It’s not over till it’s over

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 6:13-14 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,  that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ

Application: As Paul closes this letter to Timothy he admonishes him to “finish well”. This should be the prayer of every believer. The race is to the end, not part, but whole. To begin well and even get to the last lap, only to not finish leaves the race incomplete. Far too many have dropped out just before they would have finished. I believe the attack of the enemy intensifies at this time, because the enemy has lost in every other way, so he desires to at least destroy the testimony that person would leave. Notice, Paul shares with Timothy the ultimate finisher, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who stood faithfully even in front of Pilate. Paul uses two words to exhort Timothy in the way he should live. First he tells him to be “without stain”.

ἄσπιλος áspilos; from the priv. a, without, and spílos, spot. Without blemish or spot, free from spot, unblemished, pure.

This is the same word that describes Christ as “without sin”. Paul is not suggesting that Timothy can live sinless, but he is emphasizing to Timothy that the life he lives should as much as possible be pure, not mixed with sin. This admonition needs to be heeded by us all. The enemy will discover what areas of our life are mixed with sin and he will take advantage of that.

The second word “reproach” emphasizes what others see in us.

Anepílēptos or anepílēmptos, a qualification the Apostle Paul recommends that a bishop or elder should have (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:7), means beyond reproach, i.e., that he ought to live in such a way that reproach will not come to him justifiably when he stands under the scrutiny of judicial examination by God; hence he is unindictable. This is found also in 1 Tim. 6:14, spoken of God’s commandments grouped together as one commandment. We should incorporate in our lives God’s commandments in such a way that the spoken word and the life of the speaker may not bring the commandment under indictment as being either faulty or ineffective. ^[1]

What is so important is that we understand that in this race three issues are in view, not one. This is not only about our testimony, it includes that, but there are two other issues at stake here. First and foremost, the name of our Lord is on the line. People have never met Jesus Christ, but they do meet us. What they think of Him is determined most times by what they see in us. So how we finish is very important. Secondly, the testimony of the Faith is also dependent on us. When we quit, unbelievers chalk our beliefs up to just another religion that did not deliver. This should never be! Lastly, our name loses it’s power. Think of the great saints that finished well, now with the Lord for centuries, yet their name and life still speak into the lives of believers today. We may not be famous, but even in our families our legacy can carry a powerful impact on those that hear of what the Lord did in us! Finish well; you will never regret it!

Meditation Questions: Do you believe you will ever retire? What does that look like? Does that word mean anything pertaining to your walk with Christ – What is that? How would you describe what it will mean for you to finish well? Have you thought about in what areas you might have a problem with when it comes to finishing well? How important is it to know your weaknesses? Are you proactively fortifying your weak areas?

---

^[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.