Tag: command

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1 Timothy 6:18 – Good Deeds

People doing good deeds (Grok)

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 

Summary: What is a person who has money to do when they give their hearts to Jesus?   

There is one thing we should clear up before we get too far down our meditational road: Is Paul really commanding Timothy to “command” as much as it sounds like he is? 

In the prior verse, Paul tells Timothy to “command those who are rich…” not to be arrogant, etc. 

In the original Greek, Paul uses the word “parangellō” for “command.” The NIV adds the second “command” in verse eighteen as an interpretive clarification. This captures the meaning of the Greek grammar, but the word itself has more meanings. 

The word “parangellō“ can be translated as meaning “command,” or it can mean “charge,” “urge,” “direct,” “teach,” or “instruct” people in how they should behave. Much depends on how we understand these words when we read them. 

In verse seventeen, Paul describes what the rich are not to be. In this verse, he describes what they are to do. 

They are to “do good.” Not by human standards of doing good, but by God’s standard of doing good. They are to be “rich in good deeds,” and “generous and willing to share.” 

What does that look like? 

This is one of those topics where it would be nice to have a checklist of things we could do that qualify as “good” in God’s eyes. Instead, God leaves us to consider what we know of his Word, and what the Holy Spirit might be leading us to do, but he does offer some suggestions. 

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God speaks about the kind of fasting (sacrifice) he has chosen: 

“Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:7)

In short, God wants us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:29). 

Rich and poor both have much to offer when it comes to helping our neighbors. Sometimes what is needed is only a smile and a listening ear. At other times, money might be the answer — something the “rich” can provide. Both are valuable in God’s eyes. Both have a place in the Kingdom of God. 

Application: Live large, give generously. 

Food for Thought: How would you encourage people who have money to live generously? 

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1 Timothy 6:13c-14a – All or Nothing

Cartoon showing an archer with a target that is only the bullseye (Grok+)

… 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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1 Timothy 6:5a – Constant Friction

Picture of a hand holding a sanding block while sanding wood. (Grok)

They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in … constant friction between people of corrupt mind…

Summary: Some words are annoying, while others are a source of constant friction. How do we know if they come from a corrupt mind?   

What do you think of when you hear the word “friction”? 

Do you remember your hands getting warm when you rub them together? Do you think of the brake pads on your car? Or does your mind form a picture of people who don’t get along? 

Friction wears things down. Sandpaper rubbed against wood wears the wood down, smoothing over the rough spots. The oil in your car’s engine reduces friction and helps keep the car running without causing wear. 

Constant friction changes the shape of things. 

People who want to wear down those who oppose them use the same tool that a carpenter does: friction. They wear people down with words. 

Let’s go back to the beginning. Paul provided Timothy with a list of administrative guidelines for the church (See 1 Timothy 5). Then he tells Timothy to “teach and insist on” these things (1 Timothy 6:2). 

Throughout this letter, Paul has been exhorting Timothy to “command” others regarding the teaching of the Gospel. Not that Timothy has any rank to pull over other people, but nevertheless, he is to stand firm and protect the truth. 

In a sense, Paul is saying, “Don’t let them wear you down!” 

This is especially true when dealing with people of a “corrupt mind.” As Paul has been pointing out, such people are “conceited and understand nothing (1 Timothy 6:4). They seem to like “controversies and quarrels about words.” 

You probably know the type.

If you use social media, you’ve seen posts by people who are angry at the world. Perhaps you have a relative who is intolerant of opinions that differ from theirs. Even the Christian church is scarred by fractures and divisions over words. 

Does that mean Christians who argue over theology have a “corrupt mind”? 

The only answer I can see for this question is the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus tells us to love God above all else, and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

The question we have to ask ourselves when we are tempted to engage in “controversies and quarrels” is, “What would God think?”

Clearly, some things are worth standing up for. Paul makes it clear to Timothy that he is to “Command and teach these things” (1 Timothy 4:11). Anything else, however, risks causing friction instead of love (1 Timothy 1:5). 

Application: Choose your battles wisely. 

Food for Thought: How can we check to make certain our arguments are based in love (agapē)?

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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 1:5a – Commanded to Love

Picture of old signpost with multiple signs pointing different ways to God. (Grok)

The goal of this command is love, (which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.)

Summary: When Paul tells us that the goal of the command he has given to Timothy is love, he forces us to think deeply about what love is and who we are supposed to love.  

Before we dive into a closer look at what Paul says in this verse, let’s step back for a moment to gain some perspective. 

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1 Timothy 1:3-4a – Stick to the Truth

Picture: A young boy and girl make their way through a dark and scary forest (Grok)

[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. 

Summary: The question of who Timothy is supposed to “command” comes into better focus as we examine what he is up against.   

Timothy is staying in Ephesus to help strengthen and guide the church there. It also seems clear from Paul’s opening words to Timothy that he is also there to protect and defend the church from anything that would distract or confuse the Gospel. 

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