“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate” (1 Timothy 6:13).
This portion of Scripture contains Paul the Apostle’s fourth charge to Timothy within this letter. The first occurred in the beginning of this book: “…remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3). The second appeared in 1 Timothy 1:18, and then again in 1 Timothy 5:21: “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.”
To “charge” someone in this manner means, “To impose a duty, responsibility, or obligation…” (1) This tells us that Paul did not make a casual request. In the words of one source, “The word ‘charge’ carries with it the meaning of an official order, one to be carried out at any cost.” (2) To underscore the importance of this duty, Paul made certain to remind Timothy that he was initiating this charge in the presence of God and Christ Jesus who stood before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
Unlike some other teachings and events from His life, Jesus’ interaction with Pilate is recorded in all four Gospel accounts of His life. That “good confession” before Pilate contained several important elements:
- Jesus acknowledged His authority: “…(T)he governor asked Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say'” (Matthew 27:11).
- Jesus bore witness to the truth: “…For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37).
- Jesus confirmed God’s sovereignty over the circumstances of His life: “…You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).
Pilate responded to these things with an assessment that featured implications that were likely beyond his grasp: “I find no fault in this Man” (Luke 23:4). In light of this, one commentator offers a helpful summary of Jesus’ appearance before Pilate in the context of 1 Timothy 6:13…
“Knowing that such a confession would cost Him His life, Jesus nevertheless confessed that He was truly the King and Messiah (Jn 18:33–37). He rarely evaded danger (cf. Jn 7:1); He boldly and trustfully committed Himself to God who raises the dead (cf. Col 2:12).” (3)
(1) “charge” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Retrieved 02 April 2021 from https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=charge
(2) Coffman, James Burton. “Commentary on 1 Timothy 6”. “Coffman Commentaries on the Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/1-timothy-6.html. Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
(3) MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Ti 6:13). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.