The Good Fight of Faith, (1 Tim. 6:11–16, 20–21)

The Good Fight of Faith

The Pastor Himself (1 Tim. 6:11–16, 20–21) Commentary by Warren Wiersbe

While caring for the needs of his people, Timothy needed to care for himself as well. “Take heed unto thyself” (1 Tim. 4:16) was one of Paul’s admonitions. The phrase “But thou” (1 Tim. 6:11) indicates a contrast between Timothy and the false teachers. They were men of the world, but he was a “man of God.” This special designation was also given to Moses (Deut. 33:1), Samuel (1 Sam. 9:6), Elijah (1 Kings 17:18), and David (Neh. 12:24); so Timothy was in good company.

Paul gave four admonitions to Timothy that, if obeyed, would assure him success in his ministry and a continued testimony as “a man of God.”

Flee (v. 11a). There are times when running away is a mark of cowardice. “Should such a man as I flee?” asked Nehemiah (Neh. 6:11). But there are other times when fleeing is a mark of wisdom and a means of victory. Joseph fled when he was tempted by his master’s wife (Gen. 39:12), and David fled when King Saul tried to kill him (1 Sam. 19:10). The word “flee” that Paul used here did not refer to literal running, but to Timothy’s separating himself from the sins of the false teachers. This echoes the admonition in 1 Timothy 6:5: “From such withdraw thyself.”

Not all unity is good, and not all division is bad. There are times when a servant of God should take a stand against false doctrine and godless practices, and separate himself from them. He must be sure, however, that he acts on the basis of biblical conviction and not because of a personal prejudice or a carnal party spirit.

Follow (v. 11b). Separation without positive growth becomes isolation. We must cultivate these graces of the Spirit in our lives, or else we will be known only for what we oppose rather than for what we propose. “Righteousness” means “personal integrity.”

“Godliness” means “practical piety.” The first has to do with character; the second, with conduct.

“Faith” might better be translated “faithfulness.” It has well been said that the greatest ability is dependability.

“Love” is the agape love that sacrifices for the sake of others. It seeks to give, not to gain.

“Patience” carries the idea of “endurance,” sticking to it when the going is tough. It is not a complacency that waits, but a courage that continues in hard places.

“Meekness” is not weakness, but instead is “power under control.” Courageous endurance without meekness could make a person a tyrant. Perhaps “gentleness” expresses the meaning best.

Fight (vv. 12–16). The verb means “keep on fighting!” It is a word from which we get our English word agonize, and it applies both to athletes and to soldiers. It described a person straining and giving his best to win the prize or win the battle. Near the end of his own life, Paul wrote, “I have fought a good fight” (2 Tim. 4:7).

This “fight,” however, is not between believers; it is between a person of God and the enemy around him. He is fighting to defend the faith, that body of truth deposited with the church (see 1 Tim. 6:20). Like Nehemiah of old, Christians today need to have a trowel in one hand for building, and a sword in the other hand for battling (Neh. 4:17). It is sad when some Christians spend so much time fighting the enemy that they have no time do to their work and build the church. On the other hand, if we do not stand guard and oppose the enemy, what we have built could be taken from us.

What is it that encourages us in the battle? We have “eternal life” and need to take hold of it and let it work in our experience. We have been called by God, and this assures us of victory. We have made our public profession of faith in Christ, and others in the church stand with us.

Another encouragement in our battle is the witness of Jesus Christ our Saviour. He “witnessed a good confession” (1 Tim. 6:13) before Pontius Pilate and did not relent before the enemy. He knew that God the Father was with Him and watching over Him, and that He would be raised from the dead. It is “God who makes all things alive” (literal translation), who is caring for us, so we need not fear. Timothy’s natural timidity might want to make him shrink from the battle. But all he had to do was remember Jesus Christ and His bold confession, and this would encourage him.

Paul gave Timothy military orders: “I give thee charge” (1 Tim. 6:13, also 1:3). He was to guard the commandment and obey it. Why? Because one day the Commander would appear and he would have to report on his assignment! The only way he could be ready would be to obey orders “without spot or blame” (1 Tim. 6:14, niv).

The Greek word translated “appearing” (1 Tim. 6:14) gives us our English word epiphany which means “a glorious manifestation.” In Paul’s day, the word was used in the myths to describe the appearing of a god, especially to deliver someone from trouble. Paul used it of the first coming of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 1:10) and of His return (2 Tim. 4:1, 8). We do not know when Christ will come again, but it will be “in His own time” (1 Tim. 6:15, niv) and He knows the schedule. Our task is to be faithful every day and abide in Him (1 John 2:28).

The subject of 1 Timothy 6:16 is God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Ruler, though others may take the title. “Potentate” (1 Tim. 6:15) comes from a word that means “power.” The kings and rulers of the earth may think they have power and authority, but God is sovereign over all (see Ps. 2).

“King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15) makes us think of Jesus Christ (Rev. 17:14; 19:16); but here the title is applied to God the Father. Jesus Christ, of course, reveals the Father to us; so He can justly claim this title.

“Immortality” (1 Tim. 6:16) means “not subject to death.” Man is subject to death, but God is not. Only God has immortality as an essential and inherent part of His being. He is “immortal, invisible, the only wise God” (1 Tim. 1:17). Because God is not subject to death, He is Life and the Giver of life. He is incorruptible and not subject to decay or change. In this life, believers are in mortal bodies; but when Jesus Christ returns, we shall share His immortality (1 Cor. 15:50–58).

Keep in mind that Paul explained all these truths about God in order to encourage Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith” and not give up. We need not fear life because God is the Ruler of all; and we need not fear death because He shares immortality with us.

Timothy lived in the godless city of Ephesus, but God dwells in glorious light. “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire” (Ex. 24:17). “Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment” (Ps. 104:2). John’s description of heaven emphasized the glory of God that gives light to the city (Rev. 21:11, 23–24; 22:5). Of course, light is a symbol of holiness (1 John 1:5–7). God dwells apart from sin, and God is glorious in His holiness.

It is impossible for a sinful human to approach the holy God. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be accepted into His presence. Jacob saw God in one of His Old Testament appearances on earth (Gen. 32:30); and God allowed Moses to see some of His glory (Ex. 33:18–23). “No man hath seen God at any time” (John 1:18) refers to seeing God in His essence, His spiritual nature. We can only see manifestations of this essence, as in the person of Jesus Christ.

Why did Paul write so much about the person and glory of God? Probably as a warning against the “emperor cult” that existed in the Roman Empire. It was customary to acknowledge regularly, “Caesar is Lord!” Of course, Christians would say “Jesus Christ is Lord!” Only God has “honor and power everlasting” (1 Tim. 6:16b). If Timothy was going to fight the good fight of faith, he had to decide that Jesus Christ alone was worthy of worship and complete devotion.

Be faithful (vv. 20–21). God had committed the truth to Paul (1 Tim. 1:11), and Paul had committed it to Timothy. It was Timothy’s responsibility to guard the deposit and then pass it along to others who would, in turn, continue to pass it on (2 Tim. 2:2). This is God’s way of protecting the truth and spreading it around the world. We are stewards of the doctrines of the faith, and God expects us to be faithful in sharing His Good News.

The word science (1 Tim. 6:20) does not refer to the kind of technology we know today by that name. “Knowledge falsely so called” is a better translation. Paul referred here to the teachings of a heretical group called “gnostics” who claimed to have a “special spiritual knowledge.” (The Greek word for “knowledge” is gnosis, pronounced NO-sis. An “agnostic” is one who does not know. A gnostic is one who claimed to know a great deal.)

There is no need to go into detail here about the heretical claims of the gnostics. Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written to counteract them. They claimed to have “special spiritual knowledge” from visions and other experiences. They also claimed to find “hidden truths” in the Old Testament Scriptures, especially the genealogies. They considered matter to be evil, and they taught that a series of “emanations” connected God with man. Jesus Christ, they said, was only the greatest of these emanations.

The gnostics actually had a doctrine that was a strange mixture of Christianity, Oriental mysticism, Greek philosophy, and Jewish legalism. Like many of the Eastern cults we see today, it offered “something for everybody.” But Paul summarized all that they taught in one devastating phrase: “profane and vain babblings.” Phillips translates it “the godless mixture of contradictory notions.”

Why should Timothy avoid these teachings? Because some who got involved in them “wandered from the faith” (1 Tim. 6:21, niv). Not only will wrong motives (a desire for money) cause a person to wander from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10), but so will wrong teachings. These lies work their way into a person’s mind and heart gradually, and before he realizes it, he is wandering off the path of truth.

The Rich (1 Tim. 6:17–19)

Paul had already written about the danger of the love of money, but he added a special “charge” for Timothy to give to the rich. We may not think that this charge applies to us, but it does. After all, our standard of living today would certainly make us “rich” in the eyes of Timothy’s congregation!

Be humble (v. 17a). If wealth makes a person proud, then he understands neither himself nor his wealth. “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is He that gives thee power to get wealth” (Deut. 8:18). We are not owners; we are stewards. If we have wealth, it is by the goodness of God and not because of any special merits on our part. The possessing of material wealth ought to humble a person and cause him to glorify God, not himself.

It is possible to be “rich in the world [age]” (1 Tim. 6:17) and be poor in the next. It is also possible to be poor in this world and rich in the next. Jesus talked about both (Luke 16:19–31). But a believer can be rich in this world and also rich in the next if he uses what he has to honor God (Matt. 6:19–34). In fact, a person who is poor in this world can use even his limited means to glorify God, and discover great reward in the next world.

Trust God, not wealth (v. 17b). The rich farmer in our Lord’s parable (Luke 12:13–21) thought that his wealth meant security, when really it was an evidence of insecurity. He was not really trusting God. Riches are uncertain, not only in their value (which changes constantly), but also in their durability. Thieves can steal wealth, investments can drop in value, and the ravages of time can ruin houses and cars. If God gives us wealth, we should trust Him, the Giver, and not the gifts.

Enjoy what God gives you (v. 17c). Yes, the word enjoy is in the Bible! In fact, one of the recurring themes in Ecclesiastes is, “Enjoy the blessings of life now, because life will end one day” (Ecc. 2:24; 3:12–15, 22; 5:18–20; 9:7–10; 11:9–10). This is not sinful “hedonism,” living for the pleasures of life. It is simply enjoying all that God gives us for His glory.

Employ what God gives you (vv. 18–19). We should use our wealth to do good to others; we should share; we should put our money to work. When we do, we enrich ourselves spiritually, and we make investments for the future (see Luke 16:1–13). “That they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:19) does not suggest that these people are not saved. “That they may lay hold on the life that is real” would express it perfectly. Riches can lure a person into a make-believe world of shallow pleasure. But riches plus God’s will can introduce a person to life that is real and ministry that is lasting.

Paul’s final sentence was not for Timothy alone, because the pronoun is plural: “Grace be with all of you.” Paul had the entire church in mind when he wrote this letter, and certainly all of the elders, not just Timothy. As leader of the church, Timothy needed to heed the word of the apostle; but all of his church members had a responsibility to hear and obey as well.

And so do we today.

II. Paul’s Words to the Pastor (6:11–21)

A. What Timothy is to do (6:11–14, 17–21)

1. Flee from evil, and follow after good (6:11).

2. Fight the good fight of faith (6:12).

3. Faithfully fulfill your ministry (6:13–14, 20a).

4. Warn the rich (6:17–19).

a. What they should do (6:17–18)

(1) Don’t trust in your money (6:17).

(2) Use it to help others (6:18).

b. Why they should do it (6:19): God will reward them both on earth and in heaven.

5. Reject godless philosophies (6:20b–21).

B. For whom Timothy is to do it (6:15–16): God.

1. The blessed and only Almighty God (6:15a)

2. The King of Kings (6:15b)

3. The Lord of Lords (6:15c)

4. The immortal and invisible God (6:16a)

6. The One dwelling in unapproachable light (6:16b)