Fight the Good Fight

December 31st, 2025
by Lance Waldie

1 Timothy 1:18-19a This 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, 19 keeping faith and a good conscience,

The Greek literally says, “I set before you this command, child Timothy.” The “command” of v. 18 is a reference to what Paul said in vv. 3-7, namely that Timothy “instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” Though a difficult and uncomfortable task, this command was not something Timothy was incapable of doing; rather, it was “in accordance with the prophecies made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight.” This means that Timothy had been ordained by God through Paul to carry out such tasks. So what “prophecies” is Paul referring to?

In 4:14 Paul urges Timothy not to “neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.” Likewise, in 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul reminds Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift from God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Also the mention of confessing “the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim 6:12) may refer to the “prophecies” as being the spiritual gifts of teaching and evangelism given to Timothy for his role as a pastor. Hence, Timothy was to rise above his timid nature (2 Tim. 1:7), do his job, and deal with the false teachers in Ephesus.

Another option for interpretation about the “prophecies” Paul speaks of is that the phrase could be translated as Paul saying, “the prophecies that led (me) to you.” This option assumes that Paul may have been praying for a successor to Barnabas (and John Mark who left their company in Acts 13:13) after he and Paul separated (Acts 15:36-41). Paul later chose Silas to accompany him in his visit to the churches he and Barnabas had previously planted, but possibly he also prayed for God to lead him to another. This option points to Paul receiving a prophecy about Timothy similar to the one given to Ananias (Acts 9:10-11, 17) and Cornelius (Acts 10:5-6). So when Paul arrived at Lystra (Acts 16), perhaps it was the “prophecies” that led Paul to Timothy as an answer to his prayers to replace Barnabas and John Mark.

Whether it was prophecies made about Timothy’s future as a faithful pastor-evangelist or prophecies given to Paul about Timothy replacing a former traveling companion, the prophecies were that Timothy “fight the good fight” (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3-4; 2 Tim. 4:7). Of course Paul was not encouraging his young protégé to physically assault false teachers, for the war Christians fight is not worldly; their weapons are divine, not physical. But the terminology Paul uses is clearly militaristic, describing a soldier at war, typical of Paul. Later he will tell Timothy to suffer as a good soldier of Christ, being only concerned to please God (2 Tim. 2:3-4; cf. 1 Tim. 6:12).

While fighting the good fight Timothy was to be found “keeping faith and a good conscience,” something others had failed to do and had so shipwrecked their faith (vv. 19b-20). “Faith and a good conscience” are like two sides of the same coin, always linked together (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 3:9). A good faith always accompanies a good conscience, and vice versa. Likewise, failure in one results in failure of the other. Timothy was to maintain both, as are all Christians.

Food For Thought
The NT is filled with harsh attacks on that which is false. Its writers call Christians to love God and love others, but they also call us to fight against what is false. Our history is rich with the stories of saints who fought for the truth. They knew Christ and the Bible and were thus equipped for the battle, some struggling unto death. They served with a clear conscience. One of them wrote, “A bad conscience is the mother of all heresies.” So we cannot preach “thou shalt not…” if we’re hypocrites. With God’s equipping, let us fight and fight valiantly unto death.