1 Timothy is somewhat unusual in its ending. It lacks the usual benediction and final greeting that Paul typically puts in his letter. Instead, 1 Timothy is all business right up to the very end, and concludes with a final charge to Timothy.

You can see it in 1 Timothy 6:20-21:

Paul finishes off his letter to Timothy with a final charge, the third such charge he has given (1:18-19, 6:13-16). It might be the fourth charge, if you see 4:6-10 as a charge.

Paul has given Timothy many explicit instructions in this brief letter, but almost every one of them centers around the false teachers and their influence in the Ephesian church. That factor even is seen in Paul’s concluding remarks and final charge.

This final charge comes in two parts.

After Paul’s spontaneous break for a doxology in last week’s passage, he returns to the topic of verse 9, worldly wealth.

Take a look at this week’s passage in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

Some scholars believe that this passage doesn’t belong here. Either it should have come earlier in the letter and has been misplaced, or it has been added after the fact. More likely, after breaking into a bit of spontaneous worship, Paul returns to his point, and provides some insight for those who already have worldly wealth.

His instruction here carries the force of a command, and in fact, he conveys the authority to Timothy to make this a command to those who have wealth. Who is he speaking to? The implications are far-reaching, especially to America, who holds a significant portion of the world’s wealth. So we must take heed of these instructions.

In this section of Scripture, Paul gives some very specific instructions. he gives us two things to avoid, four things to do, and two things to gain.

In last week’s passage, Paul give a very personal charge to Timothy, although it was given in the context of the false teachers. In our passage for this week, Paul expands on that charge, and makes it very solemn.

You can see it in 1 Timothy 6:13-16:

This is a bit of a bigger passage than we normally take a look at. But since it’s all one continuous thought, it doesn’t make sense to break it up over a couple of weeks. So let’s look at it in its entirety, verse by verse.

Verse 13

God is described as the God who gives life to everything. The verb used here conveys the idea that God gives or preserves life. This brings the image to mind that God holds all things together and keeps the universe in motion (Colossians 1:17).

Paul goes on to state that just as Jesus made the good confession before Pilate, and in this he encourages Timothy to stand fast and hold to the good confession he made when becoming a follower of Christ. While the specifics of what Paul intended aren’t clear, this much is easily inferable.

Verse 14

Paul calls Timothy to “keep this commandment.” There is some debate as to what this refers to, and there are several possibilities. (1) It may refer to the charge just given in verses 11-12; (2) a charge he received when he was baptized; (3) a charge he may have received at his ordination; (4) all of Christianity, in whole; or (5) the commandment for Timothy to persevere in his own faith and ministry, which we saw in 1 Timothy 4:16. In my examination of different commentaries, there seems to be equal support for each of these, especially the second and last ideas. Regardless, Timothy is to keep this command until Christ returns.

Paul moves from his discussion of the false teachers to how Timothy should live in response. Paul calls Timothy a “Man of God,” which is a sharp contrast to the sick greed and false doctrine of the false teachers just discussed.

This week’s passage is found in 1 Timothy 6:11-12:

The first thing that Paul tells Timothy is to flee “all of this.” What is Timothy to flee from? The greed just discussed in verses 6-10, but Paul also includes the false teachings and different doctrines from verse three and earlier in the letter.

Paul refers to Timothy as a “man of God.” This is in compete contrast to the false teaching of the men infiltrating the Ephesian church, and indicates that Timothy’s doctrine comes from God himself, while that of the false teachers does not. The background for this phrase, which isn’t common usage for Paul, is based in the Old Testament. Each time it is used in the Old Testament it refers to one of God’s servants, such as Moses (Deuteronomy 33:1), David (Nehemiah 12:24), or one of the prophets.

Since Timothy is a man of God, he is to pursue something different than the false teachers. His behavior is to stand in stark contrast to theirs. Among others, Paul lists a few qualities that Timothy is to continue to develop in his life and ministry:

Over the past few verses, Paul has encouraged Timothy to watch his motives, and to address the improper motives of the false teachers in the Ephesian church. He has explained the evidence of wrong motives (verse 3), the nature of wrong motives (verses 4-5), the prevention of wrong motives (verses 6-7), and now he discusses the results of wrong motives.

Take a look at this passage in 1 Timothy 6:9-10:

Those who are obsessed with the desire to get rich and have an unhealthy longing for more material resources are staring at a trap.

Being caught up in the desire for material possessions is a downward spiral. The temptation is an enticement leading to sin. The enticement becomes a trap. The trap, once sprung, becomes foolish and harmful, leading to ruin and destruction.

Let’s take a closer look at this progression. Desiring and pursuing after riches leads to at least six disasters.

In last week’s passage, Paul addressed the false teachers’ view that godliness was a mean to financial gain. Those false teachers were partly right; godliness does lead to gain, but not in the way they expect.

See what Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8:

The false teachers were partly right. Godliness does lead to gain. And Paul’s next statement stands in stark contrast to that faulty view. There is great gain, or profit, in godliness, when it is accompanied by contentment. What does contentment mean? Simply this: we are to be satisfied with what we have and not seek after material gain. Contentment pairs nicely with godliness.

The irony is in the fact that Paul was striving against a Stoic philosophy, and one of the favorite virtues of the Stoics was self-sufficiency, or the ability to rely on your own inner resources. Paul has already addressed this idea in Philippians 4:11, where he makes a strong case that true contentment isn’t self-sufficiency, but Christ-sufficiency.

Paul’s point here is to point out the fact that relying upon Christ is the only way to combat our own greed, as well as that of the false teachers that Timothy was facing.

Paul gives Timothy two reasons why contentment should accompany godliness, and why that is such an advantage, or gain.

In Paul’s final chapter of 1 Timothy, he returns to the original topic of the letter, the need for Timothy to address the false teachers that are infiltrating the Ephesian church.

You can see this week’s passage in 1 Timothy 6:3-5:

The Problems

Paul has just instructed Timothy to teach “these things,” in verse two. In contrast to that command, the next portion of his letter address the false teachings that have permeated his entire letter. This teaching is different from what Timothy is to stand firm upon, because it “does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Nor does it conform to “godly teaching.” Paul’s word “sound” literally means “healthy.” In other words, Timothy is to provide doctrine that promotes spiritual health. The false teachers are not doing so. These false teachers are not promoting a life of reverence or worship to God; in fact, what they are teaching is just the opposite, and have abandoned the truth of the gospel of Christ. This is their underlying error.