“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Paul’s statement in these verses consists of a series of commands (vv.11-12), a sober-minded appeal (vv.13-14), and a motivating praise to God (vv.15-16). This exhortation is in utter contrast to the methods of the false teachers mentioned in verses 3-10. Timothy is warned to flee from the heresy, constant friction, and runaway greed that characterized the false teaching. Instead, he says Timothy is to embrace the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ as he flees from error and pursues a life of godliness.
1. The Track to Run On (vv.11-12)
FLEE & PURSUE
• Flee —> A continuing action (it is not enough to flee from these things once, but to flee constantly, over and over again)
• Pursue/aim at —> Eagerly seek to attain
CHARACTERISTICS
• RIGHTEOUSNESS (right living based on Scripture) —> GODLINESS (observable lifestyle that exalts Jesus)
• FAITH (an attitude of continually looking to Christ) —> LOVE (embracive concern for others)
• STEADFASTNESS/endurance/patience (the ability to go forward in faith and be full of hope, not giving up) —> GENTLENESS (humility, kindness toward others)
Fight the good fight of the faith and take hold of eternal life to which you were called.
We fight the world, indwelling (remaining) sin, and the devil.
“Sin is a deceitful, malevolent and seductive killer, still lurking in the corners of your heart (as a believer). Sin is always harmful, always destructive, and never good. Sin is never something you should find a way to live with. Sin is never an acceptable occupant in the home that is your heart. Sin must be destroyed. It must be eradicated. It must be put to death. There is no acceptable Plan B. The goal of God’s sanctifying grace is the final death of the sin that remains in us….Any thing, thought, desire, motivation, purpose, plan, attitude, or action that in any way, shape or form opposes the knowledge of God and new life in his Son, must be destroyed.” Paul David Tripp, Do You Believe?, pp. 349-350
2. A Sober-minded Appeal (vv.12-14)
“The Apostles themselves… all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
3. Motivating Praise to God (vv. 15-16)
“For it is doctrine not of the tongue, but of life. It is not apprehended by the understanding and memory alone, as other disciplines are, but it is received only when it possesses the whole soul, and finds a seat and resting place in the inmost affections of the heart.” John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, 3-3-4
QUESTIONS:
1. Why is it different to say “flee from sin” as compared to “flee from sin so you can pursue the good, gracious and happy life found in Christ”?
2. Why would “keep fighting and rejoicing” be a good parting greeting among believers?
3. What do we mean when we say “fight against the world, remaining sin, and the devil”? Can we discern where one begins and the other ends?
4. How does the hope of Heaven sustain us?
5. How does Exodus 33:20-33 correspond to Hebrews 1:1-3?
6. Why did the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day desire to stone him? (John 10:30-33, John 5:18)
7. Why is Joseph’s response to Potiphar’s seductive wife more of a stoic response than a glory-filled, joy-saturated, happiness-expectant response (Genesis 39)?