Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Timothy 4:9

"Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation." — 1 Timothy 4:9 (ASV)

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.—Again we have the striking formula that always calls attention to some great truth, which, in the early Church, had already gained broad, if not universal, acceptance among the congregations as one of the great watchwords of the faith. At times we find one of these apparently taken from a Christian hymn, at other times from one of the public prayers or thanksgivings. The “faithful saying,” in this instance, was that godliness, that is, “active, living piety,” is profitable for all things, seeing it has the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.