peace . love . joy

'But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.'

~ 1 Timothy 4: 7-10

Paul wrote this epistle, of a very pastoral nature, to Timothy at the novel beginning of the growth and expansion of the first century churches, and at the waning end of the apostolic period. And though such issues as church order, truthfulness of faith and personal discipline were not new, they were again dealt with here in 1 Timothy.

As a brief introduction to the situation young Timothy faced, here, the church of Ephesus was under siege of the ascetic apostates. Paul therefore urged him not to become too embroiled in addressing and refuting such godless and feeble claims, but instead turn his attention toward a far more pressing and worthwhile matter: training himself up in godliness.

And this is what is interesting.

What the New King James Version calls "exercise", the New American Standard Bible calls "discipline", and the Amplified Bible and English Standard Version calls "train", is actually the Greek γυμνάζω, which has two meanings: one of which is to (figuratively) train or exercise. The other usage of the term occurs during actual games. It means to practise naked.

Perhaps I am going out on a limb here, but I think there is a reason why this particular word was used. On the one hand, could be due to the issues presently being dealt with (ie. bodily issues of asceticism versus spiritual intangibles). But I think there is a possibility that it alludes to something much more profound than simply that.

Dictionaries define "naked" as laid bare; exposed; plainly revealed; being without concealment, adornment nor disguise; to be vulnerable.

So to train "naked" or in fact, to do anything naked, allows us to see ourselves in our entirety: in physical training, as what Greeks were accustomed to doing so nude, it allows for clearer understanding of positions and methods, for revelation of mistakes and errors, for pinpointing areas that beg greater improvement. And if we translate that to a spiritual training, a spiritual discipline, a spiritual exercise in efforts to become increasingly godly (note: not god-like), it means we reveal ourselves, our past and present situations, for God, our master trainer, to see, to chastise, to correct, and to nurture (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16).

Our successes, our glories, our triumphs, our certainties... And also our failures, our hurts, our vices, and our uncertainties. All must be plainly exposed without distraction.

And that is not easy. Not many of us think, let alone actually doing it, of praying for God to reveal to us our weakness, our habits of destruction and discouragement, our misconceptions, etc. Most of us don't even like to think of our shortcomings because we're afraid it will lead to our wallowing and inescapable spiraling into self-pity. We don't like to feel we're worthless, we don't like to look at our feebleness. There's nothing wrong with not liking the feeling of worthlessness, there's nothing wrong with not wanting to be discouraged by anything, even more so by our own lives.

What is the point, you ask? Why should we even entertain that notion of praying that we reveal our Achilles heels?

The answer is there: to exercise thyself unto godliness.
It is our calling (2 Peter 1: 1-11). No doubt not an easy call to answer, a tough duty to perform.
But we know this is important and we obey because it pertains to life. In 1 Timothy 4:8, that life is the Greek ζωή, meaning a higher principle, a perfect antithesis to death. It was ζωή that was used here, as opposed to βίος, the physical aspects of life.
We obey because we cling onto the Hope. The Hope that exists beyond and transcends the grave. The Hope that is the living God, the universal Savior of all mankind.

I like what Dr. Constable has written that "(God's) Salvation is sufficient for all but efficient only for those who believe". Presumably that is why Paul wrote that last bit in verse 10. For us believers, we are able to rise from the dark depths of our humanity, rising to the challenge, because we have and know the Hope which is in Jesus Christ, because the 'Joy of the Lord is our strength'.

Perhaps this training was not meant to discourage. Instead, it was meant to build up and strengthen, that through our lives, our strengths and our weaknesses, God may be glorified. Ever wondered why He said what He said in 2 Corinthians 12:9?

In your obedience, be not discouraged.

Don't look at the problem; look at the solution.
Don't look at the difficulty; look at the One who overcame the difficulty.
(Rick Warren, in a recorded series of Encouragement).

It all depends on where you have your eyes on...

So where and what are you looking at?