1 Timothy 6

Serving with Honor// Ephesians 6:5–9; Colossians 3:22–25

¹All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. ²Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

Reject False Doctrines

³If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, ⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes about words, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, ⁵and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.

Godliness with Contentment

⁶Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

• 1TI 6:6[NOTABLE]The false teachers saw faith as a way to get rich, 6:5. Paul flips it: knowing God and being content is the real jackpot. You came in with nothing and you leave with nothing, Job 1:21.

⁹Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

• 1TI 6:9[NOTABLE]Paul's classic warning, often misquoted as money is the root of all evil. He actually says the LOVE of money is the root of ALL KINDS of evil.

Fight the Good Fight

¹¹But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.

• 1TI 6:12[NOTABLE]The word fight is agon, used for athletes in a contest. Faith takes effort. At the end of his life Paul could say, I have fought the good fight, 2 Timothy 4:7.

¹³I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate: ¹⁴Keep this commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which the blessed and only Sovereign One—the King of kings and Lord of lords—will bring about in His own time. ¹⁶He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

• 1TI 6:14[PROPHECY]Keep this commandment until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time → STILL TO COME

A Charge to the Rich// Proverbs 23:1–5; James 5:1–6

¹⁷Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. ¹⁸Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

• 1TI 6:17[NOTABLE]Paul does not tell the rich to become poor. He tells them not to be proud, to trust God instead of money, and to be rich in good works, generous and ready to share. God richly provides all things for us to enjoy, 6:17.

Guard the Faith

²⁰O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,” ²¹which some have professed and thus swerved away from the faith.

• 1TI 6:20[NOTE]SO CALLED KNOWLEDGE. The Greek word is gnosis. In the 100s a movement called Gnosticism taught that secret knowledge saves you and the body is bad. Irenaeus, about AD 180, named his famous book against them after this verse: On the Detection and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So Called. Some scholars think Paul was facing an early form of it; others say it was simply the false teaching of his day.

Grace be with you all.