… I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame…
Summary: This passage is packed full of everything that Paul holds dear.
As we work our way through Paul’s letter to Timothy, we methodically pick through every sentence for spiritual and informational gemstones God has planted in the text. This is not an approach we take lightly! However, a drawback of moving slowly is that we can lose track of the larger picture. For example, which “command” is Paul referring to?
If we go back to the beginning of the paragraph, Paul says, “But you, man of God…,” and then he launches into a series of instructions:
1. Flee from the temptations that come with a desire for money (verses 6-10).
2. Pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (v 11).
3. “Fight the good fight of the faith” (v 12).
4. Take hold of … eternal life (v 12).
5. Hold fast to your “good confession” of faith in Jesus Christ (v 12).*
Could this be the “command” Paul is referring to?
Then there is the qualifier that Paul adds:
“I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame…”
Whoa!
That sounds a lot like Paul is demanding perfection.
Is he?
The answer, in short, is “Yes.” Paul is asking a lot of Timothy. Yet, before we rush to judgment, let’s step back and take a deep breath.
First of all, Paul considers Timothy to be his “true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). This is different than a father’s expectation of his biological son. Paul’s sentiment toward Timothy is not based on emotional affection but instead on a shared love and commitment for the Gospel.
In his quest to serve God, Paul holds himself to an impossibly high standard.
Before he understood that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God, Paul persecuted Christians to the ends of the earth because he believed they were an affront to God. After he encountered the living God on the road to Damascus, Paul changed course and devoted his life to the very thing he had been committed to destroying.
In his service to God, Paul doesn’t allow himself to serve in half measures. It is all or nothing, and he expects the same of his true son in the faith.
Application: Be ‘all in’ for Jesus.
Food for Thought: Some might accuse Paul of demanding we submit to ‘works righteousness.’ What do you think? What is Paul asking of Timothy and us?
*Yes, I am putting words in Paul’s mouth here. See “1 Timothy 6:13b – Good News!.”
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