What about Godly Discipline? (1 Timothy 4:6-10)

If we are redeemed and united to Christ then how can we discipline ourselves?  It sounds as if Paul is saying that on the one level salvation is by grace, but now it is up to you to complete the work that has been started.  Is that what Paul is saying?  Is this how we go through life with this confidence that the Lord gives us enough grace to make it?  Or is Paul telling us something different that we need to heed?

Mysterious Confession of Freedom (1 Timothy 4:1-5)

Paul tells us that Godliness is a mystery in 1 Timothy 3:16.  Saying that Godliness is a mysteryis a pretty profound statement because Paul is encouraging Timothy to stand against agitators in Ephesus.  How can such a statement encourage Timothy?  How can such a statement help Timothy refute the false teaching that is entering the church?  So, what happens if we lose sight of Christ being our life blood and nourishing us in our redemption?  What happens if we fail to see that Godliness is a mystery?

Our Mysterious Profession (1 Timothy 3:14-16)

The apostle Paul has exhorted the church to use the law of God in a lawful manner.  How do we know if we are using the law of God lawfully?  How do we grow in our Christian life if Paul himself states that Godliness is a mystery?  If it is a mystery how do we know if we are growing?