⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1) The NASB translates “irreverent and silly myths” as “worldly fables fit only for old women.” The KJV has “profane and old wives’ tales.” The original Greek word actually means old womanish or silly. So the idea here is that Timothy is not to spend his time on things that are not biblical. Whether it’s false teaching, gossip, or unbiblical self-help books, there are tons of things competing for a godly person’s attention. Instead, we are to train ourselves to be godly.

2) Verse 8 answers this question—physical discipline helps us only in this life, but godliness helps us in every way both now and in the life to come.

3) Training in the form of physical exercise was valued in the Roman world, so the imagery of an athlete training for competition is used throughout the New Testament. Paul urges Timothy to train, or discipline himself toward godliness. Godliness has the definition of reverence, respect, or piety (devotion). Timothy is to increase his reverence and devotion to God. This only happens when we put our minds to study the truth found in Scripture, when we pray, and when we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

1) This phrase “irreverent and silly myths” makes me want to be sure that I am focusing only on truth! Be like the Bereans, who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) Later, in chapter 6:11-21, Paul urges Timothy again to avoid “irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge.”” There are so  many “good sounding voices” that can call us away from the most important focus: the gospel of Christ. We must devote ourselves to studying the truth, living the truth, and loving others with the truth. Everything else is just noise and not worth building the foundation of our lives upon!

2) Although physical fitness is important, many people spend much more time exercising than they do pursuing holiness. Still others neglect both disciplines! Do my priorities reflect that I believe godliness is important? In 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, Paul talks about how he literally shapes his life to be gospel-sharing-focused as he again uses the comparison to physical training. He charges us to be disciplined and self-controlled as we use our everyday lives to share Jesus. Does this describe my life? Take a quick inventory and jot it down on paper to get a good look. How have you shaped your life to make sharing Jesus and living the gospel your number one priority? In what areas will you ask the Spirit to teach you more discipline?

3) Which area of your “godliness training” regimen could use some improvement? Ask God to help you discern what He would have you do this week to increase your reverence and devotion to Him—and then commit to following His leading. Remember that small shifts in our everyday moments, make huge impacts over time!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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See all past studies in Brave!