A Good Confession

I Timothy 6:11-19

If you had to, for whatever reason, give a report to the authorities for your behavior, what would they find?  Would you be able to give a good report of yourself, a “good confession”, or would there be some noticeable blotches?  In our Scripture today from Paul’s first letter to his protege, Timothy, as he is finishing up this letter, he exhorts Timothy to continue living a godly life and flee worldly temptations.  Let’s look into what the Lord has to say in this segment of Scripture, and what we can apply to our lives today.

As we begin, Paul was instructing Timothy to avoid “these things” (vs. 11).  What were “these things”?  If we quickly look back a few verses, we read how Paul was teaching against having a love of money, but instead to be content with what one has. He had also spoken against being argumentative and prideful.  Instead, Paul encourages Timothy to be living a godly life, one filled with faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  Our lifestyle is to be distinct from that of the worldly and unsaved people.  We are to flee from sin, not tolerate it, and instead be pursuing, chasing after a virtuous life.

Next we are encouraged to fight the good fight of faith (vs. 12).  The word “fight” here is the Greek word “agonizomai”, from which we get the word agony.  It means to contend with adversaries, to struggle strenuously, with difficulty and danger.  We are not primarily fighting against people, though sometimes they are our adversaries.  We are in a spiritual warfare against the forces of evil, against Satan and his demons.  The Christian life is one of warfare against evil, not a life of ease.  Spiritual warfare requires discipline, not passivity.  Fighting the good fight is a battle carried out by holding fast to the truth, both in word and in action.

We need to act in accordance with our confession of faith.  The best way to do this is to avoid even getting close to sin, or by flirting with sin.  Our lives are infinitely better when we avoid the dangers that sinful behavior can bring.  This way we will be glorifying the Savior and making a good witness to our neighbors.  When we realize all that Jesus did for us, we should want to do all we can to thank and praise the One who gave His life for us, especially by avoiding sinful behavior.

In all of this Jesus is our example.  He was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, after He had been arrested by the High Priest and Jewish Sanhedrin.  As Paul states, Jesus gave a good confession before him (vs. 13).  As Pontius Pilate stated before the crowds, he found no fault in Jesus, nothing worthy of death or even his condemnation (John 19:4).   We are reminded that one day, He will be returning, this time declaring that He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, immortal, and dwelling in unapproachable light (vs. 14-16).  Knowing that Jesus will return, and it could be at any time, should motivate us to live in holiness and with boldness in our faith.

As Paul continues in this Scripture, he gives instructions to those who are rich (vs. 17-19).  The Bible does not condemn wealth, in and of itself.  There were many very godly people in the Bible who were wealthy, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  However it does condemn trusting in money and wealth.  As we all see in this world, riches are uncertain.  The economy goes up and down, and one day someone can have nice, fat financial accounts, and then the economy crashes, and they have nothing.  However God remains the same, and He is the only sure foundation.

Instead of being concerned about having monetary wealth, Christians should be focusing on being rich in good works for others.  God has given us whatever we have, including money, and we need to be a good steward of that.  Use whatever He has given us to have an eternal impact, not just to make our life more comfortable.  All of our earthly possessions will prove to be worthless on Judgment Day.  Paul’s words here remind us of what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-21).  We need to be laying up treasures in heaven, not here on earth.  Those true riches are eternal.  Whether we are rich or poor, our hope must be in God.

As we close this brief study of the final words that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy in this letter, let’s remember to use whatever God has given us, especially any financial blessings we have, to further bless His Church, our fellow believers, and anyone else we have an opportunity to help.  In addition, let’s be sure that our life is showing a good confession of our faith, just as Jesus did before Pontius Pilate.  Fleeing sin and pursuing holiness is the mark of a true believer.  How does your behavior measure up?  Follow God’s Word, and be bold in your confession of faith.