1 Timothy / Question
Paul contrasts “bodily training” with training for godliness. He says godliness is of value in every way, holding promise for the present life and the life to come. See 1 Timothy 4:7–8.
In 1 Timothy 4:6–7, Timothy is told what his ministry should emphasize and what he should avoid. If he keeps reminding fellow believers about the matters just discussed, that ongoing instruction will mark him as a good servant of Christ Jesus. His own life and work are to be sustained by the message he has learned and followed. These verses come right after warnings about misleading teaching and practices in the community (1 Timothy 4:1–5). Paul pivots from describing the problem to assigning Timothy a clear job: keep the community oriented to what is true and beneficial, and refuse what is empty or irreverent.
Paul frames Timothy’s ministry as steady, repeated instruction aimed at keeping the community anchored in what has already been taught (“these things,” verse 6). The text presents this ongoing reminding as a core part of Timothy being a “good servant of Christ Jesus” (explicit claim).
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with 1 Timothy 4:7-8, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
7But refuse profane and old wives` fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness.
8For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value for all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come.