1 Timothy 4:4 (ASV)

Passage

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:2 through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;

1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:

1 Timothy 4:5 for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed [until now]:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "creature", "good", "nothing", "rejected", "received", and "thanksgiving". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "creature" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain..." into verse 5's "for it is sanctified through the word...", so "creature" and "good" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "creature" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.