1 Timothy 4:8 (DRB)

Passage

For bodily exercise is profitable to little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:6 These things proposing to the brethren, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished up in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which thou hast attained unto.

1 Timothy 4:7 But avoid foolish and old wives fables: and exercise thyself unto godliness.

1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise is profitable to little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

1 Timothy 4:9 A faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

1 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we labour and are reviled, because we hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful.

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 avoid foolish and old wives fables..." into verse 9's "A faithful saying and worthy of all...", 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.