John Calvin Commentary 1 Timothy 4:8

"for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come." — 1 Timothy 4:8 (ASV)

For bodily exercise is of little profit. By the exercise “of the body,” he does not mean that which consists in hunting, or in the race-course, or in wrestling, or in digging, or in mechanical occupations; but he gives that name to all the outward actions undertaken for the sake of religion, such as vigils, long fasts, lying on the earth, and the like. Yet he does not here censure the superstitious observance of these things; otherwise, he would totally condemn them, as he does in the Epistle to the Colossians (Colossians 2:21), but at present, he only speaks slightingly of them and says that they are of little advantage. So, then, even if the heart is completely upright and the object proper, yet, in outward actions, Paul finds nothing that he can value highly.

This is a very necessary warning, for the world will always lean toward wishing to worship God by outward services, which is an exceedingly dangerous imagination. But—to say nothing about the wicked opinion of merit—our nature always strongly disposes us to attribute more than we ought to austerity of life, as if it were no ordinary portion of Christian holiness.

A clearer illustration of this cannot be offered than the fact that, shortly after the publication of this command, the whole world was captivated by an excessive admiration for the empty form of bodily exercises. From this arose the order of monks and nuns, and nearly all the most excellent discipline of the ancient Church—or, at least, that part of it which was most highly esteemed by the common people.

If the ancient monks had not dreamed that there was some indescribably divine or angelic perfection in their austere manner of living, they would never have pursued it with so much ardor. Similarly, if pastors had not attached undue value to the ceremonies then observed for the mortification of the flesh, they would never have been so rigid in exacting them.

And what does Paul say, on the other hand? That when anyone has labored much and long in these exercises, the profit will be small and inconsiderable, for they are nothing but the rudiments of childish discipline.

But godliness is profitable for all things. That is, whoever has godliness lacks nothing, even without those little aids, for godliness alone can lead a person to complete perfection. It is the beginning, the middle, and the end of Christian life; therefore, where that is complete, nothing is imperfect. Christ did not lead as austere a manner of life as John the Baptist. Was he, therefore, in any way inferior? Let the meaning be summed up this way: “We ought to apply ourselves entirely to godliness alone, because once we have attained it, God asks nothing more from us; and we ought to give attention to bodily exercises in such a way as not to hinder or retard the practice of godliness.”

Which hath the promises. It is a very great consolation that God does not wish the godly to lack anything; for, having made our perfection to consist in godliness, he now makes it the perfection of all happiness. As it is the beginning of happiness in this life, so he also extends to it the promise of divine grace, which alone makes us happy, and without which we are very miserable; for God testifies that, even in this life, he will be our Father.

But let us remember to distinguish between the good things of the present and of the future life, for God bestows kindness on us in this world so that he may give us only a taste of his goodness and, by such a taste, may draw us to desire heavenly benefits, so that in them we may find satisfaction. The consequence is that the good things of the present life are not only mixed with many afflictions but, we may almost say, overwhelmed by them; for it is not beneficial for us to have abundance in this world, lest we indulge in luxury. Again, so that no one bases the merit of works on this passage, we ought to keep in mind what we have already said: that godliness includes not only a good conscience toward others and the fear of God, but also faith and calling upon him.