1 Timothy 4:1-5

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

One of the reasons it is so important to keep the church in good working order and have qualified leaders for the church is the certainty of false prophets coming on the scene.  The church is to faithfully proclaim and defend the truth of God’s Word so the false teachers will not be able to gain a foothold.  Satan is always striving to make us turn from faith in Christ for the glory of God to trust in our own efforts for our own glory.   

THE COMING OF FALSE TEACHERS: The coming of false teachers is inevitable.  The Holy Spirit has made this clear.  Satan is always going to try to pervert the truth in our own lives and in the body of Christ as a whole.  The result of this false teaching will be that some people will turn their backs on the faith in the Lord Jesus.  Instead, they will believe and devote themselves to the teachings of evil spirits and evil men.  It is important to prepare for this reality and understand that anything of value will always be the object of falsification.  There is nothing more valuable than the Gospel so it will be counterfeit, attacked, and perverted.  

THE CONTENT OF FALSE TEACHERS: There are two basic false teachings that Paul confronts in this passage.  The first is the prohibition of marriage.  This is essentially a Greek false teaching in that they devalued anything that was physical in nature as being carnal, undesirable, and polluted.  Consequently, they rejected the incarnation and resurrection as these are truths that connect God to the physical world.  The sexual relationship in marriage was considered a physical activity that would prevent a “higher” spiritual calling.  This is not biblical and gives way to heresy.  The second false teaching was a Jewish tendency to prohibit the eating of certain foods.  This was based on Old Testament teachings that were perverted into a means of salvation.  Any works-based salvation is false and is an attempt by Satan to distract from the truth.  

THE CORRECTION OF FALSE TEACHERS: The proper response to false teachings is to confront and correct it with the truth.  If God created it for our good; we are to receive it with thanksgiving.  People tend to think God is out to spoil our lives and make us unhappy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God has blessed us with the marriage relationship and given us delightful foods to enjoy for His glory.  True joy and satisfaction is only found in worshiping God.  If we are going to prevent being deceived by false prophets, we must learn to trust and rejoice in the goodness of God.

APPLICATION: Be prepared for the presence of false teachers and look out for false teachings that creep into our thinking and churches.  Enjoy the marital relationships and the foods with which God has blessed us for His honor and glory.  Be confident in the goodness of God and don’t doubt the blessings he has bestowed on us.

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