1 Timothy 4:4

Ver. 4. Because everything made by God (this is better than every creature of God, as creature seems to point too definitely to animated being, while by κτίσμα creation in all its parts is meant, whatever has received its being from the Creator, though the apostle's usual term for this is κτίσις, Romans 1:25; Romans 8:39; Colossians 1:15) is good. It necessarily is such as His workmanship, and was so pronounced by God Himself at the moment of creation. The rejection of anything so made and destined for man's use, as in itself evil, involves a Manichaean element. Therefore the apostle adds, and nothing is to be rejected, being received with thanksgiving that is, on the supposition of its being so received, but a supposition, as a matter of course, verified in the case of all true believers. What was in itself pure, might (as noted by De Wette) become impure by being received in an ungodly frame of mind. And the apostle means to say, that when the frame of mind is one of thankfulness, then in the manner also of their reception the things are pure and good.

The reason follows in 1 Timothy 4:5: for it is sanctified through God's word and prayer God's word to man warranting him to use the creation gift, and man's word to God acknowledging the gift, and asking His blessing on it. So I understand the import of the expression; and I cannot see the propriety of identifying (with De Wette, Wiesinger, Ellicott, Alford) the word of God with the prayer or thanksgiving so that this should be no further contemplated than as it embodies the word of God. There appears no reason why the word of God should be taken in so exclusive a sense. It is more natural to regard it as the original utterance of God's mind regarding the productions which are adapted to man's use and comfort recognised, indeed, but not necessarily embraced in our address to God. The apostle had plainly, in the preceding verse, referred to the divine testimony recorded in the history of creation respecting the goodness of all that God had created and made, coupled also with the express and authoritative permission granted to man there, and still more fully at Genesis 9:3-4, freely to use whatever was fit for food in the vegetable and animal kingdoms. The word of God in those passages for ever sanctified all for man's use; and if man on his part, taking God's word for his warrant, gratefully acknowledges God's hand in the gifts bestowed, and entreats His blessing on them, the sanctification is complete both ways objectively by the word of God, subjectively by prayer; by the word for all men (if they will but wisely appropriate it), by prayer for the believer. On ἐντεύξις, see at 1 Timothy 2:1.

The manner in which the apostle couples the destination of created things for man's use with the spirit of believing prayer and thanksgiving as if the two must go together to constitute a proper title or warrant to the good is certainly very striking. It is “as if those that wanted faith and saving knowledge” (to use the exposition of Bishop Sanderson) “did but usurp the bread they eat. And indeed it is certain that the wicked have no right to the creatures of God in such ample sort as the godly have. A kind of right they have and we may not deny it to them given by God's unchangeable ordinance at the creation, which being a branch of that part of God's image in man which was of natural and not of supernatural grace, might be and was foully defaced by sin; but was not, neither could be, wholly lost. A right, then, they have, but such a right as, reaching barely to the use, cannot afford unto the user true comfort or sound peace of conscience in such use of the creatures; for though nothing be in and of itself unclean, yet to them that are unclean every creature is unclean and polluted, because it is not thus sanctified by the word [and by prayer]. And the very true cause of all this is the impurity of their hearts by reason of unbelief” ( Sermon V. ad Populum).

Ver. 6. By submitting these things to the brethren, thou shalt be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourishing thyself up in the words of the faith, and of the good instruction which thou hast diligently followed. Chrysostom draws attention to the mildness expressed in the governing word here (ὑποτιθέμενος): “not ordaining, nor commanding, did he say it, but as one giving counsel let him present these things,” with the collateral idea, perhaps, of imparting also suitable advice respecting them. The rendering of the Authorized Version, “putting them in mind,” is not absolutely wrong, but too readily suggests the notion of a rehearsing or bringing back what had already been more or less under the consideration of the brethren. This is not implied in the apostle's expression: it simply denotes a presentation of the things in question to the minds of the disciples, with the view of conveying suitable impressions respecting them. And his doing so would be a proof of Timothy's acquitting himself as a good servant of Christ a proof that he was not unmindful of his proper work, but nourishing himself up (the present participle denoting continuous action) in the words of faith; that is, in the faith considered as embodied in the words of Scripture; and of the good instruction that, namely, derived from the divinely commissioned servants of Christ, which he had diligently followed. His own faithful teaching after the manner enjoined by the apostle was to be the evidence how far he had profited by the peculiar advantages he had himself enjoyed. The “whereunto thou hast attained” of the English version points more than the original word (παρηκολούθηκας) to the result which should have grown out of the course of instruction pursued by Timothy; it is the close and persevering manner in which he had followed that course which alone is indicated. But such following could not, in his case, be without its proper fruit.