1 Timothy 6:21 – Three Minute Bible

1940's style photo of a large family praying before a meal (Grok)

Grace be with you all.

Summary: As we conclude our study of 1 Timothy, Paul offers us a reminder of the goodness of God.

Well, we are finally here. We have reached the end of a long and fascinating journey through Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Along the way we have learned about Paul and Timothy as people, and also as brothers in Christ. We have also learned about the Gospel and how we are to live it.

Paul’s next-to-last sentence was especially challenging. In it, he warns about the dangers of false knowledge and cautions that there is a danger of ‘departing from the faith.’ For many of us, the idea of leaving the faith is terrifying. So frightening, in fact, that we don’t even want to consider it a possibility.

Paul understands.

We know he understands, because having made the statement about false knowledge, he ends his letter with “Grace be with you all.”

What, exactly, does that mean?

The word Paul used, charis, is a word that means things like “benefit, favor, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality.”* If God gives you or me grace, it means he is making allowances for who we are and what we do.

Grace is not a free pass to do whatever we please. It is more like an ointment or a salve that is applied to a wound to ease pain and speed healing.

Having God’s grace in our lives is the difference between looking over our shoulders constantly to see if we have been found out, and relaxing on the couch, confident that the cop on the street outside is there to protect us, not haul us to jail.

Paul’s passion for the Gospel is amazing. He never seems to waver in the slightest. Everything is about Jesus Christ—nothing else matters. Except that in life we have stubbed toes, parking tickets, hurt feelings, and … dare I admit it? … occasional trips to the freezer for an ice cream when no one is looking.

These things happen.

Timothy won’t always get it perfectly right. He is human. Mistakes will be made, and hopefully, lessons will be learned. The Good News is that, not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, but he offers us grace for our daily lives as well.

Application: Live for Jesus in the big things and the small.

Food for Thought: How does God’s grace help strengthen our faith?

*”G5485 – charis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 25 Aug, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

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… which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

Summary: Paul’s closing thought is a doozy. Somewhere there is an invisible line which, once crossed, means we have departed from the faith.

Let’s begin with a review of Paul’s closing paragraph:

“Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.” (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

1. Guard what has been entrusted to your care — the truth.

2. Turn your back on false claims of truth.

3. Because some have not and ended up leaving the faith.

This closing thought in Paul’s letter is one that has terrified church leaders for centuries. They are haunted by the question, “How can I make sure my flock never strays from the truth?” In order to answer that question, the church, over the years, has systematized and clarified the Gospel over and over again. We want to make certain that the truth is clear and that people know it.

Our understanding of “truth” has shifted, and nobody noticed.

Paul’s understanding of the Gospel is not about Jesus Christ; it is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).

Here is the scary part:

We can drift away from the truth and not realize it. Like a boat that slips its mooring lines in the middle of the night, we drift into the night fog without noticing the change. It is only when the sun rises, burns off the fog, and shows us the truth that we realize land is no longer in sight.

The same is true for faith.

Over the centuries since Paul’s day, the church has established theologies and rules. We have to believe in words about Jesus to be saved rather than believing in Jesus.

The shift has been subtle—impossible to notice, but it is real. That is why Paul is so concerned about guarding the truth.

How do we know the difference between true knowledge and false knowledge? The answer isn’t intellectual assent. Believing something is true doesn’t make it so. Truth is true because it is real.

You don’t need a book about rocks to recognize a rock when you feel one. It is hard, cold, and heavy. Big or little, wet or dry, polished or rough—a rock is a rock. We know it, not when we see it, but when we make contact with it.

Have you ever seen one of those fake rocks used to hide a key in the yard? Have you seen displays in a museum or a zoo where the rocks look real but sound hollow and feel like fiberglass?

You know what the truth is when you touch it, or it touches you. Jesus is the truth. Turn away from false knowledge.

Application: Know Jesus.

Food for Thought: Where is the line between truth and false knowledge?

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Tag: 1 Timothy 6:21

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