Survey of the Letters of Paul:  1 Timothy 4:16
                                                                                                                                                                           
1 Timothy 4:16  
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.        

1 Timothy 4:11-16
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

THE PERSONAL DUTY OF THE CHRISTIAN LEADER

HERE in this passage is set out in the most vivid way the personal duty of every Christian leader.

(1) Christian leaders must remember that they have been set apart for a special task by the Church. Their position does not make sense apart from the Church. Their commission came from it; their work is within its fellowship; their duty is to build others into it. That is why the really important work of the Christian Church is never done by any travelling evangelist but always by its settled ministry.

(2) Christian leaders must remember the duty to think about these things. Their great danger is intellectual laziness and the closed mind, neglecting to study and allowing their thoughts to continue in well-worn grooves. The danger is that new truths, new methods and the attempt to restate the faith in contemporary terms may merely annoy them. Christian leaders must be Christian thinkers or they fail in their task; and to be a Christian thinker is to be an adventurous thinker as long as life lasts.

(3) Christian leaders must remember the duty of concentration. The danger is that they may waste their energies on many things which are not central to the Christian faith. They are presented with the invitation to many duties and confronted with the claims of many spheres of service. There was a prophet who confronted Ahab with a kind of parable. He said that in a battle a man brought him a prisoner to guard, telling him that if the prisoner escaped his own life would be forfeit; but he allowed his attention to wander, and ‘while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone’ (1 Kings 20:35–43). It is easy for a Christian leader to be busy here and there, and to let the central things go. Concentration is a prime duty of all Christian leaders.

(4) Christian leaders must remember the duty of progress. Their progress must be evident to all. It is all too true of most of us that the same things get the better of us year in and year out; that as year succeeds year, we are no further on. Christian leaders plead with others to become more like Christ. How can they do so with honesty unless daily they become more like the Master to whom they belong and whom they seek to serve? The first prayer of Christian leaders must be that they may grow more like Christ, for only in this way will they be able to lead others to him. ~Barclay's Commentary

Verse 16 is in five parts:

1] Take heed unto thyself.
2] [Take heed] unto the doctrine.
3] Continue in them.
4] For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself.
5] [Thou shalt save] them that hear thee.

1] TAKE HEED UNTO THYSELF
Take heed unto thyself - This may be understood as relating to everything of a personal nature that would qualify him for his work. It may be applied to personal piety; to health; to manners; to habits of living; to temper; to the ruling purposes; to the contact with others. In relation to personal religion, a minister should take heed:

(1) that he has true piety; and,
(2) that he is advancing in the knowledge and love of God. In relation to morals, he should be upright; to his contact with others, and his personal habits, he should be correct, consistent, and gentlemanly, so as to give needless offence to none. The person of a minister should be neat and cleanly; his manners such as will show the fair influence of religion on his temper and deportment; his style of conversation such as will be an example to the old and the young, and such as will not offend against the proper laws of courtesy and urbanity. There is no religion in a filthy person; in uncouth manners; in an inconvenient and strange form of apparel; in bad grammar, and in slovenly habits - and to be a real gentleman should be as much a matter of conscience with a minister of the gospel as to be a real Christian. Indeed, under the full and fair influence of the gospel, the one always implies the other. Religion refines the manners - it does not corrupt them; it makes one courteous, polite, and kind - it never produces boorish manners, or habits that give offence to the well-bred and the refined. ~Barnes Notes

Take heed unto thyself - See that the life of God remains and the work of God prospers in thine own soul. Take heed to thy doctrine, that the matter be pure and orthodox; that thou teach nothing for truth but what God has revealed. ~Adam Clarke

Take heed unto thyself - Not as a man, or a Christian only, but as a minister; and as every minister should take heed to his life and conversation, that it be exemplary, as in 1Timothy 4:12 to his gifts, that they be not lost, or neglected, but used and improved; to the errors and heresies abroad, that he be not infected with them; and to his flock, which is the other part of himself, that he feed it with knowledge and understanding: and to thy doctrine: preached by him, that it be according to the Scriptures, be the doctrine of Christ, and his apostles, and according to godliness; that it tend to edification, and is pure, incorrupt, and all of a piece; and that it be expressed in the best manner, with all boldness and plainness; and that he defend it against all opposition: ~John Gill

Take heed unto thyself - This is the special duty of every minister. Let him watch himself first of all. ~People's New Testament

2] TAKE HEED UNTO THE DOCTRINE
And unto the doctrine - The kind of teaching which you give, or to your public instructions. The meaning is, that he should hold and teach only the truth. He was to “take heed” to the whole business of public instruction; that is, both to the matter and the manner. The great object was to get as much truth as possible before the minds of his hearers, and in such a way as to produce the deepest impression on them. ~Barnes Notes

And unto the doctrine - The two requisites of a good pastor: His teaching will be of no avail unless his own life accord with it; and his own purity of life is not enough unless he be diligent in teaching. This verse is a summary of 1 Timothy 4:12. ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown

Quoted verse:
1 Timothy 4:12
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. [see lesson on this verse]

And unto the doctrine - Take heed what you teach. ~People's New Testament

3] CONTINUE IN THEM
Continue in them - That is, in these things which have been specified. He was ever to be found perseveringly engaged in the performance of these duties. ~Barnes Notes

Continue in them - i.e., In taking heed to thyself and to thy doctrine; for this must be thy continual study. Without this, the Divine influence shall recede from thy heart, and the Divine gift from thy intellect; and, like Samson shorn of his strength, thou wilt soon become as another man, as any common man; thy power will depart from thee, and thou shalt be no longer able to persuade; the Unction shall depart from thee, and, destitute of spiritual feeling thyself, thou shalt not be able to cause others to feel. Take the apostle’s advice, and thou shalt save thy own soul, and the souls of them that hear thee. ~Adam Clarke

Note:  Every firstfruit will have moments of doubt regarding his or her calling or whether they currently have the Holy Spirit.  These are almost always momentary and totally different from what I just read in the commentary.

Continue in them - or "with them"; the members of the church at Ephesus; or rather in the doctrines of the Gospel; which should be done, though a majority is against them; though rejected by the wise, learned, and rich; though not to be comprehended by carnal reason; and though loaded with reproach and scandal; and though persecuted, yea even unto death for them: ~John Gill

Continue in them — (see 2 Timothy 3:14). ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown

Quoted verse:
2 Timothy 3:14
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.

4] FOR IN DOING THIS THOU SHALT BOTH SAVE THYSELF
For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself - By holding of the truth, and by the faithful performance of your duties, you will secure the salvation of the soul. We are not to suppose that the apostle meant to teach that this would be the meritorious cause of his salvation, but that these faithful labors would be regarded as an evidence of piety, and would be accepted as such. It is equivalent to saying, that an unfaithful minister of the gospel cannot be saved; one who faithfully performs all the duties of that office with a right spirit, will be. ~Barnes Notes

for in doing this, thou shall both save thyself - a minister by taking heed to himself, and doctrine, saves himself from the pollutions of the world, from the errors and heresies of false teachers, from the blood of all men, and from all just blame in his ministry. ~John Gill

5] THOU SHALT SAVE THEM THAT HEAR THEE
And them that hear thee - That is, you will be the means of their salvation. It is not necessary to suppose that the apostle meant to teach that he would save all that heard him. The declaration is to be understood in a popular sense, and it is undoubtedly true that a faithful minister will be the means of saving many sinners. This assurance furnishes a ground of encouragement for a minister of the gospel. He may hope for success, and should look for success. He has the promise of God that if he is faithful he shall see the fruit of his labors, and this result of his work is a sufficient reward for all the toils and sacrifices and self-denials of the ministry.  Yet what minister of the gospel is there, who is at all faithful to his trust, who is not made the honored instrument of the salvation [contributor] of many more than one? Few are the devoted ministers of Christ who are not permitted to see evidence even here, that their labor has not been in vain. Let not, then, the faithful preacher be discouraged. A single soul rescued from death will be a gem in his eternal crown brighter by far than ever sparkled on the brow of royalty. ~Barnes Notes

Note: In my experience, ministers may see some of the fruits of their labor but the great stories may not be known to him until the Kingdom.

And them that hear thee - by being an example to them in doctrine and conversation, a minister is the means of saving and preserving those that attend on him, from erroneous principles, and immoral practices; and by faithfully preaching the Gospel to his hearers, he is instrumental in their eternal salvation; for though Jesus Christ is the only Saviour, the only efficient and procuring cause of salvation, yet the ministers of the Gospel are instruments by which souls believe in him, and so are saved; the word preached by them, being attended with the Spirit of God, becomes the engrafted word, which is able to save, and is the power of God unto salvation; and nothing can more animate and engage the ministers of the word to take heed to themselves and doctrine, and abide therein, than this, of being the happy instruments of converting sinners, and saving them from death; see James 5:20. ~John Gill

Quoted verse:
James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

6] COMMENTARY FOR PARTS 4-5
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both (h) save thyself, and them that hear thee.

(h) Faith is by hearing, and hearing by preaching: and therefore the ministers of the word are so said to save themselves and others, because in them the Lord has put the word of reconciliation. ~Geneva Bible Translation Notes

Note: I speak much to the fact that the sermon is as much for the minister giving the sermon as it is for the congregation. It is all about the Word of God being uttered and discussed. The minister is a human in the Salvation Process. The Word of God is spiritual. The Word of God is the agent or element doing the saving denoted in this verse.

thou shalt ... save thyself, and them that hear thee — (Ezekiel 33:9; James 5:20). In performing faithfully his duty to others, the minister is promoting his own salvation. Indeed he cannot “give heed unto the teaching” of others, unless he be at the same time “giving heed unto himself.” ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown

Quoted verses:
Ezekiel 33:9
Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Let us finish in the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge.  For the sake of time I will only read a couple of these but post them in the text for your further study of this lesson.

1] Take heed unto thyself:
1 Chronicles 28:10
Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

2 Chronicles 19:6
And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

Mark 13:9
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:17
And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Titus 2:7
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Titus 2:15
These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Hebrews 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

2 John 1:8
Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

2] Take heed unto the doctrine:
1 Timothy 4:6
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

1 Timothy 1:3
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Titus 2:7 ...mentioned above
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Hebrews 13:9
Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

2 John 1:9
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

3] Continue in them:
Acts 6:4
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Acts 26:22
Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

Romans 2:7
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

2 Timothy 3:14
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

Titus 1:9
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

4] For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself
Ezekiel 3:19-21
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his
blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

Ezekiel 33:7-9
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Acts 20:26-27
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

1 Corinthians 9:27
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

5] Thou shalt save them that hear thee
Isaiah 55:11
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Jeremiah 23:22
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

Romans 10:10-14
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

1 Thessalonians 2:16
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
20 For ye are our glory and joy.

2 Timothy 2:10
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Philemon 1:19
I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.

James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

RECAP OF THIS LESSON:
1] Take heed unto thyself
a. Consider every aspect of yourself including piety, health and manners.
b. Consider appearance, dress, grammar, habits and relationships.
c. Let religion refine your manners.
d. Be courteous, polite and kind.
e. Allow the life of God and the work of God to prosper you soul; your life.
f. Ministers [and all firstfruits]: consider and invoked your gifts that God as given you. Be constantly improving. Immerse yourself in Word and Doctrine. Express the Word with boldness and plainness. Defend it against all opposition. Keep an eye on yourself first.

2] Take Heed unto the Doctrine
a. Hold only the truth.
b. Consider what is taught and what is heard.
c. Be a good example of Doctrine and/or the Word of God.

3] Continue in them
a. Continue in the Word of God and its instruction and principles and commands.
b. Never stop or neglect Bible study.
c. Divine influence must be continual.
d. Continue with the Word of God despite the world and family/friends being opposed to it.
e. Be assured of what you learn in the Word of God.

4] For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself.
a. All sermons, Bible studies and teachings are for the minister too.
b. Stay in the Salvation Process.
c. Any pastor in trouble with his ministry is surely in trouble with his Salvation Process and vice versa.
d. Avoid false doctrines and heresies of false teachers.

5] Thou shalt save them that hear thee.
a. The Word of God, in and through Christ, not the minister is doing the saving.
b. God works both with firstfruits and firstfruits who are in the servant duty position of minister.
c. The ministry was created by God to help the people in their Salvation Process.
d. A true minister does all ministerial work by power of the Holy Spirit.

6] Commentary on parts 4 and 5
a. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by preaching.
b. There is no way a true minister can help the congregation without helping himself.                                                                                                                                                                                 

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