The greatest desire of the heart of any disciple of Jesus Christ ought to be that we might be called a good servant. This is true for all believers, but it is especially true for pastors. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul is instructing Timothy on his duties and priorities of a pastor, and he tells Timothy, as well as any pastor who comes after him, how to be a good servant of Christ.
1 Timothy 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things.
12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
The first thing that Paul says that pastors must do to be a good servant of Christ is to "put these things before the brothers." This begs the question, "what things?" In the previous verses, Paul warned that in the last times false teachers would depart from faith and be devoted to teachings of demons. This teaching was characterized by an obsession with asceticism. In contrast, Paul points to the biblical doctrine of creation and states that foods were made holy "by the word of God and prayer." I would suggest that "these things" refers to sound biblical doctrine that isn't based on superstition or man made wisdom but is grounded in the Bible.
Verses 6-10 continue to confirm that this is what "these things" is talking about. Paul says that Timothy has been trained in the "words of the faith" and the "good doctrine" which he has followed. Again, Paul is pointing Timothy to the Scriptures.
In verse 11, Paul continues the emphasis on Scripture. He says "command and teach these things." It seems he is talking about the same things as he referenced in verse 6, and then in 13 he gives specific instructions on how to carry out his charge. He says to give attention to public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. Timothy has been charged to read the Bible publicly. This is something we don't do often enough today. There are some churches you can go to and Scripture is rarely ever read publicly more than a verse or two, and sometimes it is hard to find scripture read even during the sermon. A faithful servant of Christ will give a prominent place to the reading of Scripture as he leads the people of God in worship. But Timothy wasn't merely to read it, but he was to exhort the people with it. In other words, he was to labor to convince the congregation by words and with passion to obey and believe the biblical teaching. Paul also instructs Timothy in verse 13 to give attention to teaching or doctrine. Paul was convinced that the Scriptures presented a unified message that was consistent throughout. With this understanding of the nature of Scripture one can come to it and arrive at an understanding of what the Bible teaches about any given topic. Here Paul tells us that we are to pay attention to doctrinal orthodoxy. It isn't enough just to read the Bible and exhort people to obey it, but we must also be careful to teach what is in conformity to orthodox doctrine..
So far as we've looked at the passage, Paul instructs Timothy to oppose error (unbiblical doctrine), and to give attention to biblical teaching, but neither of these are enough. In verse 16, Paul tells Timothy, "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching." Paul's concern isn't merely doctrinal orthodoxy, but it is on the person teaching as well. Paul had already exhorted Timothy to discipline himself for godliness, and this makes up the third element required for all good servants of Christ Jesus. We must watch both our lives and doctrine.
So, in summary, Paul's exhortation to Timothy in these verses is to 1) confront false teaching, 2) commit himself to the Bible, and 3) have a character of purity. This is our charge as well. We must have the courage to call out false teaching when others would think that we are being judgmental or too "restrictive." We must have the commitment to Scripture that keeps us chained to the Bible that we do not leave it behind for the latest whims of the world. We must watch our lives, and we must fight the battle with the flesh, that we may live lives of holiness in the fear of God.
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