Fighting the Good Fight
1 Timothy: Training For Godliness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Our particular passage this morning is a great study for the young pastor or for anybody who sense the call to serve God.
All believers are called to be warriors for God in this world. However, the pastor of a congregation of God is called to do more: he is called to take charge and lead in being a warrior.
History gives us vivid examples of what that kind of leadership looks like—and what it costs.
In the early second century, there was an elderly pastor named Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp had been discipled by the apostle John himself. He had spent decades shepherding the church, guarding doctrine, correcting error, and encouraging believers to remain faithful to Christ.
When Roman authorities finally arrested him, they gave him an easy way out. They told him, “Swear by Caesar. Curse Christ, and you will live.” Polycarp’s response has echoed through church history:
“Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
Polycarp was not a reckless man. He was not looking for martyrdom. He was a shepherd who had learned, over a lifetime, how to hold faith firmly, how to listen to a good conscience, and how to refuse compromise even when the cost was high.
What sustained Polycarp at the stake was the same thing Paul is pressing into Timothy here: a clear calling, a clean conscience, and an unwavering grip on the truth.
Paul writes to Timothy not as a theoretician, but as a veteran soldier handing orders to a younger officer. And in 1 Timothy 1:18–20, he shows us that the Christian life—and especially Christian leadership—is not a playground. It is a battlefield.
v. 18) Commissioned for combat:
v. 18) Commissioned for combat:
Paul now returns to his original concern after a brief autobiographical digression (vv. 12–17). Everything he said about grace, mercy, and Christ’s saving power wasn’t a detour—it was preparation.
Timothy is likely discouraged, hesitant, and facing opposition in Ephesus. Paul reminds him: this ministry is not self-appointed, and the struggle he was faced with wasn’t accidental either.
The Lord was going to use Timothy for His glory and the hardship of false teaching and teachers were going to strengthen him.
Paul beings with “This charge I commit to you,” and the word translated charge “paragelia” is not a suggestion or even a gentle encouragement. It is a command with authority, one often used in military and judicial contexts. This is the language of orders passed down from a commanding officer.
Paul is effectively saying, “Timothy, this ministry is not yours to redefine or abandon. You have been entrusted with orders.”
Being “charged” reframes ministry. Timothy is not:
A volunteer who can step aside when it gives uncomfortable or tough.
A spiritual entrepreneur free to innovate around personal preference or desire.
A conflict-avoider who can ignore false teaching to preserve peace.
Timothy is a commissioned servant under orders.
This does fit the broader NT understanding of Christian service:
2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
[Look up]
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
Paul’s point is not merely about pastoral minsitry. All believers live under Christ’s authority, but leaders feel this weight more acutely. When God entrusts His Word to someone, He entrusts them with something sacred—the gospel (the good news) of His Son.
This is why Donald Guthrie’s observation is so penetrating:
“The ministry is not a matter to be trifled with, but an order from the commander-in-chief.”–Guthrie
What have you been charged with? It is the great commission, ministry, perhaps the Lord is calling some of you men into pastoral minsitry. At the end of the day, whatever the Lord has charged you with should steady those of you who are timid servants and sober those of you who are too casual.
I love how Paul addresses Timothy so tenderly, “son Timothy.”
It is important to note this isn’t sentimental language—it is covenantal language. Timothy is Paul’s son in the faith (1 Tim 1:2). Paul trained him, prayed for him. traveled with him, and now entrusts him with leadership in a difficult church.
There is a beautiful combination here—authority without coldness, tenderness without weakness—models godly leadership.
Paul doesn’t bark orders from a distance. He commissions Timothy as a spiritual father who knows the cost of obedience.
This relational grounding matters because:
Correction is easier to receive when love is clear.
Courage grows when leaders know they are not alone.
Perseverance is sustainable when knowing there is shared history.
The Christian life, especially leadership, is not solitary heroism—it is family responsibility.
Paul grounds Timothy’s courage in something objective, “according to the prophecies perviously made concerning you.”
This refers to a moment (or moments) when the Spirit of God spoke through others to affirm Timothy’s calling. These prophecies likely accompanied his recognition and commissioning by the church.
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14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
One of the important point we need to recognize is, Timothy didn’t appoint himself. Nor was he merely voted in because he had promise. It was first and foremost a calling of God, God had been the one to testify first.
This echoes other pivotal moments in redemptive history:
Paul and Barnabas set apart by the Holy Spirit:
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Jeremiah called before birth:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Joshua commissioned publicly before Israel:
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
Paul’s logic is critical: If God has spoken, then Timothy must not shrink away:
Calvin captures this beautifully:
“What is there that either ought to give, or can give us greater cheerfulness than to know that God has appoint us to do what we are doing?”–Calvin
Prophecy here doesn’t eliminate responsibility—it intensifies it. A divine calling is not a cushion for passivity; it is to be fuel for obedience.
Timothy wasn’t allowed to say, “God has promised, so it will happen regardless.” Instead, he must say, “God has promised—therefore I must fight.”
Paul says Timothy is to wage war “by them”—meaning, by means of those prophecies. This is deeply practical.
Paul assumes:
Timothy will face fear.
Timothy will be tempted to withdraw.
Timothy will feel inadequate.
And when that happens, Timothy was charged to remember God’s calling upon his life.
This is a pattern we see throughout Scripture:
David strengthening himself in the Lord:
6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
The psalmist speaking truth to his despairing heart:
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.
Paul reminding himself of grace when weak:
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
When we remember who and why we were called, it helps to renew our courage. Family, this is especially necessary in conflict-heavy ministry contexts like Ephesus, where false teachers were:
Twisting Scripture
Undermining apostolic authority
Creating confusion and division
Timothy’s temptation was not heresy—but hesitation. Paul then reminds him, that he was not sent to Ephesus by accident.
Paul concludes with unmistakable imagery, “that by them you may wage the good warfare.”
Christian faith is not presented as:
A therapeutic journey.
A peaceful philosophical system.
A private spiritual preference.
It is warfare!
This doesn’t mean physical violence, but spiritual conflict—a struggle for:
Truth vs error
Holiness vs compromise
Faith vs fear
And Paul consistently uses military imagery:
“Put on the whole armor of God” (Eph 6:11)
“we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12)
“Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim 6:12)
The warfare is called good because:
The cause is righteous
The Commander is Christ
The outcome is assured
This is not a losing battle. Christ has already triumphed (Col 2:15).
[Look up]
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
We fight from victory, not for victory.
How this points us to Christ:
How this points us to Christ:
Christ Himself was:
Commissioned by the Father (John 5:36–37).
Affirmed publicly (Matthew 3:17).
Faithful under opposition (Hebrews 12:3).
Victorious through obedience (Philippians 2:8–11).
Timothy’s call mirrors Christ’s in miniature. And the same Christ who stood firm in His mission now:
Empowers His servants (Matthew 28:18–20).
Intercedes for them (Hebrews 7:25).
Strengthens them by His Spirit (Ephesians 3:16).
Timothy didn’t fight alone—and neither do we.
[“Are you with me?”–Peter
“To the death–Oreius]
Verse 18 establishes the call—Timothy is commissioned for combat. He has orders, a divine calling, and the assurance that God Himself has set him apart for this work. But Paul knows something crucial: a strong beginning doesn’t guarantee a faithful finish.
Being commissioned for battle is not the same thing as remaining battle-ready.
So Paul now moves from the source of Timothy’s courage (God’s calling and prophecy) to the means of Timothy’s perseverance. How does a servant of Christ stay standing in prolonged service? How does he avoid burnout, compromise, or collapse?
If verse 18 tells Timothy why he must fight, verse 19 tells him how he must fight.
v. 19) Holding faith firmly:
v. 19) Holding faith firmly:
Paul’s concern deepens here. The tone shifts from exhortation to warning. The imagery becomes darker. This is no longer about courage at the outset, but longevity.
Paul beings with two inseparable realities, “having faith and a good conscience.”
These are not two optional virtues; they are essential equipment for spiritual warfare.
Faith: In his commentary on 1 Timothy Calvin rightly observes, faith here is not merely subjective trust or emotional belief. Paul is speaking of the content of the faith—sound doctrine, the truth of the gospel entrusted to Timothy.
This is consistent with Paul’s usage elsewhere too:
9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
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23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
In other words, Timothy must cling to truth, not merely teach it.
Orthodoxy is not just something pastors are to defend publicly; it must be embraced inwardly. A Christian cannot guard what they secretly neglect.
A good conscience: faith has to be paired with a good conscience—a conscience informed by Scripture and lived out in obedience.
Conscience is not infallible, but it is God’s internal witness which alerts us when belief and behavior diverge; which Romans 2:15 expresses. A good conscience doesn’t mean sinless perfection; it means:
Repentance when convicted
Humility when corrected
Submission when confronted by truth
Paul’s point is devastatingly simple:
You cannot separate doctrine from life and expect either to survive.
This is why Paul joins these two truths together. Truth believed but not obeyed becomes brittle. Obedience attempted without truth becomes misguided. The Christian life requires both.
Paul now turns from instruction to warning, “which some have rejected.”
The word translated rejected is forceful. It means to push away, to shove aside deliberately. This is not ignorance; it is defiance.
The conscience speaks.
Conviction comes.
Correction is offered.
And the person says, “No.”
This is one of the sobering realities in Scripture: spiritual collapse usually begins with moral refusal, not doctrinal confusion.
Conscience is ignored
Conviction is subdued
Integrity erodes
Faith collapses
A person doesn’t wake up one day and abandon the faith whole-heartedly. They usually push away conscience repeatedly until faith itself become intolerable.
The Bible warns of this:
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28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
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6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
A bad conscience is not merely the result of false teaching—it becomes the breeding ground for it.
“A bad conscience is, therefore, the mother of all heresies.”–Calvin
Paul now gives us the consequences, “concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.”
This is one of the most vivid metaphors in the Pastoral Epistles.
A shipwreck implies:
Loss of direction
Overwhelming forces
Total ruin, not minor damage
Paul doesn’t say their faith was bruised, weakened, or dented—it was wrecked. And the ancient world understood this image viscerally. Shipwreck meant exposure, danger, helplessness, and the lost of life.
Calvin’s observation is pastorally incisive: If faith is the ship, a good conscience is the rudder. Lose the rudder, and no matter how strong the vessel, disaster is inevitable.
Theological history confirms Paul’s warning. As later writers observed, churches and individuals alike have been:
Dashed against reefs of pride
Driven by winds of ambition
Overwhelmed by storms of compromise
What begins as unchecked sin ends as doctrinal ruin. This explains a painful pastoral reality: Many who abandon the faith do so not because they found better arguments, but because obedience became too costly.
Paul’s exhortation implies holding faith firmly requires discipline. Faith doesn’t drift toward faithfulness; it must be held.
This involves:
Ongoing submission to Scripture
Willingness to repent quickly
Courage to obey when obedience is costly
Refusal to silence conscience
This is where connection to spiritual warfare becomes crystal clear. The battle is not fought only in public debates or doctrinal disputes, but in private obedience.
Victory often looks like:
Saying no when no one sees
Confessing sin rather than rationalizing it
Choosing truth over comfort.
Family this is why Paul places conscience at the center of perseverance.
Verse 19 ultimately points us to Jesus Christ, who perfectly held faith and conscience together.
Christ:
Knew the truth fully
Obeyed the Father completely
Refused compromise even under suffering
It is why He could say, “I always do those things that please Him (John 8:29).”
Jesus didn’t avoid discomfort to preserve peace. He held fast to truth even when it led to the cross. In doing so, He became not only our Savior, but our great example.
And more than that—He is our anchor:
[Look up]
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
Where other make shipwreck, those united to Christ are kept—not because they are strong, but because He is faithful.
Verse 19 warns us faith can be shipwrecked when faith and conscience is willfully rejected. However, Paul doesn’t leave that danger in the abstract. He knows Timothy might be tempted to think, “That could never really happen here…not to people we know.”
So Paul does something sobering—and merciful. He names names. What begins in the heart never stays private forever. When faith collapses internally, it eventually manifests publicly, and when falsehood threatens the flock, love demands action.
Spiritual warfare is not only about personal perseverance; it also involves protecting the community of Christ. This is where Paul takes Timothy next.
v.20) Confrontation and correction:
v.20) Confrontation and correction:
Paul now gives concrete examples of what shipwrecked faith looks like—and what faithful leadership must sometimes do in response.
Paul names Hymenaeus and Alexander not to gossip, but to warn and instruct.
Hymenaeus is later identified as one who taught the resurrection had already taken place (2 Tim 2:17–18), spiritualizing future hope and undermining perseverance.
Alexander is most likely the coppersmith who actively opposed Paul and did him “much harm (2 Tim 4:14).”
These men were not outsiders attacking the church from afar. They were within the Christian community, claiming authority, influence, and teaching roles.
This reinforces Paul’s earlier warning, that false teaching doesn’t begin with ignorance, but with moral defiance.
They didn’t lose their faith accidentally. They rejected conscience, distorted truth, and persisted despite correction.
This is why Paul doesn’t say, “I was patient indefinitely.” But he says, “I acted.”
Paul states plainly, “whom I delivered to Satan.”
This has to be one of the strongest disciplinary statements in the NT—and it must be handled carefully.
Paul is not venting anger. He is exercising pastoral authority for the good of the church.
Most likely, this refers to excommunication—removal from the fellowship and protection of the church. Scripture consistency presents the church as Christ’s domain, and the world outside as under Satan’s influence and sway (cf. Col 1:13; 1 John 5:19).
To be put outside the church is to be exposed—to feel the weight of separation, consequence, and loss.
This same language appears in:
[Look up]
5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Discipline, then, is not vindictive. It is surgical.
Paul gives the purpose explicitly, “that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
This is critical. The goal is instruction, not annihilation. The aim is restoration, not revenge.
Biblical discipline always carries this dual concern:
Protect the flock from corruption.
Awaken the sinner to repentance.
Sometimes public removal is the last mercy available to a hardened heart. As Scripture consistently teaches, unchecked sin always carries consequences—but those consequences are meant to bring clarity, humility, and ultimately repentance (Heb 12:6; Rev 3:19).
Jesus Himself models this pattern:
He rebukes sharply
He exposes falsehood plainly
Yet He calls sinners to repent and live
Church discipline, when done correctly, mirrors Christ’s own authority—firm, holy, and redemptive.
Paul’s inclusion of this verse serves multiple purposes for Timothy:
Encouragement—Timothy is not overreacting by confronting false teaching
Clarity—Love doesn’t equal permissiveness
Sobriety—Leaders must sometimes make painful decisions.
Spiritual warfare is not only fought with personal holiness and doctrinal clarity; it is fought with courageous leadership which refuses to let destructive teaching fester.
This is especially important for Timothy, who appears naturally inclined towards gentleness and caution. Paul is teaching him that pastoral love sometimes must take the form of decisive correction.
This passage points us to Christ’s authority over His church.
Jesus:
Walks among the lampstands (Revelation 1–3).
Commends faithfulness
Rebukes compromise
Calls His people to repent
Family, discipline is not opposed to love—it is an expression of it.
The same Christ who welcomes the repentant also purifies His church. He will not allow His gospel to be blasphemed unchecked, nor His flock to be devoured quietly.
Meaning, confrontation done rightly is an act of faithfulness to Christ and care for His people.
Closing Exhortation:
Closing Exhortation:
As we step back and look at this passage as a whole, Paul leaves us with a sober but hopeful charge.
He reminds us that the Christian life is a fight—not against flesh and blood, but against falsehood, compromise, fear, and sin. And that fight is not won by passion alone, nor by knowledge alone, but by faith held firmly and a conscience kept clean.
Verse 18 reminds us that we are called.
Verse 19 warns us that faith can be lost if faith and conscience is ignored.
Verse 20 shows us that love sometimes must confront, not to destroy, but to restore.
This passage presses a question on every one of us—especially those who lead, teach, or influence others:
Are you holding the faith, or merely talking about it?
Are you listening to your conscience, or quietly pushing it aside?
Are you willing to guard the truth, even when doing so is uncomfortable?
Paul does not end this section with despair, but with resolve. The same Christ who commands the fight supplies the strength. The same Lord who disciplines His church does so because He loves it. And the same Savior who calls us to faithfulness has already won the decisive victory.
So here is the exhortation:
Do not drift. Do not compromise. Do not silence your conscience.
Remember your calling. Guard the truth. Love the church enough to protect it.
And fight—not with anger or pride—but with conviction, humility, and courage.
Because the good fight is worth fighting.
The gospel is worth guarding.
And Christ is worth following—no matter the cost.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
