What was Paul talking about in 1 Timothy 4:1 - 3?

Question

1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
(NIV)

You are RIGHT! It's the KJV. I was just seeing if you were paying attention. : p

Jesuslover,
Don't assume anything deare.

Edge,
JW's and Mormons don't forbid marriage. Check yourself. Don't be too proud.

Sorry, tebone0315. I don't see that there. Who forbids marriage? Abstaining from meats? Who does that?

I don't think that the Roman Catholic Church abstains from meats, do they? If not, then we cannot look there.

Answer 1

The apostle Paul foretold that during the last days, people would be led astray by the “teachings of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1) Not only are such demonic teachings found in false religious beliefs but they are also widely promulgated in other ways. For example, we need to analyze and weigh what books and magazines we and our children read, what television programs we view, and what plays and films we watch. If for recreation we read fiction, does it feature senseless violence, illicit sex, or occult practices? If we read nonfiction in order to be instructed, does it expound a philosophy or way of life “not according to Christ”?

Are empty speculations presented, or is involvement in worldly social movements advocated? Does it foster the determination to get very rich? Is it a publication that subtly presents divisive teachings that are un-Christlike? If the answer is yes and we continue to read or view such material, we risk feeding at the table of demons. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of publications that promote worldly philosophies that seem so enlightened and current. (Ecclesiastes 12:12) But none of this propaganda is really new; nor does it work for one’s benefit and betterment, any more than what Satan cunningly said to Eve worked for her betterment.

the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron; forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth. The reason for this is that every creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified through God’s word and prayer over "it".

Many people feel that most of these problems would be eliminated if priests were allowed to marry. Some may be shocked to learn that nowhere does the Bible prohibit Christian ministers of God from marrying. The Catholic Church, however, has forbidden priests to marry since the 12th century. Interestingly, when referring to the great apostasy from true worship that would set in after the death of the apostles, Paul wrote that “some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, forbidding to marry.”

Answer 2

Paul begins series of instructions specifically for Timothy.

The Spirit expressly: Paul may be referring to various prophecies inspired by the Holy Spirit about defection from God's truth ( see Dan 7:25, 8:23, Matt 24:4-12 ), or he might be speaking of revelation the Spirit had given to him.

Depart here means literally " to stand away" from. There will be various seasons which some people will depart from their faith ( 1:19,20 ) The reference here is not to loss of salvation but to a walk obediently ( see John `19:25-27 and 1 Cor 3:1-3, 11:29,30 )

The false teachers at Ephesus evidently disparaged the material world as evil, which became a central doctrine of the full-grown Gnosticism of the 2ND century.

Answer 3

1. It means that in some time later there will be people who stop believing and leave the faith that they once had of believing in God. And they will pay attention more to things of the world and the things that the devil tell them.
2. it continues with what was being said in 1. They will tell lies about about God and his people ( hypocrisy) and they will do it so often that it will burn their conscience. If you do some thing often enough you will not feel bad about doing it after a while.
3. I am not sure about the forbidding to marry. ( I admit it when I am not sure, no one knows everything) but in the old testament some meats were made unclean to eat by God. But when Jesus died on the cross He changed that. Now anything that God created for food is ok to eat as long as you do it with thanks giving and know the truth. which is the truth of Jesus and of Gods word.

Answer 4

Basically what it says. That a time will come when many will fall away from the faith. This is known as the great falling away. I believe if we are not in this time we are close. I know this is a hot issue right now but doctrines of devils: churches accepting homosexuality and allowing "pastors" living openly in sin to preach.

The same fits for speaking lies in hypocrisy. Many churches preach doctrines not of the Bible. They ignore inconvenient parts of the Bible.

For additional doctrines of devils study mormonism and JW's.

I never said that they forbid marriage. All I meant is they are false relgions claiming to be Christianity.

Answer 5

Paul was admonishing Timothy about the things that will happen in latter times, on how some people will 'depart from the faith' having been misled into believing false doctrines.

They will preach lies that are not taught in the scriptures (v 2& 3), regarding marriage and eating meat.

Now what's in the verse that you do not understand? Remember, the Scriptures were given to us as a guide, to instruct us on what and what not to do. However, we must not use them to judge what others are doing.

Answer 6

He is speaking about the false preachers that will come saying they are of God and that will lead many people astray. There are many denominations(out of the 33,000 different sects) of protestant Christinity that are now doing this

Answer 7

Sounds like Catholicism

EDIT: Tube: During Lent you have to abstain from meat on Fridays.

EDIT: Tube Im dying to hear what you might think he is referring to!

Answer 8

Basically, that in the last day, many are going to be decieved and fall away from God's truth.

Answer 9

you know what he was saying, you just trying to point out (on the sly) bout certain beliefs that wont except the teaching from the new testament.

EDIT: i didnt mean anything bad by it. you right i shouldnt assume anything, i guess its cause thats something i would do just to try to keep peace but yet point out scripture.

Answer 10

Before we start to make assumptions...
The word translated "meats" in the KJV is the Greek word brōma (G1033 in Strong s), it means "food" or, more specifically, kashrut (Kosher) food. In Elizabethan English, the word "meats" meant "foods", and that s how the KJV committee translated it.
The Greek words kreas & sarx refer to what we now refer to meat, specifically "flesh".

He uses this phrase in conjunction with "forbidding to marry" and that the food should be "received with thanksgiving" which is telling.

In the early days of the church there was a movement that was called "gnosticism" -- a syncretism of pagan and "Christian" beliefs and practices-- the New Age of the old age, as it were. Some of their core beliefs were that the Pleromatic god (the invisible, transcendent supreme being, manifesting in mere appearance as the "christ") emmannated the demiurge (or "fashioner") who created the world. The demiurge was associated with the God of the Old testament and seen as willful and contrary to the supreme being and the world created by the demiurge was considered imperfect, evil and to be abstained from.

This asceticism demanded that people refrain from deriving physical pleasures of any form, including those in the lawful context of marriage and moderate eating of delicacies with thanksgiving.

Of course, the G_d of the Old Testament is the same as the G_d of the New Testament. The earliest Greek manuscripts of the book Jude read in vs. 5 "Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt". And Gnosticism is a totally false corruption of the Truth.

The early christians believed that they were living in the last days, meaning that there was a new work that G_d had begun starting with the Incarnation of Jesus and culminating in our time. (We would now be in, like, the "last seconds.")-- see Hebrews 1:1-2.

Unfortunately, Gnosticism still rears its ugly head in every place where the concession of syncretism is to be found nowadays. Particularly in the New Age and extreme corners of the Word of Faith movement.

It is alright to be vegetarian if you believe that eating meat is inhumane, and that, to be in the image of G_d, we should act with the accordant dignity befitting that station. In fact 1st John 2:6 says "He that said he stays in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."

I can t imagine Jesus condoning modern factory farms.

But what Paul is describing is abstaining from all forms of pleasure, even the lawful ones, because of a distorted view of G-d; and that s wrong. We should enjoy life, and moreover, give praise and thank to the One who gives us the *ability* to enjoy it!