1 Timothy 6
6
1All slaves who believe must give complete respect to their own masters. In this way no one will speak evil of God’s name and what we teach. 2Slaves whose masters also believe should respect their masters even though their masters are also believers. As a result, believers who are slaves should serve their masters even better because those who receive the benefit of their work are believers whom they love.
Guidelines for Living a Godly Life
Teach and encourage people to do these things. 3Whoever teaches false doctrine and doesn’t agree with the accurate words of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teachings 4is a conceited person. He shows that he doesn’t understand anything. Rather, he has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words. This produces jealousy, rivalry, cursing, suspicion, 5and conflict between people whose corrupt minds have been robbed of the truth. They think that a godly life is a way to make a profit.
6A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have. 7We didn’t bring anything into the world, and we can’t take anything out of it. 8As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied.
9But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. 10Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.
11But you, man of God, must avoid these things. Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses.
13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and in the sight of Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony in front of Pontius Pilate, 14I insist that, until our Lord Jesus Christ appears, you obey this command completely. Then you cannot be blamed for doing anything wrong. 15At the right time God will make this known. God is the blessed and only ruler. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16He is the only one who cannot die. He lives in light that no one can come near. No one has seen him, nor can they see him. Honor and power belong to him forever! Amen.
17Tell those who have the riches of this world not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, they should place their confidence in God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18Tell them to do good, to do a lot of good things, to be generous, and to share. 19By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves which is a good foundation for the future. In this way they take hold of what life really is.
20Timothy, guard the Good News which has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless discussions and the claims of false knowledge that people use to oppose ⌞the Christian faith⌟. 21Although some claim to have knowledge, they have abandoned the faith.
God’s good will #6:21 Or “grace.” be with all of you.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
1 Timothy 6
6
1 # See 1 Pet. 2:18 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants#6:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, #Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Titus 2:5so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are #See Philem. 16 brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.
False Teachers and True Contentment
# ch. 4:11, 13; 5:7 Teach and urge these things. 3If anyone #ch. 1:3 teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with #See ch. 1:10 the sound#6:3 Or healthy words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching #Titus 1:1that accords with godliness, 4#ch. 3:6; 2 Tim. 3:4 he is puffed up with conceit and #1 Cor. 8:2; [ch. 1:7] understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for #ch. 1:4; 2 Tim. 2:23; Titus 3:9 controversy and for #2 Tim. 2:14; [Acts 18:15]quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction among people #2 Tim. 3:8; [Eph. 4:22; Titus 1:15] who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, #Titus 1:11; 2 Pet. 2:3imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6But #[ch. 4:8] godliness #Ps. 37:16; Prov. 15:16; 16:8; Phil. 4:11; Heb. 13:5with contentment is great gain, 7for #Job 1:21; Ps. 49:17; Eccles. 5:15we brought nothing into the world, and#6:7 Greek for; some manuscripts insert [it is] certain [that] we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But #Gen. 28:20; Prov. 30:8if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9But #Prov. 15:27; 23:4; 28:20; Matt. 13:22 those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, #[ch. 3:7] into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that #[ch. 1:19]plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of #[Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19]all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
11But as for you, #2 Tim. 3:17 O man of God, #2 Tim. 2:22 flee these things. #See Prov. 15:9Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12#[ch. 1:18]; See 1 Cor. 9:25 Fight the good fight of the faith. #[Phil. 3:12] Take hold of the eternal life #1 Pet. 5:10 to which you were called and about which you made #See 2 Cor. 9:13the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13#See ch. 5:21 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, #[Matt. 27:11; John 18:37; Rev. 1:5; 3:14] who in his testimony before#6:13 Or in the time of Pontius Pilate made #[See ver. 12 above]the good confession, 14to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until #See 2 Thess. 2:8the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will display #See ch. 2:6 at the proper time—he who is #ch. 1:11 the blessed and only Sovereign, #See Rev. 17:14the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16#See ch. 1:17 who alone has immortality, #[Ps. 104:2] who dwells in #Job 37:23 unapproachable light, #See John 1:18whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17As for the rich in #2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:12 this present age, charge them #Rom. 11:20; 12:3, 16 not to be haughty, nor #See Mark 10:24 to set their hopes on #Prov. 23:5; [Matt. 13:22] the uncertainty of riches, but on God, #See Acts 14:17who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18They are to do good, #Luke 12:21; Titus 3:8, 14 to be rich in good works, to be generous and #See Rom. 12:13ready to share, 19thus #See Matt. 6:19, 20 storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may #ver. 12 take hold of #[2 Tim. 1:1]that which is truly life.
20O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. #2 Tim. 3:5; [Col. 2:8; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14] Avoid the #2 Tim. 2:16irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
# See Col. 4:18 Grace be with you.#6:21 The Greek for you is plural
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