1 Timothy 4:1-5 Superstitious Christians

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. [1 Timothy 4:1-5 NASB]

Christians are a superstitious lot. Throughout the history of the Christian church, we have been seduced away from the truth by false teachings, which we seem all too eager to follow.

A perusal of Christian book titles will reveal such things as "7 steps to greater spirituality" or "How to pray more effectively". These are good goals, but you have to understand that spirituality can't be reduced to a series of steps, and the most effective prayer is the one that is prayed sincerely from your heart to God. There are no formulas, and there are no shortcuts.

One of the first major heresies in the early Christian church was the Gnostic movement. It was a mish-mash of Jewish legalism, pagan mysticism, and Christian doctrine. The result was a perversion of Christianity.

For example, the Bible teaches;

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. [Galatians 5:17 NASB]

The Gnostics took this concept to the extreme of asceticism. They thought that by punishing their flesh, they would "earn" God's favor, and increased spirituality. They would do things like walk out into the desert without water, until they were near death. They would spend days at a time leaning against a sharp rock so that they could not fall asleep. They thought that by "crucifying" the flesh in this way, they would be more holy. They didn't understand that our holiness is a gift from God, and cannot be earned. 

The irony is that by looking for a shortcut to holiness or spirituality, people achieve the opposite of what they want. Following "7 steps" is an act of the flesh. Praying according to a certain formula is an act of the flesh.

Among the Gnostic teachings were the forbidding of marriage, and abstaining from certain foods. Gnosticism is mostly extinct today, but we can still see remnants of it in the teaching that priests should not marry, and that people should abstain from eating meat on certain days, and in certain seasons.

We are told that "everything that God created is good". Everything is to be received with gratitude. Everything is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

This doesn't mean that you have to speak the word of God over your food, or pray the word of God over your food. It means that God has told us that it is good. As Peter told us;

“I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ “But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ [Acts 11:7-9 NASB]

And "prayer" doesn't refer to a rote "blessing" before a meal, or a legalistic ritual in which you "must" pray before each meal. You will not become "unclean" if you fail to say the blessing. It simply means that a sincere Christian will want to come to God in prayer and thanksgiving.

Lord, I thank You that You have set me free from legalism, and the requirements of religion. I come to you with thanksgiving that You have created all things, and have made provision for me.