Issue 24 - Day 4

1 Timothy 4

1 Timothy 4:1-3
1)  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2)  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3)  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

We are surrounded by false doctrine, and Paul warns Timothy to be on guard against it. Here Paul explicitly denounces those who advocate celibacy as teachers of false doctrine. It is somewhat ironic therefore that as little as 250 years later St. Jerome launched the celibacy debate that continues today, basing his views on his perception of the life of Paul. Claims that christians should be vegetarian, which is not what the bible says, did not come into the mainstream until  200 years ago, with groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists, but even before that there were those that advocated going vegan as a form of fasting. They rather miss the point that fasting means not eating, and sometimes also not drinking. Either you fast, or you are just not finishing your dinner. In both cases, the bible is clear, so why fall into this false teaching?

Paul is clear, we know the truth. What is the truth? It is the word of God. There is no excuse for being drawn into silly practices when even the bible itself tells us to check everything against scripture. So, first and foremost we must spend time in the word of God. Not just reading, but digging deep to understand what it says. God gave us his Spirit in us to enable us to understand. So the next time you hear any teaching, compare it to scripture. Check what the passages really say in context, and throw out anything that does not match up to the truth.