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.