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Good Servants of Christ
1 Timothy 4:6-
In the previous paragraph, Paul warned Timothy of the danger of departures from the faith. Some in the church at Ephesus may have already begun to be won over by false teachers. Timothy’s teaching was essential to combat this problem. By engaging these false teachers, Timothy would prove himself to be a good servant of Christ.
There is no greater commendation we could hope to receive from Christ than to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23). Service is at the core of being a Christian. There are many forms of service. Timothy was serving in the capacity of a preacher. Regardless of what we do to serve, service is a learned activity.
In this text, Paul indicates that service is taught through the words of the faith and the good doctrine. Service stems from love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5). The quality of service described by Paul stands in stark contrast from the self-
Using words of the faith and the good doctrine to equip us to serve is a continual process. Timothy had been engaged in this for much of his life. This training requires devoted attention to applying the Gospel to our daily lives. We are to train ourselves for godliness. Godliness is invaluable. The qualities of godliness will bless our lives presently and give us hope for eternal life. This hope will energize our efforts to prepare ourselves to serve.
QUESTIONS
1. Describe a servant’s relationship to his or her master.
2. How does the Gospel prepare us to serve?
3. What keeps us from serving?
4. Identify ways that godliness improves our present lives.
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