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1 Timothy 1:18
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18 This [taute] charge [paraggelia] I commit [paratithemi] unto thee, [soi] son [teknon] Timothy, [Timotheos] according to [kata] the prophecies [propheteia] which went before [proago] on [epi] thee, [se] that [hina] thou [strateuomai] by [en] them [autos] mightest war [strateuomai] a good [kalos] warfare; [strateia] KJV-Interlinear
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, NASB
Paul gave Timothy a charge, ‘paraggelia,’ a command, a military order, which was not an optional request, but a mandate for Timothy to pursue his ministry, or to pursue the duties of his spiritual life.
There are many such examples of people being commanded to pursue their God given duties, Moses (Ex 4:10-16), Isaiah (Isa 6:8-11), Jeremiah (Jer 20:9), Ezekiel (Ezek 2:7-8), and Jonah (Jonah 1:1-2).
And even though you might not be functioning as a minister on this earth, you also have responsibilities as a student of the Word of God, to pursue your studies, and resultant duties as God prescribes (not as you see fit), specifically for your life.
Entrust, ‘paratithemi,’ means to guard as you would an extremely valuable treasure placed in your care. And that treasure is Bible doctrine. But entrust means to handle and use responsibly. And in the case of learning Bible doctrine, that means to guard it with objectivity, and not with haphazard opinions or views of a popular nature.
Far too many people lack the academic foundation for understanding Bible doctrine. They go, on whatever is popular, or whatever makes sense to them at some given moment, and they become automatic critics. They take verses at random, and utilize them for emotional reinforcement. People will even build their own views in a random and haphazard way, and that is an irresponsible approach to ones spiritual life. It opens the door up for total spiritual dysfunction and mis-direction. And if you entrench yourself with wrong ideas, then your spiritual life is placed in jeopardy.
Bible doctrine is the single most important possession that you can have. Great care should be exercised when approaching Gods Word. And great care should be utilized when studying Gods Word.
Prophecies here refers to the teaching of scripture, and has nothing to do with predictions of future events.
To fight the good fight, means to dedicate yourself to your daily studies. To be consistent, and responsible, and proactive in the pursuit of your daily studies. To stick with your studies because you have an internal desire and motivation to want to learn, and to grow up in your spiritual life.
And so this is the charge that Paul gave to Timothy. And through Timothy, the same charge is given to you and to every believer.
In our Revelation study, we will be reviewing the various attitudes that people have with regard to their spiritual lives. Most rank their spiritual effort with a very low, if at all, priority. Yet they demonstrate the usual rah-rah’s or sounds of excitement, but their actions never follow their expressions.
We all have a mandate to grow up in our spiritual life. Why? Because therein is our greatest life beyond imagination. However, your spiritual motivation has to exist, and your actions must follow Gods mandates and methods for learning and growing, not your own system for learning.
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