1 Timothy 6:11-21--Fight the Good Fight of Faith

1 Timothy 6:11-21
English Standard Version

Fight the Good Fight of Faith
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

Grace be with you.

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These are the last words of 1 Timothy (we'll start looking at 2 Timothy next time).  Paul ends this letter in a way different than most of his other letters.  Typically there is some final greeting to the church and a list of all of the people Paul wants to thank (sometimes also a list of people to watch out for because they have turned against Paul and the gospel), and some form of "peace be with you all."  That's not what we get here though.  Paul tells Timothy that he's going to have to fight and contend for the faith from both enemies outside the church and inside the church (notice I'm using a lower-case 'c' for 'church' here because these enemies are not part of the Church that is made of the redeemed, though pastors find the attacks from within the Church hardest).

In the midst of the battle, Paul reminds Timothy to not become like the enemy to try to beat the enemy.  He must remember to pursue and put on righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness, even as he is "fighting the good fight."  He must remember the eternal life that he was chosen (called) to have, and live in light of that calling and that gift.  It was because of this calling and gift that he has given his life to Christ in service as a minister of the gospel, and this calling was confirmed with a very public proclamation (probably some kind of ordination service) with many witnesses present.  Therefore, Paul reminds Timothy of his duty (as if he were a soldier in the army) to fight the true enemy, defend the Kingdom and King that he loves and to do all this without sacrificing his character (which can be difficult for a soldier who might want to win at any cost, in in the process they lose because they become the enemy they were trying to fight).

Paul reminds Timothy that he's fighting for a King and a Kingdom that are not of this world and the weapons of war of this world will not win this battle--this is a spiritual battle that is manifesting itself in our reality.  Jesus went to the cross and was raised from the dead to achieve ultimate victory, but the enemy has yet to concede that victory and, so, the battle rages on.  One day we will stand before Christ not as the one who will condemn us, but the one who will reward us.  On that day, we wish for Him to say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."  For the unrighteous, they will hear something very different when they stand before the Lord.  They will hear, "Depart from Me" into the "utter darkness" that is outside of the kingdom of His marvelous light where "there is weeping and gnashing of teeth."  We have eternal life only because He has given it to us.  In Him alone are both Light and Life.

He is the only Sovereign--the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.  His Name is above every name, and to Him alone we will ascribe all the glory and honor He is due, both now and forevermore!  His kingdom is without boundaries and without end.  He has no predecessor or successor.  He always has been and always will be the King Immortal, Eternal, Invisible.  This doxology seems like a perfect high note to end on, but Paul is not finished.

Paul returns to warn the rich (those who worship wealth and material possessions and are ensnared by them) that one day all the things they trust in and cling to will be destroyed.  Their riches will not be able to save them from the coming judgment.  Instead of trying to become rich by the world's standards, they should instead focus on becoming rich in the Kingdom of God by doing the good works that God prepared for them in Christ Jesus before the foundations of the world.  In this way, they will store up for themselves treasure in heaven and they will build their lives on the firm foundation of Christ that will hold fast both in this life and throughout all eternity.

Paul then pleads with Timothy to guard the deposit that he was entrusted with (his faith, the Word of God, the people of God) and to avoid irreverent talk, gossip, idle babble, and lies and deceptions of the false teachers and the world promising something "new."  Some have been caught off-guard by these hucksters who talk a good game, but they have nothing of value to offer, and Paul does not want Timothy to get led astray and veer off-course because of them.

Finally, Paul wishes Timothy "grace," but not "peace."  This is a message of contending with enemies without and within.  It is not a message that ends on a note of peace--peace will come when Christ returns for the Church and destroys those who are aligned with the kingdom of darkness--that is, the kingdom of this world, the kingdom of Satan and his Antichrist and False Prophet.  The age of the Apostles is coming to an end, and Timothy is going to have to contend for the faith and hold fast to what has been passed down and entrusted to him.