1 Timothy 6:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They appear with a bright and pleasant face, able to draw those who submit to their influence and do not love the truth very much. For the truth is hard and contains nothing pleasant in itself.

Why is this so? Because it promises all pleasures only in the future. These things, however, already promise honors, pleasures, and rest now. Of course, the rest is not true, but only has its outward appearance.

Therefore everyone who loves pleasure, is soft, and is fainthearted will cling to them, freeing himself from the labors bound up with virtue.

So too in the pagan games, the one who does not greatly desire to win crowns allows himself from the beginning to indulge in feasts and drunkenness. Cowardly and fainthearted athletes do exactly this.

Those, by contrast, who have in view the winning of the crown receive countless blows. They nourish and inspire themselves by hope for the future rewards.

Therefore let us flee the root of evils, and we shall escape all this. It is said, the root is love of money. Paul spoke this, or rather Christ through Paul.

Yet look how this happens. Experience itself confirms it. Indeed, what evil does not arise from money? Or rather, not from money, but from the evil intention of those who do not know how to use it.

Money could be used as it should be. By its aid one could inherit the Kingdom. Yet now what has been given to us for helping the poor, for blotting out our sins, for glorifying God and pleasing Him, we turn against the unfortunate poor.

Or rather, we turn it against our own soul. Through this we insult God. Whoever takes money from another and casts him into poverty hands himself over to death.

He wears another down with poverty in this world, and prepares eternal punishment for himself. Can the one be compared with the other?

Therefore what evil does not come from money? Do not covetousness, theft, cries, enmities, fights, and disputes come from this?

Do not those possessed by this passion stretch out their hands even against the dead, even against fathers and brothers? Do they not overthrow the laws of nature, the commandments of God, and everything altogether?

Are tribunals not established because of them? Therefore destroy within yourself the love of money, and war will cease. Fights will cease. Enmity will cease. Quarrels and love of disputes will cease.

The covetous should be expelled from the world as destroyers and wolves. As contrary and strong winds, blowing upon a calm sea, shake it to its foundations, so that the sand in the depths mingles with the upper waves.

So people greedy for money throw everything into complete disorder. A man greedy for money knows no friend. What do I say, friend? He does not know even God Himself.

Being possessed by this passion, he becomes frenzied. Do you not see armed Titans passing by? They represent an invented image of frenzy.

But lovers of money are not merely like that. They truly rage and go out of themselves. If you open their soul, you will find it arranged in this way.

It is armed not with one sword or two, but with countless swords. It acknowledges no one, but rages against all. It attacks all and barks at all.

It kills not dogs, but human souls, and loudly belches blasphemies against heaven itself. Through them everything has been overthrown. From frenzied love of money everything has perished.

Whom, whom shall I blame? I do not know. To such a degree has this evil mastered everyone. True, it masters some more and others less, yet it masters all.

As a strong fire, when thrown into a forest, overturns and devastates everything, so this passion destroys the world. Kings, governors, private persons, beggars, women, men, children, all have been equally enslaved to this evil.

As though some darkness had seized the world, no one emerges from intoxication. True, countless accusations against covetousness are heard in private conversation and among the people. Yet nowhere do we see correction.

What then shall be done? How shall we extinguish the flame? It can be extinguished, even if it has risen to heaven itself. We need only desire it, and we shall certainly overcome this flame.

As it grew strong through our desire, so by desire it will be destroyed. Did not our free will kindle it? Therefore free will will also be able to extinguish it.

Only let us desire it. But how can such desire arise in us? If we turn our attention to the vanity and uselessness of wealth, and to the fact that it cannot accompany us there.

If we consider that even here it leaves us, and that although it remains here, the wounds from it go with us there.

If we look at how great the prepared riches are there, and if we compare earthly wealth with them, it will appear more worthless than dirt.

If we notice that it is subject to countless dangers, and that it gives a temporary pleasure, and that pleasure mixed with grief.

If we carefully consider the other wealth, that is, the wealth prepared in eternal life, then we shall be able to despise earthly wealth.

If we consider that the latter does not add to us any glory, health, or anything else, but instead plunges us into the abyss of destruction.

If you learn that, although here you are rich and have many subjects, when you depart there, you will depart alone and naked.

If we often repeat this and hear it from others, perhaps health will return to us, and we shall be delivered from this heavy punishment.

Is a pearl something beautiful? Consider that it is seawater which first entered the womb of a shell. Are gold and silver something beautiful? Consider that they were and are earth and ashes.

Are silk garments beautiful? They are fabric prepared by worms. Human supposition and preconception make them beautiful, but by nature they have no beauty in themselves.

What is beautiful by nature has no need of teachers. If you saw a copper coin completely covered with gold, at first you would marvel at it, thinking it gold.

Then, when those who know such things revealed the deception to you, your admiration would disappear together with the deception. Do you see that gold does not have beauty by nature?

Nor does silver have it either. If you saw tin, you would marvel at it, thinking it silver, just as you marveled at copper, thinking it gold.

Teachers are needed to show what one ought to marvel at. Thus our eyes do not serve as a fully reliable guide in recognizing things.

Flowers, however, are not like this. They are much better than gold and silver. If you see a rose, you have no need of teachers.

You know by yourself how to distinguish it from an anemone and from a violet, and likewise a lily and every flower. Therefore this is nothing other than preconception.

So that you may be convinced that this destructive passion is the result of preconception, tell me this. If it pleased the king to determine by law that silver be valued higher than gold, would not our admiration and love change?

Thus we are always guided by covetousness and preconception. That this is so, and that things are valued by their rarity and not by nature, is clear from the following.

There are fruits which are cheap among us, but dear in the Cappadocian land. Among things dear among us, some are much cheaper in China, from which these garments are brought.

In Arabia, rich in spices, and in India, where precious stones are found, one can find many such things. Thus all this is prejudice and human preconception.

We do nothing by reason, but inattentively and as it happens. Therefore let us rise from this intoxication. Let us look upon what is truly beautiful, upon what is beautiful by nature: piety and justice.

Then we may be counted worthy to receive the promised blessings, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ. With Him, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, belong glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

"Pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith." Having earlier given the command to train, the Apostle now counsels him to struggle. He also shows the benefit that comes from this.

"Take hold of eternal life, to which you were also called, and confessed the good confession before many witnesses." For the Apostle had as witnesses of the good confession all those who received the preaching from him.

An even greater struggle is to arrange one's inner and outer life according to the spirit of faith. This always requires no small reconstruction of the patterns of one's established life.

Then the struggle is to stand firm both in belief and in life according to faith. This struggle is especially difficult and exalted in time of persecution and attacks against faith and believers.

All these are struggles common to all believers. But there are also special struggles of faith laid only upon certain persons, namely, spreading the faith and guiding others in the work of faith. This is the apostolic and pastoral struggle.

Which struggle of faith should be understood in the present place? All of them, except the struggle of first believing. But especially the last, the apostolic and pastoral struggle.

Saint Timothy had long since believed and had come to know the faith in its whole breadth. There is no need to mention this.

But the struggle of preserving the faith and living in the spirit of faith never ceases. Neither does the struggle of enduring temptations because of the faith. For a pastor, the struggle of teaching and guiding the flock also never ceases.

All these may be understood in the present place, as our interpreters also do. Saint Chrysostom speaks here of the struggle of preserving faith and life in its spirit.

"Not only confession is required, meaning reception of the faith and believing, but also standing in it, so as to remain constantly in the received confession.

For this, great struggles and no small labors are rightly needed, so as not to deviate from the right path. Many temptations and many obstacles lie ahead.

As a result, this path is narrow and grievous. Therefore one must guard oneself from every side. One must properly arm oneself on every side.

From everywhere countless enticements appear and draw the eyes of the soul to themselves. These are comforts, money, deception, laziness, glory, pride, power, and love of rule.

They appear with a bright and pleasant face, able to draw to themselves those who submit to their influence and do not love the truth very much. For the truth is hard and contains nothing pleasant in itself.

Why? Because it promises every possible consolation only in the future. These things, however, already promise honors, pleasures, and rest now, though not true rest, but only the outward appearance of it.

As a result, everyone who loves pleasure, is soft, and is fainthearted clings to them, fleeing the labors bound up with virtue."

Oecumenius writes concerning the endurance of temptations for the faith: "The struggle of faith is all that was said in verse 11, righteousness, piety, and the rest, and also courage in temptations for the faith."

Blessed Theophylact also mentions the labors of the pastorate: "Fight," he says, "the good fight of faith. That is, stand for the faith firmly and unshakably, and be zealous for it by the power of word and the purity of life."

It is obvious in itself how struggles of this kind serve as an antidote to covetousness and as a firm foundation of non-possessiveness.

The spirit of life according to faith is detached from everything and, therefore, not devoted to gain. Temptations for the faith, like fire cleansing metals of foreign admixtures by melting, burn away every attachment to earthly things.

Pastoral cares, besides this, leave no time to occupy oneself with acquisitions. Therefore the Apostle wrote of struggles, "Everyone who competes exercises self-control in all things" (1 Cor 9:25).

And again, "No one serving as a soldier entangles himself in the affairs of life" (cf. 2 Tim 2:4).

"Lay hold of eternal life." This directly denies covetousness. To take hold of eternal life means to seek it with all the soul and all the heart.

Then there is nothing left with which to seek possessions. Thoughts and desires have all moved into the realm of eternal life. No strength remains for acquiring anything temporal.

The Savior also said that one cannot serve God and mammon. These forms of service exclude one another. Therefore take hold of eternal life, and you will extinguish covetousness, receiving non-possessiveness instead of it.

Moreover, having taken hold of eternal life, one must direct deeds exclusively toward acquiring it. All those deeds rest upon active self-denial and love. Both are a consuming fire for covetousness.

"To which you were also called." The promise of eternal life entered into the first instruction of those coming to the faith.

Preachers presented to the mind, on the one side, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven" (cf. Rom 1:18). On the other, they said, "we proclaim eternal life to you" (cf. 1 Jn 1:2).

From the one side fear drew them, and from the other sweet hope. They were drawn to the faith, which offered a means at once to be delivered from wrath and to become heirs of eternal blessedness.

In every age these two motives have drawn and still draw people to the faith. They have kept and still keep them in it, not cold, but inspired lovers of it.

The Apostle reminds Saint Timothy: do you remember what drew you to the faith? It was the sweet hope of eternal blessings.

They were promised to you on behalf of God, so that you were directly called into eternal life. Having been baptized, you were enrolled among the heirs of this life, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (cf. Rom 8:17).

Therefore, for you, being such a one, it is unfitting to practice covetousness. This would mean exchanging gold and precious stones for rubbish and chaff.

This can be reminded to everyone. For "everyone who approaches baptism is called into eternal life" (Oecumenius).

"And you confessed the good confession before many witnesses." Confession means the confession of faith. It is good when it is made fearlessly, with boldness, without any wavering, and with full assurance of the truth.

What confession is mentioned? Confession takes place at baptism. Confession is proclaimed before persecutors. It is also given before ordination.

Which is meant here? Least of all the last. The first is appropriate. The preceding phrase leads to it: "you were called."

So does the circumstance that Saint Timothy was recommended to the Apostle Paul by all the believers in his homeland as a fervent zealot of the faith (cf. Acts 16:2).

The second is still more appropriate. Accompanying the Apostle, Saint Timothy everywhere manifested the confession of faith, so that the whole world was witness to his confession.

Saint Chrysostom says, "The Apostle here praises the boldness and courage of Saint Timothy. You, he says, in all places manifested your good confession."

Blessed Theophylact writes, "He praises his boldness and courage, since he confessed Christ amid dangers. Or he speaks of the confession made at baptism, when we confess that we renounce Satan and unite ourselves to Christ."

What is such a confession in relation to covetousness and non-possessiveness? It is the same as the good fight of faith.

Moreover, one who confesses Christ before the face of death inwardly and essentially detaches himself from everything. At the same time, he is filled with indescribably blessed feelings through active communion with the Lord, who is near.

The memory of this does not depart afterward. Deliberate recollection of it every time restores in strength both complete detachment and the all-blessed tasting of the Lord.

Where could such a person acquire a taste for corruptible possessions?