1 Timotius 3:7

3:7 And he must be well thought of by ¹  those outside the faith, ²  so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap. ³ 

1 Timotius 6:12

6:12 Compete well ⁴  for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession ⁵  for ⁶  in the presence of many witnesses.

[3:7]  ¹ tn Or “have a good reputation with”; Grk “have a good testimony from.”

[3:7]  ² tn Grk “the ones outside.”

[3:7]  ³ tn Or “be trapped like the devil was”; Grk “fall into the trap of the devil.” The parallel in 2 Tim 2:26 supports the rendering given in the text.

[6:12]  ⁴ tn This phrase literally means “compete in the good competition of the faith,” using words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”

[6:12]  ⁵ sn At some point in Timothy’s life, he publicly acknowledged Jesus as the resurrected Lord, perhaps either at his baptism or his ordination as a minister of the gospel. With this reminder of the historical moment of his good confession, Timothy is encouraged to remain steadfast in his faith and to finish his life as a minister in the same way it began (see G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles [NIGTC], 264-65).

[6:12]  ⁶ tn Grk “confessed the good confession.”