1 Timothy 6:19-21 - Guard what has been entrusted

6:19

What we do in this life matters. As evangelicals we often have a problem with this concept for we worry that we end up with salvation by works. The Bible has no such problems, so neither should we. Here Paul teaches us that by living a life based on eternal principles, rather than one based on the fleeting and delusionary appeal of money, we establish a firm foundation for the life to come. “So that they may take hold of the life that is truly life”. We start eternal life now! We get a foretaste of it now.

6:20,21

Things had been entrusted to Timothy. The gospel had been entrusted to him. He needed to present and teach it faithfully, to instruct people in the gospel. He had responsibilities to the church, he had been given charge of part of the church. Our society is very much focused on self-fulfilment, this is wrong. We were created by God, we are given a purpose and tasks by God, that needs to be the focus of our lives, it needs to be the way we look at life. Actually living this way will make our lives far more fulfilled, and we will have much more peace in our lives.

Timothy also had to oppose the false ideas and teachings, this is part of our ministry. Those who teach wrong ideas have departed from the faith. As I have said before, we need to have a much more robust attitude to false teachings and false teachers, without the errors of the so-called “discernment ministries”.

“Grace and peace to you all”. The use of the plural here implies that Paul envisaged the letter being read out to the church as a whole, at least at some point.