1 Timothy 6:20-21-The Apostasy of Certain Individuals in the Ephesian Christian Community

In First Timothy 6:20-21, the apostle Paul solemnly charges Timothy to make it his top priority to guard the deposit so as to avoid the words lacking content, which are worldly, specifically, the contradictions, which are falsely called “knowledge.”

He then gives the reason for this command by asserting that certain individuals in the Christian community have deviated from the Christian faith.

First Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, I solemnly charge you to make it your top priority to guard the deposit with the result that you cause yourself to avoid the words lacking content, which are worldly, specifically, the contradictions, which are falsely called ‘knowledge’ 21 which because certain individuals are asserting for themselves, have deviated with regards to the Christian faith. May His grace cause itself to be manifested among of all of you as a corporate unit. (My translation)

First Timothy 6:20-21 constitute the closing summary of this epistle and Paul’s final charge to Timothy with respect to those teaching false doctrine in Ephesus.

In these final verses, the apostle commands Timothy to guard the gospel, which has been entrusted to him by God by avoiding the false doctrine taught by the apostate pastors in Ephesus who were adhering to the false doctrine taught by the Judaizers.

This adherence to the false doctrine taught by the Judaizers caused these pastors in Ephesus to reject the gospel.

Therefore, we see Paul reiterating what he wrote at the beginning of the epistle in First Timothy 1:3-20, 4:1-7 and 6:3-10.

In these three passages, Paul wanted Timothy to continue teaching and exemplifying the gospel, which would constitute rejecting the false doctrine taught by the Judaizers and the apostate pastors in Ephesus.

By continuing to teach and exemplify the gospel, Timothy would be guarding the gospel which had been entrusted to him and would at the same time refuting the false doctrine and the counterfeit godliness exemplified by the apostate pastors and Judaizers in Ephesus.

Thus First Timothy 6:20-21, like the rest of the epistle is designed to encourage Timothy to continue teaching and exemplifying the gospel in his own life, which would combat the false doctrine taught and exemplified by the Judaizers and the apostate pastors in Ephesus who were following their teaching.

Here in First Timothy 6:20, “the deposit” speaks of the gospel or Paul’s apostolic teaching from the perspective that it has been entrusted to Timothy who is to be faithful in protecting and guarding it by teaching and obeying it.

“Which because certain individuals are asserting for themselves, have deviated with regards to the Christian faith” is a relative pronoun clause referring to an unidentified group of individuals in Ephesus who were composed of the Judaizers and apostate pastors.

It indicates that because these apostate pastors and regenerate Judaizers asserted that their teaching accurately reflected the character and nature of God and communicated accurately His will and ways, they deviated from the Christian faith.

This clause indicates that these apostate pastors in Ephesus and those Judaizers who were regenerate “professed” or “claimed that they were experts” with regards to the will of God and His character and nature as well as His ways.

They claimed to be well-accomplished in having an intellectual and spiritual grasp of the character and nature of God as well as His will and ways.

It denotes that they asserted that their teaching was knowledge or in other words that their teaching accurately reflected the character and nature of God and communicated the will and ways of God.

They asserted knowledge of God confidently without providing proof or evidence.

The gospel is based upon truth substantiated by witnesses and evidence.

Paul is an eyewitness to the resurrected Christ and the evidence of this is the empty tomb and the miracles of an apostle which Paul performed.

Those teaching false doctrine had neither evidence nor witnesses to support their confident assertion that their teaching accurately reflect the character and nature of God and communicated His will and ways unlike Paul who did.

“Have deviated” is the verb astocheo, which refers to unbelief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word refers to a failure of these apostate pastors in Ephesus to exercise faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, which is the gospel.

“The Christian faith” refers to the content of what Paul taught the Gentile churches.

It refers to the gospel from the perspective of a body of doctrine or that which is believed by the church.

The prohibition in Second Timothy 2:16 echoes Paul’s teaching in First Timothy 6:3-10.

Both are related to the false doctrine related to the Judaizers and those apostate pastors who adhered to their legalistic teaching.

First Timothy 6:3-10 gives us further insight into the phrase “the words lacking content which are worldly,” which appears in Second Timothy 2:16.

In First Timothy 6:3-10, Paul issues a final indictment against the false teachers in Ephesus.

This pericope is the third time in this epistle that Paul has discussed those teaching false doctrine and it is his final indictment of them.

The first time Paul discuss the false teachers in Ephesus was in First Timothy 1:3-7.

The second was found in First Timothy 4:1-5.

Here in First Timothy 6:3-10, he issues a final indictment of those teaching false doctrine whether they are the Judaizers or those pastors following their legalistic teaching.

In First Timothy 6:3-4a, the apostle Paul describes or identifies the actions and attitude of the false, apostate teachers in Ephesus.

Then, in First Timothy 6:4b-5a, he describes the various sins that their heretical teaching is producing among believers in Ephesus.

Lastly, in First Timothy 6:5b, he presents the motivation of the false teachers, which is financial gain.

First Timothy 6:3 If and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that someone does teach false doctrine, in other words, they do not agree with sound words, namely that which originates from our Lord who is Jesus who is the Christ, specifically, that teaching which is for the purpose of godliness. And we agree that there are some who do. 4 Then, they are arrogant. Consequently, they understand absolutely nothing. But rather he possesses a sick obsession with pointless debates, yes in fact pointless arguments about words from which he does cause envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions. 5 Men incessantly arguing, who are corrupt with regards to their mind as well as defrauded of the truth. 5 Men incessantly arguing, who are corrupt with regards to their mind as well as defrauded of the truth who are presuming a religious form of godliness is a means of gaining wealth. 6 However, combined with contentment, godliness is, as an eternal spiritual truth a means of superior gain. 7 Because we brought absolutely nothing into this world so logically neither we, for our own benefit, are, as an eternal spiritual truth able to take anything out. 8 However, because we possess supplies of food as well as clothes, we must be content. 9 However, those who desire to be rich, as an eternal spiritual truth, fall into temptation which is a trap resulting in many foolish as well as harmful lusts, which indeed by virtue of their evil and sinful nature, as an eternal spiritual truth, plunge these men into experiencing destruction, yes and a sudden one at that! 10 For you see, the love of money is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the root cause, which produces all types of evil actions. Certain individuals, because they selfishly possess an insatiable desire for it, wandered away from the Christian faith. Consequently, they impaled themselves with many intense sufferings. (My translation)