As Paul encourages Timothy, he reminds him of his calling and responsibility. In this passage we see three things that Paul gives to Timothy that also applies to every believer wherever they are in their walk with God and place of service. Those three things include: a charge, an encouragement, and a warning.

                A Charge. Paul tells Timothy, “This charge I commit to you.” Paul is referring to all the things he mentions in chapter one leading to the conclusion of his thought. The word ‘charge’ means an order, command, precept, or exhortation. To ‘charge’ someone is to give them a directive and send them out. Paul is telling Timothy that he must preach true doctrine, he must deal with those involved in false teaching, he must deal with the issue of idle talk in the church, he must remember his calling. Paul is passing the torch to Timothy and telling him that he must take charge. Paul is telling Timothy to take the bull by the horns and take control. You and I are given various charges throughout our lives. We are charged with the task of parenting a child. We are charged with various tasks at work. We are charged to be faithful bearers of the name of Jesus in the world. We all have responsibilities that we have been entrusted with. We cannot run or hide from those responsibilities. We must face them and fulfil the duties to which we are charged with.

                An Encouragement. As Paul gives this charge to Timothy, he along with the charge gives Timothy some basic encouragement. The first thing Paul tells Timothy to do is to fight a good fight. Paul mentions prophecies concerning Timothy which are references to the call on Timothy’s life. Paul tells Timothy that he has been called into battle and he must fight a good fight. We are in a spiritual battle. This is a battle that we are all engaged in. However, God calls certain people to tasks that puts them on the front lines. Paul tells Timothy that he is in a battle against false teachers and idle talkers. Therefore, he must put on the armor of God and stand strong, and he must fight a good fight. The second thing Paul encourages Timothy to do is to hold on. He says to hold to the faith. There are a lot of things that discourage us and hurt us. There may even be times when circumstances call us to walk away from certain situations and places. However, we cannot abandon the faith. Paul reminds Timothy of what is most important, and that is his personal walk with God. No matter what he would face in this huge task of pastoring the church at Ephesus, Timothy is encouraged to stay true to the faith. Thirdly, Paul tells Timothy to do right. He is to have a good conscience. Paul tells Timothy that no matter what other people do, he must do what is right. He must do the right thing to handle the issues the church faced, and he must do the right thing in his relation to others. Paul encourages Timothy to do what is best for the church and to serve well with a good conscience, knowing that he serves as the Lord leads him.

                A Warning. Paul names some names of those in the church that ‘shipwrecked’ the faith. They engaged in idle talk and falsehoods that hindered and disrupted the work of the church. Paul warns Timothy not to be like them. You and I must be on guard and walk with God faithfully so that we would not ‘shipwreck’ the faith and cause havoc in the church. Those who engage in such malicious actions as to spreading false doctrine and deceiving others with idle talk, they are to be given over to Satan to suffer the consequences of their sin in hopes that they would repent and get things right. Paul warns Timothy not to be like them but to stand strong and stay faithful to the things that has been placed to his charge.

                Any task for the Lord to which we are called will come with spiritual attacks. However, we must stand strong and fight a good fight. We must hold on to our faith and do what is right, lest we also shipwreck the faith.