But refuse profane and old wives' fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness.
In view of the context (1 Timothy 4:3) Paul may have had the asceticism the false teachers advocated in mind in his reference to "bodily discipline" (1 Timothy 4:8). The Greek word translated "life" (1 Timothy 4:8) is zoe, the higher principle of life, the perfect antithesis to death (cf. 1 Timothy 4:1-3), rather than bios, the physical aspect of life. [Note: Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, pp. 86-90.] 