Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,
Parallel translations
- WEB This instruction I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to you, that by them you may wage the good warfare;
- KJV This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
- NKJV This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
- NASB This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
- NLT Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.
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 charges Timothy, in line with prophecies spoken over him, to fight the good fight. It frames ministry as a spiritual battle requiring resolve.
Overview
Paul entrusts his charge to Timothy, recalling earlier prophecies that pointed to Timothy's calling. He urges him to 'wage the good warfare,' picturing faithful ministry as spiritual combat. Timothy is to draw courage from God's prior confirmation of his call.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Tim 4:14Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
- 1 Tim 6:20O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”
- 2 Tim 4:1–3I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:
- 2 Tim 2:1–5You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Cor 10:3–4For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
- 2 Tim 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
- Phil 2:22But you know Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to advance the gospel.
- Eph 6:12–18For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
- 1 Tim 6:12–14Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.
- 1 Tim 1:11–12that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
- 1 Tim 1:2To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 2 Tim 1:2To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 1 Tim 4:4For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
- Phlm 1:10I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains.
- Titus 1:4To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
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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 1:18 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
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