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1 Timothy 1:18
ESV This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
NIV Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well,
NASB This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
CSB Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight,
NLT Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.
KJV This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
NKJV This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

What does 1 Timothy 1:18 mean?

This verse adds more urgency to the mission Paul gave to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3. After the introduction (1 Timothy 1:2), Paul only states Timothy's name twice in this letter. Once is here, the other is in 1 Timothy 6:20. On both occasions, the focus is personal and meant to grab the young man's attention. Paul wants Timothy to live out his calling entrusted to him.

The reference to prophecies about Timothy is mysterious. This aspect of Timothy's past is also mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6. When, exactly, these events happened or what the details are, we do not know. More than likely, this was at the time described in Acts 16:1–5, in Lystra, when Paul first wanted to take Timothy with him on his missionary journey. As this is a personal letter from Paul to Timothy, there is clearly some information known between them which Paul does not explain.

The closing phrase "wage the good warfare" closely resembles Paul's other challenges to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 and 2 Timothy 4:7. However, this challenge uses the word picture of warfare, similar to Ephesians 6:10–18, written to the same city where Timothy now serves. The city of Ephesus had a large Roman soldier population during this time. Some of these soldiers may have been members of Timothy's house churches. At the very least, the word picture of warfare would have been appropriate to his cultural context.
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