1 Timothy 6:12

1 Timothy 6:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
• New International Version (NIV)Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Context of 1 Timothy 6:12

10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13I direct you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14that you keep the commandment without fault or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Timothy 6:12 word by word

ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς πίστεως, ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθης καὶ ὡμολόγησας τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων.¶Read the interlinear

• Fightἀγωνίζομαιagōnizomai · to struggleG75
• the goodκαλόςkalos · goodG2570
• fightἀγώνagōn · fightG73
• faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• takeἐπιλαμβάνωepilambanomai · to catchG1949
• of the eternalαἰώνιοςaiōnios · eternalG166
• lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
• to whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• you were calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• you madeὁμολογέωhomologeō · to confess/professG3670
• confessionὁμολογίαhomologia · confessionG3671
• inἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
• manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• witnessesμάρτυςmartus · witnessG3144

Cross-references for 1 Timothy 6:12

• 1 Timothy 1:18This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
• Zechariah 10:5And they will be like warriors, Trampling down the enemy in the mud of the streets in battle; And they will fight, because the Lord will be with them; And the riders on horses will be put to shame.
• 1 Corinthians 9:25Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
• 2 Corinthians 6:7in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
• 2 Corinthians 10:3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh,
• Ephesians 6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:8But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
• 2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
• 1 Timothy 6:19storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
• Psalms 63:8My soul clings to You; Your right hand takes hold of me.
• Proverbs 3:18She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are those who hold on to her.
• Philippians 3:12Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
• Hebrews 3:14For we have become partakers of Christ if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end,
• Hebrews 6:18so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us.
• 1 John 2:25This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
• Revelation 3:3So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Then if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 6:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Fight the good fight of faith - "Agonize the good agony." Thou hast a contest to sustain in which thy honor, thy life, thy soul, are at stake. Live the Gospel, and defend the cause of God. Unmask hypocrites, expel the profligate, purge and build up the Church, live in the spirit of thy religion, and give thyself wholly to this work. Lay hold on eternal life - All this is in allusion to the exercises in the public Grecian games: Fight, conquer, and seize…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Fight the good fight of faith - The noble conflict in the cause of religion; see the notes on Ephesians 6:10-17; compare notes on 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. The allusion is to the contests at the Grecian games. Lay hold on eternal life - As the crown of victory that is held out to you. Seize this as eagerly as the competitors at the Grecian games laid hold on the prize; see the notes on 1 Corinthians 9:25. Whereunto thou art also called - That is, by the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-16Verses 11-16 It ill becomes any men, but especially men of God, to set their hearts upon the things of this world; men of God should be taken up with the things of God. There must be a conflict with corruption, and temptations, and the powers of darkness. Eternal life is the crown proposed for our encouragement. We are called to lay hold thereon. To the rich must especially be pointed out their dangers and duties, as to the proper use of wealth. But who…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The promise of eternal life reduces the attraction of wealth (see 6:19). Paul probably refers to when Timothy confessed his faith during baptism.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. Fight the good fight--Birks thinks this Epistle was written from Corinth, where contests in the national games recurred at stated seasons, which will account for the allusion here as in 1Co 9:24-26. Contrast "strifes of words" (1Ti 6:4). Compare 1Ti 1:18; 2Ti 4:7. The "good profession" is connected with the good fight (Psa 60:4). lay hold on eternal life--the crown, or garland, the prize of victory, laid hold of by the winner in the "good fight" (2Ti…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Timothy 6:12

• Commandments
• Decision
• Faith
• Fight of Faith
• Holiness
• Immortality
• Life
• Meekness
• Minister, Christian
• Testimony
• Timothy
• War

In the dictionaries

• Eternal life
• Agony
• Babbling
• Confession
• Consent
• Content
• Contentment
• Covet
• Foolish
• Games

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings