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A close textual analysis of Paul's use of the terms ἀποστήσονται ('will depart') and προσέχοντες ('giving heed') in their specific grammatical forms and functions (e.g., Future Indicative Middle, Present Participle Active) can reveal Paul's intended meaning, offering a foundation for practical and theological reflection on the text.

Text: (NET)

Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings,

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In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul's choice of the terms ἀποστήσονται ("will depart") and προσέχοντες ("giving heed") is central to his warning about future apostasy. Examining the grammatical structure of these terms in the context helps clarify his caution regarding faithfulness and susceptibility to false teachings.

1. ἀποστήσονται (will depart): This verb is in the Future Indicative Middle, suggesting a definite action that will occur in the future—some believers will abandon or "depart from" the faith. The middle voice here reflects that the departure is a self-directed action, implying a conscious decision rather than an accidental drift. This syntactic form aligns with the prophetic tone of Paul's message, emphasizing an inevitable future event based on the Spirit's insight.

2. προσέχοντες (giving heed): In contrast, προσέχοντες is a Present Participle Active, which gives a sense of continuous, ongoing action—those who depart will be "continually giving heed" to misleading influences. This participle links directly to the primary verb (ἀποστήσονται), showing the process leading to apostasy as a steady engagement with deceptive influences. The present tense emphasizes an active, sustained focus on these "deceiving spirits and demonic teachings," marking this attention as the path leading to departure from the faith.

By connecting these terms with similar language in Deuteronomy 4:9, we gain additional insight. In this verse, Moses warns Israel to "guard" (πρόσεχε) their souls diligently and not to "depart" (ἀποστῆναι) from the teachings God has given. Here, προσέχειν and ἀποστῆναι highlight a choice between attentiveness to God's word and potential forgetting or abandonment of His commands. This parallel underscores the significance of Paul's words in 1 Timothy, where "giving heed" to false teachings leads to a voluntary departure from faith. Thus, Paul’s phrasing in 1 Timothy 4:1 reflects a theological and moral choice, encouraging readers to guard against false teachings actively, echoing the caution seen in Deuteronomy.

In practical terms, Paul warns that vigilant attention to true doctrine is necessary to prevent the gradual but dangerous shift toward apostasy. The structure of the text, then, serves both as a prophetic warning and a call for sustained attentiveness to faith, in order to resist misleading teachings that could otherwise draw believers away from their spiritual foundation.

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In the NT theology of the Apostle Paul, two matters figure prominently; both of which feature in 1 Tim 4:1, viz:

1. Being guided by One True Holy Spirit

  • Rom 8:9 - You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
  • In fact, the whole life of Christian is to put aside the “psychical” mind and live by the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14, 1 Cor 15:44-46, Gal 5:17)
  • John makes a similar point in 1 John 4:1-3 where he instructs the church to carefully distinguish between true and false spirits
  • In 1 Tim 4:1, Paul says that these false spirits are demonic that lead people away from the true faith

2. A Future Apostacy

2 Thess 2 (sometimes called "Paul's Apocalypse") describes a time, still future in in the 1st century, when many would abandon the apostolic faith and worship a "man of lawlessness".

2 Thess 2:1-4 - Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Again, 1 Tim 4:1 describes the same thing.

Now, the OP specifically asks about two verbs in 1 Tim 4:1 -

  • ἀποστήσονταί (apostesontai) = "will depart from" in the middle voice. This means that such people will depart on the basis of their own actions (the middle voice). That is, they will depart from the apostolic faith because they chose to believe the demonic spirits, and NOT because they were forced to do so.
  • προσέχοντες (prosechontes) = "giving heed". This is the reason for these people's departure from the apostolic faith - they give heed to demonic teachings in contradistinction to the teachings of the Holy Spirit about Jesus (John 16:13).

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