The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
Paul breaks off his instructions to Timothy to mark one statement as certain. Older translations call it a faithful saying, and readers have long asked which saying he means — the promise about godliness in the verse before, or the words about the living God in the verse after.
A formula repeated
The phrase is not a one-off. One writer counts where it falls in these letters.
So what does the stamp claim? One reference work traces the root of the word.
Morrish Bible DictionaryIn both the Old Testament and the New Testament, this word comes from the same root as "faith." It means being true to yourself, to your own nature, to any promise you give, and to any trust placed in you... The words of the gospel are faithful too: God keeps every promise attached to them (1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Tim. 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Rev. 21:5).
What the saying is
Commentators differ on whether the stamp points back or forward. One takes it to seal the praise of godliness in the verse before, and ranks that as high as Paul's word about why Christ came.
F. B. HoleIn 1 Tim. 4:7-10 Paul sounds out the praises of godliness. It has promise of the life that now is as well as of that which is to come, and so it is profitable for all things. This is declared to be a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, as much as the saying that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
Another reads it forward, so that the labour and the hope belong to the certified word.
Numerical Bible NotesFaithful is this word and worthy of all acceptation. Even the labour and struggle that come from hope in a living God grow out of faith in One who preserves all men, and above all those who believe.
Worthy of all acceptance
One writer takes the words "worthy of all acceptation" in two senses, and both hold.
Frank Binford HoleI always feel inclined to interpret that in two ways. First, it is worthy of the most wholehearted and absolute acceptance — not a ninety-nine per cent acceptance, but a one hundred per cent acceptance. It is just as true in this sense too: it is worthy of everybody's acceptance.
Accepting it costs something
Paul does not stamp a comfortable idea. The next sentence speaks of hard work and insult.
Hamilton SmithThe Apostle presses home the importance of this training in godliness by stating, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation." It was because of his godliness that the Apostle can say, "For this we labour and suffer reproach." We may be willing to work hard and stand out before men, working to win applause or to exalt self. But if godliness is behind our labour, it is bound to mean labour and reproach.
Why the labour is worth it
One writer explains which side of God's work stands behind the hope here.
William KellyAs I see it, this is not about Christ's work in saving the lost who believe. The apostle is speaking of the living God Himself — of God in His character as preserver of men, as Job also speaks (Job 7:20). God's providential care and government are before us, and nothing escapes His notice. So He clothes the plants of the field and feeds the birds of heaven, which do not sow or reap or gather into barns.
The same writer names the mistake this care guards against.
William KellyNo Christian could forget for a moment the infinite privilege of eternal life and redemption, of heavenly hope and everlasting glory. But with these unseen and eternal things before him, he might overlook God's constant daily and special care in the ordinary matters of this life. That would be his own great loss, and it would dishonour the Lord. This verse (10), and the context before it, would guard the soul against such an error.
Summary
- Faithful. The word means true to one's promise. God keeps every promise attached to a saying He marks "faithful."
- Stamped. Paul uses this formula three times in this letter, and only twice — at 1:15 and here — does he add "worthy of all acceptation."
- Full and wide. Paul asks for total acceptance, not partial. And the saying is for everybody, not for a select few.
- Costly. The stamp certifies godliness. Godliness behind our labour brings reproach, not applause.
- Guarded. Hope in the living God holds the labour up. His daily care over His own never stops, however great their eternal hope.