If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things - Of the truths just stated. They are, therefore, proper subjects to preach upon. It is the duty of the ministry to show to the people of their charge what "is" error and where it may be apprehended, and to caution them to avoid it.

Nourished up in the words of faith - That is, you will be then "a good minister of Jesus Christ, as becomes one who has been nourished up in the words of faith, or trained up in the doctrines of religion." The apostle evidently designs to remind Timothy of the manner in which he had been trained, and to show him how he might act in accordance with that. From one who had been thus educated, it was reasonable to expect that he would be a faithful and exemplary minister of the gospel.

Whereunto thou hast attained - The word used here means, properly, to accompany side by side; to follow closely; to follow out, trace, or examine. It is rendered "shall follow," in Matthew 16:17; "having had understanding," in Luke 1:3; and "hast fully known," in 2 Timothy 3:10. It does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. The meaning here seems to be, that Timothy had followed out the doctrines in which he had been trained to their legitimate results; he had accurately seen and understood their bearing, as leading him to embrace the Christian religion. His early training in the Scriptures of the Old Testament 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15, he had now fully carried out, by embracing the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, and by evincing the proper results of the early teaching which he had received in connection with that religion. If he now followed the directions of the apostle, he would be a minister of the Lord Jesus, worthy of the attainments in religious knowledge which he had made, and of the expectations which had been formed of him. No young man should, by neglect, indolence, or folly, disappoint the reasonable expectations of his friends. Their cherished hopes are a proper ground of appeal to him, and it may be properly demanded of every one that he shall carry out to their legitimate results all the principles of his early training, and that he shall be in his profession all that his early advantages make it reasonable to "expect" that he will be.

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things - Show the Church that, even now, there is danger of this apostasy; put them on their guard against it; for the forewarned are half armed. Schoettgen supposes from this verse that what is spoken above refers to the Jews alone; and that there is no reference here to a Church which in after ages might apostatize from, or corrupt, the true doctrine of our Lord and Savior. Bishop Newton and others are of a different opinion. See at the end of this chapter.

Nourished up in the words of faith - By acting as I command thee, thou wilt show that thou art a good minister of Jesus Christ, and that thou hast been nourished from thy youth upon the doctrines of faith. The apostle seems to allude here to Timothy's Christian education. See the preface to this epistle.

Whereunto thou hast attained - Ἡ παρηκολουθηκας· Which thou hast thoroughly understood. For the meaning of this word, see the note on Luke 1:3.

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things,.... Either of all the main and principal things already mentioned in the preceding chapters; as that the end of the commandment is love; that Christ's coming into the world to save the chief of sinners is a faithful saying, and worthy of acceptation; that prayers should be made for all sorts of men, for the reasons given; and that there is salvation for men and women through the incarnate Son of God; that such and such are the qualifications of elders and deacons; and that the incarnation of Christ is, without controversy, the great mystery of godliness: or of the things which are particularly hinted at in the prophecy delivered in the beginning of this chapter; as that there should be a falling off from the doctrine of faith in the latter days; that this should come to pass through attending to erroneous spirits, and doctrines of "demons", and through the lies of hypocritical, hardened, and infamous men; whose particular dogmas, by which they might be known, would be, to forbid marriage to certain persons, which is of divine institution and honourable, and to order an abstinence from meats at certain times, contrary to the will and providence of God. These the apostle would have Timothy propose, and subject to consideration, and from time to time refresh the memories of the saints with, who are apt, through negligence and inattention, and the weakness of the natural faculty, to be forgetful hearers of the word; that whenever such persons should arise, they might be on their guard against them. It is one part of the business of Gospel ministers to put the churches in mind of what they have received and known, and are established in. By "the brethren" are meant the members of the church at Ephesus; whom the apostle accounted as brethren, being of the same family and household, and would have Timothy reckon and use as such, and not as subjects and servants, to be lorded over.

Thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ; a minister of Jesus Christ is one of his making, qualifying, calling, and sending; and who makes Christ, the doctrines respecting his person and offices, his grace, righteousness, and salvation, the subject of his ministry; and he is a good one, who, besides having a good work of grace wrought in him, has good gifts and abilities from Christ, and who makes a good use of them, and freely and fully imparts them for the good of others; and being employed in a good work, he abides in it, and nothing can deter or remove him from it; and such an one was Timothy, and so would it be manifest by doing what the apostle hints unto him; as well as he would appear to be

nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrine: by which are meant the truths of the Gospel, called the words of faith, because they are things to be believed, hold forth the object of faith, Christ, and are the means by which faith comes, and is increased: and good doctrine, being the doctrine of the Scriptures, and of Christ, and of his apostles, and according to godliness; and contain good things, which make for the glory of the grace of God, and the comfort and welfare of immortal souls. These are of a nourishing nature; they are the wholesome and salutary words of Christ; they have in them milk for babes, and meat for strong men; by which both grow and thrive, when error eats as does a canker. So Philo the Jew (k) speaks of the soul, being "nourished with sciences", and not with food and drink, which the body needs; and a little after he says, you see the food of the soul what it is, it is the continual word of God. Now Timothy, by discharging his work aright, would show to the brethren, that as he had been nourished and trained up, first under his religious parents, and then under the Apostle Paul; so he still continued in the same truths, and to live and feed upon them, and to be nourished by them: or the words may be rendered actively,

nourishing; that is, either himself, as the Syriac version renders it, or others; for though all nourishment comes from Christ the head, yet it is ministered by joints and bands to the members; it is conveyed by the means of the word and ordinances, ministered by the preachers of the Gospel, who feed the church with knowledge, and with understanding; and none but those who are nourished themselves are fit to be the nourishers of others; and such an one was this evangelist: for it follows,

whereunto thou hast attained; he had arrived to a considerable degree of knowledge of Gospel truths, and was still pursuing and following on to know more of them, and was exhorted to continue in them, knowing of whom he had learned them. All this is said by way of encouragement to him to do as the apostle directs.

(k) Allegor. l. 2. p. 90, 92.

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things (ταῦτα ὑποτιθέμενος τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς)

The verb only here and Romans 16:4. Lit. to put under; so almost without exception in lxx. See, for instance, Genesis 28:18; Genesis 47:29; Exodus 17:12. So Romans 16:4. Hence, metaphorically, to suggest, which is, literally, to carry or lay under. Ταῦτα these things are those mentioned 1 Timothy 4:4, 1 Timothy 4:5. In the Pastorals it is only here that ἀδελφοί brethren means the members of the church to whose superintendent the letter is addressed. In 2 Timothy 4:21, they are the Christians of the church from which the letter comes; in 1 Timothy 6:2, Christians in general; and in 1 Timothy 5:1, without any ecclesiastical sense.

Minister of Jesus Christ (διάκονος Χριστοῦ Ἱησοῦ)

Rendering Christ himself a service by setting himself against ascetic errors. For διάκονος minister see on 1 Timothy 3:8. Here in the general sense of servant, without any official meaning. Paul's more usual phrase is servant of God: servant (διάκονος) of Christ twice, and διάκονος Ἱησοῦ Χριστοῦ not at all. Paul uses δοῦλος bond-servant with Jesus Christ. See 2 Corinthians 11:23; Colossians 1:7; and comp. Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1.

Nourished up (ἐντρεφόμενος)

Better, nourishing thyself. N.T.o. olxx. The participle indicates the means by which Timothy may become a good minister. Comp. Hebrews 5:12-14.

In the words of faith

The words in which the faith - the contents of belief - finds expression. Comp. 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13. The phrase only here. Paul has τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως the word of the faith, Romans 10:8.

Whereunto thou hast attained (ᾗ παρηκολούθηκας)

Wrong. Rend., which thou hast closely followed. Comp. 2 Timothy 3:10. The verb means, primarily, to follow beside, to attend closely. In this literal sense not in N.T. To attend to or follow up, as a disease. So Plato, Rep. 406 B, παρακολουθῶν τῷ νοσήματι θανασίμῳ perpetually tending a mortal disease. To follow up a history or a succession of incidents, as Luke 1:3. oP. The writer means that Timothy, as a disciple, has closely attended to his course of Christian instruction.

{9} If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast {f} attained.

(9) The conclusion with an exhortation to Timothy, to propound these things diligently to the churches, which he had gotten from the apostle even as though he were being fed.

(f) Never departing from it in the least.

4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things. Impress upon them what has just been written.

Thou shalt be a good minister. Thus shall Timothy well discharge his office, and prove himself a faithful minister.

6. If thou put . in remembrance-rather as Greek, "If thou suggest to (bring under the notice of) the brethren," &c.

these things-namely, the truths stated in 1Ti 4:4, 5, in opposition to the errors foretold, 1Ti 4:1-3.

minister-"servant."

nourished up-The Greek is present, not past: "continually being nourished in" (2Ti 1:5; 3:14, 15).

the words of faith-rather, "the words of the faith" (compare 1Ti 4:12).

good doctrine-"the good teaching." Explanatory of "the faith," in opposition to the "teachings of demons" (English Version, "doctrines of devils," 1Ti 4:1) which Timothy was to counteract. Compare "sound doctrine" (1Ti 1:10; 6:3; Tit 1:9; 2:1).

whereunto thou hast attained-"the course of which thou hast followed"; hast followed along by tracing its course and accompanying it [Alford]. Thou hast begun to follow up [Bengel]. The same Greek occurs, "thou hast fully known" (2Ti 3:10), "having had perfect understanding" (Lu 1:3). It is an undesigned coincidence that the Greek verb is used only by Paul and Paul's companion, Luke.

4:6-10 Outward acts of self-denial profit little. What will it avail us to mortify the body, if we do not mortify sin? No diligence in mere outward things could be of much use. The gain of godliness lies much in the promise; and the promises to godly people relate partly to the life that now is, but especially to the life which is to come: though we lose for Christ, we shall not lose by him. If Christ be thus the Saviour of all men, then much more will he be the Rewarder of those who seek and serve him; he will provide well for those whom he has made new creatures.