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1 Timothy 1:18c – How Christians Fight

Graphic rendering of the "armor of God" (Grok)

… so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well …

Summary: Paul’s admonition to “fight the battle well” makes us wonder what he means by “fight.”   

It is worth taking a few minutes to pause and think about what Paul means by “fight the battle well.” 

Normally, in human terms, the word “fight” involves a struggle for domination. Sometimes it is a matter of aggression. The other side of the coin is fighting to survive. Both types involve overcoming the opponent. 

Our language embraces this kind of thinking. We talk about “survival of the fittest” and the “struggle to survive.” Even our pets know how hard it is to get along because it is a “dog eat dog world.” 

Christians fight differently. 

Believers don’t fight for domination. We don’t even fight to survive. Instead, our struggle is to obey God and honor our King. 

Think about Jesus for a moment. How many times did he haul off and punch a Pharisee in the mouth? It is not that he wouldn’t have been justified in dispensing a little “justice.” 

And what about Paul? Did he hurl insults at his opponents? Did he ever take out a sword and start lopping off limbs? Did he, after his encounter with Jesus, ever do anything that would have physically hurt anybody?*

No. 

So what does Paul mean by “fight the battle well?”

Perhaps the best description of what it means to fight a Christian battle is found in Ephesians (Ephesians 6:10-20). In this chapter, Paul famously talks about a Christian’s battle gear — the armor of God. 

To begin with, Paul points out that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood.” This is important. Jesus died because he wanted “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 1:4). So if our King, Jesus, wants people to be saved, it doesn’t make sense for us to go around beating them up. 

The second thing that stands out in the Ephesians passage is the constant refrain of standing your ground: … take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (v 11), and … “stand your ground,” …”to stand,” “Stand firm …” (vs 13-14)

Our God wants us to stand firm. Our only weapon is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (vs 17). 

The other instruction he gives us is to pray: pray, pray, pray (Eph 6:18-20). 

If we can do these things, hang onto the Word of God, walk in the Spirit, and stand firm in the faith, we will fight the battle well. 

Application: Stand firm! 

Food for Thought: If we are in a battle, how do we know if we are winning? 

*Yes, he did wish that certain people would emasculate themselves, but that was just talk (Galatians 5:12). 

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1 Timothy 1:18b – Personal Prophecies

“Pentecost” by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1490s), Public Domain
“Pentecost” by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1490s), Public Domain

… in keeping with the prophecies once made about you …

Summary: Paul’s reference to the “prophecies once made about you” leads us to wonder what they might have been and how they came about.   

To understand what Paul is saying in this passage, we really need to talk about personal prophecies. 

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1 Timothy 1:18a – Fighting God

Cartoon picture of a man using a hammer on the foot of the statue "David." The statue says "Ouch!"

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command …

Summary: The reason for Paul’s command to Timothy is that others were teaching false gospels. Why they were doing this is open to speculation, so let’s speculate!  

“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.” (1 Timothy 1:3-4a) 

It is helpful to pause once more and reflect on Paul’s “command.” 

As we have discussed in prior meditations, there was a problem with people teaching “false doctrines.” Why would anyone do this? 

The answer, it turns out, is as old as humankind itself. 

The Tenth Commandment gives us a clue: 

“And you shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Deuteronomy 5:21)

People covet. They are often envious and jealous of what others have or have accomplished. When people feel this way, their expression of envy can be ugly. 

In doing research for our recent meditation, “Glory” (1 Timothy 1:17f), I was shocked to read that when the statue “David” was moved from  Opera del Duomo, where Michelangelo did his work, to the Piazza della Signoria, where it was displayed, it was attacked by envious artists. 

Apparently, a guard had to accompany the giant statue during its four-day journey “to protect it from violence by other artists … who had hoped for the commission.”*

They actually threw stones at it! To this day, there are marks on the statue’s back where stones flung at the statue chipped the marble. 

Even as recently as 1991, a deranged artist snuck a hammer into the museum and started banging on David’s left foot. Before guards could stop him, he had broken off several chunks of marble (some of which were later recovered from tourists trying to sneak them out of the museum!). 

Envy is an ugly thing, and jealousy is an evil master. 

We don’t know exactly why people pushed false doctrines, but it is not hard to imagine that they were envious and wanted to “throw stones” at the work Paul had done. 

What they failed to see was the man behind Paul — Jesus. They weren’t fighting against Paul; they were fighting against God.

Application: Guard your heart against coveting.  

Food for Thought: What message does tearing down what others have built send to the world? 

*Wikipedia. “David (Michelangelo)” Wikipedia, 18 February 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)

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1 Timothy 1:17g – Perspective

 … for ever and ever. Amen.

Summary: This is a good point to step back from our detailed examination of the text and regain a bit of perspective.   

Paul’s letter, so far, consists of a greeting (vs 1-2), Paul’s command against false teaching (vs 3-7), and a discussion of the proper use of the law (vs 8-11). In the last section (vs 12-17), Paul has given Timothy a brief review of his personal testimony. 

Paul’s story is not really that unusual. He is grateful for being chosen to serve the Lord, even though he was formerly disrespectful, accusatory, and violent. He remembers how God showed him mercy and how now he realizes he was ignorant of God’s true nature. Can we relate? I can!

At this point, he begins to wax poetic, visualizing God’s grace being “poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (v 14). 

He pauses for a moment to give Timothy a “trustworthy saying.” At first, it sounds like “I am the worst” is part of his personal testimony, but on reflection, we realized that it applies to all believers. Then he continues describing how God not only showed mercy on him, but also how he used Paul as an example for others so they might be encouraged and believe as well. 

Finally, we are at the climax of Paul’s praise. 

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory…”

How should he finish?

Is it enough to ascribe honor and glory to the King eternal for only a moment? 

No. 

Paul wants Timothy (and you and me) to know that God, the King eternal, deserves glory and honor for … ever and ever. 

There. 

If you could praise God only “for ever,” that would not be enough. Praise him “for ever and ever,” and you are beginning to get a perspective on how much praise God deserves from us. 

Finally, Paul adds, “Amen.” 

“Amen” is a word that can mean “So be it!”* To say “Amen” at the end of a sentence like this is to join with the one who spoke the words and agree with them. 

Before closing, we should add a historical note. 

The Greek word for “glory” is “dóxa.”† If we put “dóxa” together with the Greek word for “something said,” “lógos,” we have our modern word, “doxology.” Several centuries after Paul wrote his letter to Timothy, the church decided to start calling passages like this, passages that glorify God as Paul has here, doxologies. 

Application: Praise God for ever and ever.  

Food for Thought: If you were to write a doxology, that is, a sentence or two praising God, what would you include in it? 

*”G281 – amēn – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 17 Feb, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g281/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

†”G1391 – doxa – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 17 Feb, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1391/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

**”G3056 – logos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 17 Feb, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3056/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

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1 Timothy 1:17f – Glory

A picture of King Solomon sitting next to the statue of David. (Grok)
Screenshot

Now to the King [be] … glory…

Summary: Understanding Paul’s meaning requires digging into the language he used. While not the same as an exhaustive study, this meditation gives us a peek at what Paul might have been thinking.   

It is unfortunate, and a little confusing, when Greek and English word meanings don’t exactly line up. It is kind of like trying to mix real LEGO™ blocks with generic lego-like ones. They look the same, but they don’t quite fit together. 

In our last meditation,* we looked at the Greek word “timḗ” and why the Bible uses the English word “honor” for it. In this meditation, we look at the Greek word “dóxa” (dox’-ah) and wonder if it should be used for “honor,” too. 

Sometimes it is! 

But, most of the time, “dóxa” is translated as “glory.” 

Why?

The concept of honor, both in the Greek “timḗ” and the English, has to do with how someone is valued. Just like we “pay” respect, we “pay” honor, too. When we honor God, we acknowledge his infinite value and worth because he is the source of our lives and all that is good. 

Glory is a bit different. 

We can give glory to God in the same way we give honor, but with the word “glory,” there is a sense that the value is within the person or being. 

Consider the statue “David,” by Michelangelo. If you have ever seen it, you know that it is an enormous marble statue standing seventeen feet high. It is on display at Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence, Italy. If you ever take the time to travel to Italy and make your way to the Galleria dell’Accademia, then pay the admission fee and endure the wait and the crowds to catch a view of the famous statue, you are paying the statue honor by coming to see it. 

The glory you see is different than the honor you pay. 

There is a certain glory to the statue because of its history, the artist, and its amazing size and faithful rendering of the human body. That glory exists whether anyone is looking at the statue or not. At night, when the museum is closed and all is dark, the statue remains the same. 

The glory of God is similar but on an infinitely grander scale. 

When the Queen of Sheba came to see Solomon, and was confronted with all his glory, the Bible says that there was “no more breath in her” (2 Chronicles 9:3-6, ESV). 

God is like that, but more, far more. Confronted with the living God, John says, “When I saw him, I fell at this feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17), and that is what it is like to be in the presence of God’s glory. 

Application: Take time to appreciate God’s glory!  

Food for Thought: How does paying attention to God’s glory change our relationship with him? 

*”1 Timothy 1:17e – Paying Honor”

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1 Timothy 1:17e – Paying Honor

 Now to the King … be honor…

Summary: We owe our king everything.   

Have you ever heard the expression, to “pay someone honor?” 

When you come before a king and bow down, you are literally “paying” with your life. A person whose face is to the ground cannot see to defend themselves. Their necks are exposed, too. This is the exact posture a person would be forced to take if they were going to be beheaded. 

The Greek word Paul used is “timḗ” (tee-may’). It is a word that is often translated as “honor,” but is also used to express value or cost. It can literally refer to the price paid for something, even a person’s life.*

When Paul writes, “To the King be … honor…” he is describing the value we attribute to our God. 

Think about that for a moment. 

What value do we attribute to God, and how do we do it? 

With an earthly king, the real moment of danger is when we are physically in his presence (Esther 4:11). When we are out of sight, we are, generally speaking, out of mind — and safe. 

With God, our heavenly King, we are never out of sight or out of mind. God is omniscient (Hebrews 4:13) and omnipresent (Proverbs 15:3). We are always before our King. 

If we want to pay God honor, no time or place is not the right time or place. By the same token, there is no place to hide. If we dishonor God, he will know.

So what should we do?

Fortunately, Scripture provides us with an answer. In fact, Scripture provides us with an array of answers. 

1. God says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” (Exodus 20:3). 

2. His Word also says, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:23b).

3. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)

4. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

5. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

When we do these things, and all the other things that please our King, we pay him honor. 

Application: We owe more than we can pay, but we can pay honor out of gratitude.  

Food for Thought: What is the difference between paying honor and a righteous “work?”

*”G5092 – timē – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 15 Feb, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5092/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

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