder ring, we don’t really know who he was talking about. 

So what can we learn from the information he did give us? Let’s look at the two examples Paul used. 

First is the question of marriage. Some people had apparently been drawn away from the true faith, enticed by a teaching that forbids people to marry. How can we tell if this is in line with the Gospel message or if it is a lie promoted by a ‘deceiving spirit?’ 

The answer to that question has to come from God’s Word. What does God say about marriage? 

Genesis 2:18-24 describes why God made women and how they were made. This is echoed in the Gospel accounts using Jesus’ own words (Matthew 19:4-6). In Proverbs, God’s Word says: 

“He who finds a wife finds what is good / and receives favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22)

There is a passage where Paul speaks about sexual relations in marriage and marriage in general (1 Corinthians 7:1-16). In this passage, he mentions that “I wish all of you were as I am (unmarried).” (1 Corinthians 7:7). However, he is clearly not speaking for the Lord (see verse 6). 

Is there any “command” not to marry in the Bible? No, of course not. God invented marriage! 

The same is true for food. God put the Israelites under a restricted diet for a time, but when the Mosaic Covenant was fulfilled by Jesus on the cross, a new covenant was put in its place. Jesus himself declares all foods clean (Mark 7:18-20) and then repeats the lesson to Peter after his ascension (Acts 10:9-16). 

The Bible is a wealth of information if we know how to use it. In fact, you might say it really is our “secret decoder ring.” 

Application: Read the Bible — every day.  

Food for Thought: How can we find unity in the Bible instead of confusion and disagreement? 

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

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1 Timothy 4:1b – Calling Jesus

A ghostly form of a man reaches up toward the radiant hand of Christ (Grok)

[The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith] and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 

Summary: Paul points back to the origin of deception to help us see the danger of listening to anything other than Christ.  

In our last meditation, “For or Against?,” we explored two possible views about what “abandon the faith” might mean. 

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1 Timothy 3:16 (All) – All About Jesus

Picture of Jesus holding two children by the hand, walking toward church (Grok)

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh,
    was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
    was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
    was taken up in glory.

Summary: Looking back at the whole passage allows us to consider what it really is.   

Before we move on, let’s take a moment to look at this verse as a whole. 

Continue reading “1 Timothy 3:16 (All) – All About Jesus”
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