1 Timothy 6:11-15

 

1 Tim 6:11 (KJB)

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

 

Flee - Shun or escape

Follow - Pursue

 

Paul is commanding Timothy to flee from any ideas of covetousness of the worlds goods. The words “flee” and “follow” are in the Imperative mood, making them commands plus they are in the present tense which means that this fleeing must be a constant part of the Christian’s life. It is imperative that Christians do not become diverted by pursuing the wealth of the world which is fleeting and temporary. Paul is commanding Timothy to seek the fruits of the Christian walk. This is not to say that we do not work for a living and make money because we have to live, support missions, help others, support our local church if it has not gone apostate, etc. So Paul does not mean making a living is wrong, what is wrong is the obsession with making money that causes us to neglect the mission we are given from the Lord to send forth the Gospel. (Mark 16:15 KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. We cannot serve two masters, either we are dedicated to the Lord’s work or Satan’s work.

 

Righteousness - Doing what is right in the confines of true salvation.

 

Godliness - Christian attitude and conduct, piety

 

Faith - To live our lives in faith which is believing God for everything.

 

Love - A high and holy love which seeks the best for others.

 

Patience - Perseverance in the face of adverse circumstances and in teaching the Gospel to others and helping them understand.

 

Meekness - A gentle spirit which is in opposition to being divisive or argumentative.

 

1 Tim 6:12 (KJB)

Fight (1) the good fight (2) of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

 

Fight (1) - Strive or agonize

Fight (2) - Contest or conflict

Lay Hold - Grasp, take hold of, or catch

 

One thing that Christians must always be cognizant of is that they will always be in a situation of striving for the Gospel. That does not mean striving to become saved but after one is saved, then the conflicts begin. When we were in the world and a member of Satan’s kingdom, we went with the flow but now being in God’s Kingdom in an evil world means we are going to go from conflict to conflict. The first word for “fight” is where we get our English word “agonize.” The word “fight” is in the Imperative Mood which means a command. The Christian is not to acquiesce or surrender to the forces of evil, which now come under the guise of ecumenism or neo-evangelicalism. We are to fight and contend for the faith. We are at war! (Jude 1:3 KJV) Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

 

Then Paul states that Timothy is to grasp or lay hold on eternal life. Timothy was already saved so what Paul wanted him to do was to realize that the war he was having against the kingdom of Satan would be fought with the spiritual tools found in every believer given by the Holy Spirit upon salvation. (2 Cor 10:4 KJV) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Since our weapons are mighty through God, it is to Him that we look in all circumstances. Timothy was also to lead people to Christ as his primary ministry was to exalt Christ. He was to let them know that even though Christians suffer at the hands of the evil, it is the reality of eternal life in our lives that sustain us and give us the victories. Apparently, Timothy had understood that principle because he had a good testimony before many witnesses. His faith in Christ would have manifested itself in all situations thus creating the biblical testimony.

 

1 Tim 6:13 (KJB)

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

 

Quickeneth - Makes alive

 

Paul makes an authoritative charge to Timothy because the Gospel is dealing with the eternal souls of people and must never be taken lightly. He charges Timothy in the sight of God who is the one who makes all His children alive from the spiritually dead and before the Lord Jesus Christ who had kept and maintained a great testimony when He was in front of Pilate. Jesus did not shrink back and His truth telling, helped Him become crucified because the world cannot stand truth. It will also repel us when we begin to speak the truth of the Gospel.

 

1 Tim 6:14 (KJB)

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

Unrebukeable - Without reproach, without fault

 

The commandment which is in view is probably what we read in verses 11-12, which were to flee the snares of the world and to take up the battle for the Gospel. This commandment is to obeyed by every Christian until the Lord returns on the last day. If Christianity is to become strong again, Christians must flee the temptations of the world and that includes ecumenical thinking, and we are to lay hold on the pure truths of eternal life, AKA salvation in Christ. We are not to war for the Gospel in the ways of the world. The Crusades which were done by the Roman Catholic Church have unfortunately been attached to Christianity which is a fallacy. I just want to use this as an example. We never use worldly methods to get out the true Gospel but we rely totally on the Holy Spirit who opens the spiritual understanding of those He chooses. If we evangelize the world the Lord’s way, we will remain unrebukeable.

 

1 Tim 6:15 (KJB)

Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

 

This verse is a continuation of verse 14 which is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the day appointed by God for the Lord Jesus Christ to return, then all the graves will be open and all the unbelievers will be raised for judgment. At that time they are going to see the Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory and He will then be manifest as the true source of all power and the kings and the rich and powerful men of the earth will bow before Him. (Rev 19:16 KJV) And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. They will then know that Christ, the one whom they had rejected, was the true power in this world and Christians were His real chosen people.

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