John Calvin Commentary 1 Timothy 1:18

"This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to thee, that by them thou mayest war the good warfare;" — 1 Timothy 1:18 (ASV)

I recommend to you this commandment. All that he had introduced about himself can be seen as a digression from his subject. Since he needed to arm Timothy with authority, it became necessary for Paul himself to be invested with the highest authority. Therefore, he took an early opportunity to refute an opinion that might have hindered him. Now, having proved that his apostleship should not be less esteemed by good men because he once fought against the kingdom of Christ, this obstacle being removed, he returns to his exhortation. The commandment, therefore, is the same as he mentioned at the beginning.

Son Timothy. By calling him his son, he not only expresses his own warm regard toward him, but also recommends him to others under that name.

According to the prophecies which went before concerning you. In order to encourage him still more, he reminds him what kind of testimony he had obtained from the Spirit of God; for it was no small encouragement that his ministry was approved by God, and that he had been called by divine revelation before he was called by the votes of men. “It is disgraceful not to live up to the expectations which men have been led to form; and how much more disgraceful will it be to nullify, as far as lies in your power, the judgment of God?”

But we must first ascertain what are the prophecies of which he speaks. Some think that Paul was instructed by revelation to confer the office on Timothy. That I acknowledge to be true, but I add that others also made revelations; for it was not without reason that Paul used the plural number.

Accordingly, we conclude from these words that several prophecies were uttered concerning Timothy, in order to recommend him to the Church. Being still a young man, he might have been despised on account of his age; and Paul might also have been exposed to slander for having ordained youths to the elder’s office before the proper time.

Besides, God had appointed him to great and difficult undertakings, for he was not one of the ordinary rank of ministers but approached very closely to that of the apostles, and frequently occupied Paul’s place during his absence. It was, therefore, necessary that he should receive an extraordinary testimony to make it clear that this honor was not conferred on him randomly by men, but that he was chosen by God Himself.

To be adorned with the acclamations of the prophets was not an ordinary occurrence, nor one common to him and many others. Because there were particular circumstances concerning Timothy, it was God’s will that he should not be received by men until He had previously approved him by His own voice; it was God’s will that he should not enter into the exercise of his office until he had been called by the revelations of the prophets.

The same thing happened to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2) when they were ordained to be teachers of the Gentiles. For it was a new and uncommon occurrence, and otherwise they could not have escaped the charge of rashness.

Some will now object: “If God had formerly declared by His prophets what kind of minister Timothy should be, what purpose did it serve to admonish him to show that he was actually such a person? Could he falsify prophecies which had been uttered by divine revelation?”

I reply that it could not happen differently from what God had promised. However, at the same time, it was Timothy’s duty not to give himself up to sloth and inactivity, but to render cheerful compliance with the providence of God.

Therefore, it is not without good reason that Paul, wishing to stimulate him still more, mentions the “prophecies,” by which God might be said to have pledged Himself on behalf of Timothy, for he was thus reminded of the purpose for which he was called.

That you by them may war a good warfare. By this he means that Timothy, relying on such approval of God, should fight more courageously. What is there that either should give, or can give us greater cheerfulness than to know that God has appointed us to do what we are doing? These are our arms, these are our weapons of defense, by whose aid we shall never fail.

By the word warfare, he states indirectly that we must maintain a contest; and this applies universally to all believers, but especially to Christian teachers, who may be said to be standard-bearers and leaders. It is as if he had said, “O Timothy, if you cannot fulfill your office without a contest, remember that you are armed by divine prophecies for cherishing assured hope of victory, and arouse yourself by calling them to remembrance. That warfare which we maintain, having God for our leader, is a good warfare; that is, it is glorious and successful.”