Paul has just said how we are to be content with food and covering, the bare necessities. Now he will address what to tell those who have an abundance.
(9) But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
Having a generous amount of worldly goods is very dangerous to those who are susceptible to depending on their riches.
(10) For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
To set your desires on money to have money is a trap, because money is only a tool, not an end in itself. By making money the goal, you will find that you will never have "enough" money. And it will become your god.
(11) But flee from these things, you man of God,
Timothy, run away from this attitude, this consideration of wanting to have more money!
and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
Instead of monetary wealth, go after spiritual and mental and psychological wealth:
Righteousness will keep your conscience clear.
Godliness will help you grow in understanding God's ways.
Faith will increase your trust in our Lord and Source.
Love will enable you to obey every law and rule to get along with others and honor God as Father.
Perseverance will help you endure all the trials and sorrows and troubles this world throws at us.
And gentleness will take off any hard edge on any of these things, so everything will go smoothly.
(12) Fight the good fight of faith;
Sometimes maintaining the Truth is a battle, but keeping in mind the last verse, and remembering that our battles are the Lord's; we can stand our ground and reply graciously to those who would want to tear down our beliefs.
take hold of the eternal life to which you were called,
To take hold is to grasp firmly, to not let it slip away.
and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Timothy has already made his stand, before others who can hold him accountable and strengthen him in his resolve.
(13) I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things,
He is giving him (and also us) a command, with God the Father in whom is life as his witness.
and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
Also the Lord God Jesus is witness, who Himself stood His ground before this high Roman governor.
(14) that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The command is to stand firm and fast on the Love of God, the foundation of every rule and standard, without anything or any deviation from the pure ways of God, all the way up to the very Glorious Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ!
This is very important to all of us, especially today in the times we are living in right now. Jesus is coming soon!
(15) Which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
He will come at just the time He planned to come, and everything in the world is lining up just as He said they would, for His coming to be our King over the whole world for a thousand years.
(16) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Jesus is the only One who possesses immortality in Himself, so He can give it to us, too. Where He lives is with the Father, and He is Spirit, the source of Light, that would completely immolate a human body that has not received the completed Redemption.
No one has ever been able to see God the Father. Whenever God appeared, it was the Lord God, the Son, to whom the Father has given Lordship. The Son of God is our Lord God Almighty, who has given the Law to Moses, the promises to Abraham, the prophesies to the prophets. He is the One who will receive the honor and eternal Lordship over all creation, both now and every future universe.
(17) Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Timothy is to teach those in his congregation who have an abundance of worldly wealth to not get puffed up with the importance it brings, but to recognize that God is the Source of everything, and millionaires often lose their millions, and then gain it back, repeatedly. But God is generous to provide all that we need, reliably. Depend on Him, not what He provides.
(18) Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
Those who have more than they need are to give away the excess, to generously supply the needs of others, to build their Heavenly bank account instead of a worldly one that will disappear.
(19) storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
This Heavenly bank account will provide for their eternal life, real life, that lives forever; instead of one here that will be burned up.
(20) O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge"--
We all need to keep a guard on the pure and true faith that God has given to us, and not be deterred by any worldly "science" that is false and misleading.
(21) which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.
There are some who claim to be Christians, but have listened to these "scientists" who claim as "facts" what are only theories, that have never been proven, because they are clever lies from our enemy to pull us away from the faith.
Grace be with you.
God's grace is His goodness that we don't deserve. Paul ends this letter with the goodness of God to be poured out on Timothy and his congregation (the you here is plural). God's goodness will keep them faithful and strengthen them against all the attacks that are being perpetrated against them.
And also to us, as we are also called upon to fight the good fight in our day.
O my Father, You are so good! You are so gracious and generous to give us Your goodness in all the ways You want us to live our lives every day.
Please help us to receive Your goodness, to strengthen us in fighting this good fight, standing our ground on Your Truth, and promulgating Your Good News, the Gospel to the whole world. Send us out, Father, so that everyone will hear and have enough understanding to turn to You, away from all the seductions of the devil and the world and their own flesh.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!
