1 Timothy 6:12

6:12 Compete well ¹  for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession ²  for ³  in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 5:1

Instructions about Specific Groups

5:1 Do not address an older man harshly ⁴  but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers, ⁵ 

1 Timothy 1:16

1:16 But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that ⁶  in me as the worst, ⁷  Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 6:10

6:10 For the love of money is the root ⁸  of all evils. ⁹  Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

1 Timothy 1:9

1:9 realizing that law ¹⁰  is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,

[6:12]  ¹ tn This phrase literally means “compete in the good competition of the faith,” using words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”

[6:12]  ² sn At some point in Timothy’s life, he publicly acknowledged Jesus as the resurrected Lord, perhaps either at his baptism or his ordination as a minister of the gospel. With this reminder of the historical moment of his good confession, Timothy is encouraged to remain steadfast in his faith and to finish his life as a minister in the same way it began (see G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles [NIGTC], 264-65).

[6:12]  ³ tn Grk “confessed the good confession.”

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Or “Do not speak harshly to an older man.”

[5:1]  ⁵ tn No verb “speak” is stated in this clause, but it continues the sense of the preceding.

[1:16]  ⁷ tn Grk “but because of this I was treated with mercy, so that…”

[1:16]  ⁸ tn Grk “in me first,” making the connection with the last phrase of v. 15.

[6:10]  ¹⁰ tn This could be taken to mean “a root,” but the phrase “of all evils” clearly makes it definite. This seems to be not entirely true to life (some evils are unrelated to love of money), but it should be read as a case of hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point more strongly).

[6:10]  ¹¹ tn Many translations render this “of all kinds of evil,” especially to allow for the translation “a root” along with it. But there is no parallel for taking a construction like this to mean “all kinds of” or “every kind of.” The normal sense is “all evils.”

[1:9]  ¹³ sn Law. There is no definite article (“the”) with this word in Greek and so the inherent quality of the OT law as such is in view. But the OT law is still in mind, since the types of sinful people surveyed in vv. 9b-11a follow the general outline of sins prohibited in the Decalogue.