The passage
      v6. Some in Timothy's congregation have the view that godliness generates wealth, v5. Paul doesn't doubt that this is often true, but real wealth is found in godliness, not possessions. So godliness, accompanied by a satisfied acceptance of our share in this world's things, is where the greatest profit lies.
      v7-8. Seeing "we can't take it with us when we've gone", we should be satisfied with a full belly and a roof over our head (rather than "clothing"); such is wealth enough.
      v9-10. Paul's point is that avarice leads a believer away from Christ; wealth swamps us. Paul supports his point by quoting a popular proverb, v10a. Some believers, chasing the dollar, have drifted from the faith and found themselves trapped in Satan's snare.
      v11. As a believer, Timothy should shun such evil and pursue good. The evil he is to flee from is most likely the danger of wealth, along with the sins listed in v4 and 5. Timothy is to flee from such and pursue (run toward) right behavior. Faith and love are the substantial qualities in Paul's list, particularly faith, in that love flows from faith.
      v12. Timothy is to fight the good fight of faith, resting on the promises of God, particularly the promise of life eternal. This will involve an ongoing struggle to maintain his profession (faith exhibited in deeds) against worldly desires, doubts and fears.
      v13. To aid in this fight, Paul reminds Timothy that the Lord will empower him in the struggle and that he has the example of Christ to follow. Jesus professed his faith in the exemplary life he lived while Pontius Pilate was the governor of Palestine.
      v14. Timothy is to flee avarice, remembering that godliness with contentment is great gain. Live this truth, with one eye on the day of Christ's return.
      v15-16. The thought of Christ's appearing leads Paul to craft a beautiful doxology.
      v17. Paul now gives Timothy some advice on how to pastor the wealthy in his congregation. Timothy is to remind the wealthy not to be "purse-proud", nor to be overly confident in their wealth. The creation has no value in itself other than our enjoyment of it.
      v18. Let the wealthy be rich in generosity.
      v19. The believer who moves from avarice to generosity, is shaping their life in the image of Christ. By this means they lay a firm foundation for their future walk with Christ, both here and in eternity.

Fight the good fight
      "The easiest part of all is winning. We all lose in life; we lose in love. I'm pretty much a decent character; I can handle it. I tell you my friend, greater fighters than I have lost," Mike Tyson.
      There is one fight we needn't feel afraid of losing and this is the good fight of faith. When Paul writes to Timothy, in his first letter, he leaves him with some wonderful exhortations. One of the most stirring is found in chapter 6: "fight the good fight of faith". This is the battle we all have to get into. So, what can we say about this battle of faith?
      The first thing we need to know is what this fight involves. What does it mean to fight the battle of faith? In our passage for study, Paul actually gives us an illustration of the fight. We see it in the "confession" of Jesus. Not a confession in the sense of a spoken confession, but rather a doing confession. Jesus, throughout his life, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Palestine, remained true to his beliefs. He is the Messiah who came to suffer, die and be vindicated in his resurrection. We know, only too well, that Jesus was tempted to turn aside from the struggle, particularly during those times when human desires pressed in on him. Yet, he held his ground; his testimony was unwavering. Jesus maintained his reliance upon the Father; such is faith. Jesus fought the good fight of faith. So you see, the real fight for us is to hold onto our hope, rely on God's promises, fight the good fight of faith.
      The second thing we need to know is what are the manifestations, or if you like, the practical outworkings of this good fight of faith. A restaurant was once brave enough to put up the sign: "what you eat today walks and talks tomorrow." We are what we eat, how true. But, it is also true that we are what we think. In this short passage, Paul actually lists some of the things that flow out of a firm faith in Christ. A sure faith in Christ, for our eternal standing in the sight of God, produces the ideal of love. In particular, the passage looks at avarice and encourages contentment and generosity, a generous love that flows from faith. What we believe shapes what we are.
      The third thing we need to know is what support, if any, we have in this good fight of faith. Paul reminds Timothy of the God who enlivens him. The NIV actually says of God that he "gives life to everything." Enliven, or even empower, would be a better way to put it. There is one who stands with us, who strengthens us in the fight.
      So, let us fight the good fight of faith.

v7
      oJti "-" - because, that, since. The NIV has taken the hoti as resumptive and therefore has not translated it. This does give the clearest meaning and fits with the common use of this saying at the time, eg. Philo. Note the RSV margin which follows the variant "it is certain that." A causal sense can be given to the verse, but is probably not Paul's intention, eg. "There is no sense in bringing anything into the world with us, because we shall not be able to take anything out", Barrett.

v8
      skepasmata (a) "clothing" - covering. Possibly "shelter" is intended, although since the word is rare it is difficult to know what is intended. Paul's point is that godliness, Christ-likeness, is the real treasure, and as for our worldly treasure, contentment with what we possess is the key to happiness.

v9
      oiJ boulomenoi (boulomai) pres. part. "People who want [to get rich]" - the ones who will/resolve. Participle forming a substantive. Referring to the false teachers, they want to get rich.
      peirasmon (oV) "temptation" - The desire for riches, avarice, is a dangerous temptation, in that it leads us away from Christ-likeness.
      buqizousin (buqizw) pres. "plunge" - sink. "Swamp".

v10
      rJiza "a root" - Better, "the root", following Colwell's rule: a definite predicate noun that precedes its verb is usually written without the article. "The love of money is the root of all evil". Paul is here quoting a common proverb to support his case that avarice will lead a believer away from Christ.
      periepeiran (peripeirw) aor. ind."pierced" - impaled. Paul is obviously referring to the false teachers whose avarice has impaled them on Satan's stake / entrapped them in Satan's snare.

v11
      w\ anqrwpe tou qeou "man of God" - O man of God. Vocative. Old Testament use of a servant of God.
      feuge (feugw) pres. imp. "flee from" - Probably referring to the danger of wealth, but possibly the vices in v3, 4. Note that the singular is used, as with most of the personal pronouns and verbs in this letter, indicating that the letter is a personal address to a single person, not a church. Such evil practice springs out of false, or lax doctrine, v3. Wishy-washy doctrine undermines discipleship.
      de "and" - but. "Rather".
      diwke (diwkw) pres. imp. "pursue" - Used some dozen times in this epistle. "Pursue", in the sense of strive for a prize as in the Olympic Games.
      dikaiosunhn (h) "righteousness" - Here in the sense of "uprightness conduct."
      eusebeian (a) "godliness" - piety. Again probably in the sense of "godly conduct."
      uJpomonhn (h) "endurance" - A very Pauline virtue.
      prau&paqian (a) "gentleness" - The only usage in the New Testament (hapax legomenon).

v12
      agwnizou (agwnizomai) pres. imp. "fight" - strive. The word has a military background as well as athletic, therefore, the traditional translation of "fight" in the AV etc. is acceptable, although it is possible that the Olympic imagery is still in Paul's mind.
      thV pistewV "the faith" - Does Paul mean here the gospel, or firmness/reliance on God? The article gives weight to the former.
      epilabou (epilambanomai) aor. imp. mid. "take hold of" - "Catch", Wyclif. "Grasp that which is presently obtainable and continue to hold tightly to it" (now/not yet).
      eiV hJn eklhqhV "to which you were called" - Invitation rather than effectual call, given that a response is required. Having responded to the call, a believer is then incorporated into God's called out people, a people predestined and chosen for glory.
      wJmologhsaV (oJmologew) aor. ind. "when you made" - did confess. Possibly referring to Timothy's conversion, or his call to ministry, or even the profession of his Christian life. "Maintain your confession/profession." Timothy may have given a confession following his conversion, in a testimony or declaration of faith before a Christian congregation, or even in the face of persecution. The point Paul is making is, live this confession.

v13
      paraggellw pres. ind. "I charge you" - command
      tou zw/ogonountoV (zw/ogonew) pres. part. although note variant zwopoiountoV pres. part. "who gives life" - maintain life, preserve life. The variant "quickening" is to be preferred, although zoogonew can carry the stronger sense, "to generate life / give life", so "the quickener of all things." So, instead of "preserve alive", the phrase is best understood in the sense of generating life - empowering.
      marturhsantoV (marturew) aor. part. "while testifying" - bore witness, having witnessed. The participle forms a temporal clause, as NIV. Paul is using Christ's faithfulness in the face of life's temptations as an example for Timothy, that he might also be steadfast in the face of temptation. The language here does not link to Timothy's confession.
      epi + gen. "before" - at the time of, on. Possibly "before", in the sense of the confession made before Pilate (+ gen. can carry a judicial sense), or more likely the witness of Jesus' life and death made during the time when Pilate was governor.

v14
      thrhsai se thn entolhn "to keep this command" - you to keep the commandment. What is the command? Possibly the exhortations in v11-12, or even the exhortatory purpose of the letter as a whole, namely that Timothy maintain his salvation in Christ, by grace through faith, and do so in the face of (and as a counter to) those who would undermine the truth of the gospel (that salvation is by grace through faith and not of works). It is possible, although unlikely, that the command is Timothy's call to ministry. Given the context, it is more than likely that Paul has in mind avarice. Timothy is to hold firmly to the truth that "godliness with contentment is great gain". He is to flee from the snares of wealth.
      epifaneiaV (a) "appearing" - Not the word commonly used by Paul of Christ's return (parousia), although it does appear in 2 Thessalonians. The word alludes to the Shekinah glory, the appearing of God before his people. It may also carry an honorific sense, as of the appearing of an important dignitary. Note the full ascription of Jesus' name.

v15
      dunasthV (hV ou) "ruler" - one who exercises sovereign rule. Only used here in the New Testament. God is the blessed one, the ruler, the chief; He is "King of kings and Lord of lords"; He is "immortal", that is, he is the only "self-existent One", as Augustine puts it; He is the great "I AM", the one who is; He is the one who dwells in brilliant light, a brilliance which no human can approach, cf. Ex.33:17-23; He is the God of dazzling splendor. To him be honour forever. Amen.
      kurioV town kurieuontwn "Lord of lords" - An Old Testament allusion where God is described as God of the gods. The term again emphasizes sovereign rule.

v16
      fwV oikwn aprositon "who lives in unapproachable light" - inhabiting unapproachable light. Based on the Old Testament idea that no human eye can look upon the radiant glory of God, eg. Ex.24:15-17.

v17
      toiV plousioiV "those who are rich" - Adjective as a substantive. It is interesting here that Paul singles out a class of people, namely, the rich, for special attention. As in Corinth, the actions of some wealthy members may be less than gracious and therefore need to be addressed, although it is unlikely that Paul is critical of wealth itself.
      mh uJyhlofronein (uJyhlofronew) pres. inf. "not to be arrogant" - not to think or hold exalted thoughts. The infinitive forming a dependent statement - indirect speech. "High-minded", AV. Wealth can convince us of our own superiority, to be purse-proud.
      adhlothti (hV) "uncertain" - Wealth is ephemeral, cf. Prov.23:4-5. It is dangerous to place our confidence in possessions.
      apolausin (isV ewV) "enjoyment" - It is not always recognized in Christian circles that God has a hedonist bent, that the creation is for our enjoyment. An acceptance of this truth both frees a believer from a soul-destroying piety that sees "fun" as evil, such that life is then lived under law rather than grace, but also, as here, frees the believer from the grasp of "things", such that they are enjoyed as a blessing from God, rather than a source of life's meaning, so Ecclesiastes.
v18
      koinwnikouV adj. "share" - generous. Adjectival form of "fellowship", indicating that the true riches are found in sharing rather than accumulating.