6:13–16

In the Greek the sentence that begins in 6:13 does not end until 6:16d. In many languages this will make a sentence that is too long and very difficult to understand. As you translate these verses, consider where you might make sentence breaks. However, be sure that you keep the main focus of the verses.

6:13a

I charge you: That is, Paul was ordering Timothy to do something. It was a command. What he commanded is in 6:14. This is the main clause of this verse.

6:13b

in the presence of God: When Paul commanded Timothy In the presence of God, he meant that God the Father was a witness to what Paul was telling Timothy to do. Paul was stressing that what he would say next was extremely important. See also the note on “before God” in 5:21a.

6:13c

who gives life to all things: This verse part gives a description of God. That is, whatever lives, lives only because God has caused it to live.

6:13d

and of Christ Jesus: Here Paul reminded Timothy that Jesus Christ also was a witness to what Paul was commanding Timothy to do.

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. (Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.)

In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.

Christ: The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

6:13e

who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate: This clause describes Jesus’ action when he testified before Pilate.

the good confession: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the good confession probably refers to what Jesus told Pilate. Jesus told the truth about himself. For example, Jesus knew that his enemies would kill him if he said that he was the king of the Jews. Even though he knew that, he answered “yes” when Pilate asked him that question. See Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; John 18:33–37.

His testimony: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as testimony refers here to giving evidence in a court.

before Pontius Pilate: That is, Jesus testified while standing in front of Pontius Pilate to be judged.

Pontius Pilate: Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea at the time when Jesus was crucified. It was he who was the judge who tried Jesus and ordered Roman soldiers to execute him.

General Comment on 6:13a–e

In some languages it may be better to reorder this verse. For example:

^13bIn the sight of God ^13cwho gives life to everything, ^13dand in the sight of Christ Jesus, ^13ewho while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ^13aI charge you:

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Paragraph 1:15–17

In the same way that Christ saved Paul, he will also save everyone else who believes in him, no matter how sinful they are.

1:15a

This is a trustworthy saying: This is an expression that Paul used often in his letters to Timothy and Titus. See 1 Timothy 3:1, 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 1:9, 3:8. You should try to use the same expression of introduction in all these places. Paul used this expression to introduce a saying that was well-known among believers at that time. This saying is found in 1:15c.

trustworthy: Paul said that this saying (1:15c) about Christ was trustworthy. That means that it was true and reliable. Other ways to say this could be: “This saying really is true,” or “people should believe this.”

saying: A saying is an expression that is well known to people. In some languages it may be possible to use a word like “proverb.”

1:15b

worthy of full acceptance: Because the saying in 1:15c is “trustworthy”, everyone should believe it and should not doubt it in any way. They can be sure that it is true.

1:15c

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners: This is the saying that Paul introduced in 1:15a–b.

Christ Jesus came into the world: This refers to when Christ Jesus came to earth the first time and died on the cross.

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. (Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.)

In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.

Christ: The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

to save sinners: This is the purpose for which Jesus came into the world. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as save means “to rescue from danger.” In this context, the danger is that if a person does not repent and stop sinning, he will not receive eternal life.

sinners: A sinner is a person who has disobeyed God.

General Comment on 1:15c

Sayings are normally short because people want to remember them. Therefore translate this saying with as few words as possible. It would also be helpful to keep the saying in one sentence. One way to do this is:

Christ Jesus came to earth to rescue people who have sinned.

In some languages it may be helpful to indicate the beginning and end of the saying in some way. For example, you may want to use quotation marks or a different printing style, such as italics. The Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English uses both.

1:15d

of whom I am the worst: Notice that this part of the verse is not part of the saying in 1:15c. One way to make this clear would be to use special punctuation. For example, the New International Version (2011 Revision) uses a dash, that is, —. If you place the saying in quotation marks, make sure you close the quotation marks at the end of 1:15c. Paul added these words to make it personal in this context.

I am the worst: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worst literally means “first.” Paul meant that he considered himself to be the greatest sinner. This did not mean that Paul had committed more or greater sins than anyone else in the world. It meant that Paul felt as if he were the worst sinner. (Stott, page 53, says, “…when we are convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, an immediate result is that we give up all such comparisons. Paul was so vividly aware of his own sins that he could not conceive that anybody could be worse. It is the language of every sinner whose conscience has been awakened and disturbed by the Holy Spirit. We may begin like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men’, but we end like the tax collector who beat his breast and said (literally), ‘God have mercy on me, the sinner [Luke 18:9ff.].’ The Pharisee indulged in odious comparisons; as far as the tax collector was concerned, however, there were no other sinners with whom to compare himself; he was the one and only.”) Paul was so aware of his own sins that he could not imagine that anybody could be worse than he was.

General Comment on 1:15a–d

In some languages it may be best to reorder this verse. For example, it may be better to translate the saying before stating that it is trustworthy. One way to do this is:

We believers often say: ^15c“Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners.” ^15aThese words are true ^15band everyone can believe them without doubting them in any way. ^15dAnd I have sinned more than anyone…

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

3:13a

For those who have served well as deacons: Paul was referring to deacons who help other people in an excellent way.

a high standing: People will honor deacons who fulfill their responsibilities well. For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect

3:13b

great confidence: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as confidence refers to being confident, bold, without fear.

in the faith: This is a very general expression that states the way in which deacons who have served well can be confident. However scholars interpret this in different ways. The main interpretations are:

(1) The deacons are not afraid to tell other people about their faith in Christ. For example, the Good News Translation says:

Those helpers who do their work well…are able to speak boldly about their faith in Christ Jesus.

(Good News Translation)

(2) The deacons have boldness in their relationship with God, and they trust God more and more. For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

Those who do well as deacons…will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

(New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New International Version (2011 Revision), God’s Word, New Century Version)

Many English versions are not clear as to which interpretation they follow. If it is not possible for you to translate this in a general way, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. (Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.)

In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.

Christ: The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

5:15

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For is a conjunction, gar. This conjunction indicates that 5:15 is a reason for Paul’s instruction in 5:14.

some: That is, some of the younger widows.

already: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as already is the first word in the verse, and so it is being emphasized. This emphasis indicates that this verse is a warning. Paul was warning Timothy that some widows were already starting to follow Satan. So his instructions in 5:14 were very important.

turned aside to follow Satan: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as turned aside to follow Satan literally means “turned away after Satan.” Paul meant that some of the younger widows had stopped obeying God. They were now doing things that Satan wanted them to do.

Satan: Satan is the supreme evil spiritual being who leads and directs all other evil spiritual beings. In other parts of the New Testament he is referred to as “the devil” or “the Evil One.”

Satan is a proper name. So keep that name in your translation if you can. However, in some languages, it may be necessary to explain that he is the chief of the evil spirits. Also see the note on 1:20b.

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.