The two imperatives in verses 11-12 are now made complete by a third imperative that is part of a solemn charge strengthened by an oath formula similar to that of 5.21 (except for the omission of the angels). Of special concern to translators is that verses 13-16 form one sentence in the Greek text, a structure that has been retained in Revised Standard Version (except for the last part of verse 16; so also New International Version). As in similar cases, it may be necessary to subdivide this long sentence into shorter sentences, in accordance with the stylistic requirements of the receptor language and the needs of the intended audience.

For further comments on In the presence of, see 5.21. God is here described as the one who gives life to all things, which is another way of saying that God is both creator and preserver of life. Another way to express this phrase is “who causes all things to have life (or, to live).” Christ Jesus, on the other hand, is described as one who before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor who presided over the trial of Jesus in Jerusalem. This is the only place in all the letters where Pontius Pilate is referred to. There is no certainty as to what good confession refers to. A clue to its meaning is the interpretation given to the phrase before Pontius Pilate. The Greek preposition translated before can also be rendered as “under,” hence “in the days of.” Taken in this manner the confession would refer to the witness of his life and ministry, and particularly his suffering and eventual death. If, however, the Greek preposition is taken with the meaning “in the presence of,” then the confession would refer to Jesus’ witness during his trial before Pilate, including the way he acted, and more specifically his steadfastness in asserting the truth despite the threat of crucifixion. This second option is the choice of most translations. Other translation models are “who steadfastly said what he believed when he was before Pontius Pilate” or “who steadfastly told the truth when Pontius Pilate was trying him.”

There is of course a parallelism between the good confession of Timothy and the good confession of Christ Jesus. But obviously, while the same expression is used in both instances, Timothy’s confession cannot be synonymous with that of Christ Jesus. But perhaps the parallel is in that Timothy’s is a confession of faith in Christ, whereas Christ’s is an affirmation of faith in the truth.

Having strengthened the charge with the oath formula, Paul then goes on to explain the content of the charge. First of all Timothy is commanded to keep the commandment. Keep in this context means “obey” or “follow.” What the commandment refers to is not specified in the letter nor is it clear from the context. Some possibilities mentioned are: (1) the gospel message itself; (2) the whole Christian faith understood as a new law; (3) a baptismal or ordination charge to Timothy; (4) a reference to verses 11-12; (5) a command to Timothy to remain faithful in the faith and in his ministry (see, for example, 4.16); (6) all the instructions contained in the letter. A literal rendering will be quite unclear; Good News Translation has opted for (3) or (4), or perhaps (6). Another way, then, to express keep the commandment is “You must obey what I have ordered (or, instructed) you to do.”

At any rate Timothy is commanded to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach. The first of these terms is literally “spotless”; it is used to describe the lamb that was chosen for the sacrifice, which was supposed to be perfect in every way and therefore free from any defect. Free from reproach, on the other hand, pertains to what cannot be criticized, hence “above criticism,” that is, nothing can be said against it. There are two possible ways of interpreting these two terms in the context of the verse. First, they can be taken with commandment, which means that the purity of the commandment should be kept in order to prevent anyone from criticizing it. This option would go well with an interpretation of commandment as Christian doctrine or the Christian faith, and keep as “guard” or “preserve.” A second possibility is to take the two terms as qualifying the way the commandment is kept; the sense then is to keep the commandment in such a spotless way (that is, perfectly, without failure) that no one can criticize the way you are doing it. This second option is quite appropriate when commandment is taken to refer to instructions that Timothy received either at his baptism or at his ordination; keep then is taken with the sense of “to obey.” A good model for this second option is Good News Translation: “obey your orders and keep them faithfully.” Another possible model is “carefully obey the instructions which I have given you so that no one can criticize you.”

The term for appearing is not the usual New Testament word used for the return of Jesus Christ; it is, however, used in the Pastoral Letters to refer either to Christ’s incarnation (see 2 Tim 1.10) or to Christ’s second coming (see 2 Tim 4.1, 8; Titus 2.13). The Greek term used here is epifaneia (from which we get the English word “epiphany”), which in Greek literature was a technical term for the self-disclosure or visible manifestation of a god or a semi-divine being (such as a king or an emperor); this disclosure is achieved either by a personal appearance or by some display of power. In the Judaism that existed right before the New Testament era, this term was used to describe the manifestations of the power of God. In the present verse the term definitely refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ, during which time he will render judgment on Timothy concerning how he has obeyed the instructions given to him. For our Lord Jesus Christ, see 1.2.

Alternative translation models for these two verses are:
• I call upon God who causes all things to have life, and Christ Jesus who steadfastly told the truth when Pontius Pilate was trying him, to be witnesses. I want them to witness that I am commanding you to faithfully obey the instructions I have given you until the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ will appear. If you do this, no one will be able to criticize you.

Or:
• I call upon God and Christ Jesus to be witnesses as I command you to faithfully … God is the one who gives life to all, and Christ Jesus is the one who steadfastly said what he believed when he was before Pontius Pilate.

Or:
• Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith. Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns [Contemporary English Version].

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .