1 TIMOTHY 4:3-10 HUMAN MYTHS AND DIVINE TRUTH
3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
It has been said that “God don’t make no junk.” Fundamentally that statement is true, but what we must not forget is the equally true statement that man tends to make junk out of every thing God gives him. As St. Paul says elsewhere all of creation fell with man when he disobeyed God (Romans 8:20-22). In short, saying that everything God made is good and that everything is good is not the same thing. The test of false teaching then becomes the word of God.
Once we have the word of God as our test we can see that there are two categories of error. The first is that against which St. Paul was writing, which is teaching that something God created as good is an evil to be avoided. The second is that which is more familiar to us today; the propensity to claim that the way things are is the way God made them, and therefore good. The only way to avoid these godless myths and old wives’ tales is to be disciplined in the study of God’s Word. In the Bible God has revealed how he made things and his purpose for them, and even how man has misused them. He did not leave us in the dark to make it up as we go along. The darkness that leads to speculation is due to our own sin and our refusal to accept his word.
That is not the way it needs to be. Into our darkness has come the light of truth, the living Word Incarnate and through him the Holy Spirit. The perfect antidote to false teaching is a single-minded dedication to the living God who is our Savior. The two great disciplines of dedication are learning God’s word and thanking God in prayer for everything he has made as he has made it. As we pray thanksgiving at the beginning of our meals, we should do likewise over every activity of our lives. If we are not comfortable thanking God for the activity, perhaps we ought to think again about doing it.
Lord, help me to enjoy the diversity and blessing of your creation. Align my will with your will by enlightening me to the truth as I study your word and pray. Drive far from me the temptation to speculate in order to justify my actions or those of others. Place me in a community of fellow pilgrims that will provide mutual support and encouragement as we navigate life in this fallen world. Amen.