1 Timothy 6
BSASBPaul closes his letter to Timothy with practical teaching. Christian slaves are to honor their masters, false teachers who use religion for profit are exposed, and contentment is set against the love of money. He ends with a solemn charge to Timothy to keep the faith and to guard what he has been given.
1 Timothy 6:1
Slaves were common in the Roman world, and many early Christians were slaves. Paul asks them to honor their masters, so that outsiders would not slander God or the gospel because of their behavior. A believer’s daily conduct is part of how the faith is judged.
BSA: discredited (“blasphemed, spoken evil of”): Careless conduct by believers can lead others to speak evil of God Himself. name (“reputation, character”): God’s name stands for who He is, and His people’s behavior reflects on it.
1 Timothy 6:2
A slave with a Christian master might be tempted to presume on that shared faith and work less. Paul says the opposite: serve better, because the master is a beloved brother. Faith turns ordinary work into love. Timothy is to keep teaching this.
BSA: beloved (“cherished, loved by God”): The masters are people God loves, which gives the slaves one more reason to serve them well.
See also: Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-24.
1 Timothy 6:3
Paul now turns to teachers who bring a different message. The test is whether the teaching agrees with the words of Jesus and leads to godliness. Sound teaching produces a godly life, and teaching that drifts from Christ is not sound however clever it sounds.
BSA: sound (“wholesome, healthy”): True teaching is like good food that keeps the soul healthy.
Greek: ὑγιαίνουσιν (hygiainousin, G5198) — “being healthy.” This is the word from which we get ‘hygiene.’ Paul pictures Christ’s words as health-giving, in contrast with the sickly teaching he describes next.
1 Timothy 6:4
Pride is the root of the problem. Such a person thinks he knows much but understands nothing. He loves arguments and fights over words, and these bring out envy, quarreling, insults, and suspicion. Where truth is lost, a poisonous atmosphere takes its place.
BSA: unhealthy (“sick, diseased”): Their craving for arguments is a sickness of the mind, not a sign of wisdom. conceited (“proud, puffed up”): Such teachers are swollen with self-importance.
Greek: λογομαχίας (logomachias, G3055) — “word-battles.” It joins ‘word’ and ‘fight.’ It describes quarrels over words that settle nothing and help no one.
1 Timothy 6:5
Paul describes the heart of these teachers. Their minds are twisted and they have lost hold of the truth. They treat religion as a way to make money. Anyone who uses faith to enrich himself has turned the purpose of godliness upside down.
BSA: depraved (“corrupted, perverse”): Their thinking has been spoiled at its root, not just mistaken on a point. gain (“profit, financial benefit”): They see godliness as a business, not as a way to know God.
1 Timothy 6:6
Paul takes their slogan and turns it around. Godliness really is a way to gain, but the gain is inner wealth. Knowing God and being content with what He gives is worth more than any amount of money.
BSA: contentment (“self-sufficiency, being satisfied”): It is an inner sufficiency that does not depend on circumstances.
Greek: αὐταρκείας (autarkeias, G841) — “contentment, sufficiency.” It means being ’enough in oneself.’ For a believer, that enough comes from God’s presence, not from possessions.
See also: Philippians 4:11-13.
1 Timothy 6:7
Life begins and ends with empty hands. We arrive with nothing and leave with nothing. Wealth cannot go with us beyond the grave, so it cannot be the main thing worth living for.
See also: Job 1:21; Psalm 49:16-17.
1 Timothy 6:8
Paul sets a simple standard: food and clothing are enough to be thankful for. He does not condemn having more, but he shows how little we truly need. A heart that rests in God’s provision is free from the endless chase for more.
BSA: content (“satisfied, sufficient”): The word suggests being truly satisfied, not merely putting up with what one has.
See also: Matthew 6:31-33; Hebrews 13:5.
1 Timothy 6:9
Paul speaks of those who are determined to get rich, not of those who simply happen to have money. That desire becomes a trap. It leads into foolish and harmful cravings, which drag a person down toward spiritual ruin.
BSA: ensnared (“trapped, caught”): Desire for wealth works like a snare that closes on its victim. ruin (“destruction, devastation”): The end of this road is a complete wreck, not a small setback.
See also: Matthew 13:22.
1 Timothy 6:10
Paul does not say money is evil, but that the love of it is a root from which all sorts of evil can grow. Some who chased it drifted from the faith and wounded themselves deeply. Greed promises satisfaction and delivers pain.
BSA: pierced themselves (“inflicted pain, suffered”): The wounds are self-inflicted, like running oneself through on a spear. wandered away (“strayed, turned aside”): The faith is left behind gradually, by drifting off the path.
Greek: φιλαργυρία (philargyria, G5365) — “love of silver (money).” It is made of ’love’ and ‘silver.’ The problem is the heart’s affection for money, not money itself.
See also: Matthew 6:24.
1 Timothy 6:11
Paul turns directly to Timothy, calling him a man of God, a title given to faithful servants in the Old Testament. Timothy must run from the love of money and chase a better list: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Character is both what to flee and what to pursue.
BSA: flee (“to run away”): Some dangers are met by running, not by standing and arguing. pursue (“to follow after”): Godly character is something to chase eagerly.
Greek: δίωκε (diōke, G1377) — “pursue, chase.” This is the word used for hunting down a target. Righteousness and love must be actively chased, not waited for.
See also: 2 Timothy 2:22.
1 Timothy 6:12
The Christian life is a contest that calls for effort. Timothy is told to fight, yet the prize he reaches for is already his by calling. He is to grasp firmly the eternal life God gave him when he publicly declared his faith.
BSA: Fight (“strive, contend with”): The picture is of an athlete straining in a contest. confession (“acknowledgment, testimony”): It was an open, public declaration of faith in Christ.
Greek: ἀγωνίζου (agōnizou, G75) — “fight, strive like an athlete.” The word comes from the arena and gives us ‘agony.’ It means to compete with all one’s strength.
See also: 2 Timothy 4:7.
1 Timothy 6:13
Paul gives his charge in the sight of God, the giver of all life, and of Jesus Christ, who stood before Pilate and told the truth about who He was, even at the cost of His life. Timothy’s courage rests on that example.
BSA: gives life (“makes alive, quickens”): The God who gives life to everything can also sustain Timothy through danger.
See also: John 18:36-37.
1 Timothy 6:14
Timothy is to keep the commandment, meaning the faith and the work given to him, clean and above criticism until Christ appears. The return of Jesus is the horizon for the whole Christian life, and it gives faithfulness its purpose.
BSA: stain (“spot, blemish”): The picture is of a clean garment kept free from spots.
Greek: ἐπιφανείας (epiphaneias, G2015) — “appearing, shining forth.” The word means a bright, visible arrival. It points to the day when Christ will be openly revealed.
1 Timothy 6:15
Christ’s return will happen at the moment God has chosen, and no one else controls the timing. Paul describes God as blessed, the only true Ruler, above every earthly king. Timothy can wait calmly because the one in charge is fully in charge.
BSA: Sovereign One (“the eternal and only Ruler”): All other rulers hold their power under Him. time (“season, opportunity”): God acts at the right moment, which He alone has chosen.
See also: Revelation 19:16.
1 Timothy 6:16
God alone has life that cannot die, and He lives in light too bright for any human to approach. No one has seen His full glory. Paul bursts into praise, because this God is the one Timothy serves. The verse gives the reader a sense of awe.
BSA: immortal (“having eternal life, deathless”): God’s life has no beginning or end, and all other life comes from Him. unapproachable (“inaccessible, divine”): His holiness is so great that no human can come near on his own.
See also: Exodus 33:20; John 1:18.
1 Timothy 6:17
Paul now speaks to the rich. They are not told to give up everything, but to avoid pride and to place hope in God rather than in wealth that can vanish. God gives generously, and He means us to enjoy His gifts with thanks.
BSA: uncertainty (“unreliability, instability”): Wealth can disappear overnight, so it cannot carry the weight of a person’s hope. enjoy (“take pleasure in, appreciate”): God wants His gifts received with delight and gratitude.
See also: Proverbs 23:4-5.
1 Timothy 6:18
The rich are to be rich in a different way: in good deeds, generosity, and readiness to share. Money becomes a tool for love. Having much gives a person much to give.
BSA: generous (“willing to give, liberal”): Wealth is meant to be given away freely and gladly.
1 Timothy 6:19
Giving is the wise way to invest. By being generous now, the rich lay up something solid for the age to come. They grasp the kind of life that is real, which is the life God gives, in place of the fading life money seems to offer.
BSA: treasuring up (“storing, laying up”): Generosity is a deposit that keeps its value into eternity. foundation (“base, groundwork”): What is given now becomes something solid to stand on later.
See also: Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:33.
1 Timothy 6:20
Paul ends with a personal appeal. The gospel is a trust placed in Timothy’s hands, and he must guard it. He must avoid worldless chatter and so-called knowledge that opposes the truth. Real knowledge of God does not need to be dressed up with clever claims.
BSA: entrusted (“committed, given in trust”): The gospel is a deposit placed in his care, not his own invention. so-called (“falsely named, misleadingly labeled”): The ‘knowledge’ these people offer carries the name but lacks the substance.
Greek: παραθήκην (parathēkēn, G3866) — “deposit, something entrusted.” It describes valuables left with someone for safekeeping. Timothy must return the gospel unchanged.
See also: 2 Timothy 1:13-14.
1 Timothy 6:21
Some who claimed this false knowledge missed the mark and wandered from the faith. Paul closes with a blessing of grace, a reminder that the strength to stay faithful comes from God’s favor. The word ‘you’ is plural, so the blessing is for the whole church.
BSA: swerved away (“deviated, erred”): They missed the target of the faith and went off course. Grace (“unmerited favor, divine influence”): God’s undeserved help is what keeps believers on the path.