1 Timothy 4:8 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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]:

1 Timothy 4:7 but refuse profane and old wives` fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness:

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 4:9 Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation.

1 Timothy 4:10 For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "bodily", "exercise", "profitable", "little", "godliness", and "having". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "bodily", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "but refuse profane and old wives fables..." into verse 9's "Faithful is the saying and worthy of...", so "all things" and "bodily" 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 "all things" and "bodily" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.