This charge I commit unto (set before) you, child Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on you, that by them you might war the good warfare;

Paul has finished his testimony. He has shown a great attitude of dealing with himself before he exports his preaching. Now he switches back to the charge given in the first few verses. Paul was an apostle by commandment. He is writing to Timothy, a genuine child in the faith. And he passes on the charge to hold others to correct doctrine.

Verses 18 through 20 are, to a certain degree, a summary of the first chapter. 18 refers back to the charge. 19 goes back over the goal of the charge. And verse 20 gives us an example of the charge being applied.

We will remember that good doctrine starts with the realization of our depravity, and believing that God wants to help us. God is all about saving us. He gives us doctrine to help us see both our faults as well as the solution. This is the good news! (We can't separate the gospel, the good news, from good doctrine, as many would have us to do.) Any other foundation from this is an unlawful use of God's Word. If we use God's Word unlawfully, it won't give us the help we so desperately need.

Timothy was charged to hold people to the truth, so they would not miss out on love with a pure heart, with real faith, and with a good conscious. This charge is not to show how smart we are, but rather to help others experience the same grace we have. The goal of good doctrine is love. We need to realize that we are wretched creatures, and that only the good news of the glory of God can save us and keep us pure. It all points to verse 15: it's all about Christ Jesus coming into the world to save sinners.

Note: He gives this charge to son Timothy/ child Timothy. The word son or child (child is more literal) could refer to him being Paul's son in the sense that Paul has poured his life into him like a father. It could also point to his age, as a younger man. Or it could point to him being a son / child of God. Because the context reverts back to the first few verses, where Paul is writing to Timothy, a genuine child in the faith, and because the word "my" is not used here, I lean towards it emphasizing the last; that he is a child in the faith.

Paul is passing this charge on to Timothy, a true child in the faith. He commits it unto him. He sets it before him, entrusting it to him. As he besought him in verse 3, so now he sets it before him. Paul has done all he can. He has taken the time to write it down and lay it out so that Timothy (as well as us) can know what to do. It's been handed to us. When someone commits their estate or their children into another person's care, they are giving them responsibility to take good care of it. It's totally our responsibility now. We can't say we didn't know we were supposed to do something. Are we going to hold people to correct doctrine?

And Paul was specific about who he was talking to. He was involved in a lot of people's lives, but he made the time and effort to reach out to people as individuals. (In the book of Romans we see that he knew lots of individuals there, even though he had never yet visited.) Invoking Timothy's name was a way to get Timothy extra involved. It's like he said "Timothy, I know you, and I know that you are really in the faith, and I know that this charge is for you!" Timothy couldn't shrug off this responsibility for others. And we shouldn't shrug it off either. If Paul were talking to us, he would have applied these same principles directly to us. _________ (add your name), hold people to the truth!

Timothy was entrusted this charge, according to the prophecies that went before him. These prophecies are all the truths of God that went before him, which have been revealed to him, and which he has received. That's what we hold on to, and that's what we fight with. It is by the truths of God that we are able to defend the faith. These are the weapons of our warfare. Weapons are real important when you are in a war. Soldiers take extra good care of their rifles, and we should take extra good care of the truths God has given to us.

I don't think prophecies here is limited to predictions made about Timothy's future. It is easy to narrow prophecy down to the foretelling of future events; but in reality the word is much broader than that. While prophecy is sometimes foretelling the future, I just don't believe the application is limited to future events. The application of prophecy here, I believe, includes all the truth that God had revealed to Timothy. The word literally means to "speak forth". Speaking forth as the instrument of God is prophesying. He wants to use us as a mouthpiece to reveal his heart and mind. The truths of the scriptures are prophecies. It is quite true that the prophets spoke of future events, and that certainly is part of prophesying; yet the bulk of their text communicated the woes of disobedience, and the blessings of obeying God. The number one goal of the prophets was to reveal the heart of God, the truths of God, so that others could experience love in a pure heart, etc.

This charge was in accordance with all the truth that God had revealed unto Timothy. We're accountable for what we have heard. To whom much is given, much is required. God expects us to use what we have heard, starting with ourselves and then with others. His truth is not for us to hoard to ourselves. It is also for us to help others.

He already made it clear that we are to apply truth first to ourselves. In fact the very reason people do badly is because they don't apply it to themselves first (using the law unlawfully). And that is why these people need to be charged. Even though we must start with ourselves, we must still go beyond this and apply it to others. The things that God reveals to us are for us to help others.

Jesus often spoke of stewardship, as in the multiplying of those things that our Master has given us. We will be held accountable for all the truth we have received (first for ourselves as well as for others). That is the charge. God help us to be faithful. It is so easy to be lazy and/or fearful, and not apply this. Yet we are commanded to get past ourselves and fight the good fight. He is there to help us be as bold as lions, yet as gentle as doves.

God reveals his truths to be used as weapons of warfare. We're not dealing with the puny weapons of this world (although those we try to save may resort to them). We're not called to resort to violence or even name-calling. Our weapons are so much greater, as they transform men's lives to a greater resurrection. His truths expose all wickedness and error. His truths are powerful. They show people the error of their way. They show the good news of the glory of God. They show the way of salvation with power to transform lives. These weapons are so powerful they can't be compared to the puny instruments of human warfare. These weapons can release the power of God. These weapons free people from the greatest enemy they have, which is anything contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are also in this warfare. And it is by holding to these truths that we can fight the good fight. This charge, to hold people to the pure word of God, is a fight. It is warfare. We need to hold to the truth, and use it to fight against false doctrine. Standing against all bad doctrine is not easy. People resist us. Their flesh (all flesh) has a built in prideful attitude that doesn't want to admit it's wrong. It's a constant push on our part to make it happen. It's like swimming upstream. We will meet lots of resistance. It cost the author of this letter his life, besides beatings too numerous to mention.

We do not war against the people; that is, flesh and blood. We war against the lies that oppress them. A cruel king is controlling them by deceit, and we are fighting to free them from their oppression. (To make matters worse, a lot of times people don't understand that we are helping them. But through love and sound doctrine God will give people a chance to be saved). We are marching into Satan's stronghold and making war. The gates of Hell can't stop us when we do all God asks of us.

Paul commits this charge to us. This is a big point of personal application from the verse. Son __________ (fill in your name), I commit this charge to you. I have laid forth the battle plan for you to go carry out. Let's go do it. These are fighting words. We are to march against the lies of Hell and save the inhabitants of planet earth.

I don't look at it as if I'm in warfare as much as I should. It's easy to rationalize that they were in warfare because they were apostles and evangelists in a hostile environment. And that is true. But that is not really the most balanced application. Paul and Timothy were in warfare because they saw how badly people needed the truth to set them free. They were in warfare because their attitude was right. Like the parable of the Samaritan and the good neighbor, they made the effort to help people.

They made the battle happen. This fight doesn't happen much if we don't start it. People are most happy with us when we just keep our opinions to ourselves. People don't bother us much when we just sit around doing nothing. This battle happens because we put truth in front of them and hold them to it. It's aggressive on our part. It's what happens when we really care about their soul. Dear Lord, please help us.

Paul and Timothy weren't mild mannered Christians who stepped into a phone booth one day and turned into Super-evangelists. They were faithful at fighting the good fight before God sent them forth. We don't become missionaries when we hit foreign soil. We become missionaries where we are, and then God sends us to another country. Timothy had a reputation for his stand in the Gospel before Paul asked him to join him in the work. We see in Acts that Paul also stood firm for the Gospel before he was sent out. They had the right attitude first, and then God sent them forth.

The army picks faithful soldiers to advance. Companies, ideally, pick faithful employees to promote. I need to be faithful where I am now, so I can be worthy (only through Him) to be sent forth. If we are faithful in the little we will be faithful with a lot.

We all would like to be a hero when a life-threatening situation arises. But we see life- threatening situations now. People are facing the worst enemy they will ever face. They are in a battle for the truth that will set them free. Warfare is serious. And we are not just in a war where people die. People are dying and going to hell. God came to save sinners. And God calls us to lay down our life; holding out the uncompromised truth. This is a good warfare. We face the enemy of untruth so that people can be set free. Bad doctrine is destroying people, and we need to stand up and war against it.

I like the word warfare. It's means more than fighting just one battle. It's battle after battle after battle. The fight for people's souls is now. There is coming a day of rest when no one else will be saved. But now it's a fight for the kingdom of our Lord. War is present tense (indicative). It's an ongoing struggle for other people's survival.

What is the root source that we are fighting against? There are many reasons for bad doctrine. Our flesh, being as incredibly selfish as it is, comes up with all sorts of rationalizations to veer from truth. And we also face another foe. The Devil is a liar. John 8:44b tells us the Devil abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. We must stand against lies that are fighting against the kingdom of our Lord. What good is a soldier who runs in fear from the battle? What good are we if we aren't willing to stand for whatever is true? We must be willing to be persecuted, or even killed, for the gospel's sake. If not, then we better re-evaluate our salvation.

Timothy chose to take the challenge. He withstood false teachers, and all false doctrine. If we are the children of God, then we have also been drafted into the war. The war is raging. Our fellow countrymen are being slaughtered. How can we sit at home and ignore the charge? God has given us the command. If we are too indifferent or too scared to go to battle, then we do not yet understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I would hate to be in a battle, and watch my friends get killed because I was afraid to do my part. I would hate to carry the guilt of that man's blood. This happens in real life. I could easily have seen myself doing that when I was lost. And this is exactly what I'm doing now when I back away from holding to the truth in love. It is in these moments, in the heat of the battle, where I prove my love of God. Jesus said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. God please help me.

Timothy is being asked to trust what he has learned. It's like going through army training and then being asked take all the things you have learned and use them to win the war. You trust your training. If you paid attention and did your part, the army will have given you the tools you need to do your job well. How much more so with God: if we are faithful to show ourselves approved, we do not need to be ashamed as we handle the Word of God. God will fully equip us with all the truth we need to war a good warfare.

As I reflect on this verse, I like to remember that standing for doctrine is helping people. I want to keep this thought near this next week. If we use doctrine correctly, it will really help people. People so often look at good doctrine as optional, as some sort of mental gymnastics for those who are into that kind of thing. God, please help us not fall into that pit. We are to stand because we care about others, and we want to help them. It is the truth that sets men free.