Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 1st Letter Volume 44

Paul Exhorts Timothy to Take Heed to his Ministry Part 5

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. KJV

Paul ends these instructions to Brother Timothy by couseling him to be wary, wakeful, and watchful of himself and of his ministry for our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ, that is, Timothy should be carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger, that being spiritual danger, for again we must not forget where Paul began this chapter of discourse with Brother Timothy with these words, "BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly {and} expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding {and} seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach" (1 Timothy 4:1) (Amplified Bible), therefore, everything that Paul has written to Timothy after this verse has all been to equip, energize, and empower Timothy to stand firm in 'the faith' (Jude 1:3) and the Apostle Paul just like the Apostle Jude wants to see Timothy and we true believers of all generations built up in our most holy faith (Jude 1:20-21) in order that Timothy and we would be spiritually fit and strong to contend with lies taught by the devil and his seducing spirits through the men and women who have turned away from 'the faith' to have their spiritual ears soothed with a more all inclusive salvation that does not need to surrender to Christ at the Cross and to His Lordship, but instead embraces those many other spiritual paths as leading to God or a higher power (whatever the hell that means).

So, now Paul ends these instructions with these words to Timothy and to we true believers today and of every era and generation, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Timothy 4:16) (KJV), that is, make sure you continue in 'the faith' standing surely, securely, and solidly on 'The Rock' (Matthew 16:18) and that is 'faith in Jesus Christ our Lord' plus nothing else. The little English phrase that begins this verse 'Take heed' is translated by one Greek word epechō which means to hold upon, that is, (by implication) to retain; to pay attention to: - give heed unto, hold forth, mark, stay. In other words, continue in all the things that I (Paul) have instructed you of in the previous verses, making them your own and practicing them constantly that you may be spiritually strong and enabled by so doing to contend with our adversary the devil who never lets up (1 Peter 5:8). When Paul writes here, 'unto thyself, and unto the doctrine', he means simply that he wants Timothy to be cautious about who, what, and where he listens to what is put out as the Word of God; when the material declared is not in accordance with what he has learned from Paul the Apostle and other trusted men of God.

Paul knew that his time was getting shorter (as he will openly declare to Timothy in his second (2) letter to him (2 Timothy 4:6)), so he wanted to encourage, equip, and exhort Timothy into being strong in spiritual discernment, that is, being able to judge wisely the true teachers of Christ from the false teachers. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning Timothy taking heed to himself and to his doctrine, "Not as a man, or a Christian only, but as a minister; and as every minister should take heed to his life and conversation, that it be exemplary, as in 1 Timothy 4:12 to his gifts, that they be not lost, or neglected, but used and improved; to the errors and heresies abroad, that he be not infected with them; and to his flock, which is the other part of himself, that he feed it with knowledge and understanding: and to thy doctrine: preached by him, that it be according to the Scriptures, be the doctrine of Christ, and his Apostles, and according to godliness; that it tend to edification, and is pure, incorrupt, and all of a piece; and that it be expressed in the best manner, with all boldness and plainness; and that he defend it against all opposition:"

Paul tells Timothy to continue in the things he has instructed him by, not forgetting where and from who he has learned them (2 Timothy 3:14). Paul was not here putting himself out to be some great man or great intellect or great teacher (however, he was all of that), but he knows from whence his teaching came from, that is, its source was Christ Jesus our Lord Himself, just as Paul declared to the Galatian believers with these words, "For I want you to know, brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed {and} made known by me is not man's gospel [a human invention, according to or patterned after any human standard]. For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but [it came to me] through a [direct] revelation [given] by Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." (Galatians 1:11-12) (Amplified Bible). When Paul writes 'for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee', he is saying to Timothy that your adherence and attachment to the truth of the Gospel and your declaration of said truth, will serve to ground you in your faith and it will be used by God the Holy Spirit to save/rescue other repentant sinners who hear what you preach and teach.

"Did you know that the devil is teaching a salvation through men and women (some who live in obscurity, but others are popular and well known by millions of people) that is completely opposite to 'the Gospel' handed down form our Lord Jesus Christ to the first disciples? The devil teaches a gospel of works, of baptism, of church membership, of rituals, rites, and religion, of speaking in tongues, and of many other things to have, to do, or to be that are totally apart from 'simple faith only in Jesus Christ', for the Book of Proverbs speaks about this with these words, 'There is a way which seems right to a man {and} appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.' (Proverbs 14:12) (Amplified Bible), also our Lord Jesus Himself warned of this satanic deception when He spoke these words, 'Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious {and} broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened {and} compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.' (Matthew 7:13-14) (Amplfied Bible). You see the seducing spirits they are teaching the wide and broad gate that is easy and has many paths to God, for they themselves are headed to hell, so they are charged, consigned, and commanded by their leader the devil to deceive as many human beings as possible with these lies." Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…