Calvin: ‘As we know, most people soon tire of things which are beneficial to them’ … ‘Yet men, alas, are always craving novelty.’
- Be nourished by good doctrine.
- 4:6. Timothy was trained in Scripture from an early age – 2 Tim.3:15. Daniel the prophet read the Scriptures – Daniel 9:2. Note too Psalm 1:1-3; Luke 24:32. Augustine: ‘I nourish you with what nourishes me; I offer to you what I live on myself.’ That is it exactly.
- Put aside myths and fables.
- 4:7a. Note 1 Timothy 1:4; Tit.1:14; 2 Tim.2:16. Calvin: ‘So when some highly sophisticated theory is advanced, we prick up our ears and are keen to hear what is said. Yet it is all smoke!’
- Valentinus; the Book of Mormon; the Word of Faith movement’s emphasis on the so-called ‘rhema’ word. In 1941 Rudolf Bultmann said the whole New Testament was mythological, not historical. That is all spiritual junk food.
- Train to be godly.
- 4:7b-10; the emphasis is on ‘gymnasticizing’ – putting it into practice. ‘Godliness’ is mentioned thirteen times in the Pastoral Epistles. The trustworthy saying could be verse 10 (NIV) or verse 8.
- Dr E. Pyle (a Royal Chaplain in eighteenth century England): ‘the life of a prebendary is a pretty easy way of dawdling away one’s time: praying, walking, visiting and as little study as the heart could wish.’ Not so Paul!
- verse 10 – ‘Saviour’ could mean guarding and preserving as in Ps.33:5. But the word for ‘especially’, ‘mallista’, could mean ‘to be precise’ or ‘that is’.