1 Timothy 6:11–21 (NIV84)
Paul’s Charge to Timothy
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called
when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep
this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who
lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this
present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous
and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from
the faith.
Grace be with you.
As a true man of God, Timothy is to flee
every corrupting influence and keep God’s command, faithfully guarding that which has been deposited with him. False “knowledge” not only contradicts God’s revealed truth, but it also places human reason above the deposit of good news
God has entrusted to us, ultimately destroying our faith. In His testimony before Pontius Pilate, Jesus confessed that He was the Son of God. Although His enemies used that true testimony to convict Him before Pilate, His crucifixion and resurrection secured
the treasures of life and salvation for all who believe.
I pray: Lord God, guard and keep us, we pray, so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive
us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO:
Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2078.