A Passionate Plea for Commitment (3/30/2025)

“ O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

In these passionate words to this young preacher, Paul has an urgency and deep concern as he pleads for Timothy to remain committed to the great Cause that he has espoused.

The word “guard” carries with it the idea of not letting something go. Timothy is to hang on to the spiritual trust that has been placed in his hands—that is, a knowledge of God and His word. Paul is entrusting Timothy with carrying on the work in which he—Paul—has been involved.

The opposite of hanging on to this legacy would be for Timothy to drift into the quagmire of sin and corruption in the world, allowing himself to be taken in by the deceitful teachings given out by those who oppose God. Such influences have caused some to stray from the faith.

Paul’s love for the truth and the Cause as well as his love for Timothy has caused him to sound such an urgent warning to this young preacher, a warning that should ring in the ears of young and old alike in every generation—cling to the truth and do not be taken in by the world.