Jim's Study Notes: 1 Timothy 4:6-10

v.6 "In pointing out" [NASB]: hupotithemi- literally to place underneath, other meanings suggested (supply from one's resource, suggest, put in remembrance, lay down) The notion communicated is to make available for use the things Paul is teaching. He does not say to force upon, but to lay them down underneath the persons whom one teaches, presumably for providing solid footing for walking through life.

"you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus constantly being nourished" [NASB].
The implication is that what Paul teaches Timothy becomes a greater reality and transformational effectuality when Timothy begins to teach them to others as well. There are many reasons for this. In the literary context it follows a warning about hypocrisy and deception. The opposite of those would be authenticity and forthrightness.
So in order to be a true teacher in the tradition of the Gospel one would be a practitioner of what one teaches. And in doing so not only be familiar with and having used the teaching to forge into the realities of God's offering in Christ, but, because of that authenticity, also being able to communicate them to others who have a desire to pursue them. A teacher who truly tries to get these things across as concepts, methods, visionary guidance, etc. also faces the varied issues that the learners encounter through their feed back.
The honest teacher then recognizes the need for stretching one's own understanding in order to walk confidently and humbly along with the disciple, often gleaning from the disciple a new approach to the life for oneself as well. In this way, teaching, or providing a solid grounding for those in the teacher's charge, the teacher's walk and guiding vision become enriched and more pervasive in one's own life.

Anathasius (c. 295-373) also agrees with this notion: "it's just as St. Paul says, 'being nourished by the word of truth. 'That's the way it was with our Lord, who said, 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me.'" He is making reference to John 4:34 as Jesus' replies to his disciples when they brought back food for him to eat. Jesus had just taught a whole village from Samaria the way of the Lord.

"on the words of the faith" My trans: from the repository of life reserved in the treasure of God's self-giving in Christ the word often translated "faith" or "belief" has the more solid meaning of "trust" which entails belief and faith. Trust also points to a preserved account from which an executor can regulate the proceeds, dispersing them as needed or as seen to be appropriate (cf. 1 Cor. 12). In fact, Paul says of the message of Christ, " For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves . . ." 2Co 4:6-7 and in Ephesians 1:3-14 implies that the treasures of God are retained in Christ to be overseen by Christ for the purpose of causing the church to grow into the fullness of God's presence (as fully as an earthly entity can contain the divine). Indeed the whole of the message of Ephesians seems to proceed from the call to stewardship of this treasure.
The fact that this letter is written to Timothy concerning believers at Ephesus underscores the notion that God holds these things in reserve, not withholding out of reservation, but in anticipation of continued empowerment toward the purpose of God. This enhances the relational aspect of God to human and depicts a God who watches over the earth ready at any moment to place treasures of life in the hands of humans as we journey toward creations inherent purpose in God. Christ it the culmination and facilitator of these things.

and sound [teaching] which you have been following" sound teaching corresponds to torah (or teachings of God). v.7: "fables fit for old women" Most of the early commentators seem in some way to take occasion here to express pejoratively against Judaism in one fashion or another. Origen seems the most adamantly negative toward Judaism, but Origen himself, though an accepted apologist of Orthodoxy in salient points of doctrine, held views that were not compatible with the flow of Christian thought. For instance, he believed that God created two worlds: One spiritual and the other physical. The first was perfect, but sin in the spiritual world made it necessary to create a second world to contain the sinful. Thus, we are in this physical world because we sinned in the spiritual world. The point is one can see in the early church signs of anti-Semitism due to speculation on the meanings of Paul that are not specifically delineated by Paul himself. The "Judaizers" become a means of casting aspersions on the whole of Judaism.
Iranaeus, born around 130 CE, considered Judaism part of the progressive purpose in the redemption of and leading of creation into its final purpose.
The anti-Judaistic sentiment that seemed to culminate and peak, (hopefully) in the mid 20th century sees roots already in some of the early Christian commentators.

vv.8-10 "godliness is profitable for all things" Coming off the idea that abstinence of itself can lead to self-deceptive living (vv. 1-4) it seems that Paul is saying that the goal is one far off enough that the body, though created as and intended for a goodness, is not the focal point of our lives. Indeed, no final attainment can be, for if something is finalized in the present and established as an entity separate to itself, then it begins to pass away with the passing of the times. Therefore our purpose is the ever-evolving goal of the expectation that God will complete in us what we were intended to be. Our pursuit of this goal has inherent benefits now in this moment (Jesus pointed out to the Father that "knowing you (the Father) and the one whom you have sent" is eternal life.) and forever. Often I've wondered if a term better than eternal life would be "infinite life." For God's purpose seems to point toward, not just longevity of being, but a quality that is also incorruptible.

Irenaeus held to a teaching called "divination." This means that the human was created to begin to move with the helping "hands" of God toward infusion of the divine and that from the beginning God had planned in Christ to enter into human history in order to enjoy relationship with creation (us) regardless of whether there be a "Fall of Man."

My take on this is that God has created us to be able to enjoy that relationship from a human standpoint. We do not necessarily have to be "divinized" so much as become fully realized humans. In that full realization (actualization) we will know God as we can know God as fully as possible for human. Perfection will be that we flawlessly exert every human glory given by God to its fullest. This will not make us God, but simply fully developed humans. I see the human desire to "have divinity" as one of the major impetuses for hubris and subsequent dehumanization of one another. Even Jesus, according to Paul's expressed theology in Philippians 2:1-13, did not see "having divinity" as important as being human--probably because humans are created to be human and not divine.