1 Timothy 4:12 (YLT)

Passage

let no one despise thy youth, but a pattern become thou of those believing in word, in behaviour, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity;

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:10 for for this we both labour and are reproached, because we hope on the living God, who is Saviour of all men--especially of those believing.

1 Timothy 4:11 Charge these things, and teach;

1 Timothy 4:12 let no one despise thy youth, but a pattern become thou of those believing in word, in behaviour, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity;

1 Timothy 4:13 till I come, give heed to the reading, to the exhortation, to the teaching;

1 Timothy 4:14 be not careless of the gift in thee, that was given thee through prophecy, with laying on of the hands of the eldership;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "faith", "despise", "youth", "pattern", "become", "thou", and "believing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "faith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Charge these things and teach..." into verse 13's "till I come give heed to the...", so "Spirit" and "faith" 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 "Spirit" and "faith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.