1 Timothy 6:12 - Fight the Good Fight (2024)

New International Version
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.New Living Translation
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.English Standard Version
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.Berean Standard Bible
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.Berean Literal Bible
Fight the good fight of the faith. Lay hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and also did confess the good confession before many witnesses.King James Bible
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.New King James Version
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.New American Standard Bible
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.NASB 1995
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.NASB 1977
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.Legacy Standard Bible
Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.Amplified Bible
Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.Christian Standard Bible
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.Holman Christian Standard Bible
Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses. American Standard Version
Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And fight in the good contest of faith and seize eternal life, to which things you are called, and you have professed a good profession before many witnesses.Contemporary English Version
Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened. Douay-Rheims Bible
Fight the good fight of faith: lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast confessed a good confession before many witnesses. English Revised Version
Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.GOD'S WORD® Translation
Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses.Good News Translation
Run your best in the race of faith, and win eternal life for yourself; for it was to this life that God called you when you firmly professed your faith before many witnesses. International Standard Version
Fight the good fight for the faith. Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called and about which you gave a good testimony in front of many witnesses.Literal Standard Version
Be striving the good strife of the faith; be laying hold on the continuous life to which you also were called, and did profess the right profession before many witnesses.Majority Standard Bible
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.New American Bible
Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.NET Bible
Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses.New Revised Standard Version
Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.New Heart English Bible
Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold of the everlasting life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.Webster's Bible Translation
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.Weymouth New Testament
Exert all your strength in the honourable struggle for the faith; lay hold of the Life of the Ages, to which you were called, when you made your noble profession of faith before many witnesses.World English Bible
Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. Young's Literal Translation
be striving the good strife of the faith, be laying hold on the life age-during, to which also thou wast called, and didst profess the right profession before many witnesses.Additional Translations ...

(12) Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.--Then, again, with the old stirring metaphor of the Olympic contests for a prize (1Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:13-14)--the metaphor St. Paul loved so well, and which Timothy must have heard so often from his old master's lips as he preached and taught--he bids the "man of God," rising above the pitiful struggles for things perishable and useless, fight the noble fight of faith; bids him strive to lay hold of the real prize--life eternal. The emphasis rests here mainly on the words "the good fight" and "eternal life." These things are placed in strong contrast with "the struggle of the covetous" and its "miserable, perishable crown." "The good fight," more closely considered, is the contest and struggle which the Christian has to maintain against the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is styled the "good fight of faith," partly because the contest is waged on behalf of, for the sake of, the faith, but still more because from faith it derives its strength and draws its courage. "Eternal life" is the prize the "man of God" must ever have before his eyes. It is the crown of life which the Judge of quick and dead will give to the "faithful unto death." (See James 1:12; Revelation 2:10.)

Whereunto thou art also called.--The "calling" here refers both to the inner and outward call to the Master's work. The inner call is the persuasion in the heart that the one vocation to which the life must be dedicated was the ministry of the word; and the outward call is the summons by St. Paul, ratified by the church in the persons of the presbyters of Lystra.

And hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.--More accurately translated, and thou confessedst the good confession . . . These words simply add to the foregoing clause another ground of exhortation: "Thou wast called to eternal life, and thou madest the good confession." When--has been asked--was this good confession made? Several epochs in the life of Timothy have been suggested. Were it not for the difficulty of fixing a date for so terrible an experience in Timothy's, comparatively speaking, short life, it would appear most probable that the confession was made on the occasion of some persecution or bitter trial to which he had been exposed. On the whole, however, it appears safer to refer "the good confession" to the time of his ordination. In this case the many witnesses would refer to the presbyters and others who were present at the solemn rite.

Verse 12. - The faith for faith, A.V.; the life eternal for eternal life, A.V.; wast for art also, A.V. and T.R.; didst confess the good confession for hast professed a good profession, A.V.; in the sight of for before, A.V. Fight the good fight. This is not quite a happy rendering. Ἀγών is the "contest" at the Olympic assembly for any of the prizes, in wrestling, chariot-racing, foot-racing, music, or what not. Ἀγωνίζεσθαι τὸν ἀγῶνα is to "carry on such a contest" (comp. 2 Timothy 4:7). The comparison is different from that in 1 Timothy 1:18, Ἵνα στρατεύῃ... τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν," That thou mayest war the good warfare." The faith. There is nothing to determine absolutely whether ἡ πίστις here means faith subjectively or "the faith" objectively, nor does it much matter. The result is the same; but the subjective sense seems the most appropriate. Lay hold, etc.; as the βραβεῖον or prize of the contest (see 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25). Whereunto thou wast called. So St. Paul continually (Romans 1:1, 6, 7; Romans 8:28, 30; 1 Corinthians 1:29; Ephesians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; and numerous other passages). He seems here to drop the metaphor, as in the following clause. Didst confess the good confession. The connection of this phrase with the call to eternal life, and the allusion to one special occasion on which Timothy "had confessed the good confession" of his faith in Jesus Christ, seems to point clearly to his baptism (see Matthew 10:32; John 9:22; John 12:42; Hebrews 10:23). The phrase, "the good confession," seems to have been technically applied to the baptismal confession of Christ (compare the other Church sayings, 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Timothy 3:1; 1 Timothy 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 3:8). In the sight of many witnesses. The whole congregation of the Church, who were witnesses of his baptism (see the rubric prefixed to the Order of "Ministration of Public Baptism" in the Book of Common Prayer). Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Fight
ἀγωνίζου (agōnizou)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 75: From agon; to struggle, literally, figuratively, or genitive case.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

good
καλὸν (kalon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

fight
ἀγῶνα (agōna)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 73: From ago; properly, a place of assembly, i.e. a contest; figuratively, an effort or anxiety.

of the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

faith.
πίστεως (pisteōs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4102: Faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

Take hold
ἐπιλαβοῦ (epilabou)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 1949: To lay hold of, take hold of, seize (sometimes with beneficent, sometimes with hostile, intent).

of the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

eternal
αἰωνίου (aiōniou)
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 166: From aion; perpetual.

life
ζωῆς (zōēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2222: Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

which
ἣν (hēn)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

you were called
ἐκλήθης (eklēthēs)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2564: (a) I call, summon, invite, (b) I call, name. Akin to the base of keleuo; to 'call'.

[when you made]
ὡμολόγησας (hōmologēsas)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 3670: From a compound of the base of hom*ou and logos; to assent, i.e. Covenant, acknowledge.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

good
καλὴν (kalēn)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

confession
ὁμολογίαν (hom*ologian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3671: A profession, confession. From the same as hom*ologeo; acknowledgment.

before
ἐνώπιον (enōpion)
Preposition
Strong's 1799: Neuter of a compound of en and a derivative of optanomai; in the face of.

many
πολλῶν (pollōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4183: Much, many; often.

witnesses.
μαρτύρων (martyrōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3144: A witness (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case); by analogy, a 'martyr'.

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