1 Timothy 4:9 (ASV)

Passage

Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Timothy 4:11 These things command and teach.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "faithful", "saying", "worthy", and "acceptation". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "faithful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "for bodily exercise is profitable for a..." into verse 10's "For to this end we labor and...", so "faith" and "faithful" 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 "faith" and "faithful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.