1 Timothy 6:9-19

9 But ¹those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ²into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that ³plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of ⁴all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

11 But as for you, ⁵O man of God, ⁶flee these things. ⁷Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

12 ⁸Fight the good fight of the faith. ⁹Take hold of the eternal life ¹⁰to which you were called and about which you made ¹¹the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

13 ¹²I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, ¹³who in his testimony before^[a] Pontius Pilate made ¹⁴the good confession,

14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until ¹⁵the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 which he will display ¹⁶at the proper time--he who is ¹⁷the blessed and only Sovereign, ¹⁸the King of kings and Lord of lords,

16 ¹⁹who alone has immortality, ²⁰who dwells in ²¹unapproachable light, ²²whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for the rich in ²³this present age, charge them ²⁴not to be haughty, nor ²⁵to set their hopes on ²⁶the uncertainty of riches, but on God, ²⁷who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

18 They are to do good, ²⁸to be rich in good works, to be generous and ²⁹ready to share,

19 thus ³⁰storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may ³¹take hold of ³²that which is truly life.

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1 Timothy 6:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO I TIMOTHY 6

In this chapter the apostle gives some instructions to servants; lays down some rules, by which to judge of false teachers; advises to contentment; exposes the sin of covetousness; exhorts Timothy to avoid sin, and follow after things that are good, to be constant in his warfare, the issue of which would be eternal life; gives him a charge with respect to himself, and orders him what he should enjoin others, particularly the rich, and what he should do himself; and wishes grace unto him, to enable him to discharge his duty. The instructions to servants are of two sorts; first, to such who had unbelieving masters, whom they ought to honour and obey; that the name and doctrine of Christ be not evil spoken of: and then to such as had believing masters, that they despise them not being brethren, but should the more cheerfully serve them; because believers in Christ, beloved of God, and partakers of his grace; which duties are worthy to be insisted upon in the Gospel ministry, 1Ti 6:1,2, and such who teach not these things are to be accounted false teachers, whose characters are given in several particulars; as men unsound, proud, ignorant, quarrelsome, and covetous, and to be withdrawn from, 1Ti 6:3-5. And from hence the apostle exhorts to contentment; and argues for it, partly from the gain of it along with godliness; and partly from the consideration of what men are, when they come into the world, and what they will be, when they go out of it; and also from having food and raiment, which include all the necessaries of life, 1Ti 6:6-8. And then he exposes the folly and danger of covetousness, being the root of all evil; an enemy to true religion and godliness; and the cause of ruin and destruction, 1Ti 6:9,10. Wherefore he addresses himself to Timothy, in particular, to avoid everything of this kind; and to follow the reverse of those things that were in the false teachers; to fight the good fight of faith, and then lay hold on eternal life; to which he encourages him, from his calling, and the profession he had made, in a very public manner, 1Ti 6:11,12. And then follows a solemn charge unto him, given him before God and Christ; that he would observe what had been commanded him in the most perfect manner, until the appearance of Christ; which is certain, and may be concluded will be, from the various epithets of God; who will make him manifest in his own time, 1Ti 6:13-16. To which is added an injunction on Timothy to charge rich men not to be elated with their riches, nor trust in them, since they are uncertain things; but in God, from whom they have received such a plentiful measure of them; that they be beneficent to others, which will turn to their own advantage in the issue, 1Ti 6:17-19. And to close all, he is very urgent upon Timothy, to keep the Gospel pure and uncorrupt, he was intrusted with; and avoid everything that was opposite to it, as profane and mere babbling, and having only a show of knowledge, but not that itself; and the rather, since some profane teachers and professors of the Gospel had erred from it: and concludes with wishing him grace, to enable him to attend to the several instructions which had been given him, 1Ti 6:20,21.

under the yoke of the law of God, or under the yoke of Christ; though the servants here spoken of were under both; but "under the yoke of government", as the Arabic version renders it; that is, under the yoke of men, in a state of servitude, under the government of masters, and in their service; being either apprentices to them, or bought with their money, or hired by them:

\\count their own masters worthy of all honour\\; and give it to them; which includes subjection to them; obedience to all their lawful commands, which are consistent with religion and reason, with the laws of God, and with the light of nature; and all reverence of them, and respect unto them, expressed by words and gestures: and all this is to be given to their own masters to whom they belong; who have a property in them; whose money or goods they are; and that be they what they will, as to their religion and temper; whether they be believers or unbelievers; or whether they be good and gentle, kind and humane; or whether they be froward, peevish, and ill natured:

\\that the name of God and [his] doctrine be not blasphemed\\; by unbelieving masters, who, should their believing servants be refractory, disobedient, rebellious, or disrespectful, would be apt to say, what a God do these men serve? is this their religion? is this the Gospel they talk of? does their doctrine teach them such things, to be disobedient to their masters, and carry it disrespectfully to them? does it disengage them from the laws of nature, and dissolve the bonds of civil society, and destroy the relation that subsists between man and man? If this be the case, away with their God and their doctrine too. Wherefore the apostle exhorts, that if believing servants have any regard to that name they are called by, and call upon, and to the doctrine of the Gospel they have embraced and professed; that they would be obedient and respectful to their masters; that they may have no occasion to speak reproachfully of God, and of the Gospel. 06646-940625-1323-1Ti6.2

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 32

1. Proverbs 15:27; Proverbs 23:4; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 13:22
2. [1 Timothy 3:7]
3. [1 Timothy 1:19]
4. [Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19]
5. 2 Timothy 3:17
6. 2 Timothy 2:22
7. See Proverbs 15:9
8. [1 Timothy 1:18]; See 1 Corinthians 9:25
9. [Philippians 3:12]
10. 1 Peter 5:10
11. See 2 Corinthians 9:13
12. See 1 Timothy 5:21
13. [Matthew 27:11; John 18:37; Revelation 1:5; Revelation 3:14]
14. [See ver. 12 above]
15. See 2 Thessalonians 2:8
16. See 1 Timothy 2:6
17. 1 Timothy 1:11
18. See Revelation 17:14
19. See 1 Timothy 1:17
20. [Psalms 104:2]
21. Job 37:23
22. See John 1:18
23. 2 Timothy 4:10; Titus 2:12
24. Romans 11:20; Romans 12:3, 16
25. See Mark 10:24
26. Proverbs 23:5; [Matthew 13:22]
27. See Acts 14:17
28. Luke 12:21; Titus 3:8, 14
29. See Romans 12:13
30. See Matthew 6:19, 20
31. ver. 12
32. [2 Timothy 1:1]

Footnotes 1

[a]. Or in the time of

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.