Reject “wives’ fables” and know that physical exercise profits some but Godliness is profitable for all things.

1 Timothy 4:7-11

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.” 1 Timothy 4:7-11 

When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, profane referred to beliefs and stories that were not rooted in the Scriptures, but circulated through the Jewish world. We could say that “Old wives’ fables” were stories that originated in the home for children to teach them “moral” principles but not rooted in the Scriptures. This would be like the story of the “Three Little Pigs” that sounds a lot like Matthew 7:24-27 but completely leaves out Jesus Christ as the Rock we must build on. Or the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” that sounds a lot like Matthew 7:15 but leaves out that we know them by whether they have the fruit of the Holy Spirit or not. Or the story of “The Tortoise and the Hare” that sounds a lot like 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 but leaves out the part about persevering in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The list goes on and on of “profane and old wives tales”.

Humanism is the farm where “profane and old wives’ fables” grow. Humanism is the fig leaf worn by those who serve the beast that gives them what to speak, do, feel, and think. Humanism is “…an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.”

We are to reject “profane and Old wives’ fables” and focus on living a life towards Godliness, which is to be rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul describes the Gospel, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

Today’s culture stresses the importance of bodily exercise. In fact, health coverage encourages exercise and even gives monetary gifts and material gifts in exchange for exercising regularly. People of all ages are seen everywhere jogging through the city. Fitness centers are everywhere, and many are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Senior Citizen centers all have a weekly format for exercise and so do senior citizen living facilities. In every city around the nation, public buildings have banned smoking and even apartments do not allow residents to smoke inside their own residence. The list goes on of how deeply rooted the push for exercise is within today’s culture.

While people in cities everywhere are strongly advised to exercise their body, the exercise of Godliness has fallen by the wayside. That is a shame because bodily exercise profits a little but Godliness is profitable for all things. Godliness through the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the promise of life in the Spirit today and the promise of eternal life to come beyond the grave, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach.” 1 Timothy 4:9-11

We work for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and suffer disapproval from those of today’s culture, which is global. They invest a lot into physical exercise and “wives’ fables” while serving the beast that gives them what to do, feel, think, and speak. By what they say and do they express their opposition to God the Creator, Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. They minimize the relevance of people who trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. The beast of today’s culture gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people everywhere as they are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1