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And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service;
1 Timothy 1:12 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
  • BSB I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.
  • NKJV And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
  • NASB I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,
  • NLT I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Paul thanks Christ for strengthening him and counting him faithful for ministry. It shows that fitness for service comes from Christ's grace, not human merit.

Overview

Paul gives thanks to Christ Jesus, who enabled him and appointed him to service despite his past. He attributes both his calling and his faithfulness to the Lord's grace. The verse models gratitude and humility, recognizing ministry as a gift from Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
  • 2 Tim 4:17But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
  • 2 Cor 12:9–10He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
  • Col 1:25of which I was made a servant, according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you, to fulfill the word of God,
  • Acts 9:15But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
  • Phil 2:11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  • 2 Cor 3:5–6not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
  • 1 Cor 7:25Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy.
  • 2 Cor 4:1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we don’t faint.
  • Acts 9:22But Saul increased more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.
  • 1 Tim 1:11according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
  • Acts 16:15When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.
  • Rev 5:9–14They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
  • Rev 7:10–12They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
  • 1 Cor 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
  • John 5:23that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Timothy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Timothy 1:12YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 TimothyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

There is 'one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all' — the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh.

How 1 Timothy 1:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.