Paul's Warning To Timothy: Of Fables
Should Christians Embrace Pagan Literature
-Daniel Valles  2/25/06

1Ti 1:4  “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”  It is interesting that only four verses into his letter to Timothy, Paul commands him not to even “give heed” to fables.  Right after Paul warns him about the danger of false doctrine, he immediately tells him to stay away from fables.  To “give heed” has the meaning of ‘to hold the mind’ and ‘give attention to’.  The number two danger encountering Christ’s church (listed right after “other doctrine”), was Gentiles trying to mix paganism with Christianity.  Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines ‘fable’ as: “A feigned story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept.” 

1Timothy 4:1  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils…  (7) But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”  The word “seducing” has the idea of ‘deceiver, imposter’.  The Apostle uses harsher language here to emphasis again the distance one should keep from fables.  This time he uses the word “refuse”.  It means ‘to beg off, that is, deprecate, decline, shun: - avoid, (make) excuse, intreat, refuse, reject.’  Not only was Timothy to not listen or pay attention to them, but he was to outright reject them!  No matter how attractive or interesting a fable may be constructed, the warning was given that it could be candy-coated poison. 

Paul also give the two types of fables that Timothy was to reject completely.  He was told to reject old wives’ fables and profane fables!   Old wives’ fables were the superstitions of crones and silly old women.  However, the word “profane” is much insidious; and, it is the type that Paul warned Timothy about in the first chapter.  It is interesting that when Webster penned the definition for ‘profane’, he used this verse as the example in usage.  He recorded the definition as: “Obscene; heathenish; tending to bring reproach on religion; as profane fables. 1 Tim 4.”  Now, before you think he is saying that all fables are of the devil, remember that Noah Webster himself wrote the famous “American Spelling Book” a.k.a. “Blue-back Speller.”  The difference between his fables and the many good fables of other authors is that they are not heathenish.  They did not mix paganism, mythology, etc. with the fable.  Keep in mind that Timothy has been serving as a pastor and elder to the churches in Ephesus.  That city was where the temple of Diana was located.  It was the largest temple in the Greek world – one of the 7 Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  The city was a very idolatrous city.  Undoubtedly, those who believed on Christ had to forsake a lot of ‘baggage’ and customs.  There were many pressures on the churches there to adopt pagan practices, customs, mentalities, models, etc.  Paul is (in effect) warning Timothy about the abomination of using pagan trappings, terms, mindsets, personages, likenesses, etc. in an attempt to teach the truth – irrelevant of how ‘pure’ the moral of the story was.  The end achieved is irrelevant if the means is heathen.

Paul goes on to explain that even though the perceived benefit of using pagan fables is the spreading of truth, in reality it works the opposite.

2Timothy 4:3-5 warns “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

Paul warned Timothy not to even go down the path of using an imposter-truth as opposed to the sound Truth – God’s Word.  Why does Satan want a mixing of paganism and Christianity?  Because he knows that it will ultimately turn people away from truth.  Our sin nature does not want to hear God’s Word.  Under the guise of receiving truth, sinners are more comfortable hearing about a watered-down and adulterated ‘truth’.  When given the choice, today’s sinners would rather read “The Gospel According to such-and-such-a-book” rather than the Bible.  Satan wants and desires for the sincere milk of the Word to be contaminated.  This is precisely the danger that Paul was warning Timothy to be watchful of!  He was telling him that, yes, there will be pressure to find new and interesting ways to share the Gospel; but, we should not turn to Satan’s temples and books for inspiration.

Act 19:19  “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”  Matthew Henry stated it well: “they showed a holy indignation at the sins they had been guilty of.”  What are some specific ‘curious arts’ that Christians are to purge from their life?  What are types, models, terms, mindsets, personages, and likenesses that should be noticeably absent from ‘christian’ writings?

Divination - fortune telling;

observer of times - astrology ;

enchanter – working spells;

Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia

witch – practicing witchcraft or consulting a witch;

Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia

charmer – using charms and other objects for protection of ‘good luck’;

Movies such as the "Lord of the Rings", when viewed from a Biblical perspective, is simply a movie depicting a charmer and his charms - an abomination that Christians have no place to look for the 'Gospel' or 'good vs. evil'.

consulter with familiar spirits – channeling;

wizard – doing magic;

Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia

necromancer – spiritism, contacting the dead.

(Deut. 18:10-12)  

Just a few verses later, God gives an explicit warning to those that do not weigh the seriousness and consequence of God’s children mingling with the heathen and pagan arts.  Deut. 18:19  “…it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

The danger that Paul warned Timothy about three times throughout his letters was not limited to differences in opinion about genres of fantasy versus allegory, or fables versus parables.  It was not limited to arguing over whether writing of magic alone was what corrupted a text.  It went beyond that.  It was the same warning that God warned His people of when they entered the Promised Land.  It was the same warning about the activities of Balaam encouraging the people of Israel to intermarry with the Canaanites.  Hence, it is also the Doctrine of Balaam that Christ warns the church of Pergamos to remove from their presence before He judges them.  Rev 2:14 warns, “…thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”

The matter of Paul’s heart to Timothy was an expression and warning of the subtle and seducing stumbling blocks that come from the doctrine of Balaam: mixing Christianity and abominations.

Ezra 6:21  “And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel…”

Ezek. 22:26  “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean  …I am profaned among them.”

John 7:24  “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”