But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time - God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who is alone immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen.
Commentary
So now Paul advises Timothy how to handle himself in the face of these church problems. He reminds Timothy that he is a man of God. His pursuits are not to be the material pursuits of the false teachers. Rather, he is to pursue the good things that lead to godliness and contentment; things like righteousness, faith, love and endurance. Practicing and promoting these things is what Paul calls fighting the good fight - boldly taking hold of the rewards granted by the Christian life.
He charges Timothy to be invigorated by his faith that he confessed before witnesses all those years before; and to keep these commands without failure until Jesus returns. Paul then closes with a brief prayer of praise, beautifully illustrating God's glory, majesty and place.
Questions
1) Paul reminds Timothy in verse 11 that he is a man of God. Why do you think he does this?
2) What's the significance of the word "pursue" in verse 11?
3) What things can hinder us from the pursuit of godliness until Jesus returns?
4) What does Paul mean when he says Timothy should "take hold of the eternal life to which he was called"?
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