1 Timothy 6:12-13 1 Timothy 6:12-Paul Commands … · 1 Timothy 6:12-13 1 Timothy 6:12-Paul...

2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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1 Timothy 6:12-13

1 Timothy 6:12-Paul Commands Timothy To Win The Race Which Is Noble And To Experience The Life Which Is Eternal

Review of 1 Timothy 6:11

After issuing a final indictment against the false teachers in 1 Timothy 6:3-10

and informing Timothy that the love of money was their motivation for teaching

false doctrine, Paul then urges Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-16 to live a godly,

exemplary life (6:11-16).

In this pericope, Paul presents four reasons why Timothy is to persevere and

fight the good fight of faith. The first is that he has been called by God to

appropriate by faith the eternal life that was given to him as a gift at the moment of

his conversion. The second he made a commitment to faithfully carry out Paul’s

command to order certain unidentified pastors in Ephesus to stop teaching false

doctrine and being occupied with Jewish myths and useless genealogies and get

back to administrating the household of God by being faithful to their duties. This

commitment was made in the presence of many witnesses. The third reason is that

by being faithful he would imitate the Lord Jesus Christ. Lastly, the fourth reason

is that the rapture of the church is imminent.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 echoes Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18-19.

First of all, both passages mention Timothy persevering in spiritual combat by

means of faith in the Word of God, i.e. the gospel. In both passages, Paul reminds

Timothy of the occasion in which prophecies made in the presence of many

witnesses concerning his efforts in dealing with the false teachers in Ephesus and

ordering them to stop teaching false doctrine. Both contrast Timothy’s character

with that of the false teachers.

In 1 Timothy 6:11, the apostle Paul commands Timothy to continue making it

his habit of fleeing the vices of the apostate pastor-teachers but rather in direct

contrast to this he is to continue making it his habit of pursuing righteousness,

godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:11 However, you O man belonging to God the Father, continue making it your habit of avoiding these things. Instead continue making it your habit and making every effort to practice so as to exemplify righteousness, godliness, Christian doctrine, divine-love, perseverance,

gentleness. (My translation) This verse introduces a command addressed to Timothy which requires him to

continue making it his habit of fleeing from the ungodly vices of the apostate

pastor-teachers in Ephesus, which stands in contrast to becoming involved with


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these sins. The contrast is between the ungodly attitude and conduct of the apostate

teachers in Ephesus with that of Timothy’s continuing to exemplify godly conduct

which is to be demonstrated by manifesting righteousness, godliness, faith, love,

perseverance and gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:11 contains two commands. The first requires Timothy to avoid

the ungodly vices of the apostate teachers in Ephesus whereas the second requires

that he practice righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness

so as to exemplify these things.

“You O man belonging to God the Father” is expressing Paul’s deep

emotional concern as a result of contemplating the severe discipline that these

apostate pastor-teachers in Ephesus were experiencing because of their apostasy.

“These things” is the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos, which refers to

the vices of the apostate teachers mentioned by Paul in 1 Timothy 6:3-10. This is

indicated by the fact that each time Paul uses this word in the accusative plural

form in 1 Timothy (1:18; 3:14; 4:6, 11, 15; 5:7; 6:2, 8), it refers to the immediate

preceding paragraph or statement. Therefore, houtos refers to Paul’s teaching

regarding the apostate pastor-teachers in Ephesus.

“Continue making it your habit of avoiding” is the verb pheugo, which refers

to Timothy avoiding the vices of the apostate teachers in Ephesus mentioned in 1

Timothy 6:3-10 in order to avoid being disciplined by God like them. This would

involve Timothy continuing to make it his habit of avoiding listening to and

teaching false doctrine (6:3). He is to avoid the sick obsession of the apostate

teachers of getting involved with pointless debates about the meaning of words

(6:4). This causes envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions among believers,

which Timothy was to avoid as well. Timothy was also to avoid the practice of the

apostate teachers who incessantly argued and to avoid the false doctrine that

godliness is a means of gaining wealth for oneself (6:5). He was to be content and

reject the attitude of desiring to be rich and thus the many foolish and harmful lusts

that result from this desire (6:9). Lastly, he was to reject the attitude of loving

money, which is the root cause, which produce all types of evil actions (6:10). He

was to avoid being disciplined by God by not loving money as the apostate pastor-

teachers in Ephesus. Thus, pheugo teaches Timothy that he is to avoid the ungodly

attitude and conduct of the apostate pastors and resultant discipline from God that

they are receiving.

“Instead continue making it your habit and objective to exemplify

righteousness, godliness, Christian doctrine, divine-love, perseverance, gentleness” stands in contrast with the previous command for Timothy to continue

making it his habit of avoiding the ungodly attitude and conduct of the apostate

pastors in Ephesus and resultant discipline from God that they are experiencing.


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“Continue making it your habit and making every effort to practice so as to exemplify” is the verb dioko, which means “to do something with an intense effort

to a goal.” It means “to do something with intense effort and with a definite

purpose or goal in mind.” Doing something with intense effort in our context

would be practicing righteousness, godliness, Christian doctrine, love,

perseverance and gentleness. The goal in view is that of exemplifying

righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness, which is

accomplished by obedience to Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. the gospel.

Specifically, exemplifying these things is accomplished by Timothy appropriating

by faith his union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial,

resurrection and session. This in turn results in obedience to the various

prohibitions and commands that appear in the Word of God, i.e. the gospel. This

obedience constitutes loving God with one’s entire being and strength and one’s

neighbor as oneself. To exemplify these things is to pursue the objective of

becoming like Jesus Christ or spiritual maturity.

So that which Timothy is to make every effort to do is to exemplify these

things. Therefore, the verb dioko means “to pursue” but in the sense of Timothy

making every effort to practice righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance

and gentleness so as to exemplify these things. This stands in contrast to the

apostate pastors in Ephesus who exemplified ungodliness.

Making it one’s objective in life to exemplify these things involves disciplining

one’s thinking in the sense of rejecting ungodly thoughts and embracing godly

thoughts, which is accomplished by learning the Word of God and accepting it by

faith and in particular appropriating one’s union and identification with Christ.

This results in godly priorities. Making it one’s objective in life to practice

righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness so as to

exemplify these things of course involves obedience to the gospel, which is the

direct result of appropriating by faith one’s union and identification with Christ.

Therefore, dioko involves one’s attitude and conduct and means “to exemplify by

practicing” or in other words “to practice so as to exemplify.”

“Righteousness” is the noun dikaiosune, which refers to Timothy practicing

God’s righteousness so as to exemplify, which involves him fulfilling his

obligation to God to love Him with his entire being and strength and fulfilling his

obligation to his fellow human being to love them as himself. It refers to Timothy

experiencing the righteousness of God by appropriating by faith his union and

identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session,

which results in obedience to the various prohibitions and commands that appear in

the gospel, which constitutes loving God with one’s entire being and strength and

one’s neighbor as oneself.


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Therefore, the word refers to Timothy practicing God’s integrity and virtue so

as to exemplify this godly virtue. It refers to Timothy exemplifying Christ-life

character which is perfectly sound by practicing God’s righteousness in his life. It

speaks of Timothy perfectly adhering to God’s perfect standards, which appear in

the gospel. It denotes Timothy doing all that God commands of him and all that He

demands of him as His child and all that He approves, and all that He provides

through Christ.

“Godliness” is the noun eusebeia, which refers to an attitude and resultant

conduct that honors God and is an act of worshipping Him. It refers to proper

Christian attitude and conduct that is produced by the Holy Spirit as a result of

exercising faith in the Word of God resulting in obedience to the Word of God. It

means “godliness” in the sense that by the power of the Holy Spirit the Christian is

conforming their thinking and conduct according to the Father’s will, which is

revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. It means that the Christian is

conforming their attitude and conduct to the will of the Father as a result of faith in

the Spirit’s teaching in the Word of God resulting in obedience to the Father’s will.

The Christian’s faith in the Word of God appropriates the power of the Holy Spirit

resulting in conformity of their attitude and conduct to the will of the Father, which

is revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God. This constitutes worshipping God.

Eusebeia is the result of appropriating by faith the Spirit’s teaching in the Word

of God that the Christian is in union with Christ identified with Him in His

crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session. This results in obedience to the

commands and prohibitions in the Word of God that is inspired by the Spirit. It

also results in godly conduct that honors the Father and reflects His perfect norms

and standards. Also, it manifests the character of Christ in the life of the believer as

well as the omnipotence of God in that exercising faith in the Spirit’s teaching that

one is in union with Christ and identified with Him appropriates the omnipotence

of God. Therefore, Paul is commanding Timothy to continue making it his habit of

practicing godliness so as to exemplify it.

“Christian doctrine” is the noun pistis, which is used in an objective sense for

the Christian faith. It 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. Thus, pistis is synonymous for the gospel and speaks of it

from a different perspective, namely that which the church believes. Therefore,

when used in relation to the verb dioko, it refers to Timothy practicing Christian

doctrine so as to exemplify it. It speaks of Timothy practicing Christian doctrine so

as to exemplify it.

“Divine-love” is the noun agape, which refers to the love of God reproduced in

the life of Timothy by the Holy Spirit when he exercises faith in the Word of God

and specifically faith in his union and identification with Christ. It refers to


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Timothy obeying the Lord Jesus’ command to love one another as He loves, which

is the direct result of exercising faith in the Word of God (John 13:34). The word

refers to God’s love practiced by Timothy toward the Lord, his fellow Christian

and fellow human being since this is the direct result of them exercising faith in the

Word of God and in particular the command in John 13:34. The emphasis with this

word is upon God’s love being reflected in the life of Timothy as it functions

towards the Lord and his fellow human beings since Paul is contrasting the

negative ungodly results of the apostate pastors in Ephesus who taught false

doctrine because of their love of money. Their love for money prevented them

from loving God with their entire being and strength and their neighbor. So in 1

Timothy 6:11, Paul is commanding Timothy to continue making it his habit and

making every effort to practice divine-love so as to exemplify it.

“Perseverance” is the noun hupomone, which denotes that Paul wants Timothy

to continue to make every effort to practice this godly virtue so as to exemplify it.

It denotes that Paul wants Timothy to continue to making it his habit and making

every effort to practice godly perseverance which produced by the Holy Spirit so

as to exemplify this godly virtue. It speaks of Timothy remaining faithful to the

Lord by being obedient to the Word of God despite the obstacles in life such as the

old sin nature, self, the cosmic system of Satan. It denotes Timothy bearing up

under intense pressure and not quitting on God. It depicts him as enduring

undeserved suffering on behalf of the communication of the gospel.

The noun hupomone depicts Timothy as staying disciplined and subjecting

himself to the will of God, which demands the acquiescence of his will to the

Father’s will. The word conveys the idea of Timothy not permitting his adverse

circumstances to get him to surrender or quit on the plan of God. The word

describes Timothy’s triumphant confident expectation of reward and blessing in

the midst of adversity. It also involves Timothy doing what is right and never

giving in to the temptation or trial and is a conquering perseverance and the ability

to deal triumphantly with anything that life can do to Timothy. It accepts the blows

of life but in accepting them transforms them into stepping stones to new

achievement and spiritual growth. Hupomone is the attitude of Timothy as soldier

of Christ who in the thick of battle, is not discouraged and quits but rather fights on

courageously whatever the difficulties.

“Gentleness” is the noun praupathia, which is a necessary virtue when

confronting these apostate pastors in Ephesus (cf. Galatians 6:1). Therefore, Paul is

commanding Timothy to continue making it his habit and making every effort to

practice gentleness so as to exemplify this godly virtue. By exemplifying

gentleness, Timothy’s conduct would stand in stark contrast the Judaizers and the

apostate pastors who adhered to their legalistic teaching since they were involved


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with pointless arguments about words which caused envy, dissension, slanders, and

evil suspicions. These individuals were incessantly arguing (cf. 1 Timothy 6:3-4).

Timothy is to Fight the Good Fight of Faith

The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:12 issues Timothy two more commands.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (NASB95)

“Fight the good fight of faith” is composed of the second person singular

present middle imperative form of the verb agonizomai (ἀγωνίζοµαι) (ahgoe-nee-

zoe-meh), “fight” and this is followed by the articular accusative masculine

singular form of the adjective kalos (καλός) (kah-loce), “good” and then we have

the accusative masculine singular form of the noun (ἀγών) (ahg-known), “fight”

and this is followed by the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun

pistis (πίστις) (pee-steece), “faith.”

Asyndeton

Paul is once again employing the figure of “asyndeton,” which means that he is

not using a connective word between the second command at the end of 1 Timothy

6:11 and his command in 1 Timothy 6:12. He uses this figure in order to

emphasize this command in verse 12 in the sense that he wants Timothy to dwell

upon it and obey it. This figure emphasizes the importance of this command for

Timothy in the sense that it will benefit him personally by advancing him to further

growth spiritually and will benefit him in that it will aid him in administrating the

household of God in Ephesus.

Agonizomai

In classical Greek, the verb agonizomai refers to “carry on a conflict, context,

debate or legal suit.” It is used mainly with the idea of an athletic contest in mind.

In Hellenistic Judaism, the idea of a contest might be used metaphorically to refer

to the struggle which a godly person has to go through in this world (e.g. Sirach

4:28). In the inscriptions and papyri, the verb appears often and not only referring

to athletic contests and other games but also it is used of warfare (Moulton-

Milligan, page 8).

Agonizomai appears only 6 times in the Septuagint, all of which are non-

canonical referring to military conflict. The struggle for virtue and truth are also

found in the Septuagint.


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The term occurs only 8 times in the New Testament (Luke 13:24; John 18:36; 1

Corinthians 9:25; Colossians 1:29; 4:12; 1 Timothy 4:10; 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7).

The verb refers the spiritual struggle or conflict to follow the Lord Jesus Christ’s

teaching in Luke 13:24. It is used in John 18:36 of the Lord Jesus Christ’s servant

fighting for his kingdom against the kingdom of Satan.

Paul uses the word in athletic metaphor of engaging in an athletic contest in 1

Corinthians 9:25. In this verse, it is used figuratively of the Christian self-restraint

or self-control in order to obtain a reward at the Bema Seat. He uses the word again

in Colossians 1:29 of the conflict he actively engages in order to communicate the

gospel of Jesus Christ. It is used by Paul in Colossians 4:12 to describe Epaphras’

intense struggle in prayer on behalf of the Colossians. Paul uses the word in 2

Timothy 4:7 to describe his struggle or conflict to execute the Father’s will for his

life.

In 1 Timothy 4:10, the verb agonizomai is used in a figurative sense and means

“to make every effort to win” in the sense of engaging in an intense struggle to

accomplish a victory against strong opposition. The idea of victory is implied in

the meaning of the word since the word continues the athletic metaphor that

appears in 1 Timothy 4:7-8. Thus, it contains the idea of a runner struggling

intensely to win a race in the Graeco-Roman games in the face of stiff opposition

from other runners competing against him. Here the term refers to Paul and

Timothy making every effort to experience eternal life which will accomplish the

Father’s will for their lives despite strong opposition from sin and Satan’s

kingdom. Therefore, in 1 Timothy 4:10, the verb agonizomai indicates that

accomplishing the Father’s will is analogous to the square stone pillar that marked

the end of the race for a runner in the Graeco-Roman games. This is indicated by

the fact that the square stone pillar in the ancient Graeco-Roman games marked the

finish line in these games and executing the Father’s will.

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the verb agonizomai used once again in a figurative sense

and means “to make every effort to win” in the sense of engaging in an intense

struggle to accomplish a victory against strong opposition. The idea of victory is

implied in the meaning of the word since the word is used with agon, “fight”

which signifies an athletic metaphor. Thus, it contains the idea of a runner

struggling intensely to win a race in the Graeco-Roman games in the face of stiff

opposition from other runners competing against him.

Here the term refers to Timothy making every effort to win the noble contest of

faith by experiencing eternal life which will accomplish the Father’s will for his

life despite strong opposition from sin and Satan’s kingdom. This is indicated by

the fact that the command that follows it ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς εἰς ἣν

ἐκλήθης, “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”


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Therefore, the verb agonizomai indicates that accomplishing the Father’s will is

analogous to the square stone pillar that marked the end of the race for a runner in

the Graeco-Roman games. This is indicated by the fact that the square stone pillar

in the ancient Graeco-Roman games marked the finish line in these games and

accomplishing the Father’s will of growing up to become like Jesus Christ

completes the plan of the Father for the believer’s life.

The runner in the Graeco-Roman games would struggle intensely against other

runners in order to win a race, which would earn him a crown and rewards at the

Bema Seat. In a similar fashion, Paul is commanding Timothy to struggle intensely

to live the Christian way of life against opposition from the sin nature and Satan’s

kingdom in order to execute the Father’s will to become like Christ, which would

earn him crowns and rewards at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

The will of the Father is that the Christian become like Jesus Christ (Ephesians

4:11-16) and this can only be accomplished by the Christian experiencing eternal

life in time prior to the rapture or their death whichever comes first. Experiencing

eternal life and thus living a godly life is accomplished by obedience to the Word

of God, i.e. the gospel.

Specifically, it is accomplished by accepting by faith the Spirit’s teaching in the

Word of God that the Christian is crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with

Christ, which results in obedience to the commands and prohibitions found in the

Word of God. In other words, it is experienced by obeying the command to love

God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself, which summarizes the

prohibitions and commands found in the Word of God. Experiencing eternal life is

accomplished by loving others as Christ loved by the power of the Spirit.

Godliness is experiencing eternal life and is the Christian way of life. By living

the Christian way of life, i.e. by experiencing eternal life or in other words by

living a godly life the Christian grows up to become like Jesus Christ and thus

executes the Father’s will, which will earn them an imperishable crown and

rewards at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

Now, some argue that the first command in 1 Timothy 6:12 contains a military

metaphor. However, the verb agonizomai was used in 1 Timothy 4:10 in an

obvious athletic metaphor as we noted in detail. Furthermore, the noun agon,

“fight” appears in 2 Timothy 4:7 in an athletic metaphor.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that

day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. (NASB95)


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Notice, that after telling Timothy that he fought the good fight, Paul tells him

that he finished the course, i.e. a race, which indicates that agon, “fight” in 2

Timothy 4:7 is used as part of an athletic metaphor of a runner finishing a race.

The fact that agon, “fight” is used this way in 2 Timothy 4:7 and agonizomai in

1 Timothy 4:10 is used in an athletic metaphor of a runner sprinting to win a race

strongly suggests that these two words in 1 Timothy 6:12 are also used in an

athletic metaphor of a runner struggling to cross the finish line to win a foot race.

Also suggesting this is that the noun agon appears in Hebrews 12:1 where it means

“race” referring to a foot race.

The second person singular form of the verb agonizomai refers of course to

Timothy. The present imperative form of the verb is a “customary present

imperative” whose force is for Timothy to simply continue making it his habit of

making every effort win the noble contest or race of faith, which refers to

accomplishing the Father’s will by habitually taking hold of eternal life, i.e.

appropriating by faith the Word of God so as to experience eternal life. The present

imperative is a command for action to be continued, action that may or may not

have already been going on. It is often a character building command to the effect

of “make this your habit,” “train yourself in this, discipline yourself.” This is the

use of the present imperative in general precepts. The present imperative of

agonizomai means, “to continue making it your habit of” making every effort win

the noble contest or race of faith. Paul’s statements in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4:6

indicate that Timothy was carrying out everything he wrote in this epistle,

including this command here in 1 Timothy 6:12. Thus this command is simply a

reminder to Timothy to continue doing what they talked about before Paul left for

Macedonia. Furthermore, Paul would not have delegated Timothy such a difficult

task as the one in Ephesus unless he felt confident that his young delegate could

carry out everything he required of him. Therefore, the present imperative is

simply a reminder to Timothy to continue doing what Paul told him to do before he

left for Macedonia.

The middle voice is an intensive middle focusing attention upon Timothy as the

subject. This emphasizes the intense effort that he is to exert mentally, physically

and spiritual to execute the Father’s will by growing up to spiritual maturity. We

will translate agonizomai, “you yourself continue making it your habit of making every effort to win.”

Agon

The noun agon is derived from ago, “drive, lead” (both Homer on; same root as

Latin ago). Agon originally means a “place of assembly,” then a “place of contest,”


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or “stadium,” then the “contest,” itself (including litigation and debate), and finally

any kind of “conflict.”

The word is often used metaphorically. It means a gathering place of the gods

on Olympus or of ships in harbor and then the fight itself, even the sporting contest

for the prize (brebeion). Agon signified a place of assembly, especially the place

where the Greeks assembled for the Olympic and Pythian games. It also means

fight in war, politics or law.

Generally speaking, then, agon could denote a “struggle.” This included the

idea of combat action in war or legal action in a court of law. The verb agonizomai

attested from Herodotus onwards has the same shades of meaning even when

compounded with ant-, ep-, kat-, sun-, as the noun. Similarly agonia which

occurs from Pindar onwards occurs only in higher style ranges in meaning from

effort to anxiety.

Agon only appears in the Apocrypha and never stands for a Hebrew word. The

same is true of the verb agonizomai and the compounds are altogether absent. The

noun agon is found 6 times in the New Testament (Philippians 1:30; Colossians

2:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:2; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1).

Louw and Nida list two usage for the word: (1) to engage in intense struggle,

involving physical or nonphysical force against strong opposition-‘to struggle, to

fight.’” (39.29) (2) a race involving competition and struggle-‘race.’ (50.4). BDAG

lists two usages as well: (1) the sense ‘athletic competition’ transfers to the moral

and spiritual realm a competition, contest, race (2) general, a struggle against

opposition, struggle, fight (page 17)

Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament: (1) literally (athletic) contest;

metaphorically race (i.e. course) of life (HE 12.1); (2) of exertion and self-denial in

the face of opposition conflict, struggle, fight; figuratively, of intense nonphysical

struggle, conflict (1TH 2.2).

Agon refers to an intense struggle, involving physical or nonphysical force

against strong opposition. The word refers to any struggle with dangers,

annoyances, obstacles, standing in the way of the believer’s advancement

spiritually or spiritual growth. It refers to any conflict which the believer has in life

that attempts to hinder their advancement in the spiritual life or the spiritual growth

which will result in rewards at the Bema Seat Evaluation.

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the noun agon means “race” or “contest” since it is used in

an athletic metaphor. Thus, Paul is commanding Timothy to continue making it his

habit of making every effort to win the noble “race” or “contest” of faith. Again,

indicating the athletic metaphor is in view here is that the verb agonizomai, which

appears with agon in 1 Timothy 6:12 was used in 1 Timothy 4:10 in an obvious

athletic metaphor. Furthermore, the noun agon, “fight” appears in 2 Timothy 4:7 in

an athletic metaphor, which is indicated by the fact that after telling Timothy that


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he fought the good fight, Paul tells him that he finished the course, i.e. a race.

Therefore, the fact that agon, “fight” is used this way in 2 Timothy 4:7 and

agonizomai in 1 Timothy 4:10 is used in an athletic metaphor of a runner sprinting

to win a race strongly suggests that these two words in 1 Timothy 6:12 are also

used in an athletic metaphor. Also suggesting this is that the noun agon appears in

Hebrews 12:1 where it means “race” referring to a foot race.

Therefore, agon in 1 Timothy 6:12 means “race” and is used in a figurative

sense as a part of an athletic metaphor. It is used here of Timothy and denotes the

accomplishment of the Father’s will for his life, which is to become like Jesus

Christ. Agon is analogous to the square stone pillar that marked the end of the race

for a runner in the Graeco-Roman games. This is indicated by the fact that the

square stone pillar in the ancient Graeco-Roman games marked the finish line in

these games and accomplishing the Father’s will of growing up to become like

Jesus Christ completes the plan of the Father for the believer’s life.







The articular construction of the noun agon in 1 Timothy 6:12 is a function

marker to denote that the adjective kalos is in the first attributive position

indicating that this adjective is receiving greater emphasis than the noun agon. We

will translate agon, “the race.”

Kalos

The adjective kalos describes that which is inherently excellent or intrinsically

good. In classical Greek, kalos originally denoted that which was “useful” or

“suitable, functional.” Homer used the term to describe a “suitable” harbor and

Plato referred to a “healthy body.” Xenophon spoke of an “undefiled” offering.

The word later received an aesthetic sense of “beautiful.” Eventually, it developed

moral and ethical nuances in addition to its earlier definitions according to Liddell

and Scott (page 870). At times in Greek philosophy, the adjective kalos is

synonymous with agathos, “good.”

The adjective kalos appears 221 times in the Septuagint where it was not

influenced by Plato’s concept but rather, it functions primarily in an aesthetic or

ethical sense. Sometimes the word translates the Hebrew yapheh, “beautiful”

(Genesis 12:14; 29:17).

The adjective appears 101 times in the Greek New Testament.


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Richard Chenevix Trench commenting on the word, writes, “Initially, kalos

referred to beauty, especially from the Greek viewpoint of that which is

harmonious and complete, of something in which all the parts are balanced and

proportionate.” (Synonyms of the New Testament, page 413)

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following: (1) beautiful,

applied by the Greeks to everything so distinguished in form, excellence,

goodness, usefulness, as to be pleasing; hence, beautiful, handsome, excellent,

eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable

(a) beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent (b) good, excellent in its nature and

characteristics and therefore well-adapted to its ends; especially of things so

constituted as to answer the purpose for which that class of things was created;

good in its substance and nature and fitted to beget good (c) beautiful by reason of

purity of heart and life and hence praiseworthy; morally good, noble (d) honorable,

conferring honor (e) effecting the mind agreeably, comforting and confirming.

(page 322)

Joachim Wanke commenting on the adjective’s usage in the New Testament

gives the following meanings: (1) Beautiful in the sense of an aesthetic judgment

(2) It predominately designates what is ethically good, noble, worth striving for.

(3) It is used most often to designate the ethical quality of conduct. (4) Kalos is

used of persons only in reference to specific vocations or offices (5) Kalos can

connote the (physical) perfection, suitability or usefulness of an object, usually in

metaphorical speech and can be translated useful, profitable, precious, flawless”

(Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament volume 2, pages 244-45).

The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised lists the following meanings for kalos,

“beautiful, good, of good quality or disposition; fertile, rich; useful, profitable;

excellent, choice, select, goodly; pleasant, delightful; just, full; honorable,

distinguished; good; possessing, moral excellence, worthy, upright, virtuous; what

is good and right, a good deed, rectitude, virtue; right, duty; propriety; benefit,

favor” page 211).

Vine commenting on the word, writes, “Kalos denotes that which is intrinsically

‘good,’ and so, ‘goodly, fair, beautiful,’ as (a) of that which is well adapted to its

circumstances or ends, e. g., fruit, Matt 3:10; a tree, 12:33; ground, 13:8,23; fish,

13:48; the Law, Rom 7:16; 1 Tim 1:8; every creature of God, 1 Tim 4:4; a faithful

minister of Christ and the doctrine he teaches, 4:6; (b) of that which is ethically

good, right, noble, honorable e. g., Gal 4:18; 1 Tim 5:10,25; 6:18; Titus 2:7,14;

3:8,14. The word does not occur in the Apocalypse, nor indeed after 1 Peter.

Christians are to ‘take thought for things honorable’ (kalos), 2 Cor 8:21, RV; to do

that which is honorable, 13:7; not to be weary in well doing, Gal 6:9; to hold fast

‘that which is good,’ 1 Thess 5:21; to be zealous of good works, Titus 2:14; to

maintain them, 3:8; to provoke to them, Heb 10:24; to bear testimony by them, 1


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Peter 2:12. Kalos and agathos occur together in Luke 8:15, an ‘honest’ (kalos)

heart, i. e., the attitude of which is right towards God; a ‘good’ (agathos) heart, i.

e., one that, instead of working ill to a neighbor, acts beneficially towards him. In

Rom 7:18, ‘in me... dwelleth no good thing’ (agathos) signifies that in him is

nothing capable of doing ‘good,’ and hence he lacks the power ‘to do that which is

good’ (kalos). In 1 Thess 5:15, ‘follow after that which is good’ (agathos), the

‘good’ is that which is beneficial; in v. 21, ‘hold fast that which is good (kalos),’

the ‘good’ describes the intrinsic value of the teaching. (Vine’s Expository

Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian

Literature-Third Edition list the following New Testament usages: (1) pertaining to

being attractive in outward appearance, beautiful, handsome, fine in outward

appearance (2) pertaining to being in accordance at a high level with the purpose of

something or someone, good, useful (a) of thing (b) moral quality (c) in any

respect unobjectionable, blameless, excellent (d) in the general sense it is good

qualifies items that fit under one of the preceding classifications (Pages 504-505).

Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament writes, “Good, beautiful, with

a basic meaning healthy, sound, fit, opposite kakos (bad, evil) and asichros (ugly,

deformed) (1) of outward appearance handsome, beautiful, lovely (2) as a quality

of freedom from defects good, useful, fine (3) of a sound moral disposition good,

noble, praiseworthy, synonymous with agathos; of things excellent (4) socially, of

a mode of life and behavior (5) impersonally kalon (estin) it is good, expedient, or

advantageous (6) comparative kallion, kallion better, more beautiful (7)

superlative, very beautiful (Page 214).

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains list

the following: (1) pertaining to a positive moral quality, with the implication of

being favorably valued – ‘good, fine, praiseworthy’ (88.4). (2) pertaining to having

acceptable characteristics or functioning in an agreeable manner, often with the

focus on outward form or appearance – ‘good, fine’ (65.22). (3) pertaining to

providing some special or superior benefit – ‘advantageous, better’ (65.43). (4)

pertaining to being fitting and at the same time probably good – fitting, good’

(66.2). (5) pertaining to being beautiful or attractive in terms of outward form or

shape, often implying a corresponding fine value – ‘beautiful, fine’ (79.9). (6)

pertaining to having high status, with the possible implication of its attractiveness –

‘high, important, fine’ (87.25).

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the adjective kalos is modifying the noun agon, “race” and

means “noble” in the sense of possessing outstanding qualities and great

importance. It describes something whose importance is superior to all others. Here

it describes the spiritual race to accomplish the will of the Father that Timothy was

engaged in as superior to foot races in the natural realm since it possesses a


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superior goal, the will of the Father. It describes this spiritual race as of the utmost

importance in life possessing outstanding qualities because winning this race

results in praise and rewards from a superior sovereign king, Jesus Christ and is

against superior opponents, Satan and the sin nature. The word speaks of

Timothy’s commission as of the utmost importance or the most important thing

that he could do in life. It denotes that accomplishing the Father’s will for his life is

the most important thing in his life to do.

The word is in the first attributive position modifying the noun agon as

indicated by the articular construction and is thus receiving greater emphasis. The

article tightens up the quality expressed by this adjective. Therefore, we will

translate this word “which is noble.”

Pistis in 1 Timothy 6:12

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the noun pistis refers to Timothy’s post-conversion faith in

the Word of God. Specifically, it speaks of his faith in Paul’s gospel or apostolic

teaching. This is indicated by the fact that in the very next command, Paul orders

Timothy to take hold of eternal life, which refers to experiencing eternal life,

which is accomplished by faith in Paul’s gospel. Furthermore, Paul is using an

athletic metaphor of a runner attempting to win a race against other runners. This

race is analogous to the Christian way of life and the finish for this race is the

execution of the Father’s will for the Christian to become like Christ. This race is

won by faith in the Word of God, i.e. appropriating by faith Paul’s gospel.

Therefore, in 1 Timothy 6:12, the noun pistis is used in the active sense

meaning “to trust, to have total and absolute confidence in” the Word of God after

conversion. It does not refer to the objective body of truth, the content of the

Christian faith meaning Christian doctrine, although that is the object of the

believer’s faith after salvation. Rather, it refers to Timothy’s faith in Paul’s

apostolic teaching, i.e. the gospel. The race to execute the Father’s will is not

accomplished by means of the gospel, or the Christian faith but rather it is

accomplished by means of the believer’s faith in the Word of God.

The noun pistis in 1 Timothy 6:12 is a genitive of means which denotes that the

word is the means by which the verbal action implicit in the head noun (agon) is

accomplished. This indicates that Paul is commanding Timothy to continue making

it his habit of making every effort to win the race which is noble “by means of” his

faith in the Word of God.

The articular construction of the word functions as a possessive pronoun and

means “your” indicating that Paul is commanding Timothy to continue making it

his habit of making every effort to win the race, which is noble by means of “your”

faith in the Word of God. The article is also monadic meaning that this faith is one


15

of a kind in the sense that it is Timothy’s faith. We will translate the expression τῆς πίστεως, “by means of your faith.”

Timothy is to Take Hold of Eternal Life

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to

which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (NASB95)

“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” is composed of the

second person aorist middle imperative form of the verb epilambanomai

(ἐπιλαµβάνοµαι) (ehpee-lahm-banoe-meh), “take hold of” and then we have the

articular genitive feminine singular form of the adjective aionios (αἰώνιος) (ay-

owe-knee-os), “eternal” and this is followed by the genitive feminine singular

form of the noun zoe (ζωή) (zoe-ee), “life” and then we have the preposition eis

(εἰς) (eece), “into” and its object is the accusative feminine singular form of the

relative pronoun hos (ὅς) (oce), “which” and this is followed by the second person

singular aorist passive indicative form of the verb kaleo (καλέω) (kah-leh-owe),

“you were called.”

Asyndeton

At this point in 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul is once again employing the figure of

“asyndeton,” which means that he is not using a connective word between the

previous command here in 1 Timothy 6:12 and the command that follows it. He

uses this figure in order to emphasize this second command in verse 12 in the sense

that he wants Timothy to dwell upon it and obey it. This figure emphasizes the

importance of this second command for Timothy in the sense that it will benefit

him personally by advancing him to further growth spiritually and will benefit him

in that it will aid him in administrating the household of God in Ephesus.

Epilambanomai

This verb is used in a figurative sense and means “to experience” eternal life.

This is accomplished by means of exercising faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e.

the gospel.

The aorist imperative form of the verb epilambanomai is a “constative aorist

imperative” meaning that this is a solemn or categorical command. The stress is

not “begin an action,” nor “continue to act.” Rather, the stress is on the solemnity

and urgency of the action; thus “I solemnly charge you to act—and do it now!”

This is the use of the aorist in general precepts. The aorist is often used to


16

command an action that has been going on. Thus, in this case, both the solemn

nature of the command and its urgency are emphasized. Therefore, the constative

aorist imperative form of the verb epilambanomai indicates that Paul is

commanding Timothy “to make it his top priority” to experience eternal life “and

do it now!” Paul was “solemnly charging” him to do this.

Therefore, the constative aorist imperative does not imply that Timothy was

failing to do this, which is supported by Paul’s statements in 1 Timothy 1:3 and

4:6, which indicate that Timothy was carrying out every command and prohibition

in this epistle including this second command in 1 Timothy 6:12. Paul does not use

the customary present imperative form of the verb, which would emphasize

Timothy “continuing making it his habit of” experiencing eternal life since he does

not want to emphasize the continuation of this action. Rather, he uses the

constative aorist imperative form of the verb to emphasize with Timothy the

“urgency” of this second command in 1 Timothy 6:12 and that it is a top priority.

Paul’s statements in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4:6 indicate that Timothy was doing this

very thing in making it a top priority to experience eternal life by means of faith in

the gospel. However, the constative aorist imperative form of the verb

epilambanomai does not indicate that he was doing this but is used only to

emphasize with Timothy the “urgency” of this second command and that it is a top

priority.

The middle voice the verb epilambanomai is an indirect middle meaning that

the subject acts for himself or herself or in his or her own interest. This indicates

that obeying this command to experience eternal life will be a “benefit” to

Timothy.

We will translate this verb “I solemnly charge you for your own benefit to make it your top priority to experience.”

Classical Usage of Aionios

The meaning of the adjective aionios is “eternal, perpetual.” Among classical

writers this especially refers to “endless time,” a period of time lasting “for an

age.” Together with aion the adjective aionios acquired philosophical overtones,

especially beginning in the writings of Plato who developed the term along lines of

“super-time, an idea of time itself.” Later, individuals and groups adopted this

concept and this opened the door for even further speculations about time.

Despite the rather singular meaning of aionios in both Biblical and nonbiblical

sources, a fundamental difference exists between the classical/philosophical Greek

concept of “eternity” and the Biblical attitude. Whereas the Biblical concept of

eternity is an eternity filled with time, “endless time,” the philosophical, Greek

notion knows only a “timeless eternity.”


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In eternity there is no such thing as time and no such thing as past, present or

future, only an eternal now. According to Plato everything in the created order

belonged to the realm of time, while eternity was the exclusive territory of deity.

Liddell and Scott list the following meanings for the adjective aionios (Greek-

English Lexicon, New Edition, page 45): (1) Perpetual, eternal (2) Holding an

office or title for life, perpetual (3) Adverb, eternally, perpetually.

Septuagint Usage Aionios

The adjective aionios appears 152 times in the Septuagint (LXX). Like its

cognate noun aion, it is used primarily to translate the Hebrew `olam, “everlasting,

all future.” The adjective in the LXX means, “eternal.” The word is often used to

describe a “lasting” or “perpetual ordinance” given for all generations (Ex. 30:21;

Lev. 7:36 [LXX 7:26]; 10:9; cf. 16:29, 31, 34).

Aionios describes the “eternal, everlasting” unconditional covenants that God

has made with various individuals in the OT: (1) Adamic (Gn. 3:22). (2) Noahic

(Gn. 9:16). (3) Abrahamic (Gn. 17:7-8, 13, 19). (4) Palestinian (Gn. 13:15). (5)

Davidic (2 S. 23:5 [LXX 2 K. 23:5]; 1 Ch. 16:17). (6) New (Jer. 31:40).

The Adamic and Noahic covenants are related to the theocentric dispensation of

the Gentiles, which preceded the creation of the nation of Israel and its

dispensation, which is subsequent to that to of the Gentiles. These are all

unconditional covenants whose fulfillment is contingent upon the faithfulness of

God.

The Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants are all unconditional

covenants directly related to the nation of Israel and its future.

The adjective aionios is used also in relation to the 6 of 7 feasts of Israel: (1)

Passover (Ex. 12:14). (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex. 12:17). (3) First-Fruits

(Lev. 23:14). (4) Pentecost (Lev. 23:15). (5) Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:31). (6)

Tabernacles (Lev. 23:41).

The word is not used in relation to the Feast of Trumpets. It is used of the

eternal salvation of Israel (Is. 45:17). The adjective is used to describe God (Gen.

21:33).

Daniel describes the Lord’s dominion and rule under the inspiration of the Holy

Spirit to be aionios, “eternal” (Dn. 7:14, 27).

The LXX translators appeared to shy away from using the adjective aionios in

the philosophical sense, even in the more Hellenistic writings. The noun aion

appears over 450 times in the LXX. In the LXX aion is the primary equivalent of

the Hebrew `olam.

The concepts behind this word greatly influence the definition of aion in the

Greek New Testament. In reference time the word points to an existence beyond


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that which is material, an unlimited, undefined, and unknown period of time, either

past or future.

The term also contains the concept of being uninterrupted. Depending on the

context it can be translated “formerly, always, eternal, all eternity.” It is òlam and

its cognates which the Old Testament most frequently relies upon to describe

“eternal” concepts and “eternity.”

The Old Testament often understands the expressions “eternal” and “eternity”

as relative in meaning. The nature of the matter in question and the pertinent

circumstances determine the interpretation (Job 20:4; Josh. 24:2; Jer. 28:8). The

word òlam retains its relative nature in expressions of future time such as in

connection with the divine institutions in Israel (Ex. 12:14; 31:16; Dt. 15:17; 1 Ch.

16:11; 2 Ch. 7:16; Ps. 105:10).

The word is used in relation to the Noahic covenant (Gen. 9:16). The terms

“eternal” and “eternity” are also employed in the absolute sense. They are used in

relation to the existence of God (Dt. 32:40). It is used in relation to the attributes of

God and His superiority over His creatures (Ge. 21:33; Dt. 33:27; Is. 40:28).

God is in the absolute sense eternal in His relationship with humanity. The

eternal nature of God is used in relation to the following concepts in the OT: (1)

Light for His people (Is. 60:19). (2) Eternal king (Ex. 15:18). (3) Eternal might

(Dan. 4:34). (4) Love (Jer. 31:3). (5) Mercy (Ps. 106:1). (6) Faithfulness (Ps.

146:6). (7) Salvation (Is. 45:17). (8) Anger toward sin (Mal. 1:4). (9)

Righteousness (Dan. 9:24). (10) New Covenant (Is. 55:3; 61:8). (11) Messiah (Is.

9:6). (12) Word of God (Is. 40:8). (13) Man has eternity in his heart (Ecc. 3:11).

A figurative use of the eternity concept appears in the expression “from eternity

to eternity” (Ps. 90:2 [LXX 89:2]; 103:17 [102:17] ). This denotes through a means

of polarity, the extent of something immeasurable.

Nowhere in the OT does “eternity” carry a philosophical meaning. Therefore,

òlam can denote a prolonged period of time which extends beyond sight which is

hidden and secret and which cannot be comprehended. Nevertheless as with the

Greek aion, òlam can refer to near and temporal things.

New Testament Usage of Aionios

The adjective aionios appears 71 times in the Greek New Testament.

Throughout the Greek New Testament, aionios can be translated “eternal.” The

noun aion is employed more than 100 times in the Greek New Testament. It

primarily means “eternal,” but in other instances it carries the same definitions and

nuances, which are found in classical Greek and in the LXX.

The word is related to the following concepts in the Greek New Testament: (1)

Totality of visible creation (Heb. 1:2). (2) Cosmic system of Satan (Eph. 2:2). (3)


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End of the Cosmic System of Satan (Mt. 28:20). (4) Future Millennial Reign of

Christ (Mk. 10:30). (5) Eternal State (Eph. 2:7). (6) Eternity (John 9:32). (7)

Eternal Life (Jn. 10:28). (10) Old Testament Dispensations (Col. 1:26). (11)

Eternal Condemnation in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:3). (12) Eternal Nature of

Christ (1 Ti. 1:17). (13) The Will of the Father in Eternity Past (Eph. 3:11). (14)

Eternal Nature of the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:25). (15) Eternal Nature of Christ’s

High Priesthood (Heb. 7:17). (16) Worship of Christ (Rev. 4:10).

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament lists the following usages for the

adjective: (1) It is used of God. As a predicate of God aionios contains not merely

the concept of unlimited time without beginning or end, but also of the eternity,

which transcends time. (2) It is also used of divine possessions and gifts. (3) A

term for the object of eschatological expectation (volume 1, pages 208-209).

Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “Aionios ‘describes duration,

either undefined but not endless, as in Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:2; or

undefined because endless as in Rom 16:26, and the other sixty-six places in the

NT.’ The predominant meaning of aionios, that in which it is used everywhere in

the NT, save the places noted above, may be seen in 2 Cor 4:18, where it is set in

contrast with proskairos, lit., 'for a season,' and in Philem 15, where only in the NT

it is used without a noun. Moreover it is used of persons and things which are in

their nature endless, as, e. g., of God, Rom 16:26; of His power, 1 Tim 6:16, and of

His glory, 1 Peter 5:10; of the Holy Spirit, Heb 9:14; of the redemption effected by

Christ, Heb 9:12, and of the consequent salvation of men, 5:9, as well as of His

future rule, 2 Peter 1:11, which is elsewhere declared to be without end, Luke 1:33;

of the life received by those who believe in Christ, John 3:16, concerning whom

He said, 'they shall never perish,' 10:28, and of the resurrection body, 2 Cor 5:1,

elsewhere said to be 'immortal,' 1 Cor 15:53, in which that life will be finally

realized, Matt 25:46; Titus 1:2. Aionios is also used of the sin that 'hath never

forgiveness,' Mark 3:29, and of the judgment of God, from which there is no

appeal, Heb 6:2, and of the fire, which is one of its instruments, Matt 18:8; 25:41;

Jude 7, and which is elsewhere said to be 'unquenchable,' Mark 9:43. The use of

aionios here shows that the punishment referred to in 2 Thess 1:9, is no temporary,

but final, and, accordingly, the phraseology shows that its purpose is not remedial

but retributive.”


Literature-Third Edition: (1) pertaining to a long period of time, long ago (2)

pertaining to a period of time without beginning or end, eternal (3) pertaining to a

period of unending duration, without end.

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (pages 20): (1) Without beginning or

end, that which always has been and always will be (2) Without beginning (3)

Without end, never to cease, everlasting.


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Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains,

“Pertaining to an unlimited duration of time – ‘eternal’ (volume 2, page 642).

Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament lists the following NT usages of

the adjective (volume 1, page 47): (1) The eternity of God and the divine realm. (2)

The blessings of eschatological salvation. (3) Everlasting conditions which have no

beginning or end.

The adjective aionios is used with the preposition eis to express the concept of

eternity. It appears regularly in the doxologies and offerings of praise. The noun

appears in the formula eis ton aiona tou aionos to emphasize the concept of

eternity (Phlp. 4:20; Eph. 3:21). This repetition of the word is the figure of

Polyptoton appearing in context of praise to both the Father and the Son. It is

actually a Hebrew idiom.

The adjective aionios is used to the Lake of Fire (Mt. 18:8; Jude 7). John uses

the word for the life of God (Jn. 4:36; 6:54). The adjective is used quite a bit in

conjunction with zoe, which refers to the life of God (Jn. 3:15-16; 4:36; 5:24; 5:39;

6:27; 6:40, 47; Rm. 5:21; 6:23). It is of course used quite often to describe

salvation (Mt. 19:16; Lk. 10:25; 18:18; John 3:15-16; 4:14; 5:24; 6:47; Rm. 5:21;

6:23; He. 5:19).

The doctrines of Christ are described as aionios in John 6:68. The adjective is

used to describe rewards for the eternal state (2 Co. 4:17; Gal. 6:8; 1 Ti. 6:19; 2 Ti.

2:10; Heb. 9:15). It is used to describe the resurrection body of the believer in 2

Corinthians 5:1. Paul uses aionios in a doxology in Philippians 4:20. It is used to

describe the condemnation of the unbeliever who rejects Christ as Savior (2 Th.

1:9). Paul uses it in 2 Thessalonians 2:17 to describe the comfort that God gives

the believer. The adjective aionios is used to describe the redemption of the

believer (Heb. 9:12). It is used to describe the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 9:14. The

word is used to describe the covenant of salvation in Hebrews 13:20. It is used to

describe the millennial kingdom and reign of Christ (2 Pet. 1:11).

Aionios is used to describe the incarnation and hypostatic union of the Lord

Jesus Christ in 1 John 1:2, thus in this passage it describes the eternality of the

Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man. The word is used to describe the life of God that

is in the Person of Christ (1 Jn. 5:11). In Revelation 14:6, the word is used to

describe the Gospel. The adjective aionios is used to describe God in Romans

16:26. It is used of eternity past in Romans 16:25.

Aionios in 1 Timothy 6:12

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the adjective aionios means, “eternal” and is modifying the

noun zoe, “life” and describes the nature of the life (zoe) of God in the sense that it

has no beginning and no end and is thus an ever present now. Eternal life is an


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attribute of God. The eternal life of God does not simply emphasize that it is a life

that never ends but it is also a particular quality of life. It is a life in which the

believer has knowledge of the Trinity in an experiential sense of personally

encountering them through faith alone in Christ alone and through the process of

fellowship after conversion.

In 1 Timothy 6:12, this adjective describes the life of God as “eternal” in

nature. This adjective aionios is used of the life of God, which is Timothy received

at conversion through faith alone in Christ alone and is a gift of salvation. Paul is

commanding Timothy to experience this life after his conversion. This life of God

that Timothy and all believers receive at conversion and can experience after

conversion is described as aionios because it transcends time, matter and space. It

has no beginning and end.

The believer who experiences the eternal life of God after salvation will be able

to transcend his experiences whether adversity or prosperity (cf. Phlp. 4:10-18).

Remaining in fellowship with God and applying the Word of eternal life, which in

turn permits the Spirit of eternal life to reproduce the eternal life of Christ in the

believer, produces this post-salvation experience. The Lord Jesus Christ uses this

word aionios in John 17:2-3 where He states to His disciples that knowing the

Father and the Son experientially is eternal life.

The adjective aionios is in the first attributive position modifying the noun zoe,

“life” as indicated by the articular construction and is thus receiving greater

emphasis. The article tightens up the quality expressed by this adjective. Therefore,

we will translate this word “which is eternal.”

Classical Usage of Zoe

The verb zao is contracted to zo, and its corresponding noun zoe, are both found

from Homer onwards. There are three primary uses in classical Greek for zoe: (1)

“One’s means of existence, i.e., livelihood.” (2) “Life or existence itself.” (3)

“Lifestyle.”

Rudolph Bultmann commenting on the word’s classical usage, writes, “zoe

denotes in Greek the physical vitality of organic beings, animals, men and also

plants. Life is understood, not as a thing, but as vitality, as the nature or manner,

which characterizes all living creatures as such. Since zoe is the self-evident being

of man in which he always finds himself, and not something which establishes or

encounters him or alternates, zoe is never hypostatised or deified. cf. phusis,

thanatos, hugieia. In Greek there is no figurative representation of zoe”

(Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 2, pages 832-833).

Zoe is most commonly defined as movement in the broadest sense and not

merely spatial movement. It is self-movement as distinct from mechanical


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movement and thus belongs to physics, and, in so far as this seeks causes, the

cause of zoe is found in the psuche, “soul.” Thus in Plato the immortality of the

soul is maintained in view of the fact that psuche and zoe belong essentially

together (Phaedr. 105c; cf. Phaedr. 245c ff.; Soph. 248e ff.).

Bultmann makes the following comment regarding the classical usage of zoe,

he writes, “Zoe can also be posited of the godhead to the extent that the gods,

which are regarded as athanatoi both in philosophy and in popular superstition, are

still classified as zoa having soma and psuche, the only point being that this

sustasis is never dissolved. Thus Plato distinguishes between athanata and theta

zoa (Phaedr. 246d ff.; Tim. 38c ff.). Of course, the gods which are accepted as

athanatoi (the constellations) are not Supreme Being or supreme deity. Their

immortality is simply unending duration in time, whereas non-temporal eternity is

ascribed to supreme deity, so that zoe cannot properly be assigned to it. In Phaed.

106d Plato links together as immortal God and the eidos of zoe (ho de ge

theos...kai auto to tes zoes eidos kai ei ti allo athanaton estin). For him the cosmos

is a zoon emphuchon, but it is the son of God and not supreme deity itself (Tim.

30b; 34b, 37c, 92b). On the other hand, in Soph. 248e kinesis, zoe, psuche and

pronesis are ascribed to the pantelos on as well. For Aristotle the deity is

incorporeal and unmoved as proton kinoun, but it is still a zoon, its zoe being

eternal. Inasmuch as the deity is pantheistically understood as the total kosmos, the

zoon emphuchon, we naturally find the scientific concept of zoe as the vitality of

the whole taking individual shape in the specific phenomena of organic life as they

rise and change and fall. Yet in Aristotle the deity stands outside the kosmos as

pure nous. The energeia of nous is zoe, but the energeia of the divine nous is zoe

ariste kai aidios (Metaph. XI, 7, p. 1072b, 26 ff.) (Theological Dictionary of the

New Testament, volume II, pages 833-834).

H.G. Link commenting on the word writes the following, “For the Greeks life

belongs to the category of natural science being characterized by the power of self-

movement as distinct from mechanical movement (Plato, Leg. 10, 895c ff; Phaedr.

245c ff.; Aristotle An. 2, 2 pg. 412b, 16f. pg 413a, 22 ff.). The cause of life is

considered to be the psuche, “soul,” Diogenes of Apollonia imagined as an etherial

substance (aer), while Xenophanes thought of it as a fluttering breath (pneuma).

Just as psuche and zoe belong very closely together in Greek thought, so do psuche

and soma, “body” (Plato, Phaedr. 105c ff.; Aristotle, An. 2, 1 pg 412b, 7 ff.);

natural life is made up of the components soul and body. Not only each single

individual but also the entire universe is thought of as a living organism (zoon

empsuchon, Plato, Tim. 30b) or as a world with a soul (kosmos empsuchos). Even

the gods are imagined largely as living creatures (zoa) having bipartite natures

analogous to the human body and soul (Aristotle, Metaph. 11, 7 pg 1072b, 28 ff.).

Thus Plato distinguishes between living creatures, which are thneta (mortal men),


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and athanata (immortal, i.e., gods) (Tim. 38c ff.). The Greeks considered a third

component to be specific to human life, namely, the reason, mind, or

understanding (nous). While the soma and to some extent the psuche go to make

up natural life, the nous is a divine element which enters human life from outside,

enhancing it beyond the natural life of animals and producing a type of existence

capable of various alternatives (bios). Among the Stoics the slogan kata phusin

zen, to live according to nature, assumed great importance. This phrase does not

imply instinctive existence, but rather life which is virtuous or lived according to

reason (kata logon), and which enables the man who is otherwise “dead” to fulfill

the purpose of his existence (Epictectus, Dissertationes, 1, 9, 19; 2, 9, 7 f.; 25f. 4,

11, 3). The Greeks of the classical period saw their ideal as active involvement in

the public affairs of the polis, in the Hellenistic period the Stoics idealized

complete withdrawal from the outward bustle of the world, and the cultivation of

one’s own inner life. The neo-Platonist differentiated between life in this world and

life beyond this world. Gnosticism saw life as a descent. Zoe was associated with

phos, “light,” by the Gnostic. Light was essentially divine, a tangible fluid in the

divine world, definitely a physical entity, but at the same time something

indestructible and possessed of lifegiving power; in word immortality (athanasia).

In the human world this pure divine life is intermingled with matter, being

imprisoned in the body. It is not present in its fullness but only in the form of tiny,

scattered sparks of life. Hence, one must break free from the prison house of the

body in order to enjoy, as least temporarily, the ecstatic vision (gnosis,

“knowledge”), to attain to the unity, which exists between the inner, sparks of life

and the supernatural life in the divine world. This true life is attained on earth only

in fleeting moments of ecstasy. Its full enjoyment must be reserved for the future,

when all particles of life and light presently scattered within matter reunite in the

divine world. There were 2 trends in Greek philosophy within this area of thought:

True life is progressively divorced from concrete, everyday events and transferred

to a supernatural, divine world. Life is increasingly seen as something tangible,

“scientific”, so that true human life manifests itself not so much in the continuum

of historical events as in discontinuous moments of ecstatic vision, totally divorced

from history” (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, volume

2, pages 476-477).

The Complete Biblical Library states the following in its discussion of zoe, “For

the ancient Greek natural life was shared by humanity, plants and animals. The

entire universe was regarded as a living entity. And yet human life was not viewed

simply as the kind of natural existence enjoyed by animals. The primary distinction

of life in Greek thought was between the rational life of mankind and the irrational

life of animals. Thus for the Greeks the distinctive nature of human existence was

the presence of “reason, the mind” (nous, the presence of the divine within man).


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The precise goal of life was disputed among ancient philosophers. Classical

thinkers regarded involvement in the affairs of the polis, “city,” as ideal. However,

the Stoics of later Hellenism contended that withdrawal from the external (i.e., the

polis) and retreat to the internal was essential for life. The ancient Greeks reasoned

that true life was not in the material existence (somata) or the events of history.

True existence (zoe) was to be understood as escape from the world of history to

the supernatural world of nous-the distinctive nature of human existence which

Gnosticism and neo-Platonism advocated. (Greek-English Dictionary Zeta-Kappa

2176-2947).

For the Stoics zoe is physical life expressed in all organic creatures. The Neo-

Platonist views zoe as belonging essentially to the psuche, “soul.”

In Gnosticism, however, zoe without attribute denotes the divine life.

Bultmann writes the following article regarding the word’s classical usage, he

writes, “It thus appears that the term zoe implies a concept of true life hereafter

which must have the character of individuality and which already has this to the

degree that zoe includes a definite self-understanding and experience. But since

man is severed from his historical particularity when the true man is loosed from

the soma through which he first receives the concrete possibilities of historical life,

freedom from death really means freedom from the specific possibilities of human

existence (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament volume 2, page 842).

Zoe and bios view life from different perspectives. Therefore the two are not

synonymous terms to the Greek mind. Inevitably and regrettably, by using one

word in the English language to translate both Greek words, we have concealed the

important differences between these 2 words.

Zoe is closely related to ao, aemi, “to breathe, the breath of life,” which is a

necessary condition of living and to pneuma, “spirit,” and psuche, “soul.” Zoe

refers to intensive life whereas bios refers to extensive life, the period or duration

of life.

Bios also refers to the means by which that life is sustained. In a tertiary sense,

it refers to the manner in which that life is spent, that is, one’s profession or career.

Bios has an ethical sense when it refers to a manner of life.

According to Trench, “When bios is used to refer to a manner of life, it often

has an ethical sense not found in the classical usage of zoe. Aristotle said that the

slave is a ‘partner of zoes’ (he lives with the family) but not ‘a partner of biou’ (he

does not share in the career of his master). According to Ammonius, Aristotle

defined bios as ‘a rational life,’ and Ammonius argued that bios was never, except

incorrectly applied to the existence of plants or animals but only to the lives of

men. Although that distinction is made too absolutely, it is a real one that is

reflected in our words zoology and biography but not in biology, which as now

used is a manifest misnomer. On the one hand, we speak of ‘zoology,’ for animals


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(zoa) live equally with men and may be classified according to the differences of

their natural lives. On the other hand, we speak of ‘biography’ for human beings,

not merely because they live but because they lead lives and make moral choices.

They not only have ‘years of existence (zoes),’ they also have ‘ways of living

(biou)’ (Prov. 4:10)” (Synonyms of the New Testament, page 108).

Trench goes on to say later in the same article, “Although bios, not zoe, is used

in an ethical sense in classical Greek, in Scripture the opposite seems to be the

case. In the New Testament zoe is the more noble word and expresses the highest

and best that the saints possess in God” (Synonyms of the New Testament, page

109).

Septuagint Usage of Zoe

The Greeks fragmented view of life was totally foreign to the Old Testament

viewpoint. Life for the Hebrew was not natural or scientific phenomena but rather

primarily was a duration meaning that the days of man’s life are granted by God,

the Lord of life and therefore, life itself is designed for His purpose.

Ordinarily zoe translates chayyim in the LXX. There are 9 other Hebrews terms,

which are served by zoe on an occasion. The relevant Hebrew vocabulary is as

follows: (1) Chayyim, “life.” (2) Chayah, “to live”; Piel: “to keep alive (Judg.

21:14; “to give life, revive” (Neh. 9:6; Psa. 71:20 [70:20]); Hiphil: “to make alive”

(2 King. 5:7). (3) Chay, “recover, live” (2 King. 8:10, 14; Ezek. 3:21; 18:9, 13).

In the OT, the Lord Jesus Christ (Jehovah Elohim) is the author of life. Human

life originates with God (Gen. 2:7), and is a gift (Job 10:12; Psa. 21:4 [LXX 20:4]).

The Lord gives human life and is the source of it (Psa. 36:9 [LXX 35:9]; Psa.

104:30 [103:30]). The Lord is the master of life meaning that He gives and takes it

away as His sovereign will desires (Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6 [LXX 1 Kings 2:6f.]).

It is the Lord Jesus Christ Who sustains life (Job 10:12; 14:5), and has given

mankind days and not years to live (Gen. 25:7; 47:9; Deut. 4:9; 6:2; 32:39). Life

itself is highly esteemed, and a long life is the reward of God (Deut. 5:16; 30:15,

19).

The Lord Jesus Christ as the Creator, created the physical body of Adam and

then breathed into his nostrils the “breath of lives” (Gen. 2:7).

Genesis 2:7 Next, the Lord God constructed Adam from the dust of the ground and then He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Consequently, Adam became a living soul. (My translation) “Constructed” is the verb yatsar, “to construct something out of existing

material,” which is used in reference to the physical body of Adam and indicates

that the Lord designed the appearance and function of the human body.


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Psalm 139:14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (NASB95) “From the ground” indicates that the Lord constructed from the elements of

the ground, Adam’s physical body.

Psalm 103:14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. (NASB95) The physical body of Adam was “not” created in the image of God but rather

his soul since Genesis 1:26-27 states that Adam was created in the image of God

and this is not said of his physical body.

Genesis 1:26 Next, God decreed let Us model man in Our image, according

to Our likeness. Consequently, they will rule over the fish in the various bodies of water and over the birds in the earth’s atmosphere and over the animal kingdom and over the entire earth and over each and every creeper-crawler, those which crawl upon the earth. 27 Consequently, God created out of nothing the essence of man in His own image. In the image of God, He created him out of nothing. Male and female, He created them out of nothing. (My translation) Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ taught in John 4:24 that God is spirit and

thus invisible therefore, the human body could not be formed in the image of God

but rather the soul of man, which is invisible.

Genesis 2:7 Next, the Lord God constructed Adam from the dust of the ground and then He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Consequently, Adam became a living soul. (My translation) “Breathed into” is the verb naphach, which has as its subject, the Lord, thus

teaching that He is responsible for human life and not man.

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made (`asah) me, and the breath of the

Almighty gives me life. (NASB95) “Breath of life” means that God produces the human soul life.

The human soul contains: (1) Volition: Enables us to make decisions (2) Self-

consciousness: We are aware of who we are (3) Conscience: Where our norms and

standards reside (4) Mentality: Where we do our thinking (5) Emotion: Where we

respond to what is in the mentality of the soul.

Genesis 2:7 teaches that Adam did “not” become a living soul until God

imputed soul life to his biological life, thus, indicating that life does “not” begin

until God imputes soul life to the physical body. The Lord is the Creator of every

human soul-past, present and future but Adam is the only human being to have his

physical body personally formed by the Lord since the physical bodies of every

human being since Adam have been produced by the sexual union between men

and women.


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The Lord Jesus Christ is the only human being to be born with a human spirit,

thus demonstrating further His uniqueness and everyone else in the human race

receives a human spirit with eternal life imputed to it the moment they accept the

Lord Jesus as their Savior.

In Genesis 1:26, God “modeled” man after His image in the sense that He made

man to reflect His invisible essence, thus man as to his essence is the shadow

image of God who is invisible, thus the essence of man is invisible, i.e. the soul.

When I say, “model” I mean that the soul of mankind is a “copy” of God and is

“patterned” after God’s invisible essence.

Like God, mankind would have personality and would be a moral rational

being. Mankind would have a soul that would be composed of volition, self-

consciousness, a mentality, emotion and a conscience. Therefore, like God, man

could make choices and decisions because he would have a volition.

Like God, mankind would have a mentality and would be able to form thoughts

and concepts. Like God, mankind would be conscious of self and would have

emotion in the sense that he would be able to respond to what is in the mentality of

his soul.

Like God, mankind would have a conscience where the norms and standards

reside from which to co-exist with both God and other moral rational creatures.

The essence of mankind is his soul, which would be invisible just as God who is

spirit is invisible. Thus, the soul of man was created according to the invisible

essence of God.

Also, mankind is created and modeled in the image of God in the sense that

God delegated authority to Adam, thus like God, Adam would rule over the earth

and would be sovereign over the earth.

The soul of man was created according to the image of God and not his physical

body! The verb bara in Genesis 1:27 teaches us that the soul of Adam was “created

out of nothing” whereas the verb `asah in Genesis 1:26 indicates that the soul of

Adam was “modeled” according the likeness and image of God Himself.

The verb yatsa, “to produce out of existing material” in Genesis 2:7 refers to the

physical body of Adam.

Therefore, we have the “dichotomy” of Adam and the woman meaning that

they were composed of body (soma) and soul (psuche).

Regenerate human beings meaning human beings who are saved are

“trichotomous” meaning they are composed of body (soma), soul (psuche) and

spirit (pneuma).

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB95)


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We must remember that Adam and the woman were unique. When Adam and

the woman were created, they were created perfect. Prior to the Fall, Adam and the

woman had fellowship with God based upon the perfection of their soul life and

not by utilizing eternal life since eternal life is received through regeneration,

which is the Holy Spirit’s ministry on behalf of sinners who have exercised faith

alone in Christ alone.

Adam and the woman received eternal life “after” they had fallen and had

exercised faith alone in Christ alone. Since the Fall of Adam, every person that is

born into the world receives the imputation of Adam’s sin in the garden, which

makes them physically alive but spiritually dead. Thus, every person born into the

world is “dichotomous” meaning that they have a: (1) Body (soma) (2) Soul

(psuche). They don’t have a human spirit because they are spiritually dead and

need to be regenerated.

Adam and the woman were not spiritually dead because prior to the Fall

because they did not have a human spirit since their perfection of soul life was the

basis for their fellowship with God. At the moment of salvation, God the Holy

Spirit created a human spirit for Adam and the woman so that the Father could

impute eternal life to it. Thus, after the fall, Adam and the Woman’s relationship

with God was restored by the Holy Spirit and the imputation of eternal life. This is

process that they experienced is called in theology “regeneration.”

Regeneration makes a person “trichotomous.” Regeneration takes place at the

moment of salvation when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit creates a

human spirit in the believer in order that they may receive the imputation of eternal

life thus giving the believer a new divine nature that is created in the image of the

Lord Jesus Christ. Regeneration is our spiritual birth and is a theological word for

being born-again.

Therefore, the original man and woman, Adam and Ishah were “dichotomous”

(Gen. 2:7) and not “trichotomous” since eternal life is not imputed to a human

spirit until the spiritual birth or regeneration.

Prior to the Fall, Adam and the woman had fellowship with God based upon the

perfection of their soul life and not by utilizing eternal life.

In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Paul’s statement that the first Adam, “became a living soul” clearly indicates that God did not create Adam with a human spirit since if

He did create him with a human spirit, the Scriptures would not have called him a

“living soul.” But rather, the Scriptures call our Lord a “spirit” as the Scriptures

state of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Last Adam.

1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. (NASB95)


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Also further indicating that Adam was created dichotomous is the plural form

of the abstract noun chayyim in Genesis 2:7.

Genesis 2:7 Next, the Lord God constructed Adam from the dust of the ground and then He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Consequently,

Adam became a living soul. (My translation) The word “life” is the masculine “plural” form of the noun chayyim. Therefore,

this phrase literally means, “breath of lives.”

Some suggest that the plural of this word refers to the human spirit and soul life

but this is emphatically not the case. The Hebrew plural is used with many

different significations whereas English largely restricts its use of the plural to

enumerate countables. The Hebrew plural has a variety of uses, chiefly with

countable and collective nouns and a special set of senses with abstract nouns.

In Genesis 2:7 the plural noun chayyim is an “abstract” noun. An “abstract”

noun is frequently expressed by a plural, which may have originally signified the

diverse concrete manifestations of a quality or state. The “abstract” plural noun

chayyim refers to the state of Adam meaning God breathed into his nostrils “soul

life.” So although the word is plural in Genesis 2:7, it should be translated into the

English in the singular form since the plural form of the word is referring to the

state of Adam possessing soul life. Therefore, Adam was “dichotomous” meaning

he was composed of physical or biological life, and soul life and not

“trichotomous” meaning, body, soul and spirit.

Adam and the woman’s relationship and fellowship with God was based upon

their perfection since they were created perfect. As long as they maintained their

perfection, they could maintain their relationship with God. The moment they

failed though they lost their fellowship with God. Thus, the means of Adam and

the woman’s spirituality was based upon their perfection of the soul life and not

upon eternal life, which is not given until regeneration.

Perfection meaning they always obeyed the Lord. Their spiritual relationship

with the Lord ended with Him the moment they disobeyed the command not to eat

from the knowledge of good and evil. Spiritual death is loss of fellowship with

God and separation from Him as a result of the imputation of Adam’s original sin

in the garden to our genetically formed old sin nature (Rom. 5:12).

Adam and the Woman entered into “real” spiritual death the moment they

disobeyed. Therefore, spiritual death for Adam and the Woman was the loss of

perfection meaning they disobeyed the Lord’s command.

At the time of the Fall (Gen. 3:6) both Adam and the woman suffered

immediate spiritual death (Rm. 5:12). Adam died physically or somatically 930

years after his spiritual or pneumatic death (Gen. 5:5).

When Adam sinned, the entire human race sinned (Rom. 5:12). God imputed

Adam’s sin to every person born into the world in order that He might show grace


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and mercy to everyone (Rom. 11:32). At the moment of physical birth, every

member of the human race becomes a sinner because he has received the

imputation of Adam’s sin in the garden.

Imputation is the function of the justice of God in crediting something to

someone for cursing or for blessing. The imputation of Adam’s sin at physical

birth results in every person having the nature of Adam, which resides in the

genetic structure of the physical body and can never please God but is selfish and

self-centered and always disobedient to God. This imputation means that every

person born into the world is born physically alive but spiritually dead, but

qualified for the imputation of divine righteousness through faith alone in Christ

alone.

Physical or biological life was all the life Adam had and all he could bequeath

to his posterity but the “last” Adam, Christ gave eternal life, the very life of God.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (NASB95) So when a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ when they hear the Gospel

communicated to them, God creates a human spirit and imputes eternal life to the

human spirit in order that they may become spiritually alive.

When we are born-again we receive the imputation of eternal life. Eternal life

enables the believer to live with God forever and has no beginning and no end and

is the life of God. So when we become born-again, we have the life of God, which

enables us to live with Him forever and ever.

The human spirit functions according to eternal life and is in fact, the receptacle

for eternal life. When a person becomes born-again or regenerated, they have

passed from spiritual death to spiritual life.

The human spirit enables the believer to understand the things of God (1 Cor.

2:10-14). Unbelievers can’t understand the things of God because they don’t have

this human spirit and therefore, do not have eternal life. Only the believer in

fellowship with God can understand the things of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But a natural (psuchikos, “soulish”) man does not accept

the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual (pneumatikos) appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no

one. (NASB95) The Old Testament teaches that obedience to God means life (Ps. 16:11 [LXX

15:11]; 21:4 [20:4]; Prov. 3:2; 4:10; 8:35 passim), but disobedience brings death

(Ps. 26:9 [LXX 25:9]; Prov. 8:36; passim).

Life and light are closely associated in the OT (Ps. 36:9 [LXX 35:9]). Faith in a

life after physical death also has its origin in the relationship with the regenerate

with God. Those who participate in the covenant relationships with Him through


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faith in the Lord will possess eternal life and will be redeemed from the power of

the grave through resurrection (Ps. 49:15 [LXX 48:15]). It is within the context of

the Messianic promises and eschatological messages that God clearly pronounces

the assurance of resurrection from death to eternal life in the kingdom of God (Is.

26:19).

New Testament Usage of Zoe

The noun zoe appears 135 times in the Greek New Testament.

The Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following meanings for the word:

(1) Life, i.e. the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate (2) Used

emphatically, of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which

belongs to God, and through Him both to the hypostatic logos and to Christ in

whom the logos put on human nature; life real and genuine(pages 273-274)


Literature-Third Edition: (1) life in the physical sense, life (2) transcendent life,

life (Page 430)

Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains, “To be alive, to live, life”

(23.88).

The noun zoe is found in the following expressions in the New Testament: (1)

“Eternal life” (zoen aionion) (Mt. 19:16, 29; 25:45; Mk. 10:17, 30; Lk. 10:25;

18:18, 30; Jn. 3:15-16, 36; 4:14, 36; 5:24, 39; 6:27, 40, 47; 10:28; 12:25; 17:2;

Acts 13:46; Rm. 2:7; 5:21; Rm. 6:22; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tm. 1:16; 1 Jn. 3:15; 1 Jn. 5:11,

13; Jude 21); (zoe aionios) (Jn. 12:50; Rm. 6:23; 1 Jn. 5:20); (aionios zoe) (Jn.

17:3); (tes aioniou zoes) (Acts 13:46; 1 Tm. 6:12); (zoes aioniou) (Titus 1:2; 3:7).

(ten zoes ten aionion) (1 Jn. 1:2; 2:25). (2) “Resurrection of life” (anastasin zoes)

(Jn. 5:29). (3) “Bread of life” (ho artos tes zoes) (Jn. 6:35, 48, 54). (4) “Words of eternal life” (rhemata zoes aioniou) (Jn. 6:67). (5) “The light of this life” (to phos

tes zoes) (Jn. 8:12). (6) “The Originator of life” (Archegon tes zoes) (Acts 3:15).

(7) “Justification of life” (dikaiosin zoes) (Rm. 5:18). (8) “Newness of life”

(kainoteti zoes) (Rm. 6:4). (9) “Of this spiritual life” (tou pneumatos tes zoes)

(Rm. 8:2). (10) “The spiritual life” (to pneuma zoe) (Rm. 8:10). (11) “The life of God” (tes zoes tou theou) (Eph. 4:18). (12) “The word of life” (logon zoes) (Phil.

2:16). (13) “The book of life” (biblo zoes) (Phil. 4:3); (tes biblou tes zoes) (Rev.

3:5); (to biblio tes zoes) (Rev. 13:8; Rev. 21:27); (ton biblion tes zoes) (Rev.

17:8); (te biblio tes zoes) (Rev. 20:15). (14) “The promise of life” (epangelian

zoes) (1 Tm. 4:8; 2 Tm. 1:1). (15) “Indestructible life’ (zoes akatalutou) (Hb.

7:16). (16) “The crown of life” (ton stephanon tes zoes) (Jm. 1:12; Rev. 2:10).

(17) “The gift of life” (charitos zoes) (1 Pt. 3:7). (18) “The Word of life” (tou

logou tes zoes) (1 Jn. 1:1). (19) “The tree of life” (tou xulou tes zoes) (Rev. 2:7);


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(xulon zoes) (Rev. 22:2); (to xulon tes zoes) (Rev. 22:14); (tou xulou tes zoes)

(Rev. 22:19). (20) “The fountains of life-giving waters” (zoes pegas hudaton)

(Rev. 7:17); “the fountain of life-giving water” (tes peges tou hudatos tes zoes)

(Rev. 21:6). (21) “The Spirit of life” (pneuma zoes) (Rev. 11:11). (22) “A river of

life-giving water” (potamon hudatos zoes) (Rev. 22:1). (23) “The water of life”

(to hudor zoes) (Rev. 22:17).

The noun zoe can denote the following in the New Testament: (1) Human life

(Mt. 18:8-9; Mk. 9:43, 45; Lk. 1:75; 12:15; 16:25; 8:33; Jn. 1:4; Acts 17:25; Rm.

8:38; 1 Cr. 3:22; 15:19; Phil. 1:20; Hb. 7:3; Jam. 4:14; 1 Pt. 3:10; Rev. 16:3). (2)

Attribute of God (Jn. 5:26; Eph. 4:18; 1 Jn. 5:11). (3) Eternal life as a salvation gift

(Jn. 6:33, 51; 10:10, 28; 17:2-3; 20:31; Acts 5:20; 11:18; 13:46, 48; Rm. 2:7; 5:18;

6:23; 1 Tm. 1:16; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Pt. 3:7; 1 Jn. 5:11). (4) Promise of eternal life (1

Tm. 4:8; 2 Tm. 1:1; Titus 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:25). (5) Imputation of eternal life (Jn. 3:15-

16; 36; 5:24; 8:12; 1 Jn. 3:14-15; 5:11-13). (6) Person of Christ (Jn. 6:35, 48, 51,

54; Acts 3:15; 1 Jn. 1:1) (7) Doctrine of Christ (Jn. 6:63, 68) (8) Attribute of Christ

(Jn. 11:25; 14:6). (9) Title of Christ (Acts 3:15; 1 Jn. 1:1). (11) Spiritual life of

Christ (Rm. 5:10; 2 Cor. 4:10-11; Heb. 7:16; 1 Jn. 1:1-2). (12) Resurrection of the

believer (Jn. 5:29; 2 Cor. 5:4; Col. 3:3-4; Jude 21). (13) Spiritual life of the

believer (Rom. 6:4; 8:2, 6; 2 Cor. 2:14-16; 4:10-12; Phil. 2:16; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Pet.

1:3). (14) Prosperity of soul from executing of the spiritual life (Gal. 6:8; 1 Tm.

6:19; Titus 3:7). (15) Prosperity of soul in the eternal state (Rev. 7:17; 21:6; 22:1-

2, 14). (16) Reward for the winner believer at the Bema Seat Evaluation (Jam.

1:12; Rev. 2:7, 10). (17) Registry of believers in eternity (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8;

17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19)

Zoe in 1 Timothy 6:12

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the noun zoe refers to the life of God, which is described by

the adjective aionios as “eternal.” This life is received by Timothy as a gift the

moment he trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior.

The noun zoe is a genitive direct object meaning that it is receiving the action of

the verb epilambanomai. This type of genitive is found with verbs which mean “to

take hold of,” which is the case with the verb epilambanomai.

Paul puts zoe in the genitive rather than accusative case since he wants to

emphasize that with Timothy the personal responsibility he has to experience

eternal life.

The articular construction of the noun zoe is a function marker to denote that

the adjective aionios, “eternal” is in the first attributive position indicating that this

adjective is receiving greater emphasis than the noun zoe. We will translate τῆς ζωῆς, “the life.”


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Eternal Life

Since, each member of the Trinity is co-equal, co-infinite and co-eternal, each

also is eternal life: (1) God the Father is eternal life (Jo. 5:26; 6:57; 1 Th. 1:9). (2)

The Word of God is eternal life (Jn. 5:26, 6:35 Phlp. 2:16; 1 Jo. 1:1) (3) The Holy

Spirit is eternal life (Jn. 6:63; Rm. 8:2).

Eternal life is the very life of God has no beginning and no end and transcends

time, matter and space. God is an “ever present now” because He is by nature,

eternal life.

Eternal life is received as a gift from God the moment you believe in Jesus

Christ as your Savior.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His uniquely born Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (My translation) The Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God and therefore He is also the

incarnate eternal life of God and to reject that He is God is to reject eternal life.

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. (NASB95) John 5:26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” (NASB95) John 6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world. (NASB95) John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me

will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (NASB95) John 6:48 “I am the bread of life.” (NASB95) John 6:54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (NASB95) John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (NASB95)

John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” (NASB95) John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (NASB95) John 10:28 “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (NASB95)

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” (NASB95) John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (NASB95)


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John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.” (NASB95) John 17:1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify

You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (NASB95) John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His

name. (NASB95) Acts 3:14 “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.” (NASB95) Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NASB95) Colossians 3:1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep

seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (NASB95) 2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord

or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (NASB95)

Hebrews 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. (NASB95) The Lord Jesus Christ who is the incarnate eternal Word of life came into the

world in order that He might give eternal life to men so that they could have

fellowship with God.

1 John 1:1-3 teaches that the apostle John teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ

who is the incarnate eternal life of God came into the world in order that He might


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give eternal life to men and He did this so that men could enjoy and experience

fellowship with God.

1 John 1:1 Who has always existed from eternity past, who we have heard, who we have witnessed with our eyes, who we observed, even our hands

touched concerning the Word who is the life (of God). 2 That is, this One who is the life (of God) was revealed (by the Holy Spirit) and we have witnessed and we testify and we are proclaiming (from God) at this particular time for the benefit of all of you this One who is the eternal life (of God), who indeed by virtue of His divine nature has always existed face to face with the Father and was revealed (by the Holy Spirit) for the benefit of all of us. 3 Who, we

have witnessed and we have heard, we also are proclaiming (from God) at this particular time for the benefit of all of you in order that all of you without exception might also continue to experience fellowship and this fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus who is the Christ. (My translation) 1 John 2:25 This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. (NASB95) 1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life,

and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (NASB95) 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. (NASB95) At the moment of conversion, through regeneration, the Holy Spirit creates a

human spirit for the imputation of eternal life by God the Father, which makes the

believer a new spiritual species meaning he now possesses the divine nature.

“Regeneration” is a ministry performed by the Holy Spirit on behalf of a person

the moment they believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior where He creates a human

spirit for the person so that they might receive the imputation of eternal life.

Titus 3:5 He (God the Holy Spirit) saved us, not on the basis of deeds (human works) which we have done in (human power) righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. (NASB95) This human spirit with eternal life imputed to it composes the believer’s new

nature, i.e. the new self and this new nature is the nature of Christ. This act of

regeneration makes the believer a new spiritual species, which is the nature of

Christ that can never sin and that is described in Scripture by many phrases such as

the “new self, new man, newness of life, new creation.”

Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were identified with Christ have clothed yourselves with the nature of Christ. (NASB95)


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1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new spiritual species; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (NASB95)

2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (NASB95) 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (NASB95) The human spirit is the receptacle for eternal life and together they give the

believer the capacity to metabolize and apply spiritual phenomena communicated

by the Holy Spirit through the teaching of the Word of God and to pray according

to the will of God and to worship and serve God.

Philippians 4:23 May the grace which originates from the Lord Jesus Christ be communicated to your human spirit. Amen. (My translation) The fact that all believers received a human spirit and eternal life at the moment

of salvation through regeneration makes the believer “trichotomous” in the sense

that he has a body, soul and human spirit.

In His “bread of life” discourse recorded in John 6:22-69, our Lord taught that

the eternal Word of God became a human being in order to give eternal life to

those who would believe in Him.

The “bread of life” discourse in John 6:22-69 teaches the importance of

obeying the Word of God in order to enjoy and experience fellowship with God.

Since the Word of God is food for the soul and sustains and prospers the soul.

True life does not consist in an abundance of “things” but rather a relationship and

fellowship with the Triune God.

In His Great High Priestly Prayer recorded in John 17, the Lord states that

eternal life is knowing the Father experientially.

John 17:1 Jesus spoke these things (John 13-16); and lifting up His eyes to

heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know (ginosko, “to know experientially”) You, the only true God, and

Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (NASB95) Eternal life is knowing the Father and the Son experientially in the sense of

personally encountering them through the process of fellowship as They are

revealed in the pages of Scripture and prayer by God the Holy Spirit. It also

involves being affected by this encounter with the Father and the Son resulting in

the gaining of practical spiritual wisdom and more of the character of Christ.


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Eternal life gives the believer the capacity to experience fellowship with God

after being delivered from eternal condemnation. Experiencing eternal life after

salvation is described by Paul in Romans 6:4 as walking “in newness of life.”

Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism

into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (NASB95) It is appropriated after conversion by the believer who obeys the Spirit of life

who reveals the will of the Father of life through the communication of the Word

of life.

The believer who exercises faith in the teaching of the Word of God that he has

been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ will experience eternal

life in time.

At the moment of conversion, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the

omnipotence of the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ, identifying

him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death (Romans

6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), His

resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12;

3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1).

The believer can not only experience victory and deliverance over sin, Satan

and his cosmic system by appropriating by faith the teaching of the Word of God

that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ but he can

also experience eternal life (Romans 6:11-23; 8:1-17; Galatians 2:20; Colossians

3:5-17).

The will of the Father for the believer is to be conformed to the image of Jesus

Christ (Romans 8:28-29; Ephesians 4:11-16). This is accomplished by the believer

appropriating by faith the teaching that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised

and seated with Christ. By doing, the believer will experience eternal life in time.

Therefore, the believer experiences eternal life in time and thus experiences

fellowship with God in time by obeying the will of the Father of life, which is

revealed to the believer by the Spirit of life through the communication of the

Word of life.

The believer who is obedient to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Holy

Spirit through the communication of the Word of God will live in eternal life and

thus experience fellowship with God.

In Romans 8:1-8, Paul teaches that those whose minds concentrate upon the

things of the Spirit, which are heard through the Word of God, will experience

eternal life and fellowship with God whereas those whose minds are set upon the

lusts of the sin nature will not experience fellowship with God.

Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free


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from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to

the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

(NASB95) In Galatians 6:7-8, Paul describes setting the mind on the things of the flesh as

“sowing to one’s flesh” and setting the mind of the things of the Spirit as “sowing

to the Spirit.”

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the

Spirit reap eternal life. (NASB95) In Romans 6:22-23, Paul taught that the believer who obeys the flesh will result

in temporal death meaning loss of fellowship whereas the one who obeys the

spiritual will experience eternal life.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by

faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (NASB95)

Eis

The preposition eis is a marker of purpose indicating the purpose for which

Timothy was called. The word denotes the goal for which Timothy was effectually

called by God the Father. It indicates that Paul is solemnly charging Timothy to

make it his top priority to experience the life, which is eternal, “the purpose of”

which or “for” which “purpose” he was effectually called by God the Father. We

will translate the word “for…purpose.”

Hos

The object of the preposition eis is the relative pronoun hos, which refers to the

noun zoe, “the life” since it agrees with it in gender (feminine) and number

(singular). We will translate the word “which.”


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Kaleo

The verb kaleo refers to an act of summoning which effectively evokes from

those addressed the response which it invites. The word refers to the “effective

evocation” of faith through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit which

unites the sinner to Christ according to the Father’s gracious purpose in election.

It is related to the adjective kletos, which means, “chosen one” and appears in

Romans 8:28 with the same idea.

Romans 8:28 In fact, we know without a doubt that for the benefit of those who are characterized as divinely loving God the Father, He (the Spirit), as an

eternal spiritual truth, always works each and every circumstance together for the good, for the benefit of those who are, as an eternal spiritual truth, the chosen ones, in accordance with His predetermined plan. (My translation) Like the adjective kletos, the verb kaleo does not refer to the “call of God,”

which is related to “common grace” meaning grace given to all sinners by God in

the form of being exposed to the gospel. In other words, it does not refer to the

“invitation” to receive the gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Rather, it refers to those sinners who have responded to the divine invitation or call

of God when they were presented the gospel and have exercised faith in Jesus

Christ as their Savior. Thus, it is an “effectual call” as many commentators

describe it.

Therefore, kaleo in 1 Timothy 6:12 is used in relation to Timothy’s conversion

to Christianity and refers to the Father “effectually calling” him to trust in His Son

Jesus Christ as Savior and which invitation originated from eternity past and is thus

directly related to the Christian’s election. By responding in faith Timothy

manifested in time that he had in fact been elected to privilege by God. God who is

omniscient looked down the corridors of time and saw that the Christian would

trust in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior and had prepared in advance a plan for him

and elected him to privilege.

Therefore, when Timothy placed his trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, he was

manifesting the fact that he had been elected to privilege by the Father. He did not

coerce Timothy’s volition by electing him but rather elected him to privilege when

He saw through His omniscience that Timothy would believe in His Son.

Election is never used in Scripture in relation to the unbeliever since 1 Timothy

2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 teach that God desires all men to be saved.

Ephesians 1:3 Worthy of praise and glorification is the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Person of Christ. 4 When He elected us to privilege in Him before the foundation of the world for the purpose of being holy and blameless before Him. (My translation)


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God elected the believer before the foundation of the world in the sense that

God, in His foreknowledge, which is based upon His omniscience, knew before

anything was ever created, that we would believe in His Son in time. He elected

the believer before the foundation of the world since He knew beforehand that the

believer would accept Jesus Christ as Savior in time and therefore elected the

believer to privilege.

Election means that God has a plan for your life, which is to be conformed to

the image of Christ. It is related to believers only and unbelievers are not elected to

condemnation since God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

When Paul teaches the Ephesians that they were chosen before the foundation

of the world, he is referring to the doctrine of election. God elected us before the

foundation of the world in the sense that God, in His foreknowledge, which is

based upon His omniscience, knew before anything was ever created, that we

would believe in His Son in time. Therefore, He elected us to the privilege of

entering into fellowship with Him based upon the merits of our union with Christ.

The believer’s calling is a gift and irrevocable.

Romans 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

(NASB95) It is God’s complete agreement with His own foreknowledge.

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His

blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. (NASB95) This effectual calling is based upon God’s grace policy meaning that the

believer does not merit it but rather receives it based upon the merits of the Lord

Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.

2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God 9 who has saved us and called (kaleo) us with a holy calling,

not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (NASB95) This effectual calling is an expression of God’s love for the believer.

1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called (kaleo) children of God; and such we are. (NASB95) This effectual calling is related to God’s faithfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He who calls (kaleo) you, and He also will

bring it to pass. (NASB95) The Christian has been called out of the darkness of the cosmic system of Satan.


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1 Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called (kaleo) you out of

darkness into His marvelous light. (NASB95) The Christian’s calling was so that he would live in the eternal life, which he

received when he believed in Christ for salvation (1 Tim. 6:12; Heb. 9:15).

The Christian has been called by the Father in order that he would have

fellowship with Him (1 Cor. 1:9).

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called (kaleo)

into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NASB95) The Christian has been called in order to form the body of Christ, which will be

completed at the Rapture (Col. 3:15).

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called (kaleo) in one body; and be thankful. (NASB95) The Christians has been called to be free from the bondage of the old sin nature

in order that he might serve his fellow believer another through love.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called (kaleo) to freedom, brethren; only do

not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (NASB95) The Father has called the Christian to peace.

1 Corinthians 7:15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called (kaleo) us to peace. (NASB95)

The believer has a great responsibility to conduct himself in a manner worthy of

his calling.

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (kaleo), 2 with

all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called (kaleo) in one

hope of your calling. (NASB95) 1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls (kaleo) you into His own kingdom and glory.

(NASB95) God has called the Christian to sanctification and not immoral degeneracy.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called (kaleo) us for the purpose of

impurity, but in sanctification. (NASB95)


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The Christian has been called by the Father in order that he would go through

undeserved suffering for Christ’s sake.

1 Peter 2:21 For you have been called (kaleo) for this purpose, since Christ

also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.

(NASB95) The Christian has been called by the Father in order that he would receive

eternal glory, which means that God is not only going to bless the Christian with a

resurrection body but also with an eternal inheritance, if he perseveres and

overcomes (1 Pet. 5:10).

1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil,

prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called (kaleo) you to His

eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. (NASB95) Hebrews 9:15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so

that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called (kaleo) may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (NASB95) Therefore, in 1 Timothy 6:12, the verb kaleo refers to the “effective evocation”

of faith through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit who united

Timothy to Christ according to the Father’s electing him to privilege and His

gracious eternal purpose and predetermined plan.

The verb refers to not only the Father’s invitation to salvation for Timothy

through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit but it also refers to

Timothy’s acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates

from eternity past.

Merrill F. Unger writes, “Calling, then, is that choice on the part of God of an

individual through an efficacious working in his mind and heart by the Holy Spirit

so that the will of the one who is called operates by its own determination in the

exercise of saving faith. In this way two great necessities are provided; namely,

only those are called whom God has predestined to be justified and glorified and

those who are thus called choose from their own hearts and minds to accept Christ

as Savior.” (The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody

Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

Romans 8:28 In fact, we know without a doubt that for the benefit of those who are characterized as divinely loving God the Father, He (the Spirit), as an eternal spiritual truth, always works each and every circumstance together for the good, for the benefit of those who are, as an eternal spiritual truth, the


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chosen ones, in accordance with His predetermined plan. 29 That is, whom He knew in advance, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son in order that He Himself would, as an eternal spiritual truth, be the firstborn among many spiritual brothers. 30 In fact, these very ones whom He

predestined, He also effectually called and these very ones whom He effectually called, He also justified. In fact, these very ones whom He justified, He also glorified. (My translation)

Therefore, the verb kaleo in 1 Timothy 6:12 means, “to effectually call” and

refers to Timothy’s conversion to Christianity. The word “effectual” is used of that

which produces the effect desired or intended or a decisive result. Thus, the

Father’s calling of Timothy produced the effect He desired, intended from Timothy

and the decisive result, namely to deliver him from sin and Satan.

The second person singular form of the verb refers of course to Timothy and

means “you.” The aorist tense is a constative aorist describing in summary fashion

Timothy being effectually called by the Father. In other words, it describes in

summary fashion his conversion to Christianity. The passive voice of the verb

means that the subject receives the action of the verb from either an expressed or

unexpressed agency. The subject is of course Timothy. The agency is unexpressed

but the testimony of the New Testament indicates that it is the Father. Thus, this is

a “divine-passive.” Therefore, the passive voice indicates that Timothy received

the action from the Father of being effectually called to experience eternal life. The

indicative mood of the verb is declarative meaning that it is presenting this

assertion as a non-contingent or unqualified statement. We will translate kaleo,

“you were effectually called.”

Timothy’s Good Confession in the Presence of Many Witnesses

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to

which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of

many witnesses. (NASB95) “And you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” is

composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” which is followed by the

second person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb homologeo

(ὁµολογέω) (owe-moe-lowe-yeh-owe), “you made the confession” and then we

have the articular accusative feminine singular form of the adjective kalos (καλός) (kah-loce), “good” and it is modifying the accusative feminine singular form of the

noun homologia (ὁµολογία) (owe-moe-lowe-yee-ah), “confession” and then we

have the preposition enopion (ἐνώπιον) (ennopee-own), “in the presence of” and

then we have the adjective polus (πολύς) (police), “many” which is modifying the


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genitive masculine plural form of the noun martus (µάρτυς) (marteece),

“witnesses.”

Kai

The conjunction kai is consecutive meaning that it is introducing a statement

that expresses the result of Timothy being effectually called by the Father in

eternity past to experience eternal life. Therefore, the conjunction kai denotes that

“as a result of” being effectually called to experience eternal life, he also made a

public confession of faith in Christ at his baptism. This confession of faith was

before the body of Christ in Lystra where Timothy was born and lived. Paul is not

speaking of Timothy’s ordination ceremony since the previous clause refers to

Timothy’s conversion to Christianity through faith in Christ.

Classical Usage of Homologeo

The verb homologeo appears from Sophocles onwards. It is a compound word

composed of the verb lego, “to say,” and homos, “the same thing,” thus it literally

means, “to say the same thing, to agree in statement.” Therefore, the basic meaning

of this compound verb is to agree with someone or something, or to agree to

something. However, the word does have a wide range of meanings.

The legal connotation of the word is dominant in classical literature according

to Furst (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, volume

1, page 344).

A man agrees with another man’s statement, concedes or confesses something

such as guilt before a judge. He agrees to something such as another’s wish and

thus promises. This agreement expresses itself in an act of commitment, promise,

or confession in a court or legal contract.

Homologeo appears often from the fifth century B.C. and onwards where it is

used to indicate that a person “confessed” or “admitted to” a crime or “openly

acknowledged” his guilt.

Sometimes the word means, “to agree” with someone else’s testimony in a

court of law, or to the terms of a contract in business and even to “consent” to the

terms of surrender in a war.

This compound verb is used in the context of war meaning, “to capitulate” to

another army. It is used in the context of money meaning, “to accept one’s debt.”

The Stoics used the word as well in their system of philosophy where it meant,

“living according to one’s own common sense.”


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Homologeo was used in a religious sense of a worshipper “confession” of sin to

his god but also it was used of one’s “profession” of the god. Often the worshipper

would bind himself or herself to an oath to the god in a contract.

Lydian and Phrygian inscriptions indicate that homologeo was used for

confessing one’s sins to a priest who was representing the deity in the hope that the

individual would be delivered from sicknesses and disasters.

The compound verb appears often in Hellenistic papyri in the legal sense,

especially, in regards to agreeing to the terms of a contract and the acknowledging

of a debt or receipt of property.

Josephus and Philo who were contemporaries of the apostles used this word for

the public acknowledgement of something, and the confession of God and sins.

Liddell and Scott (Greek-English Lexicon, New Edition, page 1226): (1) Agree

with, say the same thing as (2) Correspond, agree with, whether of persons or

things (3) To be coordinated (4) To be suitable for (5) Agree to a thing, grant,

concede (6) Avow (7) Acknowledge (8) Admit (9) Allow (10) Confesses that (11)

Agree or promise to do (12) Make an agreement, come to terms (13) To be agreed

upon, allowed or granted by common consent.

Septuagint Usage of Homologeo

The verb homologeo appears only 3 times in the canonical texts of the

Septuagint. It is used in Job 40:14 where it is used to translate the Hebrew hiphil

form of the verb yadhah, “to confess, admit, acknowledge.” The word is used

sarcastically in Job 40:8-14 where God challenges to perform a number of things

that are impossible for man to accomplish and God states that He would “praise”

Job if he were able.

The verb homologeo appears in Jeremiah 44:25 (LXX 51:25) where it translates

the Hebrew nadhar, “vow,” and in this passage in Jeremiah members of Judah in

captivity in Egypt had “vowed” to perform sacrificial rites to the “queen of

heaven.”

Just as they were determined to fulfill these vows so the Lord was determined

to fulfill His vow He has sworn by His name that these idolatrous individuals

would never again invoke His name in the land of Egypt (Jer. 44:25-26).

New Testament Usage of Homologeo

The compound verb homologeo appears 26 times in the Greek New Testament.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “Homologeo, lit., ‘to speak the

same thing’ (homos, ‘same,’ lego, ‘to speak’), ‘to assent, accord, agree with,’

denotes, (a) ‘to confess, declare, admit,’ John 1:20; e. g., Acts 24:14; Heb 11:13;


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(b) ‘to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the

result of inward conviction,’ 1 John 1:9; (c) ‘to declare openly by way of speaking

out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts,’ Matt 7:23;

10:32 (twice) and Luke 12:8 (see next par.); John 9:22; 12:42; Acts 23:8; Rom

10:9-10 (‘confession is made’); 1 Tim 6:12 (RV); Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:23; 4:2,15;

2 John 7 (in John's epistle it is the necessary antithesis to Gnostic doceticism); Rev

3:5, in the best mss. (some have No. 2 here); (d) ‘to confess by way of celebrating

with praise,’ Heb 13:15; (e) ‘to promise,’ Matt 14:7. In Matt 10:32 and Luke 12:8

the construction of this verb with en, ‘in,’ followed by the dative case of the

personal pronoun, has a special significance, namely, to ‘confess’ in a person's

name, the nature of the ‘confession’ being determined by the context, the

suggestion being to make a public ‘confession.’ Thus the statement, ‘every one...

who shall confess Me (lit. ‘in Me,’ i. e., in My case) before men, him (lit., ‘in him,’

i. e., in his case) will I also confess before My Father...,’ conveys the thought of

‘confessing’ allegiance to Christ as one's Master and Lord, and, on the other hand,

of acknowledgment, on His part, of the faithful one as being His worshipper and

servant, His loyal follower; this is appropriate to the original idea in homologeo of

being identified in thought or language.”

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following meanings for the

word in the Greek New Testament: (1) To say the same thing as another, i.e. to

agree with, assent (2) To concede; not to refuse, i.e. to promise; not to deny, i.e. to

confess; declare (3) To profess (4) To praise, celebrate. (Page 446)


Literature-Third Edition: (1) to commit oneself to do someth. for someone,

promise, assure (Hdt., Pla. et al.; IGR IV, 542, 6f [Phryg.] εὐχὴν … , ἣν

ὡµολόγησεν ἐν Ῥώµη; Jos., Ant. 6, 40 ‘consent’) ἐπαγγελίας ἧς (by attr. of the rel.

for ἥν) ὡµολόγησεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάµ promise that God had made to Abraham Ac

7:17; µεθʼ ὅρκου ὁµ. w. aor. inf. foll. (B-D-F §350; Rob. 1031f) promise with an

oath Mt 14:7. Solemnly promise, vow ὁ … ὁµολογήσας µὴ γῆµαι ἄγαµος διαµενέτω Agr 18. (2) to share a common view or be of common mind about a

matter, agree (Hdt. 2, 81 of similarity in cultic rites; Pla., Sym. 202b ὁµολογεῖταί γε παρὰ πάντων µέγας θεὸς εἶναι=there is general agreement that [Love] is a great

god; prob. Cleanthes in his definition of τὸ ἀγαθόν: Coll. Alex. p. 229, no. 3, 7; 4

Macc 13:5 reach a conclusion together; pap; Sext. Emp., Adv. Eth. 218 agreement

on a subject; Iren. 1, 26, 2 [Harv. I 212, 5] οἱ … Ἐβιωναῖοι ὁµ. µὲν τον κόσµον

ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄντως θεοῦ γεγονέναι; Theoph. Ant. 2, 4 [p. 102, 10]) ὁµολογοῦσιν τὰ

ἀµφότερα they agree (with one another) on all of them Ac 23:8 (but s. 3a below).

This meaning readily shades into (3) to concede that something is factual or true,

grant, admit, confess (Just., D. 80, 1 admission of someth. in an argument; sim.

110, 1) (a) gener., to admit the truth of someth. (Pla., Prot. 317b ὁµολογῶ


47

σοφιστὴς εἶναι; Jos., Ant. 3, 322 an admission of factuality by enemies; Just., D. 2,

5 ὡµολόγησα µὴ εἰδέναι admission of ignorance) agree, admit καθάπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ὡµολόγησας Dg 2:1. ὁµολογήσαντες ὅτι ξένοι εἰσίν admitting that they were

(only) foreigners Hb 11:13. ὁµολογοῦµεν χάριν µὴ εἰληφέναι we admit that we

have not received grace IMg 8:1. For Ac 23:8 s. 2 above. (b) w. a judicial

connotation: make a confession, confess abs. MPol 6:1; 9:2. τί τινι: ὁµολογῶ δὲ

τοῦτό σοι, ὅτι Ac 24:14. Foll. by acc. and inf. ὡµολόγησεν ἑαυτὸν Χριστιανὸν

εἶναι MPol 12:1 (cp. w. inf. foll.: Just., A II, 13, 2 Χριστιανὸς εὑρεθῆναι …

ὁµολογῶ; Theoph. Ant. 2, 8 [p. 118, 7] ὁµ. αὐτὰ τὰ πλάνα πνεύµατα εἶναι δαίµονες). Cp. John the Baptist’s action in reply to questioning by the authorities

καὶ ὡµολόγησεν καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο καὶ ὡµολόγησεν ὅτι (dir. disc. follows) J 1:20

(cp. Plut., Mor. 509e in interrogation; the contrast ὁµ. and ἀρνεῖσθαι as Thu. 6, 60,

3; Phalaris, Ep. 147, 3 ὁµολογοῦµεν κ. οὐκ ἀρνησόµεθα; Aelian, NA 2, 43; Jos.,

Ant. 6, 151; cp. MPol 9:2 and many of the passages given below). (c) w. focus on

admission of wrongdoing (X., An. 1, 6, 7; Ps.-Aristot., Mirabilia 152

ὁµολογοῦντες ἃ ἐπιώρκησαν; Arrian, Anab. 7, 29, 2 [s. ἴασις 2]; Jos., Ant. 6, 151)

ἐὰν ὁµολογῶµεν τὰς ἁµαρτίας ἡµῶν if we confess our sins 1J 1:9 (cp. Appian,

Liby. 79 §369 ὁµολογοῦντες ἁµαρτεῖν; Sir 4:26; ApcSed 13:3 [abs.]; ὁµ. τὸ

ἁµάρτηµα Did., Gen. 93, 6; ins fr. Sardis: ὁµολογῶ τ[ὸ| ἁµάρτηµ]α Μηνί=I confess

my sin to Men, s. FSteinleitner, Die Beicht 1913, p. 46 no. 20, 4f=ILydiaKP p. 15,

no. 25). S. ἐξοµολογέω 2a. (4) to acknowledge someth., ordinarily in public,

acknowledge, claim, profess, praise (a) of a public declaration as such (Herodian.

4, 4, 5 [fr. Steinleitner, p. 109, s. 3c] expression of thanks) ὁµολογήσω αὐτοῖς ὅτι (w. dir. disc. foll.) I will say to them plainly Mt 7:23. W. inf. foll. (X., Mem. 2, 3,

9; Jos., Ant. 9, 254) θεὸν ὁµολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι they claim to know God Tit 1:16

(opp. ἀρνεῖσθαι, s. 3b). (b) of profession of allegiance (ὁµολογῶ εἶναι χριστιανός Theoph. Ant. 1, 1 [p. 58, 11])—Esp. of confessing Christ, or the teaching of his

community/church; w. double acc. (B-D-F §157, 2; 416, 3; Rob. 480.—Jos., Ant.

5, 52; Just., A II, 5, 1 εἰ θεὸν ὡµολογοῦµεν βοηθόν, D. 35, 2 Ἰησοῦν ὁµολογεῖν καὶ κύριον καὶ χριστόν) ἐὰν ὁµολογήσῃς κύριον Ἰησοῦν if you confess Jesus as Lord

Ro 10:9 (cp. τὸν ∆ία ὁµ. θεόν Orig., C. Cels. 5, 46, 7). αὐτὸν ὁµ. Χριστόν confess

that he is the Messiah J 9:22. ὁµ. αὐτὸν σαρκοφόρον ISm 5:2. ὁµ. Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν

ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh 1J 4:2;

cp. 2J 7. W. acc. and inf. (Isocr., Or. 4, 100, 61d; Aelian, VH 1, 27; Orig., C. Cels.

1, 41, 9) ὁµ. Ἰησοῦν Χρ. ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθέναι Pol 7:1a; 1J 4:2 v.l. ὁµ. τὴν

εὐχαριστίαν σάρκα εἶναι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡµῶν Ἰ. Χρ. ISm 7:1. W. ὅτι foll. (Isocr.,

Or. 11, 5, 222d, but w. mng. 2; Just., D. 39, 6) ὁµ. ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ

1J 4:15. ὁµ. ὅτι κύριον ἔχετε Hs 9, 28, 7 (opp. ἀρν.). W. a single acc. of the pers.

whom one confesses, or whom one declares to be someth. that is revealed by the

context (Just., D. 35, 1, 2 Ἰησοῦν … ὁµολογεῖν; Did., Gen. 176, 13 ὁ γὰρ


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ὁµολογῶν τὸν θεὸν ἐν Χριστῷ τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Theoph. Ant. 3, 9 [p. 222, 13] θεὸν

ὁµ.): ὁµ. τὸν υἱόν 1J 2:23 (opp. ἀρν. as Mel., P. 73, 537 ἀπαρνήσω τὸν

ὁµολογήσαντά σε). µὴ ὁµ. τὸν Ἰησοῦν 4:3 (s. λύω 4, end). Cp. 2 Cl 3:2a. τινὰ ἔν

τινι someone by someth. ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις 4:3; cp. 3:4. ἐὰν ὁµολογήσωµεν διʼ οὗ

ἐσώθηµεν if we confess him through whom we were saved 3:3. The acc. (αὐτόν) is

supplied fr. the context J 12:42; cp. Hs 9, 28, 4.—W. acc. of thing ὁµ. τὸ

µαρτύριον τοῦ σταυροῦ Pol 7:1b. ὁµ. τὴν καλὴν ὁµολογίαν 1 Ti 6:12 (ὁµ.

ὁµολογίαν=‘make a promise’: Pla., Crito 52a; Jer 51:25; but = ‘bear testimony to a

conviction’: Philo, Mut. Nom. 57, Abr. 203).—Instead of acc. of pers. we may

have ἔν τινι confess someone, an Aramaism (s. Mlt-H. 463f; B-D-F §220, 2;

EbNestle, ZNW 7,1906, 279f; 8, 1907, 241; 9, 1908, 253; FBurkitt, Earliest

Sources for the Life of Jesus 1910, 19f). ὅστις ὁµολογήσει ἐν ἐµοὶ ἔµπροσθεν τῶν

ἀνθρώπων whoever confesses me before people Mt 10:32a; sim. Lk 12:8a. But p

709 2 Cl 3:2 uses the acc. when it quotes this saying (s. above.—In these last three

pass. opp. ἀρν.). Jesus’ acknowledgment of the believer on judgment day

complements this confession: ἐν αὐτῷ Mt 10:32b; Lk 12:8b. αὐτόν 2 Cl 3:2b (opp.

ἀρν. in all these pass.—GBornkamm, D. Wort Jesu vom Bekennen [Mt 10:32]:

Pastoraltheologie 34, ’39, 108–18). τὸ ὄνοµα αὐτοῦ Rv 3:5.—Abs. pass. στόµατι ὁµολογεῖται with the mouth confession is made Ro 10:10. (c) praise w. dat. ( Dio

Chrys. 10 [11], 147; B-D-F §187, 4; Rob. 541. In the LXX ἐξοµολογεῖσθαι τῷ

θεῷ. S. ἐξοµολογέω 4.) καρπὸς χειλέων ὁµολογούντων τῷ ὀνόµατι αὐτοῦ the fruit

of lips that praise his name Hb 13:15.—B. 1267. DELG s.v. ὁµό. M-M. TW. Sv.

(Page 708)

Louw and Nida list the following meanings: (1) To express openly one’s

allegiance to a proposition or person – ‘to profess, to confess, confession’ (33.274).

(2) To acknowledge a fact publicly, often in reference to previous bad behavior –

‘to admit, to confess’ (33.275). (3) To make an emphatic declaration, often public,

and at times in response to pressure or an accusation – ‘to declare, to assert’

(33.221).

The apostle John employs the word 10 times in his writings (Jn. 1:20 twice;

9:22; 12:42; 1 Jn. 1:9; 2:23; 4:2-3, 15; 2 Jn. 7). The word is used in Matthew 7:23

where the Lord states that He will “acknowledge” publicly that He never knew

those individuals who cast out demons in His name but did not execute the

Father’s will. It is used in Matthew 10:32 and Luke 12:8 where those who

“acknowledge” publicly Christ before men would be “publicly acknowledged” by

Him among the angels in heaven.

During the first century the identification with Jesus Christ and acknowledging

Him as the Messiah would often mean persecution and death, being cast of out of

the synagogue, which does not happen in the twenty-first century in America. This

usage appears in John 9:22 where the leaders of the Jews had agree to cast out of


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the synagogue anyone who “publicly acknowledged” Jesus of Nazareth as the

Christ.

The word is attributed to John the Baptist who in response to the inquiries by

the Jewish leaders as to his identity “acknowledged” that he was not the Christ.

John 12:42 tells us that many of the Jewish leaders would not “publicly

acknowledge” Jesus as the Messiah for fear of being cast out of the synagogue and

they were afraid of this because they loved the praise of men rather than the praise

of God. Homologeo appears in Acts 23:8 where Luke states that the Pharisees in

contrast to the Sadducees “acknowledge” the existence of angels, the spirits and

the resurrection. In Acts 24:14 Paul “admits” to serving the Way, Christ before

Felix.

The verb homologeo is used in Titus 1:16 where Paul warns Titus of the

Judaizers who “profess” to know God but their works deny that they know God

intimately. It is used in Hebrews 11:13 of Old Testament saints who “claimed” the

promises of God. The word appears in Hebrews 13:15 where it is used of

“praising” the Person of God.

John employs the word for the “confession” of personal sins to the Father in 1

John 1:9. He uses it in 1 John 2:23 of “acknowledging” that Jesus is the Christ and

those who don’t “acknowledge” Jesus as the Christ, do not have fellowship with

the Father. John uses homologeo in 1 John 4:2-3 and 2 John 7 where he instructs

his readers in how to determine if a certain teaching originates from the Holy Spirit

or demons. The Spirit’s teaching “acknowledges” that Jesus Christ has a not only a

divine nature but a human nature and the teaching that does not “acknowledge”

that He has a human nature such as the Docetic Gnosticism originates from

demons.

John uses it in a similar fashion in 1 John 4:15 but this time he states that those

who “acknowledge” that Jesus is the Son of God has fellowship with God. In both

1 John 4:2-3, 2 John 7 and 1 John 4:15 he is addressing the attacks upon the Person

of Christ, the former dealt with the attacks upon the Lord’s humanity and the latter

upon His deity.

In Romans 10:9, the verb homologeo means, “to acknowledge” that Jesus of

Nazareth is Lord, which is a word here that denotes His deity. The question arises,

“to whom does the unbeliever have to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord in order to

be saved?” Is a public affirmation to men required or is this an acknowledgement

to oneself or to God?

Some interpret homologeo in Romans 10:9 as a “public affirmation” to men and

use Luke 12:8 to support this interpretation. However, Jesus is speaking to

believers in Luke 12:8-9 and in Romans 10:9 he is writing concerning unsaved

Jews. That Jesus is speaking to believers in Luke 12:8-9 is clearly indicated by the

context since Luke 12:1 reveals that He is addressing His disciples and in Luke


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12:4, He calls those whom He addresses “My friends” and in Luke 12:4-7, He

teaches those whom He addresses regarding the Father’s care for them.

Luke 12:8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who

denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” (NASB95) Therefore, confessing or acknowledging Jesus before men is not a reference to

getting saved since Jesus is teaching those who are already His disciples and thus

already saved. But rather the person who confesses the Lord before men in Luke

12:8 is a reference to the believer living an obedient life.

When Jesus says He will acknowledge the person who acknowledges Him, it

refers to the public testimony by the Son of God to the faithful life of the obedient

Christian who executes the Father’s will. Thus, in this passage, when Jesus says He

will deny the believer before men, it doesn’t mean that they are denied salvation

since He is talking to those who are already believers. Neither does it mean you

will lose your salvation since that is obviously false doctrine, which we have

refuted in previous studies of Romans. It means that He will deny the believer of

rewards.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we deny Him, He also will deny us. (NASB95) Therefore, those who interpret homologeo in Romans 10:9 as a “public

affirmation” to men of the deity of Christ can not use Luke 12:8 as support for this

interpretation since in Luke 12:8 our Lord is addressing believers and Romans 10:9

is addressing how unsaved Israelites can get saved. Remember Paul in Romans 9-

10 is addressing the nation of Israel’s rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah.

Now, in John 12:42, John writes that many of the Jewish rulers believed in

Jesus but because of the Pharisees they were not acknowledging before the public

that they believed Jesus to be the Messiah for fear that they would be put out of the

synagogue.

The Lord Jesus Christ taught Nicodemus that if he believes in Him that he will

receive eternal life and be saved (John 3:16-18). Paul also makes this clear

throughout his writings that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone (Romans

3:22, 26, 30; 4:3, 5; 5:1; Galatians 2:16; 3:24, 26; Ephesians 2:8). Paul also makes

it clear to the Philippian jailor in Acts 16:31.

Acts 16:30b “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They said, ‘believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” (NASB95) All of these passages make clear that no public affirmation is essential for

salvation. Therefore, in Romans 10:9, the verb homologeo does not refer to a

“public affirmation” or “admitting to people” that one has faith in Jesus Christ as

Savior since the Scriptures teach that the sinner can receive eternal life and thus

eternal salvation only through faith alone in Christ alone. There is no public

acknowledgment of Christ necessary. Rather, the verb refers to the sinner


51

acknowledging to the Father that Jesus is Lord and which acknowledgement is, in

and of itself, exercising faith that the Father raised Jesus from the dead. This is

clearly indicated in the Scriptures because as we noted the Scriptures teach that it

is through faith alone in Christ alone that one is saved. It is also indicated in that to

acknowledge that Jesus is Lord is the equivalent to having faith that the Father

raised Jesus from the dead since the Father’s act of raising His Son Jesus from the

dead demonstrated that Jesus was in fact God.

Remember, the term “Lord” in Romans 10:9 is a reference to the deity of

Christ. To acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, i.e. God is to believe that the Father

raised Him from the dead since the Father’s act of raising His Son Jesus from the

dead demonstrated that Jesus was in fact God. This is clearly indicated by Paul in

Romans 1:4 and in this passage he teaches that there is a direct connection between

the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His deity in that the resurrection demonstrated

that Jesus of Nazareth was in fact the Son of God.

If the Father does not raise Jesus from the dead, then He is not God. The fact

that the Father raised Jesus from the dead makes clear that Jesus is the Son of God

and that He is also the object of faith for salvation and justification. The

resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was the ultimate proof to the human race that He

was God and that the Father approved of Him and accepted His substitutionary

spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross as the solution to the problem of

personal sins and the sin nature.

Therefore, in Romans 10:9 when Paul teaches that if the Jew confesses with his

mouth Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the

dead he is referring back to what he taught in Romans 1:4, which teaches that the

resurrection of Christ demonstrated the deity of Christ. Thus, when Paul teaches in

Romans 10:9 that if the Jew confesses with his mouth Jesus is Lord and believes in

his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead he means that to believe in

one’s heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead is in fact, an

acknowledgment to the Father that Jesus is Lord, i.e. God.

To acknowledge to the Father that Jesus is Lord is to believe that the Father

raised Him from the dead since by raising Him from the dead, the Father was

demonstrating that Jesus was His Son and thus God.

Therefore, in Romans 10:9, Paul is giving only one condition for salvation

when he teaches that the sinner must acknowledge with his mouth that Jesus is

Lord and believe in his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead.

That there is only one condition being presented in Romans 10:9 and that faith

alone in Christ is the only way to receive eternal salvation and be declared justified

by God is further indicated in Romans 10:11.

Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (NASB95)


52

As we noted, this is because the Scriptures teach that is only through faith alone

in Christ alone does a sinner receive eternal salvation. So when Paul teaches in

Romans 10:9 that in order to be saved the sinner must acknowledge with his mouth

that Jesus is God and believe in his heart that the Father raised Him from the dead

he is saying acknowledging in one’s heart that Jesus is Lord is to believe that the

Father raised Him from the dead. In other words, to exercise faith that the Father

raised Jesus from the dead is, in and of itself, an acknowledgment that Jesus is

Lord, i.e. God since the resurrection demonstrated that Jesus is God and one is

saved only by faith alone in Christ alone! Therefore, we can also say based upon

this principle that faith in Jesus as Savior is an acknowledgement to the Father or

agreeing with the Father on the part of the sinner that one is a sinner and that Jesus

is the Savior and God.

Also, we can conclude that the verb homologeo in Romans 10:9 is an

acknowledgement “to the Father” that Jesus is His Son rather than an

acknowledgement to men because the Father raised Jesus from the dead to

demonstrate that Jesus was His Son. Therefore, because of the connection between

the resurrection of Christ and the deity of Christ, Paul is presenting only one

condition for salvation, and not two. To acknowledge that Jesus is God is to have

faith that the Father raised Jesus from the dead since the resurrection demonstrated

the deity of Jesus.

Homologeo in 1 Timothy 6:12

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the verb homologeo means “to confess” and refers to

Timothy publicly acknowledging or confessing Jesus Christ as His Savior at his

baptism (water). Therefore, it denotes that at his baptism Timothy “confessed”

Jesus Christ as his Savior.

The Bible teaches that water baptism is emphatically not the means by which a

person gets saved. The sinner is saved through faith alone in Christ alone (John

3:16-18; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16).

“Baptismal regeneration” is the teaching which contends that a sinner is

regenerated by observing water baptism. It is taught by the Roman Catholic

Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, some Pentecostal sects (notably the anti-

trinitarian United Pentecostal Church and other “Jesus Only” groups), and pseudo-

christian cult groups such as the Mormons. Baptismal regeneration is also the

doctrinal stance of many teachers and preachers within the Restoration Movement,

sometimes called Campbellism (from its founder, Alexander Campbell), whose

members are mainly found in churches called Churches of Christ or Independent

Christian Churches.


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Proponents of baptismal regeneration argue that water baptism is an essential

part of salvation because, in their view, it is in the act or ceremony of water

baptism that we are born again.

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 4:5 state dogmatically

that there is only one baptism that matters, Spirit baptism. Both passages teach that

there is one Spirit, God the Holy Spirit and therefore, only one baptism.

In 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Paul addresses the problem of divisions in the

Corinthian church and he specifically mentions water baptism. Some believers

made water baptism an issue, which resulted in divisions among believers in the

church at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:10). Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 that

water baptism was a non-essential and he emphasizes the fact that Christ sent him

to preach the gospel and not to baptize with water (1 Cor. 1:17). The apostle

emphasizes the importance of having the same mind, which refers to being unified

in their doctrine (1 Cor. 1:10). The Corinthians were occupied with non-essentials

such as tongues and water baptism and not with Bible doctrine, which is the mind

of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit was defined by John the Baptist, the forerunner

of Jesus Christ, as being a distinctive part of the ministry of Christ. He contrasted

the baptism of water with the baptism in the Spirit.

Mathew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (NASB95) Mark 1:8, “I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with

the Holy Spirit.” (NASB95) Luke 3:16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (NASB95) John 1:32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him,

but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’” (NASB95) In Romans 6, it is obvious that the context is being placed into Christ and the

passage dwells on the believer’s identification with Christ, with His death, and

with His resurrection. In this passage, the believer is not baptized into water, but

into the death of Christ or more accurately identified with Christ in His death.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when


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the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you -- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience -- through

the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (NASB95) Notice what Peter says as he states that it is not water that is used in baptism, it

is the Spirit who is poured out and regenerates the sinner who trusts in Jesus Christ

as Savior. It is also significant that Jesus never performed water baptism on

anyone. If water baptism was essential to salvation, why wasn’t the Lord practicing

it?

John 4:1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.” (NIV)

Water baptism was a teaching aid to instruct believers that when they believed

in Christ, the Holy Spirit placed them in union with Christ identifying them with

Christ in His death and resurrection. When the believer was dipped underneath the

water, this portrayed the reality that the Holy Spirit identified them with Christ in

His death and when they were taken up out of the water, this portrayed that they

were identified with Christ in His resurrection.

When the believer was dipped underneath the water, this portrayed that he was

now dead to the cosmic system of Satan, the Law and the old sin nature and when

he was taken up out of the water, this portrayed the fact that he was now a new

creation and was to walk in newness of life. Baptism meant a clean break with the

past and the old creation marred by sin and ruled by Satan.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (NASB95) Characteristics of the baptism of the Spirit: (1) Invisible. (2) Eternal in Nature.

(3) Not related to any form of human merit or works. (4) Obtained at the moment

the sinner is declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ. (5) Performed by God

the Holy Spirit and not by men. (6) Not water baptism. (7) Not felt. (8) Not an

experience. (9) Not an external activity. (10) Not speaking in tongues. (11) Not

emotion. (12) Can’t be improved upon.

There is a passage in Matthew 28:18, which many churches use as

documentation to support their observance of the ritual of water baptism. This is

the only passage in the Gospels where our Lord mentions water baptism and it is

not even a command. So, the question we must ask ourselves is that should we

observe this ritual of water baptism as we do the Lord’s Table. Did our Lord

command it of His disciples?


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Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (NASB95) The verb for “baptize” in Matthew 28:19 is not in the imperative mood, but

rather the verb translated “make disciples” is in the imperative mood. The verb

baptizo, “baptizing” in Matthew 28:19 is a participle that accompanies the action

of the main verb matheteuo, “make disciples.”

The early church practiced water baptism. In every recorded instance in Acts

after trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior, the believer was baptized (Acts 2:41; 8:12-

13, 38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5).

Water baptism was commanded of the pre-canon period of the church age as a

teaching aid in order to teach the extremely important doctrines of retroactive and

current positional truth to the early church, but since we have the completed canon

of Scripture, we no longer observe it as a church ordinance (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-17;

John 4:1-2). Here in the post-canon period of the church age, we have the

completed canon of Scripture and all the doctrines that teach retroactive and

current positional truth.

The New Testament epistles do not have any commands for believers to

observe the ritual of water baptism. The gospels record the disciples of Jesus as

performing the ritual but not the Lord Himself (John 4:1-2).

Therefore, in 1 Timothy 6:12, the verb homologeo is used of Timothy at his

baptism and means “to confess” referring to his public confession before the

church at Lystra that Jesus Christ was his Savior.

The second person singular form of the verb refers of course to Timothy and

means “you.” The aorist tense is a constative aorist describing in summary fashion

Timothy confessing that Jesus Christ was his Savior at his baptism. The active

voice refers to Timothy performing the action of confessing Jesus as his Savior at

his baptism. The indicative mood of the verb is declarative meaning that it is

presenting this assertion as a non-contingent or unqualified statement. We will

translate homologeo, “you confessed.”

Homologia

This compound word means “agreement,” which is usually a public rather than

a private matter. It can be formalized as a “compact” between parties. It was used

of the terms of a peace treaty or surrender. It occurs only 7 times in the Septuagint

where it is used of a “vow” given as a freewill offering to the Lord (Deuteronomy

12:6, 17; Ezekiel 46:12; Amos 4:5) or to the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 44:25).

Homologia occurs only 6 times in the New Testament where it means “confession”

(2 Corinthians 9;13; 1 Timothy 6:12, 13, Hebrews 3:1; 4:14; 10:23).


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In 1 Timothy 6:12, the noun homologia means “confession” in the sense of

expressing openly or publicly one’s allegiance to someone. Here it denotes

Timothy’s public confession at his baptism that Jesus of Nazareth was his Savior.

It is used in an objective sense of Timothy’s statement before the church at Lystra

of his allegiance to Jesus Christ expressing his binding assent and public

commitment to Him.

The word is an accusative direct object meaning that it is receiving the action of

the verb homologeo. The articular construction of the word is a function marker to

denote that the adjective kalos is in the first attributive position indicating that this

adjective is receiving greater emphasis than the noun homologia. We will translate

homologia, “the confession.”

Kalos

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the adjective kalos is modifying the noun homologia, “the confession” and once again, as it did earlier in the verse, means “noble” in the

sense of possessing outstanding qualities and great importance. It describes

something whose importance is superior to all others.

Here it describes public confession that Jesus Christ was his Savior at his

baptism was superior to other confessions of allegiance to different individuals

such as political figure or a military commander or a heathen god since Jesus

Christ is superior to any military or political figure or heathen god because He is

the Son of God. It describes this public confession of Christ as Savior by Timothy

at his baptism as of the utmost importance in life possessing outstanding qualities

because it delivered him from sin and Satan and eternal condemnation in the lake

of fire. The word speaks of Timothy’s public confession of Christ as Savior at his

baptism as of the utmost importance or the most important thing that he could do in

life.

The word is in the first attributive position modifying the noun homologia as



translate this word “which is of the utmost importance.”

Martus

Martus comes from a common Indo-European root smer, “to be mindful of, to

bear in mind, to remember, to be careful.” It is the Aeolic form of martur, which is

not found in the NT. The term denoted a “witness,” especially a legal witness. The

Greeks believed that hearing was less reliable testimony than seeing, even in the

religious context of the word.


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Martus was “one who remembers, who has knowledge of something by

recollection, and who can thus tell about.” In the legal sphere where the word is

primarily used, martus denoted one who can and does speak from personal

experience about actions in which he took part and which happened to him, or

about persons and relations known to him. A martus may be a witness at a trial, or,

in legal transactions of different kinds, a solemn witness in the most varied

connections. The witness at a trial and his marturia, “testimony” is dealt with fully

by Aristotle in his work Rhetorica.

The inscriptions and especially the papyri offer an almost inexhaustible number

of examples of the solemn witness in every possible kind of written agreement and

record, including official records. The word also has a use outside of the legal

sphere where it is used of a person who is a witness to facts and also to truths or

views.

Martus along with martureo, marturia and marturion have a general use

outside the legal sphere. This group refers not merely to the establishment of

events or actual relations or facts of experience on the basis of direct personal

knowledge, but it also signifies the proclamation of views or truths of which the

speaker is convinced. It thus relates to things, which by their very nature cannot be

submitted to empirical investigation such as Paul’s intense concern and affection

for the Philippians and their spiritual growth, which only God can be a true witness

to.

The Greeks would appeal to the gods as witnesses in treaties, solemn

agreements or declarations, assurances and oaths. Even if no other witness was

present, they, the so-called “omniscient” gods, could confirm the truth of a

statement or the fact of an agreement. Those who appealed to them as witnesses

did so in the belief that they should be lying, or should they break the agreement,

they would fall victim to divine punishment.

In the LXX, martus replaced the Hebrew term `edh, “witness.” The role of the

witness was primarily legal also in the LXX. The false witness was one of the 6

things hated by the Lord (Prov. 6:19), and will not go unpunished (Prov. 19:5, 9;

21:28).

Thayer breaks the word’s usage into three categories in the New Testament: (1)

Legal (Matt. 18:16; 26:65; Mark 14:63; Acts 6:13; 7:58; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19;

Heb. 10:28). (2) Historical (Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8, 22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41;

13:31; 26:16; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 2:2; Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 5:1) (3) Ethical (Acts

22:20; Rev. 2:13; 17:6).

In 1 Timothy 6:12, the noun martus is in the plural and means “witnesses” and

refers to one who testifies. Here it is speaking of the church at Lystra “testifying”

or “verifying” that Timothy at his baptism publicly confessed that Jesus of

Nazareth is his Savior. So the word refers to someone bearing testimony of


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Timothy’s public confession of Jesus Christ. It is referring to specifically to the

members of the church at Lystra who observed and heard Timothy make a public

confession that he was now a believer and follower of Jesus of Nazareth.

Polus

The adjective polus means “many” and is modifying the noun martus,

“witnesses” indicating that there was a multitude of individuals in Lystra who

could testify or verify that Timothy publicly confessed Jesus of Nazareth as his

Savior and became His disciple.

Enopion

The noun martus is the object of the preposition enopion, which means “in the

presence of” and is used with reference to the church at Lystra. It denotes that “in

the presence of” the Christian community at Lystra, Timothy publicly confessed

Jesus of Nazareth as his Savior and that consequently he would become a disciple

of the Lord. Therefore, we will translate this preposition “in the presence of.”

Translation of 1 Timothy 6:12

1 Timothy 6:12 You yourself continue making it your habit of making every effort to win the race, which is noble by means of your faith. I solemnly

charge you for your own benefit to make it your top priority to experience the life which is eternal for which purpose, you were effectually called with the result that you confessed the confession in the presence of many witnesses, which is of the utmost importance. (My translation)

Summary of 1 Timothy 6:12

This verse contains two commands. In the first, Paul commanded Timothy to

continue making it his habit of making every effort to win the race, which is noble

by means of his faith. Then, he solemnly charged Timothy for his own benefit to

make it his top priority to experience the life which is eternal. He then tells his

young delegate that experiencing eternal life was the purpose for which he was

effectually called, i.e. his conversion. This he says resulted in Timothy confessing

the confession in the presence of many witnesses which is of the utmost

importance in life.

Paul uses the figure of asyndeton twice in this verse meaning he does not use a

connective word between his first command in verse 12 and his last command in


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verse 11 as well as not using a connective between the first command in verse 12

and the second. He uses this figure in order to emphasize the importance of these

two commands for Timothy in the sense that they will benefit him personally by

advancing him to further growth spiritually and will benefit him in that it will aid

him in administrating the household of God in Ephesus.

“You yourself continue making it your habit of making every effort to win the race” contains the idea of a runner struggling intensely to win a race in the

Graeco-Roman games in the face of stiff opposition from other runners competing

against him. Here this command refers to Timothy making every effort to win the

noble contest of faith by experiencing eternal life which will accomplish the

Father’s will for his life despite strong opposition from sin and Satan’s kingdom.

Therefore, it indicates that accomplishing the Father’s will is analogous to the

square stone pillar that marked the end of the race for a runner in the Graeco-

Roman games. This is indicated by the fact that the square stone pillar in the

ancient Graeco-Roman games marked the finish line in these games and

accomplishing the Father’s will of growing up to become like Jesus Christ

completes the plan of the Father for the believer’s life.







The will of the Father is that the Christian become like Jesus Christ (Ephesians

4:11-16) and this can only be accomplished by the Christian experiencing eternal

life in time prior to the rapture or their death whichever comes first. Experiencing

eternal life and thus living a godly life is accomplished by obedience to the Word

of God, i.e. the gospel.

Specifically, it is accomplished by accepting by faith the Spirit’s teaching in the

Word of God that the Christian is crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with

Christ, which results in obedience to the commands and prohibitions found in the

Word of God. In other words, it is experienced by obeying the command to love

God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself, which summarizes the

prohibitions and commands found in the Word of God. Experiencing eternal life is

accomplished by loving others as Christ loved by the power of the Spirit.

Godliness is experiencing eternal life and is the Christian way of life. By living

the Christian way of life, i.e. by experiencing eternal life or in other words by

living a godly life the Christian grows up to become like Jesus Christ and thus

executes the Father’s will, which will earn them an imperishable crown and

rewards at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.


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Now, some argue that the first command in 1 Timothy 6:12 contains a military

metaphor. However, the verb agonizomai was used in 1 Timothy 4:10 in an

obvious athletic metaphor as we noted in detail. Furthermore, the noun agon,

“fight” appears in 2 Timothy 4:7 in an athletic metaphor. Notice, in 2 Timothy 4:7,

that after telling Timothy that he fought the good fight, Paul tells him that he

finished the course, i.e. a race, which indicates an athletic metaphor of a runner

finishing a race.

The fact that agon, “fight” is used this way in 2 Timothy 4:7 and agonizomai in

1 Timothy 4:10 is used in an athletic metaphor of a runner sprinting to win a race

strongly suggests that these two words in 1 Timothy 6:12 are also used in an

athletic metaphor of a runner struggling to cross the finish line to win a foot race.

Also suggesting this is that the noun agon appears in Hebrews 12:1 where it means

“race” referring to a foot race.

Paul’s statements in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4:6 indicate that Timothy was carrying

out everything he wrote in this epistle, including this command here in 1 Timothy

6:12. Thus this command is simply a reminder to Timothy to continue doing what

they talked about before Paul left for Macedonia. Furthermore, Paul would not

have delegated Timothy such a difficult task as the one in Ephesus unless he felt

confident that his young delegate could carry out everything he required of him.

Therefore, the present imperative is simply a reminder to Timothy to continue

doing what Paul told him to do before he left for Macedonia.

“Which is noble” describes the spiritual race to accomplish the will of the

Father that Timothy was engaged in as superior to foot races in the natural realm

since it possesses a superior goal, the will of the Father. It describes this spiritual

race as of the utmost importance in life possessing outstanding qualities because

winning this race results in praise and rewards from a superior sovereign king,

Jesus Christ and is against superior opponents, Satan and the sin nature. The word

speaks of Timothy’s commission as of the utmost importance or the most

important thing that he could do in life. It denotes that accomplishing the Father’s

will for his life is the most important thing in his life to do.

“By means of your faith” refers to Timothy’s post-conversion faith in the

Word of God. Specifically, it speaks of his faith in Paul’s gospel or apostolic

teaching. This is indicated by the fact that in the very next command, Paul orders

Timothy to take hold of eternal life, which refers to experiencing eternal life,

which is accomplished by faith in Paul’s gospel. Furthermore, Paul is using an

athletic metaphor of a runner attempting to win a race against other runners. This

race is analogous to the Christian way of life and the finish for this race is the

execution of the Father’s will for the Christian to become like Christ. This race is

won by faith in the Word of God, i.e. appropriating by faith Paul’s gospel.


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It does not refer to the objective body of truth, the content of the Christian faith

meaning Christian doctrine, although that is the object of the believer’s faith after

salvation. Rather, it refers to Timothy’s faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. the

gospel. The race to execute the Father’s will is not accomplished by means of the

gospel, or the Christian faith but rather it is accomplished by means of the

believer’s faith in the Word of God.

“I solemnly charge you for your own benefit to make it your top priority to experience the life which is eternal” expresses a sense of urgency that Timothy

executes this second command. This command indicates that Paul wants Timothy

to know the Trinity experientially in the sense of personally encountering them

through the process of fellowship as They are revealed in the pages of Scripture

and prayer by God the Holy Spirit. It also involves Timothy being affected by this

encounter with the Trinity resulting in the gaining of practical spiritual wisdom and

more of the character of Christ. It would involve Timothy appropriating by faith

his union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial,

resurrection and session. This would result in Timothy obeying the commands and

prohibitions that appear in the gospel.

The believer who exercises faith in the teaching of the Word of God that he has

been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ will experience eternal

life in time. At the moment of conversion, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit,

the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ,

identifying him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death

(Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12),

His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians

2:12; 3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1).

The believer can not only experience victory and deliverance over sin, Satan

and his cosmic system by appropriating by faith the teaching of the Word of God

that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ but he can

also experience eternal life (Romans 6:11-23; 8:1-17; Galatians 2:20; Colossians

3:5-17).

The will of the Father for the believer is to be conformed to the image of Jesus

Christ (Romans 8:28-29; Ephesians 4:11-16). This is accomplished by the believer

appropriating by faith the teaching that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised

and seated with Christ. By doing, the believer will experience eternal life in time.

Therefore, the believer experiences eternal life in time and thus experiences

fellowship with God in time by obeying the will of the Father of life, which is

revealed to the believer by the Spirit of life through the communication of the

Word of life.


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The believer who is obedient to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Holy

Spirit through the communication of the Word of God will live in eternal life and

thus experience fellowship with God.

“For which purpose, you were effectually called” indicates the purpose for

which Timothy was called. It denotes the goal for which Timothy was effectually

called by God the Father. It refers to Timothy’s conversion to Christianity and

refers to the Father effectually calling him to trust in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior

and which invitation originated from eternity past and is thus directly related to the

Christian’s election. By responding in faith Timothy manifested in time that he had

in fact been elected to privilege by God. God who is omniscient looked down the

corridors of time and saw that the Christian would trust in His Son Jesus Christ as

Savior and had prepared in advance a plan for him and elected him to privilege.

Therefore, when Timothy placed his trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, he was

manifesting the fact that he had been elected to privilege by the Father. He did not

coerce Timothy’s volition by electing him but rather elected him to privilege when

He saw through His omniscience that Timothy would believe in His Son.

“With the result that you confessed the confession in the presence of many

witnesses, which is of the utmost importance” expresses the result of Timothy

being effectually called by the Father in eternity past to experience eternal life.

This confession of faith was before the body of Christ in Lystra where Timothy

was born and lived. Paul is not speaking of Timothy’s ordination ceremony since

the previous clause refers to Timothy’s conversion to Christianity through faith in

Christ. It refers to Timothy publicly acknowledging or confessing Jesus Christ as

His Savior at his baptism (water). Therefore, it denotes that at his baptism Timothy

confessed Jesus Christ as his Savior.

This public confession that Jesus Christ was his Savior at his baptism was

superior to other confessions of allegiance to different individuals such as political

figure or a military commander or a heathen god since Jesus Christ is superior to

any military or political figure or heathen god because He is the Son of God. It

describes this public confession of Christ as Savior by Timothy at his baptism as of

the utmost importance in life possessing outstanding qualities because it delivered

him from sin and Satan and eternal condemnation in the lake of fire. It speaks of

Timothy’s public confession of Christ as Savior at his baptism as of the utmost

importance or the most important thing that he could do in life.

“In the presence of many witnesses” refers to the church at Lystra testifying

or verifying that Timothy at his baptism publicly confessed that Jesus of Nazareth

is his Savior. It is referring to specifically to the members of the church at Lystra

who observed and heard Timothy make a public confession that he was now a

believer and follower of Jesus of Nazareth.


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1 Timothy 6:13-Paul Invokes The Father And Jesus Christ To Bear Witness To His Command That Timothy Faithfully Fulfill His Commission In Ephesus

Paul’s Solemn Charge To Timothy

1 Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all

things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB95)

“I charge you in the presence of God” is composed of the first person singular

present active indicative form of the verb parangello (παραγγέλλω) (pah-dahn-

yellow), “I charge” and this is followed by the dative second person singular form

of the personal pronoun su (σύ) (see), “you” and then we have the preposition

enopion (ἐνώπιον) (ennopee-own), “in the presence of” and its object is the

articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός) (thay-oce), “of God.”

Asyndeton

Paul is once again employing the figure of “asyndeton,” which means that he is

not using a connective word between the second command at the end of 1 Timothy

6:12 and the command in 1 Timothy 6:13-14. He uses this figure in order to

emphasize this command in 1 Timothy 6:13-14 for Timothy to carry out his

commission in Ephesus unstained and irreproachable until the rapture of the church

in the sense that he wants Timothy to dwell upon it and obey it. This figure

emphasizes the importance of this command for Timothy in the sense that it will

benefit him personally by advancing him to further growth spiritually and will

benefit him in that it will aid him in administrating the household of God in

Ephesus. It will also benefit spiritually the body of Christ in Ephesus.

Parangello

The verb parangello is a compound word that is composed of the preposition

para, “beside” and the verb angello, “to tell, announce.” Therefore, the compound

verb parangello means, “to proclaim or announce beside.”

The word speaks of passing along a message or instructing someone in an

authoritative manner. It is both a military and legal term describing a military

command or an official summons to court (Moulton and Milligan, page 481;

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 5, page 762).


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Louw and Nida define the verb “to announce what must be done-‘to order, to

command.’” (Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic

Domains; Electronic ed. of the second edition; 1996; New York: United Bible

societies)


Literature-Third Edition lists the following meanings “to make an announcement

about something that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all

kinds of persons in authority.” (Page 760).

Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament: 1) as issuing a directive from

an authoritative source command, give (strict) orders, direct, instruct (MT 10.5);

(2) followed by µή (not) and an infinitive forbid (LU 5.14); (3) absolutely give

instructions (1C 11.17) (Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. (2000). Vol. 4:

Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament; page 294; Baker's Greek New

Testament library. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.)

The word first appeared in 1 Timothy in 1:3, where it means “to command,

order” and is used with Timothy as its subject and the false teachers in Ephesus as

its object. Timothy is to command these false teachers to stop propagating false

doctrine. It implies clearly that Paul has delegated authority to Timothy to rebuke

and hold these false teachers accountable since this word indicates that the false

teachers in Ephesus are under Paul’s apostolic authority and are thus Christians.

Then parangello appeared in 1 Timothy 4:11. In this verse, the verb parangello again means “to command, order” and is used with Timothy as its subject but this

time it is used with reference to Paul’s commands in 1 Timothy 4:6-10. Paul is

commanding Timothy to pass along the commands that appear in 1 Timothy 4:6-

10. Two are found in 1 Timothy 4:7.

Parangello implies as it did in 1 Timothy 1:3 that Paul has delegated authority

to Timothy to teach these things. The word expresses the idea that Timothy is to

stand before the Ephesian Christian community and officially and authoritatively

communicate to them all that Paul taught in 1 Timothy 4:6-10. It used elsewhere

by the apostle with respect to authoritative commands (1 Corinthians 7:10; cf.

11:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:10; cf. 4:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:4, 6, 10, 12; 1 Timothy

1:3).

In 1 Timothy 5:7, the verb parangello again means “to command, order” and is

used with Timothy as its subject but this time it is used with reference to Paul’s

teaching in 1 Timothy 5:3-6. Specifically, it refers to Paul’s commands in verse 3

(timao) and in verse 4 (manthano). The term means that Timothy to “command”

compliance to the things Paul taught in these verses.

Therefore, Paul wants Timothy to “command” the Ephesians to comply with his

command in verse 3 to honor widows by supporting them financially who are

qualified to receive financial support. It also means that Timothy is to “command”


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the Ephesians in verse 4 to instruct their children and grandchildren with regards to

their responsibility to support their parents and grandparents (Exodus 20:12). In

verse 5, he identifies a widow who is qualified to receive support and in verse 6, he

identifies one who is not qualified. The former is godly and the latter is not.

Therefore, these two verses are related to the first command in verse 3 since they

help them to identify what widows the Ephesians should honor. Thus, these two

verses aid the Ephesians in how they are to apply this command.

Parangello implies as it did in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4:11 that Paul has delegated

authority to Timothy. The word expresses the idea that Timothy is to stand before

the Ephesian Christian community and officially and authoritatively communicate

to them all that Paul taught in 1 Timothy 5:3-6. It used elsewhere by the apostle

with respect to authoritative commands (1 Corinthians 7:10; cf. 11:17; 1

Thessalonians 4:10; cf. 4:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:4, 6, 10, 12; 1 Timothy 1:3).

In 1 Timothy 6:13, the verb parangello means “to command, order” and its

subject is Paul and its object is Timothy. Therefore, the word denotes that Paul is

commanding Timothy to carry out his commission in Ephesus, which he has

explained in detail in this epistle. It expresses Paul’s apostolic authority.

The present tense of the verb is an “instantaneous” present used to indicate that

the action of Paul’s command addressed to Timothy is completed at the “moment”

of writing. The active voice refers to Paul as the subject producing the action of

commanding Timothy to keep his commission unstained and free from reproach

until the rapture of the church. The indicative mood is “potential,” which is used

with verbs of obligation, wish or desire followed by an infinitive. In our passage,

we have the verb parakaleo, which expresses Paul’s desire that Timothy keep his

commission unstained and without reproach and is followed by the infinitive form

of the verb tereo, “that…keep,” which appears at the beginning of verse 14.

Therefore, we will translate parakaleo, “I command.”

Su

The personal pronoun su is of course a direct reference to Timothy. The word

functions as a dative indirect object meaning that the word is receiving the direct

object, which appears in verse 14 and is the noun entole, “the commandment,”

which refers to Timothy’s commission in Ephesus, which is explained throughout

this epistle. We will translate su “you.”

Theos

The noun theos means “God” and refers to the Father. This is indicated by the

fact that the articular construction of this noun in the New Testament commonly


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signifies the first member of the Trinity. Also, it is not the Spirit because He is the

one who is giving this charge to Timothy through Paul. It of course cannot refer to

the Son since He is mentioned as well in this prepositional phrase. We will

translate theos, “God the Father.”

Enopion

Here in 1 Timothy 6:13, enopion means “in the presence of” and is used with

reference to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The word indicates that both

will be witnesses as to whether or not Timothy will faithfully carry out his

commission in Ephesus. It emphasizes with Timothy that he is living and acting in

the presence of these two. It emphasizes with Timothy that he will be held

accountable in the matter by them. It also emphasizes that he will be held

accountable to conscientiously fulfill his commission in Ephesus, which is

explained throughout this epistle. Therefore, we will translate this preposition “in the presence of.”

The Father Gives Life to All Things

1 Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB95) “Who gives life to all things” is composed of the articular genitive masculine

singular present active participle form of the verb zoogoneo (ζῳογονέω) (zoe-owe-

voe-nehowe), “who gives life to” and this is followed by the articular accusative

neuter plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “all things.”

Zoogoneo

The verb zoogoneo means “to give life” or “to cause to be alive” and its subject

is God the Father and its object is the articular form of the adjective pas, which

refers to the totality of animate objects in creation which would refer to all marine

life, bird life, terrestrial life, mankind and angels. Therefore, the verb denotes that

God the Father causes all living creatures to live.

The genitive form of the word is an appositional genitive meaning it stands in

apposition to the genitive noun theos and is presenting a description of the Father.

The verb functions as a “substantive” participle as indicated by the definite article,

which functions as a substantiver meaning that it converts the participle form of

zoogoneo into a substantive. Therefore, this can be reflected by translating the


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article with the relative pronoun, “who.” The article is thus referring to the Father

as indicated the article’s masculine singular form.

The present tense of the verb is a “gnomic present,” which is used to describe

something that is true “any” time and “does” take place. It is saying that God the

Father “does” give life to all things or causes all things to live.

The present tense is also a “gnomic present,” which is used for a general

timeless fact or spiritual axiom, or an eternal spiritual truth. This indicates that God

the Father does “as an eternal spiritual truth” give life to all things. The active

voice is causative indicating that God the Father “causes” all things to live. We

will translate τοῦ ζῳογονοῦντος, “who does, as an eternal spiritual truth, cause

to live.”

Pas

The adjective pas refers to the totality of animate objects that are contained in

the first, second and third heavens and the earth or in other words, that are

contained in creation, which would include all marine life, bird life, terrestrial life,

human beings and angels.

Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 35 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” (NASB95)

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that

we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. 4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods

and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (NASB95)

1 Corinthians 11:12 For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. (NASB95)

Hebrews 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in

many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had


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made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (NASB95)

Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will

they existed, and were created.” (NASB95) The article preceding the adjective pas is a substantiver meaning it is converting

the adjective into a substantive. Pas functions as an accusative direct object

meaning that it is receiving the action of the verb zoogoneo. We will translate pas,

“each and every thing.”

Christ Jesus Testified the Good Confession Before Pontius Pilate

1 Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB95)

“And of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius

Pilate” is composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” which is followed by

the genitive masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (Χριστός) (cree-

stoce), “Christ” and the genitive masculine singular form of the proper noun

Iesous (Ἰησοῦς) (yee-soose), “Jesus” and then we have the articular genitive

masculine singular aorist active participle form of the verb martureo (µαρτυρέω)

(mahtear-eh-owe), “who testified” and this is followed by the preposition epi (ἐπί) (eh-pee), “before” and its object is the genitive masculine singular form of the

noun Pontios (Πόντιος) (pone-dee-oce), “Pontius,” which is modified by the

genitive masculine singular form of the noun Pilatos (Πιλᾶτος) (pee-lah-toce),

“Pilate” and then we have the articular accusative feminine singular form of the

adjective kalos (καλός) (kah-loce), “the good” and it is modifying the accusative

feminine singular form of the noun homologia (ὁµολογία) (owe-moe-lowe-yee-ah),

“confession.”

Kai

The conjunction kai is adjunctive meaning that it is introducing an “additional”

an object of the preposition enopion. It introduces an “additional” witness who will

testify to whether or not Timothy will faithfully carry out his commission in

Ephesus or not. It indicates that “in addition to” God the Father, the Lord Jesus

Christ will testify as to whether or not Timothy will faithfully carry out his

commission in Ephesus or not. Therefore, we will translate the word “as well as.”


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Christos

Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and

this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was

accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the

Cross. It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by

God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent. Lastly, Christos signifies that Jesus of

Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan,

his cosmic system and the old Adamic sin nature.

Iesous

The proper name Iesous refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God,

Jesus of Nazareth. It functions as a “genitive of simple apposition” meaning that it

stands in apposition to the genitive form of the noun Christos, “Christ.” It simply

clarifies who is Christ here, namely Jesus of Nazareth since there were many in the

first century who made the claim. Therefore, we will translate Iesous, “who is

Jesus.”

Classical Usage of Martureo

The verb martureo means, “to testify, give evidence, give testimony, bear

record, affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something or provide

information about a person or an event concerning which the speaker has direct

knowledge.”

Liddell and Scott: (1) Bear witness, give evidence (2) Bear witness to or in

favor of another, confirm what he says (3) Bears witness to my opinion; bear

favorable witness to, give a good report of a person (4) Testify to a thing (5)

Testify that a thing is (6) Testify to, acknowledge the value of his alliance (7) Give

hearsay evidence (8) Testimony is borne by, testimony has been give before you

(9) Ascribed to (10) Bear a character (11) Whose character is approved by

testimony (12) Astrologically, to be in aspect with (Greek-English Lexicon, New

Edition, page 1082).

The verb martureo appears from the fifth century B.C. onwards. It is primarily

a legal term meaning “to bear witness, to give testimony, to testify, or to confirm

something to someone’s advantage by giving evidence” (Herodotus, 8, 95). The

word’s cognate noun martus comes from a common Indo-European root smer, “to

be mindful of, to bear in mind, to remember, to be careful.” It is the Aeolic form of

martur, which is not found in the Greek New Testament.


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Martus denoted a “witness,” especially a legal witness. The function of the

witness is normally denoted by the verb martureo. This can be used in the abstract

“to come forward as a witness,” but also commonly with the dative to denote the

one for whom one testifies or the agreement to which one is a witness, then the

accusative or peri and the genitive or a hoti clause for the content of the statement

in so far as the witness is testifying to anything specific.

The Greeks believed that hearing was less reliable testimony than seeing, even

in the religious context of the word. Martus was “one who remembers, who has

knowledge of something by recollection, and who can thus tell about.”

In the legal sphere where the word is primarily used, martus denoted one who

can and does speak from personal experience about actions in which he took part

and which happened to him, or about persons and relations known to him. A

martus may be a witness at a trial, or, in legal transactions of different kinds, a

solemn witness in the most varied connections. The witness at a trial and his

marturia, “testimony” is dealt with fully by Aristotle in his work Rhetorica.

The inscriptions and especially the papyri offer an almost inexhaustible number

of examples of the solemn witness in every possible kind of written agreement and

record, including official records. The word also has a use outside of the legal

sphere where it is used of a person who is a witness to facts and also to truths or

views.

Martus along with martureo, marturia and marturion have a general use

outside the legal sphere. This group refers not merely to the establishment of

events or actual relations or facts of experience on the basis of direct personal

knowledge, but it also signifies the proclamation of views or truths of which the

speaker is convinced. It thus relates to things, which by their very nature cannot be

submitted to empirical investigation. The Greeks would appeal to the gods as

witnesses in treaties, solemn agreements or declarations, assurances and oaths.

Even if no other witness was present, they, the so-called “omniscient” gods, could

confirm the truth of a statement or the fact of an agreement. Those who appealed to

them as witnesses did so in the belief that they should be lying, or should they

break the agreement, they would fall victim to divine punishment.

Martus has an additional usage that is outside of its legal sense. It is used of

declaring a particular viewpoint, attitude or conviction. The philosophers adopted

martureo in this manner to speak of their “giving evidence” for their “truths,

doctrines and principles.”

Septuagint Usage of Martureo

Martureo appears infrequently in the Septuagint where there are only 13

instances of the word. It is used to translate the following Hebrew terms in the


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Septuagint: (1) èdh, “witness” (Gn. 31:48; Dt. 19:18; 31:21). (2) ùdh, hiphil:

“admonish” (Lam. 2:13). (3) ànah, “answer; testimony” (Nm. 35:30-Codex

Vaticanus only).

The verb martureo is used for: (1) Legal testimony (Nm. 35:30; Dt. 19:15, 18).

(2) Commemorative function of a monument (Gn. 31:46ff.). (3) Song of Moses

(Dt. 31:19, 21), which as a document of the covenant, could become an indictment

against those who break it.

It is often used in the Septuagint without rendering a Hebrew term (e.g. Gn.

31:44, 48; Dt. 19:15 and in the Apocrypha 3 times). When there is a Hebrew word

being rendered by martureo, it is in every instance except one (Nm. 35:30) a form

of ùdh, “to witness, give testimony.” In the above passage the legal overtones are

clearly present.

Jacob erected an altar “to witness, testify” to the agreement between himself

and Laban (Gn. 31:47; cf. Josh. 22:27 ff.; 1 Macc. 2:37). “To witness” is not some

subjective enterprise; rather it rests upon truth, experience. It is a serious crime to

violate the integrity of a testimony according to Deuteronomy 19:15. The witness,

like Jacob’s pile of stones, may be a tangible reminder of a former agreement (of a

song, Dt. 31:19, 21).

New Testament Usage of Martureo

The verb martureo appears 76 times in the Greek New Testament. As in the

case in the Septuagint, the New Testament employs martureo as the function of the

martus. In the absolute sense, the verb means, “bear witness, swear to.” With the

accusative of the thing, it means, “attest, testify,” likewise with hoti. With the

dative of the person and hoti martureo means, “testify something to someone.”

Where the verb stands with the true dative of the person, it means, “applaud a

person” where it stands with the dative of the thing, it means, “bear witness for

something.” The passive can be used in a neutral sense, to say that something is

“witnessed, testified,” always in reference to Scripture. It can be used in an

evaluative sense, to say that someone “has received a good witness.”

The verb has a legal significance in Matthew where the scribes witness against

themselves that they are the sons of those who murdered the prophets (Mt. 23:21).

In Acts, the passive is used frequently meaning that someone “has received a good

witness” or “has a good reputation” (Acts 6:3; 10:22; 16:2; 22:12). It is used of

David meaning, “testify” in Acts 13:22.

Paul’s defense in Acts 26:5 gives the word a strong forensic sense meaning,

“bore witness.” He uses the word in an absolute sense simply for an assertion (2

Co. 8:3) or with the dative in the sense of “witness something to someone” (Rm.

10:2; Gal. 4:15). It is used of widows who are “highly regarded” in 1 Timothy


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5:10. Hebrews speaks in various ways of a divine “attestation” or “confirmation.”

The word is used in this book of the “witness” of Scripture concerning a person

such as Enoch (Heb. 11:4).

The verb martureo means, “to bear witness” in many passages in the Gospel of

John, his epistles and Revelation. We also see John employing the word in a legal

sense meaning “to testify, testimony,” which is used of the Spirit’s testimony

concerning the Person and Work of Christ.


Literature-Third Edition: (1) to confirm or attest someth. on the basis of personal

knowledge or belief, bear witness, be a witness. (a) to offer testimony α. act. ὑµεῖς µαρτυρεῖτε you are witnesses J 15:27. ἐὰν θέλωσιν µαρτυρεῖν if they are willing to

appear as witnesses Ac 26:5.—J 12:17; 1J 5:6f. Parenthetically, emphasizing the

correctness of a statement, µαρτυρῶ I can testify (POxy 105, 13 Σαραπίων

µαρτυρῶ=‘I, S., am witness’; PLond III, 1164 [f], 35 al. p. 162.—B-D-F §465, 2;

Rob. 434) 2 Cor 8:3. περί τινος bear witness, testify concerning someone or

someth. (PGrenf II, 73, 16 ὅταν ἔλθῃ σὺν θεῷ, µαρτυρήσει σοι περὶ p 618 ὧν

αὐτὴν πεποιήκασιν; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 217, Vi. 259) J 1:7f, 15 (in the very likely case

that µαρτυρεῖ refers to the past, cp. Caecil. Calact., Fgm. 75 p. 58, 2ff, where

examples are given of the interchange of tenses: Demosth. 59, 34 τοὺς ὁρῶντας for

τ. ἑωρακότας; Eur., Androm. Fgm. 145 Nauck2 ὁρῶ ἀντὶ τοῦ εἶδον; Thu. 2, 35, 1

ἐπαινοῦσι ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπῄνεσαν); 2:25; 5:31, 32a, 36f, 39; 7:7; 8:13f, 18ab; 10:25;

15:26; 21:24; 1J 5:9. µαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ testify to the wrong J 18:23

(µ.=furnish proof X., Symp. 8, 12). Also ἐπί τινι Hb 11:4b (on ἐπί w. dat. in this

pass. s. Gen 4:4). W. dat. of thing (Jos., Ant. 12, 135; Ath. 16, 3 τῷ λόγω. Πλάτων)

µ. τῇ ἀληθείᾳ bear witness to the truth J 5:33; 18:37. µ. σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ testify to

the truth of your (way of life) 3J 3; σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ vs. 6. W. dat. of pers. about

whom testimony is given (Appian, Bell. Civ. 3, 73 §298; Just., D. 122, 2.—It is

dat. of advantage or disadv.) Ac 10:43; 22:5; GJs 15:2; w. ptc. foll. (µ. Ἰακὼβ

λέγων Did., Gen. 221, 2) θεὸς ἐµαρτύρησεν αὐτοῖς δοὺς κτλ. God testified for

them by giving Ac 15:8 (though αὐτοῖς can also be taken w. δούς); w. ὅτι foll. bear

someone witness that J 3:28; Ro 10:2; Gal 4:15; Col 4:13. µ. ἑαυτῷ, ὅτι bear

witness to oneself that Mt 23:31. The dat. can also designate the pers. who is

informed or instructed by the testimony: bear witness to someone Hb 10:15; Rv

22:18.—µ. ὅτι testify that (Aelian, VH 9, 11; Did., Gen. 156, 28) J 1:34; 4:44;

12:17 v.l.; 1J 4:14. ὅτι introducing direct discourse J 4:39. µ. κατὰ τ. θεοῦ ὅτι bear

witness against God by declaring that 1 Cor 15:15 (PPetr II, 21 [d], 12 [III b.c.]

καθʼ οὗ µαρτυρῶ). ἐµαρτύρησεν καὶ εἶπεν w. direct discourse foll. J 13:21. µ.

λέγων w. direct disc. foll. J 1:32. Of God µοι µαρτυρεῖ λέγων (Ps 89:4 follows) he

testifies (of it) to me by saying 15:4. For 1 Ti 6:13 s. c below. β. pass., be

witnessed, have witness borne ὑπό τινος by someone (Philo, Leg. All. 3, 46 σοφία


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µαρτυρουµένη ὑπὸ θεοῦ; Just., D. 63, 5 Χριστὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ ταῦτα ποιήσαντος µαρτυρούµενος. Of Jesus: ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν πολλαχοῦ µεµαρτ. Orig., C. Cels. 2,

9, 30) Ro 3:21 (the witness of the law and prophets points to God’s righteousness).

Foll. by ὅτι and a quot. in direct discourse Hb 7:17. µαρτυρούµενος ὅτι ζῇ one of

whom it is testified that he lives vs. 8. (b) to confirm bear witness to, declare,

confirm, act. (Eunap., Vi. Soph. p. 76 ὁ θεὸς ἐµαρτύρησε; Iren. 2, 22, 5 [Harv I

331, 1]) τὶ someth. (Demosth. 57, 4 ἀκοήν; Aeschin. 1, 46 τἀληθῆ). ὸ ̔ἑωράκαµεν

µαρτυροῦµεν J 3:11; cp. vs. 32. τὸν λόγον τ. θεοῦ Rv 1:2. ταῦτα 22:20. τινί τὶ someth. to or for someone (Dionys. Hal. 3, 67, 1; Jos., Ant. 6, 355) vs. 16. ὑµῖν τ. ζωήν 1J 1:2. The acc. is to be supplied fr. the context J 19:35; Ac 23:11. W. ptc.

ἀκούσαντες µαρτυρήσωσιν they must admit that they have heard PtK 3 p. 15,

23.—µαρτυρίαν µ. bear witness, confirm, attest (Ps.-Pla., Eryx. 399b; Epict. 4, 8,

32) περί τινος concerning someone J 5:32b; 1J 5:10 (POxy 3313, 25f µαρτυρήσει σοι Σαραπᾶς περὶ τῶν ῥόδων S. will confirm to you about the roses). (c) to support

one’s testimony with total selfgiving, eccl. usage w. regard to martyrdom bear

witness, testify, be a witness (unto death), be martyred, act. (TestAbr B 11 p. 115,

16 [Stone p. 787] Ἄβελ ὁ ἐν πρώτοις µαρτυρήσας; Mel., HE 4, 26, 3; τοῖς µαρτυρούσι τῷ χριστιανισµῷ µέχρι θανάτου Orig., C. Cels. 1, 8, 2): of Paul

µαρτυρήσας ἐπὶ τῶν ἡγουµένων … εἰς τὸν ἅγιον τόπον ἐπορεύθη 1 Cl 5:7; cp. vs.

4; MPol 1:1; 19:1; 21f (Iren. 3, 3, 4 [Harv. II 12, 8]); EpilMosq 4. Prob. 1 Ti 6:13

also belongs here: Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ µαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τ. καλὴν ὁµολογίαν Christ Jesus, who made the good confession before Pontius

Pilate (s. GBaldensperger, RHPR 2, 1922, 1–25; 95–117); otherwise the passage

may be classed under a above. (2) to affirm in a supportive manner, testify

favorably, speak well (of), approve (a) act. (Dio Chrys. 23 [40], 19; SIG 374, 37

[III b.c.]; POxy 930, 16) w. dat. of the pers. (Appian, Samn. 11, §2 τοῖς ὑπάτοις, Liby. 105 §495, Bell. Civ. 4, 92 §387; Aelian, VH 1, 30; Jos., Ant. 12, 134) or of

the thing approved Lk 4:22 (OFearghus, ZNW 75, ’84, 60–72 [pap and ins];

JNolland, JBL 98, ’79, 219–29); J 3:26. Of God toward David Ac 13:22. µὴ ἑαυτῷ

µαρτυρείτω he must not testify (favorably) concerning himself 1 Cl 38:2. W. dat.

to be supplied 3J 12b. µαρτυρίᾳ, ᾗ ἐµαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ ὁ δεσπότης Hs 5, 2, 6. Of

the flesh ἵνα τὸ πνεῦµα … µαρτυρήσῃ αὐτῇ Hs 5, 7, 1.—ὁ κύριος ὁ µαρτυρῶν ἐπὶ (which a v.l. omits; µ. ἐπί τινι as Jos., Ant. 3, 189) τῷ λόγῳ τ. χάριτος αὐτοῦ the

Lord, who attested the word of his grace Ac 14:3. With συνευδοκέω Lk 11:48 v.l.

(b) pass., be well spoken of, be approved (Ep. 12 of Apollonius of Tyana:

Philostrat. I 348, 26; Just., D. 29, 1. Exx. fr. ins in Dssm., NB 93 [BS 265], LO 69,

2 [LAE 84, 5]) ἀνὴρ µαρτυρούµενος or µεµαρτυρηµένος a man of good reputation

Ac 6:3; IPhld 11:1. Of OT worthies people of attested merit 1 Cl 17:1; 19:1. Of

David 18:1. Of Abraham µεγάλως ἐµαρτυρήθη his merit was gloriously attested

17:2 (cp. Just., D. 11, 5 ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει µαρτυηθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ). Of the apostles


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47:4. Of Paul IEph 12:2. Of church leaders 1 Cl 44:3.—Foll. by nom. and inf. Hb

11:4a; cp. vs. 5. διά τινος be praised for someth. 11:4a, 39. ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς µαρτυρούµενος well attested in good deeds 1 Ti 5:10; cp. Hb 11:2. ὑπό τινος be

well spoken of by someone (M. Ant. 7, 62; SIG 799, 28; Jos., Ant. 3, 59; Just., D.

29, 3; 92, 4; New Docs 7, 233, no. 10, 10 of a benefactor) Ac 10:22; 16:2; 22:12;

IPhld 5:2.—Impersonally µαρτυρεῖταί τινι ὑπό τινος a good testimony is given by

someone to someone (Dionys. Hal., Thu. 8 µαρτυρεῖται τῷ ἀνδρὶ τάχα µὲν ὐπὸ

πάντων φιλοσόφων; BGU 1141, 15 [14 b.c.] ὡς καὶ µαρτυρηθήσεταί σοι ὑπὸ τῶν

φίλων) ∆ηµητρίῳ µεµαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone and from the truth itself

3J 12a.—Dg 12:6.—OMichel, Bibl. Bekennen u. Bezeugen, Ὁµολογεῖν und

µαρτυρεῖν im bibl. Sprachgebr.: Evang. Theologie 2, ’35, 231–45; EBurnier, La

notion de témoignage dans le NT ’39.—DELG s.v. µάρτυς. M-M. EDNT. TRE

XXII 196–212. TW. (Page 618)

Louw and Nida list the following meanings for the word: (1) To provide

information about a person or an event concerning which the speaker has direct

knowledge – ‘to witness’ (33.262). (2) To speak well of a person on the basis of

personal experience – ‘to speak well of, to approve of’ (33.263) Greek-English

Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains).

Martureo in 1 Timothy 6:13

In 1 Timothy 6:13, the verb martureo is used of the Lord Jesus Christ and

means “to testify, bear witness to” referring to Him “testifying” the good

confession before Pontius Pilate that He was the king of the Jews. It refers to Jesus

Christ testifying before Pontius Pilate that He was the king of the Jews. It refers to

Jesus Christ responding to Pilate’s question “Are you the king of the Jews?”

(Matthew 27:11; Mark 15;2; Luke 23;3; John 18:33-37). This confession served as

the basis for crucifying Him (John 19:12-16; cf. Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke

23:38; John 19:19). This confession of Christ was posted over His cross as the

charge against Him. So the verb martureo in 1 Timothy 6:13 refers to the act of

Christ testifying to Pilate that He was the king of the Jews.

The genitive form of the word is an appositional genitive meaning it stands in

apposition to the genitive noun Christos and is presenting a description of Jesus

Christ who is testified before Pontius Pilate the good confession. The verb

functions as a “substantive” participle as indicated by the definite article, which

functions as a substantiver meaning that it converts the participle form of martureo

into a substantive. Therefore, this can be reflected by translating the article with the

relative pronoun, “who.” The article is thus referring to Jesus Christ as indicated

the article’s masculine singular form. The aorist tense of the verb is a constative


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aorist describing in summary fashion the moment that Jesus of Nazareth testified to

Pontius Pilate that He was in fact the king of the Jews. The active voice refers to

Jesus Christ as the subject performing the action of testifying to Pontius Pilate that

He was the king of the Jews. We will translate τοῦ µαρτυρήσαντος, “who

testified.”

Homologia

The noun homologia means “confession” referring to Jesus of Nazareth

confessing to Pontius Pilate that He was the king of the Jews. The word is an

accusative direct object meaning that it is receiving the action of the verb

martureo. The articular construction of the word is a function marker to denote that

the adjective kalos is in the first attributive position indicating that this adjective is

receiving greater emphasis than the noun homologia. We will translate homologia,

“the confession.”

Kalos

The adjective kalos is modifying the noun homologia, “the confession” and

means “noble” in the sense of possessing outstanding qualities and great

importance. It describes something whose importance is superior to all others. Here

it describes Jesus of Nazareth’s confession to Pontius Pilate that He was the king

of the Jews as superior to other confessions since Jesus Christ is superior to any

military or political figure or heathen god because He is the Son of God. It

describes this confession as of the utmost importance in human and angelic history

in that it led to His crucifixion and spiritual and physical deaths which dealt with

the problems of sin and Satan.

The word is in the first attributive position modifying the noun homologia as



translate this word “which is of superior importance.”

Pontius Pilate

The proper noun Pilatos is the name of the Roman procurator who sentenced

Jesus of Nazareth to death. He conducted the civil trial of Jesus of Nazareth and

ordered His crucifixion. The proper noun Pontius is Pilate’s Roman first name or

clan-name. 1 Timothy 6:13 and Luke 3:1 are the only two places in the New

Testament where Pilate is designated Pontius.


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J. Ramsey Michaels commenting on Pilate writes “Roman governor of Judea

remembered in history as a notorious anti-Semite and in Christian creeds as the

magistrate under whom Jesus Christ ‘suffered’ (1 Tim 6:13). The NT refers to him

as ‘governor,’ while other sources call him ‘procurator’ or ‘prefect’ (an inscription

found in Caesarea in 1961). Pilate came to power about a.d. 26, close to the time

when two of his contemporaries, Sejanus in Rome and Flaccus in Egypt, were

pursuing policies apparently aimed at the destruction of the Jewish people. Pilate’s

policies were much the same. His procuratorship consisted of one provocation of

Jewish sensibilities after another. He broke all precedent by bringing into

Jerusalem military insignia bearing the image of Caesar in flagrant defiance of

Jewish law. He removed them only when the Jews offered to die at the hands of his

soldiers rather than consent to such blasphemy. He brutally suppressed protest by

planting armed soldiers, disguised as civilians, among the Jewish crowds. Against

such a backdrop it is not hard to understand the reference in Luke 13:1 to ‘the

Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices’ (HCSB). Pilate was

finally removed from office as the result of a similar outrage against Samaritan

worshipers who had gathered on Mount Gerizim, their holy mountain, to view

some sacred vessels that they believed Moses had buried there. When the

Samaritans complained to Vitellius, the governor of Syria, Pilate was ordered to

Rome to account for his actions to the emperor and is not mentioned again in

reliable contemporary sources. In view of his record it is surprising that Pilate

allowed himself to be pressured by a group of Jewish religious authorities into

allowing Jesus to be executed. A possible explanation is that he already felt his

position in the empire to be in jeopardy (note the threat implicit in John 19:12).

Pilate seems to have had no personal inclination to put Jesus to death, and the NT

writers are eager to show that he did not (Luke 23:4, 14, 22; John 18:38; 19:4, 6;

cp. Matt. 27:19). The Gospel writers sought to demonstrate that Jesus was innocent

from the standpoint of Roman law and that consequently Christianity in their day

was not a threat to the Roman political and social order. The fact that Jesus was

brought to Pilate at all probably means that He had not been formally tried and

convicted by the Sanhedrin, or Jewish ruling Council (if he had, he would probably

have been stoned to death like Stephen, or like James the Just in a.d. 62). Instead a

relatively small group of Jerusalem priests, including the high priest, wanted to

forestall any kind of a messianic movement by the people because of the repression

it would provoke from the Romans (John 11:47–50, 53). They maneuvered Pilate

into doing their work for them (cp. Luke 23:2). Pilate is represented in all the

Gospels as questioning Jesus, especially on the subject of kingship, but he


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remained unconvinced that Jesus was in any way a serious claimant to Jewish or

Roman political power.”1

D.H. Wheaton writes, “Pontius Pilatus was a Roman of the equestrian, or upper

middle-class, order: his praenomen is not known, but his nomen, Pontius, suggests

that he was of Samnite extraction and his cognomen, Pilatus, may have been

handed down by military forbears. Little is known of his career before ad 26, but in

that year (see P. L. Hedley in JTS 35, 1934, pp. 56–58) the emperor Tiberius

appointed him to be the fifth praefectus (hēgemōn, Mt. 27:2, etc.; the same title is

used of Felix in Acts 23 and Festus in Acts 26) of Judaea. Evidence of this title

was discovered in 1961 on an inscription at Caesarea, and E. J. Vardaman (JBL 88,

1962, p. 70) suggests that this title was used in Pilate’s earlier years, being replaced

by procurator (the title used by Tacitus and Josephus) later. In accordance with a

recent reversal in the policy of the Senate (in ad 21—Tacitus, Annals 3. 33–34)

Pilate took his wife with him (Mt. 27:19). As procurator he had full control in the

province, being in charge of the army of occupation (1 ala—c. 120 men—of

cavalry, and 4 or 5 cohorts—c. 2,500–5,000 men—of infantry), which was

stationed at Caesarea, with a detachment on garrison duty at Jerusalem in the

fortress of Antonia. The procurator had full powers of life and death, and could

reverse capital sentences passed by the Sanhedrin, which had to be submitted to

him for ratification. He also appointed the high priests and controlled the Temple

and its funds: the very vestments of the high priest were in his custody and were

released only for festivals, when the procurator took up residence in Jerusalem and

brought additional troops to patrol the city. Even pagan historians mention Pilate

only in connection with his authorization of the death of Jesus (Tacitus, Annals 15.

44): his only appearance on the stage of history is as procurator of Judaea.

Josephus relates (Ant. 18.55; BJ 2.169) that Pilate’s first action on taking up his

appointment was to antagonize the Jews by setting up the Roman standards,

bearing images of the emperor, at Jerusalem: previous procurators had avoided

using such standards in the holy city. Because of the determined resistance of their

leaders in spite of threats of death, he yielded to their wishes after 6 days and

removed the images back to Caesarea. Philo (De Legatione ad Gaium 299ff.) tells

how Pilate dedicated a set of golden shields in his own residence at Jerusalem.

These bore no image, only an inscription with the names of the procurator and the

emperor, but representations were made to Tiberius, who sensibly ordered them to

be set up in the temple of Roma et Augustus at Caesarea (cf. P. L. Maier, ‘The

Episode of the Golden Roman Shields at Jerusalem’, HTR 62, 1969, pp. 109ff.).

1 Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B.

(2003). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1297–1298). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible

Publishers.


78

Josephus (Ant. 18.60; BJ 2.175) and Eusebius (EH 2. 7) allege a further grievance

of the Jews against Pilate, in that he used money from the Temple treasury to build

an aqueduct to convey water to the city from a spring some 40 km away. Tens of

thousands of Jews demonstrated against this project when Pilate came up to

Jerusalem, presumably at the time of a festival, and he in return sent his troops in

disguise against them, so that a large number were slain. It is generally considered

that this riot was caused by the Galileans mentioned in Lk. 13:1–2 (whose blood

Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices), and C. Noldius (De Vita et Gestis

Herodum, 1660, 249) claimed that Herod’s enmity against Pilate (Lk. 23:12) arose

from the fact that Pilate had slain some of Herod’s subjects. This explains Pilate’s

subsequent care (Lk. 23:6–7) to send Jesus to be tried before Herod. It is not

known whether the tower at Siloam which collapsed (Lk. 13:4) was part of this

aqueduct. Pilate finally over-reached himself by the slaughter of a number of

Samaritans who had assembled at Mt Gerizim in response to the call of a deceiver

who had promised to show them that Moses had hidden the sacred vessels there. In

spite of the obvious falsehood of this claim (Moses had never crossed Jordan: some

consider that there is a textual error, Mōÿseōs for Ōseōs, and Josephus is referring

to the Samaritan tradition that Uzzi the high priest (1 Ch. 6:6) had hidden the ark

and other sacred vessels in Mt Gerizim), a great multitude came armed to the

mountain, and Pilate surrounded and routed them, capturing many and executing

their ringleaders. A Samaritan delegation went with a protest to Vitellius, who was

then governor of Syria, and he ordered Pilate to answer this accusation of the Jews

before the emperor, ordering Marcellus to Judaea in Pilate’s place (Jos., Ant.

18.85–89). Pilate was on his journey to Rome when Tiberius died (ad 37). (Cf. E.

M. Smallwood, ‘The Date of the Dismissal of Pontius Pilate from Judaea’, JJS 5,

1954, p. 12ff.) We know nothing of the outcome of the trial, but Eusebius (EH 2.

7) preserves a report of otherwise unknown Gk. annalists that Pilate was forced to

commit suicide during the reign of Gaius (ad 37–41). The above incidents are all

related by Josephus or Philo. E. Stauffer (Christ and the Caesars, E.T. 1955, pp.

119f.) draws attention to a further instance of provocation of the Jews by Pilate.

According to G. F. Hill (Catalogue of the Greek Coins of Palestine, 1914), the

procurators minted small copper coins to meet local needs in Palestine. Normally

these bore symbolic designs of natural features, such as trees and ears of corn, in

deference to the second commandment. In ad 29–31 Pilate issued coins bearing

imperial religious insignia, the lituus, or augur’s staff, and the patera, or pagan

libation bowl. Such issues ceased after ad 31, and the British Museum has a coin of

Pilate on which his successor Felix appears to have overstamped the staff with a

palmbranch, though Y. Meshorer (Jewish Coins of the Second Temple Period,

1967) states that Felix also produced coins with symbols of a provocative nature,

such as Roman weapons, which underlined the Roman subjugation of Judaea.


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Philo can find no good thing to say of Pilate: in De Legatione ad Gaium 301 he

describes him as ‘by nature rigid and stubbornly harsh’ and ‘of spiteful disposition

and an exceeding wrathful man’, and speaks of ‘the bribes, the acts of pride, the

acts of violence, the outrages, the cases of spiteful treatment, the constant murders

without trial, the ceaseless and most grievous brutality’ of which the Jews might

accuse him. The verdict of the NT is that he was a weak man, ready to serve

expediency rather than principle, whose authorization of the judicial murder of the

Saviour was due less to a desire to please the Jewish authorities than to fear of

imperial displeasure if Tiberius heard of further unrest in Judaea. This is made

abundantly evident by his mockery of the Jews in the wording of the superscription

(Jn. 19:19–22). It is most unfortunate that we do not know anything of his record

apart from his government of the Jews, towards whom he would appear to have

shown little understanding and even less liking.”2

Easton’s Bible Dictionary “Pilate, Pontius—probably connected with the

Roman family of the Pontii, and called ‘Pilate’ from the Latin pileatus, i.e.,

‘wearing the pileus’, which was the ‘cap or badge of a manumitted slave,’ as

indicating that he was a ‘freedman,’ or the descendant of one. He was the sixth in

the order of the Roman procurators of Judea (26-36). His headquarters were at

Caesarea, but he frequently went up to Jerusalem. His reign extended over the

period of the ministry of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ, in connection with

whose trial his name comes into prominent notice. Pilate was a ‘typical Roman, not

of the antique, simple stamp, but of the imperial period, a man not without some

remains of the ancient Roman justice in his soul, yet pleasure-loving, imperious,

and corrupt. He hated the Jews whom he ruled, and in times of irritation freely

shed their blood. They returned his hatred with cordiality, and accused him of

every crime, maladministration, cruelty, and robbery. He visited Jerusalem as

seldom as possible; for, indeed, to one accustomed to the pleasures of Rome, with

its theatres, baths, games, and gay society, Jerusalem, with its religiousness and

ever-smouldering revolt, was a dreary residence. When he did visit it he stayed in

the palace of Herod the Great, it being common for the officers sent by Rome into

conquered countries to occupy the palaces of the displaced sovereigns.’ After his

trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was brought to the Roman procurator, Pilate, who

had come up to Jerusalem as usual to preserve order during the Passover, and was

now residing, perhaps, in the castle of Antonia, or it may be in Herod’s palace.

Pilate came forth from his palace and met the deputation from the Sanhedrin, who,

in answer to his inquiry as to the nature of the accusation they had to prefer against

Jesus, accused him of being a ‘malefactor.’ Pilate was not satisfied with this, and

2 Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (929–930). Leicester,

England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.


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they further accused him (1) of sedition, (2) preventing the payment of the tribute

to Caesar, and (3) of assuming the title of king (Luke 23:2). Pilate now withdrew

with Jesus into the palace (John 18:33) and examined him in private (37,38); and

then going out to the deputation still standing before the gate, he declared that he

could find no fault in Jesus (Luke 23:4). This only aroused them to more furious

clamour, and they cried that he excited the populace ‘throughout all Jewry,

beginning from Galilee.’ When Pilate heard of Galilee, he sent the accused to

Herod Antipas, who had jurisdiction over that province, thus hoping to escape the

difficulty in which he found himself. But Herod, with his men of war, set Jesus at

nought, and sent him back again to Pilate, clad in a purple robe of mockery (23:11,

12). Pilate now proposed that as he and Herod had found no fault in him, they

should release Jesus; and anticipating that they would consent to this proposal, he

ascended the judgment-seat as if ready to ratify the decision (Matt. 27:19). But at

this moment his wife (Claudia Procula) sent a message to him imploring him to

have nothing to do with the ‘just person.’ Pilate’s feelings of perplexity and awe

were deepened by this incident, while the crowd vehemently cried out, ‘Not this

man, but Barabbas.’ Pilate answered, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus?’ The fierce

cry immediately followed. ‘Let him be crucified.’ Pilate, apparently vexed, and not

knowning what to do, said, ‘Why, what evil hath he done?’ but with yet fiercer

fanaticism the crowd yelled out, ‘Away with him! crucify him, crucify him!’ Pilate

yielded, and sent Jesus away to be scourged. This scourging was usually inflicted

by lictors; but as Pilate was only a procurator he had no lictor, and hence his

soldiers inflicted this terrible punishment. This done, the soldiers began to deride

the sufferer, and they threw around him a purple robe, probably some old cast-off

robe of state (Matt. 27:28; John 19:2), and putting a reed in his right hand, and a

crowd of thorns on his head, bowed the knee before him in mockery, and saluted

him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They took also the reed and smote him with

it on the head and face, and spat in his face, heaping upon him every indignity.

Pilate then led forth Jesus from within the Praetorium (Matt. 27:27) before the

people, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, saying, ‘Behold the man!’

But the sight of Jesus, now scourged and crowned and bleeding, only stirred their

hatred the more, and again they cried out, ‘Crucify him, crucify him!’ and brought

forth this additional charge against him, that he professed to be ‘the Son of God.’

Pilate heard this accusation with a superstitious awe, and taking him once more

within the Praetorium, asked him, ‘Whence art thou?’ Jesus gave him no answer.

Pilate was irritated by his continued silence, and said, ‘Knowest thou not that I

have power to crucify thee?’ Jesus, with calm dignity, answered the Roman, ‘Thou

couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.’

After this Pilate seemed more resolved than ever to let Jesus go. The crowd

perceiving this cried out, ‘If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend.’


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This settled the matter. He was afraid of being accused to the emperor. Calling for

water, he washed his hands in the sight of the people, saying, ‘I am innocent of the

blood of this just person.’ The mob, again scorning his scruples, cried, ‘His blood

be on us, and on our children.’ Pilate was stung to the heart by their insults, and

putting forth Jesus before them, said, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The fatal

moment had now come. They madly exclaimed, ‘We have no king but Caesar;’

and now Jesus is given up to them, and led away to be crucified. By the direction

of Pilate an inscription was placed, according to the Roman custom, over the cross,

stating the crime for which he was crucified. Having ascertained from the

centurion that he was dead, he gave up the body to Joseph of Arimathea to be

buried. Pilate’s name now disappears from the Gospel history. References to him,

however, are found in the Acts of the Apostles (3:13; 4:27; 13:28), and in 1 Tim.

6:13. In 36 the governor of Syria brought serious accusations against Pilate, and he

was banished to Vienne in Gaul, where, according to tradition, he committed

suicide.” 3

In 1 Timothy 6:13, the proper noun Pilatos is a genitive of simple apposition

meaning that it stands in apposition to the proper noun Pontius clarifying which

member of the Pontii family that Jesus Christ confessed He was the Jewish

Messiah.

Epi

The preposition epi is a marker of involvement in an official proceeding and

means “before.” (BDAG, page 363). It marks Pontius Pilate’s involvement in the

civil trial of Jesus of Nazareth. It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth stood “before”

Pontius Pilate at His civil trial.

Translation of 1 Timothy 6:13

1 Timothy 6:13 I command you in the presence of God the Father, who does, as an eternal spiritual truth, cause each and every thing to live as well as Christ, who is Jesus, who testified the confession before Pontius Pilate which is of superior importance. (My translation)

Summary of 1 Timothy 6:13

In this verse, the apostle Paul invokes both the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

to bear witness to his command to Timothy to faithfully carry out his commission

3 Easton, M. (1996). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.


82

in Ephesus without stain and irreproachable until the coming of Christ at the

rapture of the church. It emphasizes with Timothy that both the Father and the Son

will be witnesses as to whether or not Timothy will faithfully carry out his

commission in Ephesus. It emphasizes with Timothy that he is living and acting in

the presence of these two. It emphasizes with Timothy that he will be held

accountable in the matter by them. It also emphasizes that he will be held

accountable to conscientiously fulfill his commission in Ephesus, which is

explained throughout this epistle.

In 1 Timothy 6:13, Paul describes both the Father and the Son. The expression

“who does, as an eternal spiritual truth, cause each and every thing to live”

describes the Father as giving life to the totality of animate objects that are

contained in the first, second and third heavens and the earth. In other words, He

gives life to everything that is contained in creation, which would include all

marine life, bird life, terrestrial life, human beings and angels. The expression

“who testified the confession before Pontius Pilate which is of superior importance” refers to Jesus Christ’s confession before Pontius Pilate that He was

the king of the Jews. It refers to Jesus Christ testifying before Pontius Pilate that

He was the king of the Jews. It refers to Jesus Christ responding to Pilate’s

question “Are you the king of the Jews?” (Matthew 27:11; Mark 15;2; Luke 23;3;

John 18:33-37). This confession served as the basis for crucifying Him (John

19:12-16; cf. Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19). This

confession of Christ was posted over His cross as the charge against Him.

This confession is described by the adjective kalos as being “noble” in the sense

that Jesus of Nazareth’s confession to Pontius Pilate that He was the king of the

Jews was superior to other confessions since Jesus Christ is superior to any

military or political figure or heathen god because He is the Son of God. It

describes this confession as of the utmost importance in human and angelic history

in that it led to His crucifixion and spiritual and physical deaths which dealt with

the problems of sin and Satan.

The expression τὴν καλὴν ὁµολογίαν appears in both 1 Timothy 6:12 and 13

with the former used of Timothy’s public confession at his baptism that Jesus of

Nazareth was his Savior. It is used in an objective sense of Timothy’s statement

before the church at Lystra of his allegiance to Jesus Christ expressing his binding

assent and public commitment to Him.

1 Timothy 6:12 You yourself continue making it your habit of making every effort to win the race, which is noble by means of your faith. I solemnly

charge you for your own benefit to make it your top priority to experience the life which is eternal for which purpose, you were effectually called with the result that you confessed the confession in the presence of many witnesses, which is of the utmost importance. (My translation)


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Now here in 1 Timothy 6:13, this expression is used of Jesus of Nazareth’s

confession to Pontius Pilate that He was the king of the Jews. This parallelism is

significant. It means that in the same way that Jesus of Nazareth faithfully carried

out the Father’s plan by suffering crucifixion and a substitutionary spiritual and

physical death on the cross to defeat sin and Satan so Timothy was to faithfully

carry out his commission, which Paul explains throughout this epistle. Also the

significance of this parallelism is that Timothy’s confession at baptism that he had

become a believer in Jesus Christ was made possible by Jesus of Nazareth’s

confession to Pilate that He was the king of the Jews since this confession was the

basis for His execution. Therefore, Timothy is to faithfully carry out his

commission in Ephesus because he is obligated to the Lord Jesus Christ who died

for him and gave him the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

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